Morse code may no longer be a mainstream military and maritime use, yet its influence still permeates culture at large – even Apple Watch can silently display time in Morse!
Learning Morse code may take practice, but you’ll soon reach an acceptable level of competence. Audio lessons provide tailored instruction designed to your comprehension level.
What is Voice Morse Code?
“Why would anyone use voice Morse code when digital technology can easily get their point across? Images and texts allow people to easily convey their ideas.”
However, closer inspection reveals why this classic method of communication still has its place. Amateur radio (“ham”) operators still rely on Morse code; moreover it’s also utilized for identification of radio beacons or as part of naval communication (for instance via flashing-light semaphore signals between ships).
Voice Morse code is most often transmitted using a radio system that converts analog input into digital data for transmission – this technique is known as pulse code modulation or PCM and it’s the same technology found on most telephone systems in the US. Analog signals are sampled at regular rates before quantified samples are transformed into binary sequences of zeroes and ones.
Voice Morse code requires no additional equipment, making it an ideal way to learn the fundamentals. At first, you may transmit and receive signals at an extremely slow rate; but with practice comes speedier transmissions and reception. Ham radio operatorss have achieved transmission rates greater than 25 words per minute while some can even transmit and receive at even faster rates than this!
Voice Morse code success lies in being able to recognize each dit and dah of each character, unlike digitized speech which may become robotic when transmitted long distances, this series of dots and gaps is much easier for deciphering than weak voice of human. Therefore, this method can be utilized internationally even for transmission over large distances.
If you’re interested in learning Morse code, there are plenty of resources online. Free software exists that will convert your own voice into Morse code and let you listen back as it plays back a recording; moreover, Morse code keyers and sounders can be purchased at relatively reasonable costs; additionally, new algorithms that create amplitude-time graphs have proven more successful at recognizing Morse than frequency spectrograms in recognizing Morse.
What is Digital Morse Code?
Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail created Morse code in 1844 as a way of sending messages across long distances via telegraph wires and later radio waves. Consisting of combinations of dots and dashes representing letters and numbers, Morse code has since become the universal alphabet for electronic communication – still utilized today by amateur radio “ham” operators, directional beacons, maritime services providers and many other maritime applications.
Morse code remains an essential method for critical long-distance communication despite the arrival of voice and two-way radio technologies, thanks to its greater tolerance of noise than voice transmissions and ability to send more characters than spoken words over longer distances. Furthermore, Morse can communicate across oceans and other bodies of water which could not otherwise be achieved with traditional sounding of International Signal SOS (which doesn’t stand for “Save Our Souls”!).
Though some have speculated Morse code might become extinct given the proliferation of text messaging services like SMS and MMS, its place within radio communication remains secure. Even today you can hear it being transmitted from ham radios, directional beacons and even cubesats!
Amateur radio enthusiasts around the world continue to use Morse code as an effective form of communication – greetings, technical data and distress signals can all be transmitted using Morse. While Morse can be intimidating at first, consistent practice over months or years usually allows a level of proficiency that allows conversation at 12-25 words per minute.
Some Hams believe that learning and using Morse Code builds neural connections in the brain similar to mathematics or music. Indeed, research conducted at Ruhr University Bochum (Germany) and UMC Utrecht in Netherlands supports this belief.
What is Satellite Morse Code?
Morse code may seem outdated in our age of instant gratification, yet its revival may be on the rise – like fountain pens, vinyl records and Polaroid film cameras have shown. Morse code may regain popularity as a form of communication that isn’t exclusively digital (unlike online casino games on platforms reviewed on yoakimbridge.com that are fully digital) – its inherent challenge and human need for decipherment of code intrigue many individuals, which may explain its inclusion as plotline of popular TV shows such as Stranger Things.
Morse code transmission remains one of the most recognizable methods, still used widely among amateur radio operators. Furthermore, its human-readable format makes it ideal for emergency signaling purposes or identifying navigational radio beacons.
Mastering Morse code can be a difficult skill. While an average English speaker typically speaks about 150 words per minute, experienced ham radio operators usually only send and receive 12-25 words per minute. Learning Morse code takes months or years of hard work – nonetheless it remains an indispensable and enjoyable pastime hobby for many.
Morse code’s most notable use lies in satellite communication. Cubesats send status and health telemetry back to Earth via ham radio operators who use Morse code decoding of this telemetry, making voice communication impractical for these satellites that orbit at high altitudes with no terrestrial repeaters nearby. This makes Morse code especially valuable in these circumstances.
H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 will launch on July 20, carrying with it a cubesat called FITSAT-1 that aims to write visible Morse code messages in space. High-powered LEDs on board the cubesat will emit bright bursts of light similar to an amplified flash gun; those bursts should be visible via telescopes equipped with photomultipliers on Earth allowing researchers to test whether visible Morse code communication between satellites can serve as viable form of satellite communications.
FITSAT-1 will become one of many cubesats to use Morse code communications, setting an example for future spacecraft designers. The cubesat community hopes that using Morse code technology could assist people on Earth. Other possible applications could include creating vibrating alerts on smartphones that translate SMS text messages into short sequences of dots and dashes that make up each message.
What is the Future of Voice Morse Code?
Though Morse code usage has declined outside of Civil War reenactments, ham radio operators remain committed to its practice. With the FCC no longer mandating that amateurs know Morse code for certain frequencies, this has caused frustration among hams who value Morse.
One criticism of learning the code is its time- and patience-intensive nature; especially in an age when instant messaging and social media dominate most forms of communication. Hams point out, though, that learning the code is well worth your while – building neural connections helps your brain adapt in other areas and can improve listening skills as it requires focus without distraction from outside influences.
Another advantage of Morse code is that it’s much more readable than digital signals over long distances and at higher altitudes, particularly since its letters use dots and dashes rather than voice. Morse codes made up of dots and dashes are easier to decipher at high speeds over greater distances compared to digital messages; particularly for pilots using airplanes; having knowledge of Morse code can assist when communicating with air traffic control when landing or departing an airport, and broadcast Morse codes (such as SOS crys for help) broadcast across an area where cell phone signals might not work reliably compared with digital messages alone.
Morse code communication can also be more reliable in disaster or war zones where most forms of communication have been damaged or unavailable, providing the only method for sending an internationally recognized SOS message without depending on satellite signaling or digital technology which could potentially be vulnerable to cyber warfare attacks.
Howard Bernstein of Long Island CW club recommends taking two classes each week and practicing 20-30 minutes daily if possible – typically three to four months should do it. Recently, South Korean boy band TXT’s use of Morse code in music videos has brought additional interest from young people as well.