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Morse consists of short and long elements, called dits and dahs. A dit is a single element, a dah 3 times as long. There is a dit period between each element, and a dah between the characters these elements form. A gap of 7 dits is used between words. Many publications show dots and dashes, but these are less helpful for learners.
You want to listen to the pattern or flow, not count the elements, and ultimately have words as naturally recognised patterns too.
An E is a single dit, a T a single dah. An S is three dits, an O three dahs, and M two dahs. The di-di-dit dah-dah di-di-dit SMS notification on Nokia 'phones said, as you might expect, SMS.
Speed is based on how many times the word "PARIS" can be sent in a minute, at the operator's speed.
Morse can be sent using a "straight key", using a vertical motion, as seen on many movies. These are typically adjusted for a fairly minimal movement, but various guides will provide recommendations.
Invented in 1905, a "bug" such as a Vibroplex key uses a pendulum to automatically generate dits. These use a horizontal motion, and are an example of an iambic key; the term "side-swiper" is also used. Electronic keyers use two contacts to feed electronic keyers, external to, or within, a radio. Pressing (say left) generates dits, the other dahs. A few radios can even be set to use the frequency up and frequency down buttons on their handheld microphone as a basic keyer.
Excessive sending, especially with a straight key, may cause wrist or related injuries, and this was one reason for the adoption of "side-swipers" on telegraph systems.
Beyond these, dedicated keyboards or PCs are options for keyboard based sending. I am not sure how far downwards in single-board computer stakes you can go, but I expect a Pi Zero-W would be fine. A web seach for the following terms gets some good projects: raspberry pi pico morse keyboard
PCs and similar devices can also run morse decoding software.
On reason Morse is still used is that until things like FT8 were invented, it was the mode which could cut through noise the best, due to its narrow bandwidth. Even on VHF and UHF it can mean making a contact where an SSB voice signal is too weak.
You should however ignore anyone being negative about not learning it, should you choose not to.
By the way, regulators may use the terms telegraphy or radio-telegraphy, although this term has been excised from this exam.
Even if you do not wish to operate using Morse, you still need to understand several of the related procedures. These include the Q-codes.
Most can be used as a statement or a question.
Sending QSK indicates that your station has the ability listen for the station you are conversing with to break into the transmission. Older radio set-ups required that the receiver be switched off, and the transmitter on, before Morse could be sent, on modern radios the transition in almost instant, in response to the key, or other keyer, only.
QRS is a request for the other station to send more slowly. "QRQ" is a suggestion or invitation to increase speed (send more quickly).
QRP is a request to reduce power, or, as "QRP?" a question asking if your station can or should reduce power. It also relates to operation typically at 5 watts, or below. "QRO" means "increase power", and informally means operation using a linear or other amplifier. Unless you have a pack-animal (yes, some people do do this; or use a pack-teenager), QRP may be a good idea for things like Summits on the Air, as the weight of equipment and batteries is lower.
All this said, having a 100 watt radio vs a 5 watt unit can be helpful in poor conditions, in contests, or trying to contact a DX station. On modern radios you can wind the power back if you want to do QRP, or have a non-US licence with a power restriction. You can also turn power down if having a local chat.
The informal terms "QRSs" and "QRPp" relate to very low speed operations, such as a dit lasting 5 seconds; and very low power, such as 10 mW, often combined, in small beacons, which are then received using special software.
QRL means "I am busy", or that the frequency is in use; and thus "QRL?" asks "Are you busy?", or informally, "Is this frequency in use?".
QSL formally means "Acknowledgement" or "Confirmation". If you sent a message "Ambulance required 200 metres north of Checkpoint Alpha. Patient is male, aged 47, and is tachycardic." The other station would read back, ending in "QSL?". If the details are correct you reply "QSL". It also means that you acknowledge receipt.
The secondary meaning is a card, confirming, or acknowledging the contact. There are also various online systems, such as eQSL, and "Logbook of the World", saving money on postage, and potentially speeding up the process of gaining awards such as DXCC.
QRN is static, or natural interference, with QRN as as statement meaning "I am troubled by static". QRM refers to man-made interference.
QRV indicates that a station is ready for traffic. Email messages, Tweets (𝕏 posts), and the like using the term indicate that a DX-pedition or special event station is listening for contacts on a certain band, frequency, mode, etc: "VK9NX is QRV on 50.150 MHz USB".
Many regulators do now issue xxnQxx format calls, alongside xxnSOS.
While "CW" is used as a shorthand for "Morse Code", but it stands for Continuous Wave, generally meaning a signal generated electronically, rather than "damped waves" from a spark gap transmitter, declared illegal in 1934 due to their wide bandwidth.
Morse can be sent over VHF-FM radios, typically for practice or training, using an oscillator connected to the radio's microphone or data input. Repeater ID often used this method. Conversely, Hellschriber can be sent using CW, or other encoding.
The historic Alexanderson Alternator also produced very low frequency radio waves, at high power. Sweden's SAQ on 17.2 kHz is operated annually on the Sunday nearest to July 2. US operations of similar equipment used low speed teletype.
Many variable audio oscillators used in school and college classrooms have additional ranges which goes to about 1 MHz, in the AM broadcast band. If you tune an AM radio to an unused frequency, you will hear the speakers go from hash to silence as you tune the oscillator onto that frequency, not much good for sending Morse across the room, by keying it on and off. However, tune the radio to a station, then tune the oscillator to around 700 Hz from the station, and you will hear a tone. This is a "beat" between the oscillator and the broadcast station. If you adjust the oscillator you would reduce the frequency to below one which you can hear. Thus the oscillator would be set very close to the stations carrier frequency.
Remembering back to the old-style station* I mentioned in the Technician notes, I expect it was possible to adjust the variable frequency oscillator (VFO) for the transmitter so that there was no beat, also called "zero beat", with the received signal. Thus your signal with match that of the other station. This can also be termed "netting", to match the other stations on a net.
* This description went through the process a Ham many years ago may have gone through, of building a tuneable receiver, initially a separate crystal controlled transmitter, then upgrading it to include a VFO, a separate power amplifier, and a number of relays to save manually switching from receive to transmit before keying up. We also added a transverter to try the new-fangled VHF bands. Link.
Note that with modern transmitters once you tune your transceiver to another station's frequency your transmission will be on their frequency. Usually you will find a station is on, a whole, or maybe 0.5 kHz, say 7106 kHz or 3608.5 kHz. You may find some tuned to a somewhat random frequency, perhaps because they are using a mechanically tuned radio.
A "beat" is the sounds which results from the difference in frequency between to signal or sound sources. If you are sitting in a twin engine aircraft with propellers, and one engine is rotating so that a blade passes you 300 times per second you will hear a fairly low tone. If the second rotates so there are 302 (or 298) passes per second, you will hear a loud "wow-wow-wow" sound, which will be very annoying. It the frequency is set further apart a low, but less annoying, drone becomes part of the overall sound you hear.
Prosigns, or Procedural Signals are used to aid the flow of messages. Some consist of the two or three characters run together as one symbol, and where the typesetting system allows, they are written with a bar over them, or an "overline", such as AR, sent as "di-dah-di-dah-dit", meaning the end of a message, and that possibly a new message is following. It can also be written is RN, and is the same as +.
K is an invitation for the other station to transmit, similar to "OVER" for voice, in Morse, dah-di-dah. This is even sometimes whistled after transmissions on VHF SSB when the path is fading, to indicate the end of the transmission. Some repeaters also send a K instead of a simple beep, or nothing. In a pile-up, KN, "dah-di-dah-dah-dit" also "(" is an invitation for only the named station to reply, something like "KN VK2", calling in the VK2 station.
CT, dah-di-dah-di-dah is the Commencement signal, sent at the beginning of a transmission.
The most famous is SOS, the signal commencing a distress call or distress message, written as di-di-di-dah-dah-dah-di-di-dit. Listen
If there is ground or air below you, "Roger" is also used to answer a question in the affirmative, if it is the deep blue sea, use "Romeo", or in either case "R" in Morse, di-dah-dit.
You can see many more at: Wikipedia: Prosigns for Morse code, and Wikipedia: Morse code abbreviations. There are of course dozens of pages on Morse operation.
These, along with a few informal abbreviations, such as FB (Fine Business) generally mean it is possible to complete a contest or DX contact in CW, despite sharing little if any common spoken language.
There is a standardised system for reporting Amateur signals, RST. R, scaled 1 to 5 is for readability, 5 being best. Signal is strength, ideally read from a calibrated S-meter, reading 1 to 9, then in dB over this. For a voice signal you might give 44, 5 by 9, or 5 and 20 over 9. For Morse, a third character, for the cleanness of the Tone, is added. 1 is very raspy, something like 6 has some mains hum, and 9 is a perfectly clean signal. Several characters can be added, C meaning chirpy. In contests 59 or 599 is often sent, even for a poor signal, abbreviated to 9NN in Morse.
Chirpy signals result from using a directly keyed oscillator (meaning it has to start at each key press) above something like 10 MHz.
This is an example of the signal generated by a simple single transistor "power oscillator" transmitter on or near 10 metres (28 MHz). The audio maybe be loud, and is very annoying. It is random presses, not true Morse.
Direct link to the audio.
Off the exam, except as a distractor, key-clicks outside the normal bandwidth of the signal are the result of an incorrectly set up transmitter, specifically one which has too square a envelope, the signal going to and from full power too quickly.
Signals between two fairly distant locations can travel one of two paths, the shorter or the longer path around the globe, just as aircraft could fly either; in fact, Air India's flight from Delhi to San Francisco does this, flying the longer route eastwards over the Pacific, but returning over the US and the Atlantic, always benefiting from the prevailing winds. (At one point some flights on this route also flew a polar route, crossing Russia).
Suppose you were in the Central Tablelands of NSW, and wanted to communicate with a station in Grass Valley in California. You would point your beam 55.6 degrees, and the distance would be 12226.4 km; or you could turn it 180 degrees, to point 235.6 and the distance would be 27776.8 km. Likewise, in the morning (before work) in Australia, communications with the UK (their evening) is typically via the long path.
Note that the bearing the other station uses may well be something other than 180 degrees apart, unless the stations are close. In this example, the US station points at 242 degrees, similar, but not the exact complimentary angle. If we were to point beams between two repeaters to link them, maybe 80 km apart, then the angles would be very close to 180 degrees different.
From Bathurst to the Australian Antarctic base south of Madagascar is 200 degrees, a little west of south, but their bearing is 100 degrees, a little south of east. Between Bathurst and the Chilean base's airport (Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport), both stations point roughly south. Click for map!
These "great circle" maps are typically available from national associations, or others, printed for major population centres in that country. They can also be generated online, and printed. Each one shows the world centred around a particular city, and are used to determine the bearing from that location to others around the world. Locations the greatest distance from the centre are often highly distorted. It is also possible to determine the distant from the centre to the desired station. Determining directions and distances between stations any distance from the centre of the map is, at best, difficult.
You can see examples here: Wikipedia: Azimuthal equidistant projection
Unfortunately those of very low IQ have seen the North Pole centred version, and decided that Antarctica is an "Ice Wall", holding water on a flat earth.
Once a legal requirement, many operators still keep a logbook, for various reasons.
It is useful to answer questions from the FCC, such as during interference investigations.
It is also handy if you later want to claim an award for working all states (WAS), worked all zones (WAZ), or 100 nations or entities (places like Alaska and Lord Howe Island count, in addition to the mainland of the related country).
The UTC date, time, band / frequency, mode, power, callsign, report sent and received, often power and/or which radio (if you have several), and which antenna used, the name of the other operator, and any comments. Tick-boxes for sending and receiving QSL cards can also be included. Data for awards, such as state, county / shire, DXCC entity, maidenhead locator (gridsquare), summit, IOTA (Islands On The Air) number such as "OC-001", National Park name, ITU and/or CQ zones, etc, can also be recorded.
If you upgrade the coax, or lengthen a mast, you can also record this, and other changes. Calculations regarding EMR can also be placed in the log.
Logbooks can be bought from national associations, some clubs, and some radio manufacturers. There are even small format ones made using waterproof paper. You can also print one for your needs, typically using a table with borders in your favourite office programme, or you can download sheets (search fer "amateur radio log sheets"). A4 or letter in landscape can be handy.
In Australia club or school station logs must be on a bound book; your school print shop, or a commercial one, can bind your pages.
For a club or school especially, even if you call unsuccessfully you should record this.
There are also a range of programs which will perform logging, some even loading the details from the radio via a CAT or USB link.
As with all ITU distractors, remember that it is countries which are required to comply with ITU regulations, and it is the telecommunications administration which is supposed to implement these, but if a government does not implement a certain aspect of the ITU regulations, the Amateur who follows administration's laws which are outside the ITU's the Amateur does not act illegally. An Australian example was permitting operation on 6 metres, then the upper portion of 10 metres, without Morse Code, before this requirement was abolished. There are also "footnotes" in which a nation makes a change in use, etc.
Unlike things like WAS and most emergency management, where a state is a sub-national entity, akin to a province, or canton, in international law a "state", or a "state party" to a treaty, means a sovereign nation / country.
Incidentally, some nations have more that one type of first level sub-national entity, such as the Northern Territory (VK8) in Australia, national capital regions (these avoid one state having perceived benefit over others), and territories consisting of nearby or distant islands. Some countries have no such divisions, and go to the shire, county, or city level responsible for local roads, and for development planning, directly. New Zealand is an example.
This is a voluntary service using Amateurs to monitor operating standards, and to assist in locating operators jamming, or badly behaving stations, including using radio direction finding. DFing can be practised during "transmitter hunt" contests, also called "fox hunting" in some locations. It replaces the Amateur Auxiliary which used Official Observers.
I saw a comment that most notifications relate to Technicians using FT-8 on 40 and 15 metres, where they are only permitted to use Morse. FT-8 is permitted on 10 metres, from 28 to 28.3 MHz, for all, including for Techs and Novices. Techs are free to use these modes on 6 metres, although successful DX decodes may well be more sporadic.
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, developed a spelling alphabet for use between forces which may use different languages. It has been adopted by aviation, marine, emergency services, oil companies (for valves), and many others; plus the ITU, as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet.
The alphabet is: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu. The ITU, and (thus) the exam, use "Alpha"; NATO and ICAO use "Alfa".
A NATO article and PDF information sheet: Article and PDF. This can be printed, ideally on A3 or 17"×11" paper.
You may also hear WW2 and similar alphabets. They are fine, but won't get you marks on the exam. I believe the first distractor is a sample of an early US or Allied set.
These are incorrectly called "phonetics" or the "phonetics alphabet", but it is probably easiest to ask a station to "use phonetics" than any other term. The correct meaning is the symbols, such as schwa, the rotated e, ə used in "about"; or symbols which show the difference between the "a" in "car", "cat", and "Cate".
Oddly, I have heard of stations "not getting it" with the correct words used multiple times, but have no difficulty with city or country names. Very odd...
These are actual questions from the General exam pool.
G2C01
Which of the following describes full break-in CW operation (QSK)?
A. Breaking stations send the Morse code prosign "BK"
B. Automatic keyers, instead of hand keys, are used to send Morse code
C. An operator must activate a manual send/receive switch before and after every transmission
D. Transmitting stations can receive between code characters and elements
When a station can hear between the elements of the Morse signals it is sending, this is called full break-in, answer D.
This can be useful for requesting retransmission, or to break in with emergency traffic. Keyer type is irrelevant.
G2C02
What should you do if a CW station sends "QRS"?
A. Send slower
B. Change frequency
C. Increase your power
D. Repeat everything twice
It is A, send more slowly. You might remember "Reduce Speed" or "Slow", from the letters.
G2C03
What does it mean when a CW operator sends "KN" at the end of a transmission?
A. No US stations should call
B. Operating full break-in
C. Listening only for a specific station or stations
D. Closing station now
The station is listening for only a nominated station, or group of stations, answer C.
An example might be "KN KH7", meaning only the KH7 station should answer.
G2C04
What does the Q signal "QRL?" mean?
A. "Will you keep the frequency clear?"
B. "Are you operating full break-in?" or "Can you operate full break-in?"
C. "Are you listening only for a specific station?"
D. "Are you busy?", or "Is this frequency in use?"
This has the formal meaning "Are you busy?", but is also used to ask if a frequency is in use, answer D.
In the era of the Titanic, ships' radio officers would handle vast amounts of traffic by Morse, be in messages to and from the shipping company offices, weather, and even news for the ship's daily newspaper, but the priority was making money from messages to and from wealthy passengers.
G2C05
What is the best speed to use when answering a CQ in Morse code?
A. The fastest speed at which you are comfortable copying, but no slower than the CQ
B. The fastest speed at which you are comfortable copying, but no faster than the CQ
C. At the standard calling speed of 10 wpm
D. At the standard calling speed of 5 wpm
If you can comfortably do so, you should answer at the speed at which the CQ (or other call) was sent, answer B.
G2C06
What does the term "zero beat" mean in CW operation?
A. Matching the speed of the transmitting station
B. Operating split to avoid interference on frequency
C. Sending without error
D. Matching your transmit frequency to the frequency of a received signal
This means adjusting the transmitter so that there is no difference between it, and the received signal, answer D.
G2C07
When sending CW, what does a "C" mean when added to the RST report?
A. Chirpy or unstable signal
B. Report was read from an S meter rather than estimated
C. 100 percent copy
D. Key clicks
This means that a signal is "chirpy", or otherwise unstable in frequency, answer A.
G2C08
What prosign is sent to indicate the end of a formal message when using CW?
A. SK
B. BK
C. AR
D. KN
This is AR, di-dah-di-dah-dit, consisting of the elements of A and R strung together, answer C.
G2C09
What does the Q signal "QSL" mean?
A. Send slower
B. We have already confirmed the contact
C. I have received and understood
D. We have worked before
This means that you received and understood the message, answer C.
This procedural abbreviation has very little to do with QSL cards, eQSL, LoTW, or the like.
G2C10
What does the Q signal "QRN" mean?
A. Send more slowly
B. Stop sending
C. Zero beat my signal
D. I am troubled by static
This is natural interference, or static, and is an indication that the station is suffering this interference, answer D.
G2C11
What does the Q signal "QRV" mean?
A. You are sending too fast
B. There is interference on the frequency
C. I am quitting for the day
D. I am ready to receive
This means that I am ready to receive [messages], answer D.
G2D01
What is the Volunteer Monitoring Program?
A. Amateur volunteers who are formally enlisted to monitor the airwaves for rules violations
B. Amateur volunteers who conduct amateur licensing examinations
C. Amateur volunteers who conduct frequency coordination for amateur VHF repeaters
D. Amateur volunteers who use their station equipment to help civil defense organizations in times of emergency
Thse volunteers monitor for violations of the rules, answer A.
G2D02
Which of the following are objectives of the Volunteer Monitoring Program?
A. To conduct efficient and orderly amateur licensing examinations
B. To provide emergency and public safety communications
C. To coordinate repeaters for efficient and orderly spectrum usage
D. To encourage amateur radio operators to self-regulate and comply with the rules
It is to encourage compliance with the regulations, answer D.
G2D03
What procedure may be used by Volunteer Monitors to localize a station whose continuous carrier is holding a repeater on in their area?
A. Compare vertical and horizontal signal strengths on the input frequency
B. Compare beam headings on the repeater input from their home locations with that of other Volunteer Monitors
C. Compare signal strengths between the input and output of the repeater
D. All these choices are correct
If stations compare headings to the interfering signal, hopefully the bearings will indicate the location of the interfering station, answer B.
Depending on the nature of the signal, you can compare the location with postcodes and address on the FCC database.
G2D04
Which of the following describes an azimuthal projection map?
A. A map that shows accurate land masses
B. A map that shows true bearings and distances from a particular location
C. A map that shows the angle at which an amateur satellite crosses the equator
D. A map that shows the number of degrees longitude that an amateur satellite appears to move westward at the equator with each orbit
Also called Great Circle maps, these help you point your antenna towards the country or area you wish to contact, answer B.
G2D05
Which of the following indicates that you are looking for an HF contact with any station?
A. Sign your call sign once, followed by the words "listening for a call" -- if no answer, change frequency and repeat
B. Say "QTC" followed by "this is" and your call sign -- if no answer, change frequency and repeat
C. Repeat "CQ" a few times, followed by "this is," then your call sign a few times, then pause to listen, repeat as necessary
D. Transmit an unmodulated carried for approximately 10 seconds, followed by "this is" and your call sign, and pause to listen, repeat as necessary
Say something like "CQ CQ, this is N5XYZ, November Five X-ray Yankee Zulu, N5XYZ", repeating periodically, answer C.
If you have operated using SSB on the VHF+ bands, the call is very similar.
G2D06
How is a directional antenna pointed when making a "long-path" contact with another station?
A. Toward the rising sun
B. Along the gray line
C. 180 degrees from the station's short-path heading
D. Toward the north
It is at 180 degrees to the heading for the short path, answer C.
G2D07
Which of the following are examples of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?
A. Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog
B. Adam, Boy, Charles, David
C. America, Boston, Canada, Denmark
D. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta
Official phonetics include Greek character names, Alpha and Delta, so it is answer D.
There is a small risk of confusion with the airline name Delta, who also refused to use the use the recognisable name for the previous COVID variant, Delta. They used B.1.617.2. If you live near one of their bases, you may hear a different D-word on our radio or scanner.
G2D08
Why do many amateurs keep a station log?
A. The FCC requires a log of all international contacts
B. The FCC requires a log of all international third-party traffic
C. The log provides evidence of operation needed to renew a license without retest
D. To help with a reply if the FCC requests information about your station
It is useful to answer questions from the FCC, such as during interference investigations, answer D.
It is also handy if you later want to claim an award for working all states, or 100 nations or entities (places like Alaska and Lord Howe Island count in addition to the mainland of the related country). QSL cards, or the online equivalent, are necessary for many awards.
G2D09
Which of the following is required when participating in a contest on HF frequencies?
A. Submit a log to the contest sponsor
B. Send a QSL card to the stations worked, or QSL via Logbook of The World
C. Identify your station per normal FCC regulations
D. All these choices are correct
You must identify, as with any other operations, answer C.
G2D10
What is QRP operation?
A. Remote piloted model control
B. Low-power transmit operation
C. Transmission using Quick Response Protocol
D. Traffic relay procedure net operation
QRP is a request to reduce power, so informally, it means low power operation, answer B.
Perhaps remember "Reduce Power", from the letters.
G2D11
Why are signal reports typically exchanged at the beginning of an HF contact?
A. To allow each station to operate according to conditions
B. To be sure the contact will count for award programs
C. To follow standard radiogram structure
D. To allow each station to calibrate their frequency display
It helps stations know how their signal is being heard, so they can operate to conditions, answer A.
It allows station to know whether they need to use phonetics for names, or to repeat terms, etc; and perhaps that they need to increase power, or try a different antenna. It can be a formal exchange using the 599 RST system, or a term such as "great signal", or "Good signal, but there are some thunder crashes (QRN). In the latter case you might say "I'm in Reno, that's Romeo Echo November Oscar".
With FM the term "full quieting" may be used, meaning that the speaker is quiet during pauses in speech.
If learning Morse, you should learn to receive, then to send, meaning you will be able to assess your sending. While LP records, tapes, etc were used in the past, a wide range of computer programs and apps available now. The Farnsworth method sends each character at a speed such as 15 WPM, but with a gap between each, so that the effective speed is initially 5 WPM. This means the student is hopefully listening for the rhythm of the letters, rather than counting the elements.
Various oscillators can be bought or built to generate the tone for practice sending. Even some continuity buzzers / beepers may work. Note that these are not the electromagnetic sounders which generate the clicks and clunks of landline Morse, perhaps still used by re-enactors of the previous period of insurrection, or on historic railways.
One through five dits are E, I, S, H, 5, while one, two, three, and five dahs represent T, M, O, then 0 (zero). The group CQ is dah-di-dah-di dah-dah-di-dah. A is di-dah, and D is dah-di-dit. N is dah-dit.
You may hear characters you don't recognise once you start operating, an example being non-English characters such as dah-dah-dah-dah, meaning Š (sh), CH, or Ĥ.
That said, unless you are communicating with someone in OK / OL, Czech Republic (Czechia), sending that you had just bought a dah-dah-dah-dah dah-di-dah dah-dah-dah dah-di-dit di-dah might be confusing. (It is ŠKODA).
The official ITU document: Recommendation M.1677-1 (10/2009). The Wikipedia article: Morse Code
It may be worth speaking to members of your local club(s), in order to try out a few different keys, and keyers, and to potentially purchase one at a fair price. Devices which produce dots and dashes are also termed iambic keys, as they produce short and long elements, just as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" contain the long and short syllables of iambic pentameter. There are also designs which produce more complex combinations of elements, the Triambic keyer uses three keyboard keys or similar switches, which allow a dah, a dit, or two dits, di-dt; also coded termed T, E, or I. Read G4FMS's article in html (web page), or scanned to PDF. It should be possible to emulate it in a PIC / PICAXE, small Arduino, or similar; and add stored messages, such as general and contest CQs, including your callsign.
It may be worth speaking to members of your local club(s), in order to try out a few different keys, and keyers, and to potentially purchase one at a fair price. Devices which produce dots and dashes are also termed iambic keys, as they produce short and long elements, just as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" contain the long and short syllables of iambic pentameter. There are also designs which produce more complex combinations of elements, the Triambic keyer uses three keyboard keys or similar switches, which allow a dah, a dit, or two dits, di-dt; also coded termed T, E, or I. Read G4FMS's article in html (web page), or scanned to PDF. It should be possible to emulate it in a PIC / PICAXE, small Arduino, or similar; and add stored messages, such as general and contest CQs, including your callsign.
I note that Soviet / USSR era keys are being sold by ebay sellers in Ukraine at the moment. Their postal system is fully functional, if a little slow.
Unlike in the past, when you needed to pass a test using a straight key, then potentially went on to other systems, you are now free to concentrate on what works for you from the start.
As an example, Moonraker sells a range of keys and keyers.
Some keys, such as the J-38, or derivatives including the JJ-38, may need to be attached to a timber or other base.
On to: Operations 3 - Digital
You can find links to lots more on the Learning Material page.
Written by Julian Sortland, VK2YJS & AG6LE, May 2024.
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