Translation*, for those (like me, alas) who are Morse Code deficient:
Happy Birthday, Samuel Morse.So far as I know Morse Code was the first successful binary code, if not the first binary code of all. Many Amateur Radio operators will tell you that Morse Code is "a whole 'nother language", with which I disagree: It is exactly what it's name says, a code, which you can use to transmit messages in just about any language using electric, visual, or audio signaling. (Using some languages you have to twist it pretty far out of shape...)
Now Amateur Radio operators refer to Morse Code as "CW", which is actually the operating mode it is usually transmitted on, "Continuous Wave." You use International Morse Code, or IMC, to transmit CW. (And IMC is a little different from what Mr. Morse devised, but never mind.) Usually. In a certain East Asian nation I am all too familiar with, the terrain is so hostile to normal VHF voice transmissions, and the equipment is so crappy, for a long time they used what we called "Voice Morse", the equivalent of keying your mike and sending your message by saying "di-di-di-dit di-dah di-dah-dah-dit..." et cetera.
Old time Amateur Radio operators sneer at those of us who do not know code, and call us "appliance operators." So be it: Amateur Radio licensing activity in this country took off after the FCC admitted that most hams were learning code just well enough to pass the test and then never using it again, and dropped that requirement for any level of license. (And the US was actually late to the decision to drop CW. By the way, the only nation which has more licensed hams than the US? Japan.)
Less the requirement to learn and maintain proficiency at
But I have get ready to go to work, so I guess that will have to wait until later...
EDIT: Roberta is sooo much smarter than me. I actually knew this, but didn't go into the detail, 'cuz I had to go to work. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
RE-EDIT: Today's ARRL Western Washington mailing had the following in it:
Some people signing on to Google today, are wondering what is going on with the Google header.
The Google logo is in Morse code to honor Samuel F.B. Morse's birthday (April 27, 1791), but according to the Search Engine Roundtable, many users don't recognize it and are asking why the Google logo is broken or not loading properly. This is a great opportunity for us to do some public education, explaining what it is they're seeing and why it is significant.
It's also a good opportunity to let people know that Morse code is not a dead language, that it is in use by ham radio operators around the world -- in addition to other means of communication including voice, keyboard modes (the original text-messaging!), television, two-way satellite communication and even bouncing signals off of meteor trails and the moon (in fact, a group of hams in Germany recently succeeded in bouncing radio signals off of Venus, in preparation for sending a ham radio satellite to Mars!!!). It's important to include this sort of information to avoid giving the impression that we're all a bunch of geezers using archaic means of communicating.
Also it is good to keep in mind: The original Morse code was a numerical code with numbers corresponding to words in a code book at each telegraph station. The dot-dash code we know today as Morse code was actually developed by Morse's assistant, Alfred Vail.
Happy Birthday Sam and Happy Birthday to our beginnings of a fun hobby
*English/Morse, Morse/English translations of text available at Online Conversion - Morse Code Conversion, among others. This was the first which showed up in my Google Search.
2 comments:
Heh.
My roomie's tee shirt that says "alpha geekette"? I've gotten to wondering whether she bought it, or was awarded it. :D
In fact, I made it. All by myself. That's Miss Alpha Geekette!
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