The Art and Skill of Radio-Telegraphy 3rd Edition [pdf] | Hacker News Reader

The Art and Skill of Radio-Telegraphy 3rd Edition [pdf]

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62 pointspmoriarty21 comments

If you want to listen to some Morse code, the ARRL has an archive of MP3s. This is perfect machine-sent code with long spaces between the characters, intended for practice.[1] CW Morse is not an efficient use of bandwidth compared to modern modulation methods [2], but it beats AM voice.

If you're really serious about this, the Marine Radio Historical Society has an large ship-to-shore station in Marin County.[3] They got it after it went out of business, and because it was built on Federal land, it became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. They use Morse and some radioteletype. Each Saturday they power up the huge old tube transmitters and talk to museum ships and such around the world. It's not a ham operation; they applied for a commercial marine radio coastal station license and the FCC granted it, as KPH. Thus, they can use power levels above the ham limit. They usually run 3-4KW.

They're authorized to give the exam for commercial radiotelegraph operator. This gets you a real, but not very useful license.

[1] http://www.arrl.org/15-wpm-code-archive [2] http://wb8nut.com/digital/ [3] http://www.radiomarine.org/

>They're authorized to give the exam for commercial radiotelegraph operator. This gets you a real, but not very useful license.

This brings back memories. I was a board op (and then later on, full DJ) at a 100kW country radio station in my small Oklahoma hometown from 1990-1993. Before I could start, I had to fill out paperwork and send it to the FCC with $35, and get my "Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's License". All of the people that worked on-air at the station had theirs pinned up on a corkboard in the back of the control room.

From what I read, the FCC stopped requiring these in 1995 or so. Apparently they are/were for life; I should see if I can dig up the records online and request a re-print!

1978, I worked for a small town AM/FM in western colorado. At that time you had to have a "Third Class Radiotelephone License with Broadcast Endorsement". This was a test that had to be taken at an FCC field office. If you had a license, you could get a job. Even if you were 15 years old.

It's pretty cool: they fire up the transmitters almost every Saturday. I had the pleasure of eating Danish with them in The Church of the Continuous Wave on RCA plates in the old building in Bolinas. Reeks with history, and some pretty interesting guys that have done a jaw-dropping amount of restoration work.

If you'd like a taster of morse, I can highly recommend the Android and iOS app "Morse Toad". It teaches the basics of morse code in a gamified format.

If you're serious about using morse code, I'd suggest the LCWO trainer. It's a browser-based suite of tools for learning morse. The UI is a bit clunky, but it does the job.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mikelovesr...

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/morse-toad/id906586079?mt=8

https://lcwo.net/

Thanks. I just installed morse toad. I like it already.

For anyone interested, you can listen to radio over the internet (including many amateur bands) for free using WebSDR (http://www.websdr.org/)

My favorite in particular is located in University of Twente (http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/) with many bands available.

When I watched "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", it occurred to me that Bauby could have communicated much faster if he had known Morse code, rather than by having an assistant cycle through a set of cards, each displaying a letter of the alphabet. I have to admit that I have not yet followed up with the sensible next step, which is to learn Morse code myself.

Thanks for posting this! I have heard that since the code portion of licensing was removed, there are actually more people using code on air. I like the idea, since it's such an efficient use of bandwidth.

It's true, and really fun too. I do it a few times each week.

Not emphasized in the linked PDF is the fact that sending Morse code is relatively easy, but accurately receiving it is much harder. One would do well to spend the majority of one's time learning to accurately receive Morse code, and not spend nearly as much time learning to send.

Also, now that Morse code proficiency has been removed from the list of requirements for most amateur and commercial radio licenses, learning it is like learning Latin -- an art for the dedicated purist, in keeping with the true meaning of "amateur."

Oh my! Strictly speaking, it may be true that most folks will spend a bit more time on receiving practice to become minimally proficient. But I would caution against de-emphasizing sending practice for two reasons. First, there's a wide gap between sending /something/ and sending intelligible communications. At low speeds, an iambic keyer with strict timing can cover up poor technique, but at higher speeds or when sending with a straight key, it's surprisingly easy to send gibberish. If I can't make our your call, I can't respond to you ;) Second, effort spent on sending practice helps reinforce receiving practice. It also helps break things up, provide variety, and generally make practice more fun. As you point out, the code is no longer compulsory. It's a hobby and should be fun! :)

I agree with your points. My comment was based on my personal experience as a radio amateur. When I was young, when Morse was still central to radio communications, I spent too much time learning how to send and far too little learning how to receive, such that my receiving speed is now still far below my ability to send.

> Second, effort spent on sending practice helps reinforce receiving practice.

Perhaps to some extent, but I find that I can send with much more adeptness that the reverse. This (or its reverse) may be a common experience. I think time should be devoted to both, so I think we're in essential agreement.

> It's a hobby and should be fun!

Complete agreement, and how times change. After the Titanic went down, nautical authorities promptly required that radiotelegraph sets be installed on all large ocean-going vessels. Now Morse is a diversion, an interesting historical artifact.

I never got the hang of iambic paddles, being too much of a klutz to get the good enough timing on the squeezing motion.

Now, single-lever paddles, on the other hand... I've found them to be much more forgiving (at least with regards to my particular kind of klutziness) - I top out at some 17-18 wpm using iambics; single-lever, I can comfortably increase the speed by 10wpm (and still produce legible code! :))

Still no beating an old straight key for having fun, though. IMHO, of course.

I can say first-hand that Morse code is not just a bandwidth-efficient means of communication, but also a fun and rewarding hobby.

If you're interested in learning using modern and effective methods, I sell a course developed by an expert in memory and cognition. The first couple of lessons are available for free at https://skilman.com/try-it/ if you would like to try your hand at it and judge the course for yourself.

This is an awesome post. I just sat my Technician license test yesterday and even with prior practice I'm still nervous about cutting my teeth using morse in a real-world environment when my callsign gets assigned. This seems like it is a great piece of material to read.

CW Ops is for you. http://www.cwops.org/ They will connect you with a CW mentor who will help build your skills.

Thanks, I will check this out!

Congratulations on your licence!

If you're interested in CW for its own sake (rather than just something you needed to pass the test, that is), I'd strongly recommend you get in touch with for instance FISTS North America - a CW club which I've found to be packed with people generous with their time and skills when someone new comes along.

Getting on the air the first few times is quite stressful; it sure helps to know that the op at the other end knows you're new at this.

73, LB1LF - Odd Erling

Thanks! I am definitely interested in CW for myself. I've been nervous about reaching out, but have been listening in to local repeaters just to get a better idea of everything. This will be really helpful!

-KM6IBI

An HTML version of the second edition, and links to various translations of the third edition are at http://www.tasrt.ca/

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