1. Morse Code 201 MORSE and MORE!
Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club
David O’Farrell, WBØIXV
Copyright 2016

2. First It's MORSE CODE
NOT MORRIS CODE
Morris is a cat

3. Samuel Fineley Breese Morse is given credit as the inventor of the telegraph and the code
Alfred Vail was his Assistant:

4. What we will cover Some History How to improve your speed
My Amateur and Commercial History
Brief History of Morse, Wire and Wireless
How to improve your speed
What’s a word?
How much bandwidth is CW?
Speed records
Other Morse code languages

5. My Amateur Radio History
First Licensed as a Novice in 1964, when I was 15 years old – KN7YXO
That required a 5 wpm code test
I upgraded to General Class in WA7COH
That required a 13 wpm code test from the FCC
When I moved to Colorado in 1971, I was issued WBØIXV, and I am currently an Extra class operator

6. That required knowledge of American Morse Code
My Commercial History
From 1965 to 1971 I was a telegrapher for the Northern Pacific Railway (later the Burlington Northern RR) on the Tacoma Division in Washington State.
That required knowledge of American Morse Code

7. Signaling using symbolism
Indian Smoke Signals
“One if by land, Two if by sea”
French semaphore signaling
1790’s and after
Relayed ever 6 miles
All used pre-arranged signals
Not a general method of signaling
When beyond the human voice. Waving at someone, drum beats, prearranged signals
1934 movie “Count of Monte Cristo” shows the French semaphore in action.

8. America's first telegram was sent by Morse on 6 January 1838
On May 24, 1844 he sent “What Hath God Wrought” from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. a distance of 40 miles.
Morse was a noted artist; works at museums of fine arts San Francisco, Boston, New York, Wash. D.C. and many many others.
Attended Yale University; Phi Beta Kappa graduate
Vail most certainly invented the telegraph key, and many believe he also developed the code.
By 1844 the basic code was developed and cipher code discarded.
May 24, 1844 the message was sent; Congress paid $30,000 for the line.
The message was sent from the Supreme Court to Baltimore and sent back to them.
America's first telegram was sent by Morse on 6 January 1838, across two miles (3 km) of wire at Speedwell Ironworks near Morristown, New Jersey. The message read "A patient waiter is no loser.“ Patent #1647 issued June 20, 1840

9. Originally printed on paper tape
Originally the dots and dashes were printed on a moving paper tape to be read by the operator. Soon the discovered they could decode the message just by listening to the ‘sounder’.
Vail most certainly invented the telegraph key, and many believe he also developed the code.
By 1844 the basic code was developed and cipher code discarded.
May 24, 1844 the message was sent; Congress paid $30,000 for the line.
The message was sent from the Supreme Court to Baltimore and sent back to them.

10. American Morse – Morse’s Original code
20% faster than International Morse due to the internal spacing within elements
11 Letters different, 9 numbers different
Some American Morse still used today:
30 = SK …-. - (end of work)
FN = AR (end of message)
& = ES …

12. American Morse – use from the mid 1840's to 1985.
International Morse – currently used only by Amateur Radio operators.
1982 May 6 – Burlington Northern Railroad Dispatcher Fred Putnam issues and Operator Harry Drogitis (at Whitehall, Mont.) copies train order No. 117, ENG 1995 RUN EXTRA WHITEHALL TO LOGAN. This is believed to be last Morse-wire train order in the U.S. or Canada.
1985 Last remaining telegraph circuit on the Milwaukee Railroad, between Milwaukee, Wis. and the Twin Cities, closed down. This may have been the last Morse circuit in use by any U.S. or Canadian railroad. “American Morse - from the mid 1840's to 1985 it was used by Railroads in the United States, 140 years!
International Morse – currently used by Amateur Radio operators years!
Marconi sends “S” across the Atlantic 1901
USCG stops Morse use in 1995 (NMN)
Commercial use ended in 1999, KPH shuts down
July 2013, last telegraph used in India

13. Am I using Morse Code or CW?
CW – Continuous Wave

14. Amateur Radio Morse History
Prior to 1912 – No license needed!
Radio Act of 1912 –5 wpm required; increased to 10 wpm by 1919
Radio Act of 1927 – No change
Communications Act of 1934
Code speed of 13 wpm required after 1936
Prior to 1912 – No license needed!
Radio Act of 1912 – began licensing all radio operators and stations that operated across state lines
Code speed of 5 wpm required; increased to 10 wpm by 1919
Radio Act of 1927
Communications Act of 1934
Code speed of 13 wpm required after 1936

15. Amateur code tests reduced to 5 wpm in 2000
Amateur tests from 1951:
Novice & Technician test was 5 wpm –General test was 13 wpm – sending and receiving
Extra test was 20 wpm – sending and receiving
Amateur code tests reduced to 5 wpm in 2000
FCC eliminates code tests for amateurs in 2007
Amateur tests from 1951 (one minute solid copy):
Novice & Technician test was 5 wpm – sending and receiving
Technician code requirement dropped in 1990/1991
General test was 13 wpm – sending and receiving
Extra test was 20 wpm – sending and receiving
Amateur code tests reduced to 5 wpm in 2000 for General and Extra class, receiving only
FCC eliminates code tests for amateurs in 2007

16. FCC Commercial Radiotelegraph license - 2013
Third, Second, First class radiotelegraph licenses eliminated
New Radiotelegraph Operators License (T)
Maritime Radio Historical Society gives the exam quarterly.
New Radiotelegraph Operators License (T)
Written Elements 1 & 6
Telegraphy Elements 1 & 2 (credit for Extra class 20 wpm)
Element 1 – 16 code groups per minute
Element 2 – 20 words per minute
Maritime Radio Historical Society gives the exam quarterly.

17. Morse code not dead yet!
December 2003, ITU adds new Morse character - COMMAT - ‘AC’

18. Morse is the First DIGITAL mode
CW is sent by either turning a carrier on or off, which is 2 states, so it qualifies as digital by that definition.
It also qualifies under the binary definition, using only 1’s and 0’s Morse Code can be sent.
A 
It’s a digital mode with elements of unequal length.
10 – dit and element space; 1110 for dah and element space; then 00 for space between characters; after words; can generate 1’s and 0’s.
Faster than texting! (Jay Leno clip)

19. It can be done with Light or Sound.
It can be done with wigwag flags, blinker lights, horns, whistles, signal mirrors, or heliograph.

20. The Morse Code Heliograph distance record is 183 miles (295 km) from Mount Ellen, UT to Mount Uncompahgre, CO by the U.S. Signal Corps, September 17, 1894.

21. Sending Morse Code with a Straight Key
Telegrapher’s Glass Arm
Known today as carpel tunnel syndrome

22. Sending Morse Code Bug (Semi-automatic key) Dates from 1906.
Speed with this key is around 40 wpm
Bug (Semi-automatic key)
Probably best to stay away from a Vibroplex or other bug until later in your CW career.
They take more practice to master
They produce a series of dit’s mechanically and a single dah when the paddle is moved right and left.

23. Myth of Iambic Keying Device Keystrokes – to send A-Z and 0 - 9
Straight Key 132
Semi-automatic Bug 87
Non-iambic Electronic Keyer 73
Iambic Electronic Keyer 65
(From Marshall G. Emm, N1FN – Morse Express)
Not as much gain from Non-Iambic Keyer to an Iambic Keyer, especially with shorter letters. Compare that to the gain from a straight key to Non-Iambic Keyer!

24. Four stages of Learning:
Unawareness of lack of knowledge
Conscious lack of knowledge
Conscious knowledge
Unawareness of knowledge
From Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy

25. Four Phases to become an Morse expert:
Hustling for the letters
Learning to hear words
Talking in several words, a phrase or short sentence
Becoming only conscious of the content
Conscious effort is fatal to speed

26. How to improve your speed
Listen for words instead of letters
Learn the most used words
Copy behind
Stop writing it down, copy in your head.
Most Used Words; In QSO’s (NAME, RIG, RST, etc.)
100 most used works (50% of most text);

29. Most used words: the that with but be have he his to I as by
of it you from
and for do
they not at
in on this
Two things Candler focussed on were learning the 100 most used words and copying behind
The first 25 make up 1/3 of printed material
The 100 make up ½ of printed material
Most common words in English’ from Wikipedia
Most used words
QST, January 2009, page 55
Table 4 – Most common two letter words
Table 5 – Most common three letter words
Table 6 – Most common four letter words
Table 7 – Most common and/or Frequently used words used in English

30. Copying one, two, or more characters behind.
Carry the letters in your mind
Goal to disengage your conscious attention
Work to make copying code done more by your subconscious mind.
Top notch operators would carry several words behind.
If you carry the letters in your mind, you will form them subconsciously into words and sentences.
Listen to code while doing something else.
Start with random two character groups with wide spacing. Don’t write anything down until both characters have been sent. Then progress to three character

31. Copying behind exercise
Spell these words verbally = As you write the words
am we an us as up to at so be or do on go no he my if of in me is
And then do the same while reversing the columns

32. What is a word?
How many letters make a word?
Four or Five?

33. PARIS vs CODEX standard
PARIS – Natural language word rate
CODEX – Word rate for random letters
PARIS mimics a word rate that is typical of natural language words and reflects the benefits of Morse code's shorter code durations for common characters such as "e" and "t".
CODEX offers a word rate that is typical of 5-letter code groups (sequences of random letters).

34. PARIS - The word PARIS is exactly 50 elements or dot units
P = di da da di = (3) = 14 elements A = di da = (3) = 8 elements R = di da di = (3) = 10 elements I = di di = (3) = 6 elements S = di di di = [7] = 12 elements Total = 50 elements
Note that after each dit/dah of the letter P -- one element spacing is used except the last one. (Intra-Character). After the last dit of P is sent, 3 elements are added (Inter-Character). After the word PARIS - 7 elements are used. Thus: P = di da da di = (3) = 14 elements A = di da = (3) = 8 elements R = di da di = (3) = 10 elements I = di di = (3) = 6 elements S = di di di = [7] = 12 elements Total = 50 elements
() = intercharacter [] = interword If you send PARIS 5 times in a minute (5WPM) you have sent 250 elements (using correct spacing). 250 elements into 60 seconds per minute = 240 milliseconds per element.
13 words-per-minute is one element every milliseconds.
dot length at 20 words per minute is 60 milliseconds.

35. CODEX (CODEZ) word standard
Using the word CODEX with 60 dot units

36. PARIS vs. CODEX (CODEZ) word standard
For commercial radiotelegraph licenses
For commercial radiotelegraph licenses in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission specifies tests for Morse code proficiency in words per minute and in code groups per minute. The word per minute rate would be close to the PARIS standard, and the code groups per minute would be close to the CODEX standard.

37. CW Bandwidth CW Bandwidth = wpm X 4 (e.g., 40 WPM = 160 Hz)
Or more precisely:
CW Bandwidth = baud rate x wpm x fading factor
Using the PARIS standard of 50 symbols per minute, 1 WPM = 0.83 baud.
Or baud = WPM/1.2
Keying envelope; as CW rise and fall times get shorter, K gets larger. Too sharp keying waveforms cause key clicks.
On transmission paths of good, strong signals, soft keying can be used and K will be around 3.
On fading paths, harder keying is needed and K will be around 5. Most Xmiters are sent with rise and fall times of 4 to 5 milliseconds.
This keying envelope will have a K factor of 4.8
Thus, BW = WPM x 4.8/1.2 or WPM x 4
From the ARRL License Manual 1976: "With proper shaping, the necessary keying bandwidth is equal to 4 times the speed in words per minute for International Morse Code; e.g. at 25 words per minute, the bandwidth is approximately 100 cycles."
For CW the baud rate is 0.8 and the fading factor is 5
fading factor aka shape of keying envelope
e.g. at 13 wpm the bandwidth for CW (A1A) is 52 Hz.

38. Extra Info Other versions of the code Traffic handling
Code Speed Records

39. Extra Info Other versions of the code Arabic Greek Hebrew Japanese
Korean Russian
Thai Turkish

40. Chinese Morse Code
The Chinese variation of Morse Code closely resembles Morse’s early numerical dictionary system.  A series of Chinese codebooks contain the roughly 10,000 Chinese ideographs, which are assigned to specific four digit numbers.  Upon transmitting or receiving a code, telegraph translators refer a particular code number to its corresponding ideograph in the codebook

41. Extra Info Traffic handling - NTS the National Traffic System
Traffic Nets
Traffic Procedures and Message Format
Header, Preamble, Body, Signature
Q signals
QRV – I am ready to receive messages
QN… - Additional Q signals

42. Extra Info Code Speed Records Copying (typewriter) Morse Code
Ted McElroy 75.2 wpm perfect copy – July 2,1939
Sending with Straight Key
Harry A. Turner, U.S. Army Signal Corps – 35 wpm – Nov. 9, 1942
RadioSport – High Speed Telegraphy (HST) – ‘marks’
300 letters per minute (60 wpm)
320 figures per minute (64 wpm)
230 mixed per minute (46 wpm)

43. Extra Info Key Collecting – Some hobbyists have huge key collections.
Can collect straight keys
Or, Vibroplex bugs
Or, whatever

44. J-38 Keys even have a following:
American Radio Hardware – (ARH)
American Radio & Telegraph Corp. (ARTEC)
McElroy Mfg Corp
Lionel Corp
Radio Essentials (same as ARH)
Cook Electric Co.
Signal Electric Mfg. (SEMCO)
Telegraph Apparatus Corp. (TAC)
8 different manufacturers

45. Contact info;
Resources:
See handout
Morse Express E Bethany Dr, Suite Aurora, CO 80014 USA