Posted: 8/26/2004 7:55:15 PM EDT
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Know Morse code? I want to learn. Any tips, tricks or study habits I should know? Thanks in advance. BTW...my topic title is a Morse code that EVERYONE HERE should know!!! SOS!!! |
Sorry for what? You're talking gibberish! Morse code letters are separated by pauses (or spaces.) 'SOS' doesn't count here because it is not an acronym nor three letters in a row. It is a special, unique code. No, it does NOT mean 'save our ship' nor any other honorable notion. |
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The best "study habit" for learning it that I know of is simply setting aside 45 minutes or so for learning it EVERY DAY. Learn 5 new characters every day, by repeatedly practising on them. Then, combine them with all the other characters you've learned. Pretty soon, you'll know the entire alphabet, plus the numbers and essential punctuation.
A very weak CW (morse code) signal can be easily picked out of the background noise, under conditions that would make a voice signal completely unintelligible. There are several reasons for this - A CW signal occupies a much narrower slice of the radio band than voice. This allows you to use much narrower filters on the receiver without chopping off part of the signal. A narrow filter drastically reduces the background static and intereference from other signals. Also, each CW tone (a "dit" or a "dah") lasts much longer than typical static bursts and other noise, allowing it to be heard in between bursts. In layman's terms, morse code gets the message through under conditions where voice (or most other "digital" modes) won't. This is one of the main reasons why morse code is still very popular on the ham radio bands – it allows you to communicate farther, using less transmitter power and simpler radio equipment. |