www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM

Morse Code Memories

My Elecraft K1 with a J38 military key and the Morse Express Chirstmas key

Got an interesting telegraph tale? Let me know and I'll post it here!   (Click Here for my contact info)

Click Here for my regular Guestbook page...

Click Here for my tribute to Morse telegraphy

Click Here for the International Morse code alphabet and phonetics

Click Here for "Q" and "Z" signals

Click on this hand key to hear real Morse code! (227k .wav file)

April 29, 2019

• Hi -
   
  Just a quick note to say "Thanks!" for your web pages. I stumbled on them looking for info on the Morse code speed record (congrats on your Coast Guard record!), which took me to QRP (and memories of DXing and passing my 5 wpm Novice test back in the late seventies and trying to scrounge parts for a 5w transmitter I found plans for in an ARRL Handbook of the day) and then to your page on Insects (my dad was an entomologist and we always had insects in the house) and from there to Deep Ecology. Great stuff. I enjoyed browsing through.
   
  Regards
   
  Mike Habeck

April 04, 2016

• Excellent Site, Mr Wendell.

  Looking at your hand key at Port Lockroy image I note two British items; CR100 Receiver and an AVO meter [20kOhms per Volt, an industry standard indeed].

  Thanks for putting it up.

  73
  Paul Beaumont
  G7VAK

February 09, 2014

• Hi Roger,

  I ran across your code page and it brought back memories of my hitch n the US Navy 1963-67. I joined the Navy when I turned 17. After boot camp, I went to the six-month radio school in Bainbridge Maryland and then reported aboard the USS Farragut, DLG-6; a guided missile frigate designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare. It was home ported in Mayport/Jacksonville, FL with a yearly tour of, generally, six months in the Mediterranean, three months in the Virgin Islands (mostly war games around Guantanamo Bay), and three months local operations, although we we were typically in our homeport less than 40-50 days a year.

  I recall thinking how anxious I was after graduating radio school to report aboard ship and begin plying my new-found trade, Morse code and other communications. The reality, however, was that all new radiomen, by default, were messengers and served only to carry the many new messages all around the ship looking for the officers to sign them. So, I had to wait a good six to eight months before I ever got to tap a code key. But after that I got lots of air time; some as NGTA (USS Farragut), but mostly as Q8LV since the Farragut was the lead ship for Commander, Destroyer Squadron Eight. I recall during an overhaul around 1965 that we got new 500 watt URC-32 transceivers that were good for about a mile per watt, although every time I would load up the antenna for max wattage it would blow the transformer at the base of the antenna. Since the ETs couldn't figure out why this was happening, I agreed to keep it loaded under 450 watts. This overhaul also upgraded our teletypes from 60 WPM to 100 WPM and gave us some new crypto equipment, but we still kept the good old R-390 Receivers.

  After the overhaul and much practicing with the speed key, we were off to the Med for another six-month deployment and I was ready to try for my 6th fleet speed key license; a test that was only given at certain times aboard the 6th fleet flag ship; a carrier harbored near a small village about two miles away from Nice, France, a port of call on the Farragut's schedule. On the day of the test, I took a boat from the Farragut to shore, road a bicycle the couple of miles to the next town, and took another boat out to the carrier. My, my, those carriers are Big....but I finally found my way to the radio shack and connected with the person doing the test and I was the only one there for the test. The test was for me to transmit at 30+ WPM which was recorded, and then for me to copy it when it was played back. (A wise old Chief had cautioned me about copying yourself since you think you really sound good until you hear yourself during playback.) As I recall, the test was about one full page of text single spaced. Three errors or less to pass. I knew when I was done copying the playback that I had missed only one letter, but, as luck would have it, the typewriter's carriage return wasn't working all that well and it had copied over a couple of lines, including the line with the missed letter. So, the reviewer, having found no other errors, accepted my word that there was only one error within the overlapping lines....and granted me my 6th fleet speed key license. I had a great bicycle ride back to Nice!

  I subsequently spent many hours on the air with a speed key, but I was a bit perplexed by a 6th fleet rule that required All ship operators on your net to be speed key qualified or you couldn't use a speed key. I understood the intent of the rule, but gee wiz, there were many, many times when I was talking to one or two other ships and the 20 or 30 other ships on the net couldn't care less for that particular transmission. Soooooo, there may have been a time or two when I followed the intent of the rule, but not the letter. But, I always slowed down to match the slowest person on the net as needed. Well, except for this one time. We were playing war games and had assumed 2nd fleet command (his carrier was sunk or something). So now we were processing 2nd fleet traffic with a squadron command crew and I was giving out QRY 30-50 and things were clipping along pretty fast with all net operators using a speed key. Well, all but one, and he had a routine message and as the hours went on, his QRY would slowly get closer, only to get pushed back again and again as more priority requests came in. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning after a humteen cups of coffee and my watch just about over, I was feeling sorry for the guy and had a moment weakness so I told him...QRY 1. Nothing. Again....QRY 1.....QRY 1. Guess he finally woke up...and started sending, and I guess he was doing his best, but my oh my, he was struggling along about 5 WPM. I gave him a couple of Qs for "send faster", but to no avail. Fortunately, he message was pretty short and I didn't have to suffer too long before it was back to QRY 1 for another Immediate message. Boy, I never did That again! And so goes the life and times of me as a Morse code operator in the USN.

  I've done a lot of things since then, but never got back in to code; 15 years in hardware manufacturing, 10 years as a tech writer, 5 years at the Naval Air Systems Command, 15 years at the Pentagon supporting the Air Force, and now retired for 6 years and loving itSmile

  You are welcome to post this on your stories page along with my name.

  I really enjoyed your web page!
  Skip Steller, Alexandria VA

May 25, 2013

• Hello Roger, I came across your website quite by chance when I was searching for the operating sign "GUHOR", used by commercial comms. before WW2 - the only other sign I remember is "DADRO". The first meant "I dont hear you", the second "change frequency/channel". I learned to read morse when I joined the RAF in 1943, as a wireless operator/air gunner. When I left the RAF in 1948 I was employed by the British Admiralty as a radio officer doing classified work. This, in various manifestations and locations, continued for the next 21 years. After that the emphasis changed a little, and I worked on various non-morse comms. systems, and subsequently radar-associated ops, lasting to 1990 when I retired at the age of 64. Since this period coincided pretty much with the cold war - nuff said, I think. I should think that I have quite a few interesting stories to tell, but I'm not altogether sure that I wouldn't be bending some regulations if I told them. John

  Hello Roger,

  Many thanks for your prompt response to my email. I' m pleased that you find it of interest, and I don't mind in the least your including my note on your website, though I would ask you to omit my surname. Unfortunately the few photos that I had of my RAF days have been lost; but I can offer one of the transmitter/receiver, T1154/R1155, used in most of the larger RAF aircraft such as the Lancaster, Halifax, Stirling etc. My experience of their use was in the Short Sunderland flying boat and, briefly, the Lancaster. As a civilian radio operator I used various receivers over a number of years, but mainly the RCA AR-88, and latterly the Racal RA-17.

  I had a passing nod at Japanese morse many years ago, and found it intriguing, though I didn't have occasion to master it. Browsing the subject on the internet quite recently, I came across the series of videos that I sent you. The presenter, an ex-Royal Navy telegraphist, much of whose wartime service was in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka of course) at the shore establishment HMS Anderson. And although it was the content of the talk - Jap morse - that drew my initial attention, it was of even more interest to me because I spent three years at HMS Anderson 1950-1952.

  If you haven't seen this before, you might find it of interest. It's part 1 of 7 of a talk on japanese morse. The six URLs for the other six are available at the right of the page.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yza6bjQ2_mc

  John.

February 04, 2013

• I joined the Canadian army signal corps as an apprentice soldier at the age of fifteen. I was trained as a "Operator, wireless and Line" and part of the training was to listen to Morse code tapes at the school of signals for as many as three to four hours at a time and they pounded Morse code into us as a sound not as dots and dashes so if you heard a code group you automatically wrote it down as a letter and not as a line of dots and dashes.

  It got so that every sign or word you were translating it as morse code in your head. That was in the year 1955 and today I am 75 years old and I can still send and receive Morse code. when you learn it young you never forget it. When I joined the army they were phasing out telephone line Morse as it was not considered useful when you can communicate just as fast or faster by talking.

  Canadian army wireless sets at the time were of course amplitude modulated so there were many times we used Morse as it could get through when voice could not,but when FM sets came into use things were different. I have hearing loss from the noise of the radios we used at the time and I get a pension for it. There are some frequencies of sound I do not hear at all... Such is life. I still like Morse and I often tune into the ham bands to listen in to see what is happening and while I miss a lot of it I can understand quite a bit. I just wanted to put in my two cents worth

  Jim Shier....30

December 31, 2012

• Hi Roger

  Nice to see a website recalling the Morse Code and that is the first time I have seen 'best bent wire', for many a year. I was in the Royal Air Force in the days when morse was still a primary means of communication. Anyway, since you have mentioned best bent wire I am sure that you will know the others

  Best beef essences

  and

  Possesses possesses more ses than Mississippi possesses

  Regards

  Vernon Yarker

  England

October 07, 2010

• Hi Roger,

  I came across your web page in my quest to learn the history of ZUT. Very interesting page! You have an impressive background. I've been a ham 7 years and recently joined MARS and have heard ZUT used on the air on mars cw nets. After Googling it I found it means 'CW forever' and am assuming it was created after DoD officially did away with cw. But since it seems to have come from the Coast Guard I wonder if you know more of the history of it? There's probably a page out on the web detailing its history...but I sure can't find it. :-)

  Thanks es 73!

  Mike ab3ap
  http://udel.edu/~mm/ham/

October 22, 2009

• Thank you for your great Homepages dear Roger.
  
  I learned morse code when i was over 40 years old (i did not have to learn it). Morse code was the only reason i became a ham.
  
  I especially enjoy the morsecode rythm "BEST BENT WIRE /5" , maybe it is because i am drummer and like every kind of rythm.
  
  Best regards
  
  Hans-Georg (DL3ZM)
  Germany
  

December 23, 2008

• Enjoyed your site on your love of Morse Code.
   
  KA8NJE - from high school electronics class (1980-81)
   
  US Air Force Morse Systems operator 1981 on .......  44 words per minute Morse Code
   
  Charlie B
  
  
  Charles D. Boggus
  California
  

January 19, 2008

• Hello Roger,

  I enjoyed viewing your web page and the info you have posted about Morse code. Congrat's on your high speed certificate. I was part of the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe from 1960-1963, and did high speed morse intercept for the U.S. Government. This was during the Cuban blockade and the Berlin Wall problems. We monitored the Russians, Polish, Czech's and East Germans on a 24/7 basis. We had bay's and bay's of the R-390 series of receivers and used mills to "put it down" with. I copied the Russian news agency TASS that sent out news in Spanish that started out fairly slow at about 18 wpm and went up past 40 wpm, I could copy up to 40 wpm, but couldn't seem to get past that milestone. We didn't have certificates for performance, we just kept on copying day after day after day and of course got pretty good at it. I had a General class amateur radio license before going into the Army, so obviously didn't have much trouble in code school. I am now a retired senior microwave technician of 32 years and a currently licensed U.S. Merchant Marine Radio Officer. To be licensed as such, I had to pass a CW test of 25 wpm by the FCC, which gave me a FCC commercial second class radiotelegraph license.

  Sorry for the long rant...

  Regards
  Bob Schaefer
  McCall, Idaho
  K6OSM since 1958
  U.S. Merchant Marine Radio Officer

September 01, 2004

• Hello, Roger:

  Greetings from Canada!

  During a Google search on the Web, I accidentally came across your Morse Code page and I found it fascinating; so I thought I'd introduce myself.

  My name is Bert, and I live in Windsor, Ontario -- across the river from Detroit, Michigan. In 1946-47, I was trained as a marine radio operator at a technical school in Montreal. I had hoped to become a Radio Officer aboard a merchant ship and sail the Seven Seas... but I ended up as an airline radio operator and weather observer in the northern Canada wilderness (Labrador and Northern Quebec) from 1947 to 1950.

  I too am a Morse code lover. Well-sent Morse code is music to my ears. I really enjoyed high-speed c.w. (I have a 35-wpm certificate from the ARRL), and on the circuit up north we used to handle traffic at speeds between 25 and 40 wpm.

  I deplore the disappearance of c.w. on the shortwave bands (except for the ham bands). I used to really enjoy monitoring ship-to-shore c.w., AMVER messages, weather info, etc... but I'm no longer able to enjoy one of my favourite hobbies -- monitoring marine band c.w. I have a SITOR decoder, so I can still get some ship-to-shore stuff, but that isn't as much fun as copying c.w.

  I could tell you more about my background (including my ham radio days) if you're interested.

  Best Regards for now.

  Bert Huneault
  Windsor, ON

Braggin' Rights:

Who holds the Coast Guard's record for receiving Morse code?  - ME!
Coast Guard 40 wpm certificate. Armed Forces Day 25 wpm certificate. ARRL 20 wpm certificate. Ex - WN6CDA, at age 14, 1970 Ex - KH6JDO, Wahiawa, Oahu 1976 Amateur Extra Class license since June 1982 General Radiotelephone license since August 1990 Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit since 1995	WN6CDA circa 1971 (I learned the code at age 14 by memorizing it out of a dictionary!)	WBØJNR circa 2012 40 years later wearing an ORARI (Indonesia) radio club shirt!
Click on this hand key to hear real Morse code! (227k .wav file) Coast Guard Speed Key Certificate Front Coast Guard Speed Key Certificate Back

 

 

Links:

Antennas! ARRL - American Radio Relay League Club stations Coast Guard Club and Amateur Radio Net Coast Guard Radioman Extra Class License Hand Keys on display by OZ2CPU FISTS The International Morse Preservation Society K9DE Learning and Using Morse Code Maritime Radio Memberships and Wallpaper Memorizing Morse code by Wolf at 1728 Software Systems Morse code alphabet and phonetics Morse code by visible light! (Aldis lamp and Heliograph)

Morse code - a Tribute to Morse Telegraphy! Morse code music by Phil Tulga - it's great fun!! Morse Telegraph Club MRX Morse Code for Windows Software by an ex Royal Navy Wireless Telegraphist! N9BOR Loves Morse code! NNØTT A Quick Refresher Course on CW Operating Procedures Q and Z signals QRP and Amateur Radio QRPp Award Spark Gap info by John S. Belrose Spark Gap Recording from 1921 by VK7RO Theodore Roosevelt McElroy - World's Champion Radio Telegrapher W1AW Code Practice Transmissions ZUT Coast Guard CW Operators Association

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