"Michael Black" wrote in message
...

If it looks and sounds like CW, then it is CW.

If the carrier of a double sideband AM signal is not keyed on and off, it is
not true CW, no matter how it sounds.

I think the problem is that you are incorrectly equating A1 "CW" to A2 "MCW"
(tone modulated continuous wave).

Actually, MCW is an oxymoron. Although you can have a wave continuously
modulated by tone, you cannot have a continuous wave if the wave is
continuously modulated. It should be WCM, not MCW :-)

You obviously know the difference. A1 CW must meet the emission requirement
of on/off keying of the carrier - only.


In other words, it's the results that matter. You can't get those
results with a microphone, and that's why it's not CW.

I agree with the latter.

Nothing is true "CW" except keyed double sideband carrier (A1A). That
doesn't mean it isn't Morse (or Farnsworth :-)). True CW is very narrowly
defined in its emission characteristic. It is only a technical point. You
can call tone modulated carrier "CW" if you wish but that does not agree
with the FCC definition in designating the US CW sub-bands.

And yes, MCW will let you listen to 1 Mhz on a cheap AM radio while a zero
beat oscillator is needed to hear A1A on a cheap AM radio (I had overlooked
that simple fact before).