# Samuel Morse's Birthday



## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

I'm surpirised that no-one has commented on today's anniversary.
Even Google has the title in morse code today.

Small pedantic point.
Has Google got it wrong?
Are they showing it in modern morse code and was Samuel Morse's code largely different to the morse we all know and love?


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## davetodd (Jul 8, 2007)

You are the expert Kris, tell us.
By the way, how did you transmit dit-dah's etc. in different colours???
Clever Google has done it!!


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

davetodd said:


> By the way, how did you transmit dit-dah's etc. in different colours???


Only under the influence of various noxious substances, Dave.
Alcohol being the principle culprit. [=P]

Here's someone who appears to have had a good time on the happy juice.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...zdi3DA&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=6&ct=image


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## salvina (Feb 14, 2008)

*google logo*

I did notice the google logo in morse code today but didn't know it was his birthday. I'll sink one for him tonight! (Thumb) (Pint)


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## David Davies (Dec 11, 2006)

I have found several sites on the net devoted to audio morse but none to visual. Does any one know of one?


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

How do you mean, David?
The code was the same, do you just mean one that shows a blinking lamp?


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## davetodd (Jul 8, 2007)

Marconi Sahib said:


> How do you mean, David?
> The code was the same, do you just mean one that shows a blinking lamp?


Then that would be the AL DIS 'n DAT lamp eh(Jester)


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## David Davies (Dec 11, 2006)

Chris, thanks for reply, I do mean the same code with a flashing light i.e. Aldis or 10 inch projector, and not the flag method, semaphore B for dot and D for dash?


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## gwzm (Nov 7, 2005)

Hi Marconi Sahib

Morse's code was used on landline and was bit different from what we used (and still do) on radio. On landline:

C = . . .
F = . _ .
J = _ . _.
L = ___
O = . .
P = . . . . .
Q = . . _ .
R = . . .
X = . _ . .
Y = . . . .
2 = . . _ .
3 = . . . _ .
5 = - - -
6 = . . . . . .
7 = _ _ . .
8 = _ . . . .
9 = _ . . _
0 = ___

Full stop = . . _ _ . .
Comma = . _ . _
Question mark = _ . . _ .
Colon = _ . _ . .
Semi-colon = . . . . .
Dash = _ . . . _ . .

Quite a few differences and room for confusion if the spacing/length is wrong, e.g. T and L, also L and 0 are the same. some of this stuff carries over into today's code used on radio. For example

AF (all finished) in landline = AR in today's code
HO HO (laughter) = HI HI (with long space between the dits in the Is) in today's amateur usage
& = ES in landline, that's why amateurs use it for "and", whereas we used ET in marine radio.

So GOOGLE would have been _ _ . . . . . _ _ . ___ . 

Hope this helps,

gwzm


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## andysk (Jun 16, 2005)

Just logged on and seen it, good one Google !

(==D)


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## djmorton (Apr 10, 2006)

Pity Inspector Morse is not on TV tonight when we'd have heard the programme signature tune - M O R S E (morse code music).

._ ._.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

That was what I was looking for, GWZM. (Thumb)
I'd seen it before but couldn't find it again.
It was bugging me. [=P]

Had very little to do with semaphore after leaving school, David.
Morse code for the lamp is the same as for radio.
Calling was AAA and acknowledge was TTT, I think. No doubt I shall soon be corrected if it wasn't. (Sad)
Such a long, long time since I've had to read a lamp.

Cheers
Kris


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Pretty sure the acknowledgment was one long dash, Marconi Sahib. It was also sent to confirm reception of each word.

John T.


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Calling was AA AA sent until a reply was received from the ship being called. Acknowledgement was T as Trotterdotpom says, sent after each word was received.


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## David Davies (Dec 11, 2006)

AA AA call up, T reply, then BT reply BT then message "what ship" AR to end and R received BT Read name (unless Blue Flue), from, to, end AR .
Have downloaded audio morse from net but found after much practice at a speed of 15 words a minute I can't write down fast enough to keep up. But being a 77 year old ex deck I am probably past it.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

I knew I'd get it wrong. (Ouch)
Such a long time ago and latterly the only reply you got, without any of the AA T BT etc., was a quick flash of VHF!
I suppose, David, that you didn't need to ask another Blue Flue where from and to because everyone knew already. Wasn't any different in any of the "liner" cargo companies that I sailed with.
Keep up the practice. It normally took us sparkies two years to get it cracked, and that was full time.
Interesting to see that there were some carry-overs from Morse's original code.
Morse code sounds so much better than something like "International audio and visual signalling standard code for Merchant ships" or something similairly European. [=P]


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

The point was that once you had ascertained the ship's name you did not need to enquire as to where from or to if it was a vessel of the same company.
Since all the posts involve the use of morse code and can be interpreted as a celebration of his birthday I see no problem.
After all, how better to celebrate such a person's anniversary than to reminisce about how he has affected our lives.


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## mikeg (Aug 24, 2006)

Marconi Sahib said:


> The point was that once you had ascertained the ship's name you did not need to enquire as to where from or to if it was a vessel of the same company.
> Since all the posts involve the use of morse code and can be interpreted as a celebration of his birthday I see no problem.
> After all, how better to celebrate such a person's anniversary than to reminisce about how he has affected our lives.


R/O's who kept company scheds. usually knew which ship anyway. Was brave once and got most of a staff list send/received by Aldis because a deck cadet on the another ship said (on the VHF) he wanted some lamp practice (A) and the watch called me  

I'm doing my bit to keep morse going, I'm teaching classes at the Highland Aero Club every wednesday evening. Fliers like to recognise VOR's & NDB's without peeking at the chart - more power to them I say...


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Marconi Sahib said:


> Keep up the practice. It normally took us sparkies two years to get it cracked, and that was full time.[=P]


Kris, I understand that you are being supportive and encouraging, but the actual process is somewhat shorter. When I was at radio college, the course for 2nd Class PMG was 2 terms; for 1st Class it was 3 terms i.e. 1 year. 

And I am sure in WW2 the guys had to get there much quicker than that.

Having said that, I was there 1 year for 2nd Class but had a term out being treated for TB.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

I'm probably a slow learner, Ron. (Sad)
I was at college for two years with one term out for BOT Radar.
The initial learning wasn't the hard part and neither was reaching a reasonable speed but the longer I practiced the faster I got.
Mostly from translating the advertising hoardings into morse and trying to interpret the squeaks from the bus springs. [=P]
The biggest hurdle was making the translation totally automatic. Like speaking a second language.


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## andysk (Jun 16, 2005)

Marconi Sahib said:


> ..... I'm probably a slow learner, Ron. (Sad)
> I was at college for two years with one term out for BOT Radar ..... The biggest hurdle was making the translation totally automatic. Like speaking a second language.


I found that the shift to totally automatic translation happened overnight, the brain obviously got fed up with resisting the (almost) inevitable, and decided to co-operate ! As you say just like learning a foreign language.

I seem to remember being at Norwood Tech for 7 terms for my PMG2 and (failed) BOT radar - Sept '68 to Dec '70. I think 4 terms for the 2nd class, took me 5 as I had to repeat the second one, then 2 for the radar. On the way I picked up the C & G Tels (Cse 49) Intermediate. PMG First Class was not offered due to the change to PMG General that happened about then.


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

Until the syllabus got changed a couple of years ago, I used to give a lecture to the final year social studies class at the local high school on Morse's birthday each year (if a weekend, then on the preceding Friday). The teacher christened it: 'From smoke signals to the internet in 45 minutes'. At the end I offered a prize of $25 to the writer of the best essay on the subject. One year I received a two-page effort describing the career of 'Samuel Morris, railway engineer'!


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## andysk (Jun 16, 2005)

Naytikos said:


> .... One year I received a two-page effort describing the career of 'Samuel Morris, railway engineer'!


Maybe he led a double life !


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## David Davies (Dec 11, 2006)

Why I mentioned blue flue was that many of their names came from Greek mythology and didn't lend themselves to easy reading when called up on the aldis. Some NZS ships gave one a similar problem i.e. p i p i r i k i. What is generally not known, found out a few years ago, that naval signalmen had a writer who made sense of the letters read for them


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## Mimcoman (May 18, 2008)

"It normally took us sparkies two years to get it cracked, and that was full time."

Acha, GTZM-Sahib:

When I started out, I did the Special cert (I wanted to go on trawlers) because I didn't think I would be to walk with those Gods who held a 2nd/1st class cert. The Special course was 6 months and we still had to reach 20wpm pl, 16wpm code and 12wpm figs. (You'll see the syllabus in one of your Handbooks for Radio Operators, which - from a different thread - I seem to remember was blue in 1966 but orange later on when I did 1st class?) We had 2-3 hrs morse a day for 5 days a week, but that wasn't thought especially strenuous (once you'd got beyond the dreaded 12-15 wpm "plateau", anyway).

Tik-ai (sounds like...)
Bill


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## Bruce Carson (Jun 14, 2005)

Marconi Sahib said:


> I'm surpirised that no-one has commented on today's anniversary.
> 
> Dash it all, I can't remember everything right on the dot(EEK)


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## ssr481 (Feb 2, 2008)

Here's a link to an audio/visual morse code translator.. 

http://morsecode.scphillips.com/jtranslator.html


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## Tai Pan (Mar 24, 2006)

David Davies said:


> Why I mentioned blue flue was that many of their names came from Greek mythology and didn't lend themselves to easy reading when called up on the aldis. Some NZS ships gave one a similar problem i.e. p i p i r i k i. What is generally not known, found out a few years ago, that naval signalmen had a writer who made sense of the letters read for them



Dont worry, we had trouble sometimes as well, even when sailing on it.


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## BobDixon (Oct 17, 2008)

*"Heavy-handed morse operators"*

*Heavy-handed morse operators*

It has been calculated that a Morse operator carries a daily workload which is quite remarkable!

A Morse key requires 4 ounces of pressure to operate (approx).

Each letter necessitates approx 4 upward plus 4 downward movements, 8x4 oz = 32 oz.

On average there are approx 6 letters to each word, 6x32 (2lb) = 192oz = 12 lb.

Each minute a good operator sends at 27 wpm = 27x12 lb = 324 lb. Each hour = 60 x 324 lb = 19,440 lb.

For a six hour day = 6x 19,440 lb = 116,640 lb.

Dividing 116,640 by 2,240 (lbs in a ton) = 52 tons 160 lb each day.

A great accomplishment with one hand - whilst in a sitting position!



VK4BCM-Bevan
FISTS

Wireless Institute of Australia 


(this might help explain dancing tea cups at GKR !!!)


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

It also explains why I was so keen to get a Vibroplex after a couple of trips sending VLCC stores messages, Bob. [=P]


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Did Botlek Stores deliver sex toys to Europoort, Kris?

John T.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Wouldn't know, JT.
Although I suspect they may have delivered whatever you wanted they preferred to bus you up to the store so that you bought more.
My Vibroplex is the one with the bug on the label and I got it in Guam of all places. 
Had to drive to the store myself because they wouldn't deliver even under a plain brown wrapper. [=P]


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## Vital Sparks (Sep 19, 2007)

When learning morse I seem to remember a couple of brick walls, one was around 10wpm and the other at 18. Many people stuck at these speeds for a few weeks before their brains rewired themselves and they were able to progress. Every so often there would be a student dropped from the course because they just couldn't make the mental adjustment required.


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