Paul Schleck posted on 24 Mar 08:

AF6AY writes:

According to this recent demonstration on the Tonight Show with Jay
Leno:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhsSgcsTMd4
Ahem...quibble mode on...that little bit on the Tonight Show was
a 'setup' gig that employed two young local male actors as the
(described) "text messaging experts" but the two hams (one of which
would very soon become marketing director for Heil Sound) were
real. That is the input I got directly from a reliable staffer on
the Tonight Show. Took a few phone calls to get that information
but it is an advantage of living inside the entertainment capital of
the USA (aka Los Angeles, CA)...and the NBC western Hq is only
about 5 miles south of my place, down Hollywood Way to Alameda and
then east about a mile. That whole bit was really a send-up on the
popular fad of text messaging done by teeners and young adults.
That bit is about as 'real documentary' as Leno's send-ups on the
'street interviews' with ordinary (apparently clueless) younger
folk on various kinds of knowledge. In short, ONLY for gag purposes.

Sorry, but I've got to call baloney on this one. The individual who
appeared on the Tonight Show who sent the text message was actually Ben
Cook, and not an actor. Ben held the world's record for fastest text
messaging:

If you say so, then it is so. All I've got are some acquaintences IN
the entertainment industry who work behind the camera...plus five
professional actors (who don't count in this particular discussion).
That 'recent demonstration' was over a year ago, was it not?

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" is an entertainment vehicle. It is
not a documentary source of absolute facts. All such 'talk' shows
are convenience outlets for Public Relations in this capital of
motion picture and television production of the USA. MOST of the
movie and TV production in this city lives or dies by PR.

If I had become persuasive in my inquiry I MIGHT have gotten at
least a Call Sheet for the 'Leno show' in question. Usually those
are (by common agreement) Non-Disclosure documents. I could have
then digitized that Call Sheet and sent it privately as 'evidence.'
I did not think that such was necessary in this case.

The two Morse code operators, Chip Margelli, K7JA, and Ken Miller,
K6CTW, have attested to this being an actual contest with an actual,
previously unknown, message to send, which was sent both by Morse code,
and by text messaging. And there's no disputing that fast Morse code
would always beat an SMS text message of the same length.

I have corresponded with Mr. Margelli in his new position as
Director of Marketing for Heil Sound...about Heil products, not
about this alleged 'test' or 'contest' on the 'Leno show.' I have
NO complaints about Mr. Margelli's nor Mr. Miller's capabilities
with manual morse code communications. I only have complaints
about this entertainment gig being used as 'factual demonstration'
of any comparison of manual morse code versus any other mode.

I haven't used a Teletype Model 28 machine in many years...but I
could challenge ANY manual morse code operator pair to send either
clear text or enciphered (5-character groups) textual data as to
which method is 'faster' (TTY v. manual morse). I would not need
a recipient on-stage since another TTY terminal would repeat all
input sent by the transmitting terminal. The only problem there
is that it ALSO is a 'set-up' kind of 'test' (any touch-typist on
a TTY would 'win') and has very little entertainment value. The
latter item would cause its non-appearance on 'the Leno show.'
I am a touch typist who learned that in middle school on manual
typewriters with no legends on key tops. I am age 75 and still
retain the ability to continuously 'send' keyboard input at about
50 WPM with burst-input rates approximately 100 WPM.

Two named witnesses would appear to trump one anonymous source.

Therefore, your anonymous "reliable staffer" seems anything but.

I cannot argue your statements or 'baloney' comments in this
venue. My original source is now working for another show.
No more access to Tonight show records is possible. If you or
any other morse code mode champion say it was a 'real test,'
then it must be a real test.

As to the efficacy claim that manual morse code communications
beats cellular telephone textual-only (by keypad) communications,
I do not know of a single communications service or provider
that uses 'text' (via cellphone) for two-way communications. Of
what point was this entertainment venue 'test' actually proving?

AF6AY