- Joined
- Jun 21, 2012
- Messages
- 4,878
I just recently found out that there are TWO Morse codes still commonly in use. One is known, perhaps colloquially, as "railroad Morse" and the other is the familiar International Morse used by amateur radio operators or hams.What's Morse code?
I used to love sending and receiving International Morse Code as a Novice amateur radio operator (call sign WN8UTJ) in the mid to late 1960s. Of course as a Novice operator on the HF amateur radio bands, Morse Code was the ONLY radio modulation permitted by my license. That was the whole point of obtaining a Novice license. Learn Morse Code, upgrade to a higher grade license (requiring faster code speed), and work the world with voice instead of a brass telegraph key. Back then you had just one year to accomplish your mission because the Novice "ticket" was not renewable. I let my license expire but tested again in 2013 to obtain the Amateur Extra Class operator license (call sign AC8NS) I have today.
Having once learned to send and receive Morse Code, at a speed sufficient to qualify for a General Class amateur radio operator license, I should now be able to jump right back into CW (Morse Code) operation. Because you never forget Morse, right? Wrong. I do intend to "jump right back into CW" but it will require a LOT of on-the-air listening to other hams, such as myself, trying to re-enter the hobby using CW, especially with low-power, portable, CW-only transceivers. It's become a source of pride for "old timers" to continue to communicate with Morse Code. Of course there are the W1AW code transmissions to listen to also, but I never found them to be as "interesting" as QSOs with other hams.