Morse code can often get through when a voice signal can't.
So if you're in marginal conditions (crappy antenna, low power due to low batteries or a weak transmitter, atmospherics not good) you can still get a signal through where a voice signal would be unintelligible, if it could be heard at all.
Prior to widespread availability of easily man portable sat stations, SF types still used CW (Continuous Wave, the mode that uses Morse code the most and is basically an synonym for Morse Code in the amateur community) for long haul comms as the gear was smaller, lighter, and made more efficient use of power.
A CW transmitter is also much simpler to build and/or repair than a voice rig. In a real SHTF if all you want to do is get an SOS on the air, then doing a MacGuyver with parts from old radios, computers, cars, etc. is within even my limited technical abilities. It won't be pretty and it might splatter the signal over half the band, but it WILL get a signal out there. Another reason the SF Commo guys liked the mode.
Ham Radio
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randy
- Posts: 8335
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Re: Ham Radio
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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Catbird
- Posts: 1064
- Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:50 pm
Re: Ham Radio
I got my General in 2003. (I won't give out my call sign here because I prefer to remain pseudononymous). I also hold a General Radiotelephone Operator License w/ship radar endorsement.
My dad has been a ham since the mid 70's. When I told him that I was taking the Technician exam, he recommended that I take the General as well. Most examiners will let you take the next test for no additional charge if you pass the first one, which is graded on the spot. Even if you’re sure you won’t pass it, you'll get a free preview of the test for next time.
At the time there was a 5 wpm code requirement for General and Extra class licenses. The examiner would play a tape of a morse code conversation which you would copy onto paper. You would then answer ten questions based on the information you copied. I learned just enough code to answer the minimum seven questions to pass. I already knew the theory pretty well so I passed both Tech and General on the same day!
In order to study for the code exam, I found a simple code practice program on line. I practiced for a half hour to an hour each night after work, adding a character or two each night. Here is the web page for the program, (called Morse Academy):
The download link downloads a zip file which you can then unzip into a new folder. It is only about 500 kB, so it goes pretty quick. After unzipping, click on the MS DOS link to start the program. The controls are pretty self explanatory, but they are all keyboard based. (Press "x" to exit). The download page also has a PDF user manual if you need more information.
There is also a license study program called Ham Academy on the same page which I have not tried.
Morse code proficiency is still required for a radiotelegraph operator's license, which you need to be a radio operator on a U.S. passenger ship.
The real advantage of morse code is that it can be sent using anything that can be turned on and off. You can use a car horn, flashlight, or a cobbled together transmitter. Theoretically, you could even send code by opening and closing the flood gates on a dam! The transmitted code will cut through interference which would render any other form of modulation unreadable.
The disadvantage of morse code is that fewer and fewer people are able to decipher it anymore. Most people will recognize that it is morse code when they hear or see it though. Nearly everyone knows SOS, …---…
This is pretty funny.
My dad has been a ham since the mid 70's. When I told him that I was taking the Technician exam, he recommended that I take the General as well. Most examiners will let you take the next test for no additional charge if you pass the first one, which is graded on the spot. Even if you’re sure you won’t pass it, you'll get a free preview of the test for next time.
At the time there was a 5 wpm code requirement for General and Extra class licenses. The examiner would play a tape of a morse code conversation which you would copy onto paper. You would then answer ten questions based on the information you copied. I learned just enough code to answer the minimum seven questions to pass. I already knew the theory pretty well so I passed both Tech and General on the same day!
In order to study for the code exam, I found a simple code practice program on line. I practiced for a half hour to an hour each night after work, adding a character or two each night. Here is the web page for the program, (called Morse Academy):
The download link downloads a zip file which you can then unzip into a new folder. It is only about 500 kB, so it goes pretty quick. After unzipping, click on the MS DOS link to start the program. The controls are pretty self explanatory, but they are all keyboard based. (Press "x" to exit). The download page also has a PDF user manual if you need more information.
There is also a license study program called Ham Academy on the same page which I have not tried.
That was on Jay Leno.Rumpshot wrote:I watched a video not too long ago of a game show that pitted a text message pair of competitors against a CW pair of competitors to send the identical message. The CW won!
Morse code proficiency is still required for a radiotelegraph operator's license, which you need to be a radio operator on a U.S. passenger ship.
The real advantage of morse code is that it can be sent using anything that can be turned on and off. You can use a car horn, flashlight, or a cobbled together transmitter. Theoretically, you could even send code by opening and closing the flood gates on a dam! The transmitted code will cut through interference which would render any other form of modulation unreadable.
The disadvantage of morse code is that fewer and fewer people are able to decipher it anymore. Most people will recognize that it is morse code when they hear or see it though. Nearly everyone knows SOS, …---…
This is pretty funny.
"If at first you don't succeed, that's one data point." XKCD