Morse Code Research Morse code is a form of textual transmission as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that are interpreted by a skilled listener. International Morse Code encodes the Roman alphabet, Arabic numerals, and a small set of punctuation as standardized sequences of short and long “dots” and “dashes”. Since many non-English languages have more than 26 letters there are extensions to the Morse alphabet. The speed of Morse code is measure in WPM. A dot is one “on” element followed by an off while a dash is three “ons” and one “off”. Every character is a combination of dots and dashes. The shorter sequences are used for commonly used English letters. Samuel F. B. Morse’s electric telegraph originally had a different code created for it in the early 1840′s. Later Morse code was created and used extensively for early radio communication. Most international communication used Morse code on telegraph lines and radio circuits. Morse code was poorly suite for computer reception so machine to machine communication generally used frequency shift keying or phase shift keying. Although no longer requiring licensing in most countries many pilots and air traffic controllers are familiar with Morse code. Morse is often used in place of voice communications for sending automated digital data. Morse is also one of the simplest and versatile methods for telecommunication and is often used for emergency signals. In 1844, a system for telegraphy was first used. It made indentations on a paper tape when currents were received. Morse code was invented to translate the indentations marked on the paper tape. The earliest part of the code was meant to only translate numerals; however, Alfred Vail expanded it to include letters and special characters. In the 1920′s Morse code was used on a regular basis for aviation. The first noted use on a plane was when the Southern Cross had a crewmen was a radio operator who communicated with ground stations via radio telegraph. In the 1930′s both civilian and military pilots were required to know how to use Morse Code. During World War II radio telegraphy used Morse Code and carried messages between various Navys. It was also used by airplanes during the war. Moving units within the army also would not have been efficient without the use of radio telegraphy. Up until 1999 Morse code was an international standard for maritime communications. Morse code has been used longer than any other electrical coding system. The code has evolved from what it originally was. However, now Morse code is seldom used except in historical re-enactments. Up until 2003 amateur radio operators were required to be licensed in Morse Code. Due to the use of an on-off keyed radio signal Morse code requires less complex transmission equipment than other forms of radio communication. It is usually received as a high pitched audio tone so transmissions are easier to copy than voice through noisy frequencies. Also since they are transmitted with a very concentrated power it is possible to use narrow receiver filters that suppress or eliminate interference. Since the relative speed of Morse Code is relatively slow many abbreviations were developed to speed communication. http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/general-2/inventions/2583618/morse_code/ Before cell phones even before telephones, people communicated through Morse code. Despite being a technology that is over 160 years old, it’s still used today among amateur radio users and on some ships. If you were in Boy Scouts, you might have messed around with Morse code or maybe you had a grandpa who used it on his ham radio. While you might not find any particular use for Morse code in your daily life, learning Morse is a fun and engaging hobby you can share with gramps and an interesting man skill to possess. The History of Morse code Morse code was invented by Samuel F. B. Morse in the 1830s. He began work on the electric telegraph in 1832, developed a practical system in 1844, and patented his technology in 1849. The code that Morse developed for use with his system went through a few transformations before arriving at the code we’re familiar with today. Initially, Morse code only transmitted numbers. The transmission’s receiver would then have to use a dictionary to translate the numbers into words. But that proved to be tedious. Soon the code was expanded to include letters and even punctuation. In 1844, Morse appeared before Congress to show off his little machine. The first public message was transmitted on May 24, 1844. It was “What God hath wrought.” The original telegraph system had an apparatus on the receiving end that spat out a string of paper with indentations on it. Short indentations were called “dots” and the longer ones “dashes.” As telegraph users became more proficient with the code, they soon dispensed with the paper tape and deciphered code by year. Self made tycoon Andrew Carnegie worked as a telegraph operator as a boy. He set himself apart by learning to decipher Morse code by ear. Ten years after the first telegraph line opened in 1844, over 23,000 miles of line crossed the country. The telegraph and Morse code had a profound effect on the development of the American West. Railroad companies used it to communicate between their stations and telegraph companies began to pop up everywhere, shortening the amount of time needed to communicate across the country. During this period, European countries had developed their own system of Morse code. The code used in America was called American Morse code or often Railroad Morse code. The code used in Europe was called Continental Morse code. In the 1890′s radio communication was invented and Morse code was used for transmitting messages at sea. As radio frequencies got longer and longer, international communication soon became possible and a need for an international standard code developed. In 1912, the International Morse code was adopted for all international communication. However, many railroads and telegraph companies continued using Railroad Morse code because it could be sent faster. Today, American Morse code is nearly extinct. A few amateur radio users and Civil War re-enactors still keep it alive. Morse code became extremely important in maritime shipping and aviation. Pilots were required to know how to communicate using Morse code up until the 1990s. Today Morse code is primarily used among amateur radio users. In fact, up until 2007, if you wanted to get your amateur radio license in America, you had to pass a Morse code proficiency test. Learning Morse code Learning Morse code is like learning any language. You have to practice, practice, practice. We’ve brought together some resources to help you get started on the path to becoming a master telegraph operator. Who knows? Maybe you can start your own telegraph shop. Get familiar with the code. The first thing you’ll need to do is get familiar with what the alphabet looks like in Morse code. Below I’ve included the International Morse code alphabet. Print it off, carry it around with you, and study it during your free time. (In order to download the image, right click it and hit “save.”) Tips to make Morse code memorization easier Count the number characters. Knowing the number of characters in each letter can help you narrow down your possibilities when you receive a message. T, E= 1 character each A, I, M,N= 2 characters D, G, K, O, R, S, U, W= 3 characters B, C, F, H, J, L, P, Q, V, X, Y, Z= 4 characters each Reverse letters. Some letters are the reverse of each other in Morse code. For example “a” is “._” while “n” is “_.” Here are the rest of the letters that are the reverse of each other: a & n d & u g & w b & v f & l q & y http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/10/09/morse-code/ The original "MORSE CODE" used by Samuel Morse since the 1840's to allow letters to be sent as short electrical signals (dots) and long electrical signals (dashes) along with some embedded spaces was also called the "AMERICAN" MORSE CODE. It was widely used throughout Europe and America in very early (mid 1800's) land-line communications and has continued to be used to the present in America for this form of Land-Line telegraphic communication in which the signals were carried across the land by lines (wires) supported by telegraph poles. Land-line communications use "sounders" to allow the receiving operator to "hear" the clicking sounds of the code and to translate them into letters. The early "Morse Code" was well suited for this form of communication but could not easily be used for radio telegraphic communication due to the embedded spaces which were actually an integral part of several letters. For instance, the letter " o " was dot- space-dot in the original Morse Code. The original "Morse Code" was replaced in England in the 1800's by a somewhat similar code which eliminated all of the embedded spaces and long dashes within letters that were found in many of the letters in the original Morse code. For instance, the letter " o " became Dash-Dash-Dash. This new code was called the "CONTINENTAL" or "INTERNATIONAL" MORSE CODE and became the universal standard for Radio Telegraph Communications and for ** European land-line telegraphic communications. It was only in America that the original Morse Code continued to be used by railroad and inter-city land-line telegraph operators well into the 1960's.