I made mention of the fact earlier that I was
hearing Morse Code that seemed to
be transmitted so fast that it was almost like it was some other form of
communication. So questions.

Are many people out there able to listen and decode that **** on the fly and
understand it or are they going through
software programs to decode the stuff.

AND

(I know this will sound stupid) but is
there actually someone sitting out there
hammering this stuff out by hand, like in the
old westerns or is it machine made?

AND

if machine made why? Why are people still sending info with Morse Code?
Haven't we
sort of moved beyond that, if you know what I mean??

Zaphod "wishing all a good day"

"Zaphon B." wrote in message
.. .
I made mention of the fact earlier that I was
hearing Morse Code that seemed to
be transmitted so fast that it was almost like it was some other form of
communication. So questions.

Are many people out there able to listen and decode that **** on the fly
and
understand it or are they going through
software programs to decode the stuff.

AND

(I know this will sound stupid) but is
there actually someone sitting out there
hammering this stuff out by hand, like in the
old westerns or is it machine made?

AND

if machine made why? Why are people still sending info with Morse Code?
Haven't we
sort of moved beyond that, if you know what I mean??

Zaphod "wishing all a good day"

You're probably hearing RTTY...

Are many people out there able to listen and decode that **** on the fly and
understand it or are they going through
software programs to decode the stuff.

Software decoding is not the best way to use CW ... it miss copies easily due
to imperfect sending, noise, fading, etc. Copying by ear is by far the most
accurate method. There are MANY hams around the world that are proficient over
30 wpm.


AND

(I know this will sound stupid) but is
there actually someone sitting out there
hammering this stuff out by hand, like in the
old westerns or is it machine made?

Pretty safe to say that most use electronic keyers that will make the dits
and dahs, but hand keys and bugs are still being used.


AND

if machine made why?

Sending with a straight key is tiring after a while. Bugs are better, but one
can send all day (or weekend) with a keyer.

Why are people still sending info with Morse Code?
Haven't we
sort of moved beyond that, if you know what I mean??

NEVER ! :^]

I won't start that discussion here, but personally, I enjoy CW. I find it
relaxing, even at brisk speeds.


Zaphod "wishing all a good day"


and to you !

73,

jw
K9RZZ

Zaphon B. wrote:

I made mention of the fact earlier that I was
hearing Morse Code that seemed to
be transmitted so fast that it was almost like it was some other form of
communication. So questions.

Are many people out there able to listen and decode that **** on the fly and
understand it or are they going through
software programs to decode the stuff.

AND

(I know this will sound stupid) but is
there actually someone sitting out there
hammering this stuff out by hand, like in the
old westerns or is it machine made?

AND

if machine made why? Why are people still sending info with Morse Code?
Haven't we
sort of moved beyond that, if you know what I mean??

Zaphod "wishing all a good day"


Not much Morse code being used now, except for on the ham bands. Some
hams can copy pretty fast, 40-50 wpm or so. I once knew a WWII Navy
radio op who could copy 60+ and hold a conversation with someone at the
same time and never miss a word of either conversation.

On Sat, 22 May 2004 11:06:28 -0500, "Zaphon B."
wrote:

I made mention of the fact earlier that I was
hearing Morse Code that seemed to
be transmitted so fast that it was almost like it was some other form of
communication. So questions.

Are many people out there able to listen and decode that **** on the fly and
understand it or are they going through
software programs to decode the stuff.


Both




(I know this will sound stupid) but is
there actually someone sitting out there
hammering this stuff out by hand, like in the
old westerns or is it machine made?


Both



if machine made why? Why are people still sending info with Morse Code?
Haven't we
sort of moved beyond that, if you know what I mean??

Zaphod "wishing all a good day"



Some people will argue that we have. I don't think we have personally.
That is only my opinion. CW is still the most efficient form
communication. If i'm not mistaken, it requires less bandwith than
anything else.

Tracy

"Zaphon B." wrote in message news:WkLrc.33935

OK, I'm stupid, what the f*** is RTTY?

Shawn/Zaphod



Have a listen to these samples, then you will be able to tell us what you
heard. RTTY is radioteletype.

http://qurl.net/2k


--
Simon Mason
Anlaby
East Yorkshire.
53°44'N 0°26'W
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

"Zaphon B." wrote in message
. ..



OK, I'm stupid, what the **** is RTTY?

Shawn/Zaphod



Its an abbreviation for radio teletypewriter.

"Mike Terry" wrote in message news:...

Its an abbreviation for radio teletypewriter.



And its often pronounced "RIT-ty"

In article ,
Zaphon B. wrote:
I made mention of the fact earlier that I was
hearing Morse Code that seemed to
be transmitted so fast that it was almost like it was some other form of
communication. So questions.

Are many people out there able to listen and decode that **** on the fly and
understand it or are they going through
software programs to decode the stuff.

There's legacy stuff, like the station IDs and traffic lists from
maritime shore stations, the IDs for maritime and aeronautical
navigation beacons, and probably tactical military stuff just
used for practice. But it's basically obsolete. And hams, of
course.

But if you can afford a computer to receive it, you can use some other
modulation method that's far superior. Most maritime stuff, that
hasn't gone to satellite, is TOR (Telex over Radio).

If the home office wants to contact a ship at sea that's equipped with
an Inmarsat satellite terminal, they just call them on the telephone,
send a fax, or an email.

AND

(I know this will sound stupid) but is
there actually someone sitting out there
hammering this stuff out by hand, like in the
old westerns or is it machine made?

They don't use hand keys, there are automatic keyboards, or semi-automatic
keyers (buzzword: bugs) that speed things up by timing out the dots and
dashes. Or computers.

if machine made why? Why are people still sending info with Morse Code?
Haven't we
sort of moved beyond that, if you know what I mean??

Yup, that's why only hams really still use it.

Even 40-50 years ago, most businesses shifted over to using the Telex
or TWX services, where an operator in their communication center
would send a message on a teleprinter through the world wide telegraph
networks or direct dial through the phone system.

Even RTTY seems to have gone away. (Radio TeleTYpe). Long before
computers ran communications, there were printing telegraph systems.
Most commonly (for English) they used a 5 bit code, which sent upper
case letter, or the numbers and special characters. (They used codes
for shift and unshift, Caps Lock in modern terminology). Sent at, by
modern standards, at pathetically slow speeds of 42.something, 50, or 75
bits per second using Frequency Shift Keying. Back 15 or 20 years ago,
you could pick up a tweedling signal that jumped between two tones.
(received in SSB mode on your receiver). If you had the equipment,
a Terminal Unit, (the demodulator half of a modem) and a teleprinter
that worked with the code, or later a micro-controller decoder box, or
computer with software, you could read, literally, the signals.

These included weather reports, (in a cryptic coding system), traffic for
telegraph systems (Western Union) between countries that didn't have wire
connections (US to Cuba), and news services. The same text that was being
printed out in newsrooms at news papers and radio stations around the
country was also being sent by shortwave to the more remote subscribers.
In the clear. (But, aside from the weather data, none of this stuff was
public information. They could go after you for violating regulations
or copyright for giving it to a third party).

Last time I bothered, all that was out there was the North Korean
news service. And the maritime TOR system that links ships to
whatever is left of the Telex system. And a lot of encrypted
stuff (probably military comms to small bases too small for more
reliable and high bandwidth links).

Mark Zenier Washington State resident

"Zaphon B." wrote:

| Are many people out there able to listen and decode that **** on the fly
and
| understand it or are they going through
| software programs to decode the stuff.

Do a google search for "G4FON." It's software that will
teach you how to decode that ****.

And, yes, Morse code (Or CW, as hams like to call it),
is still extremely popular, primarily with amateur radio
operators, because of its ability to punch through interference.

I have been sharpening my skills, and can now copy
to near - perfection at 25 words per minute (Which is,
I think, considered fairly proficient).

73,

Steve Lawrence
KAØPMD
Burnsville, Minnesota

(NOTE: My email address has only one "dot."
You'll have to edit out the one between the "7"
and the "3" in my email address if you wish to
reply via email)


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