Morse code is a system of long and short sounds that, when sent in rhythmic patterns, represent letters, numbers, and other characters (such as punctuation). There are only two letters in the Morse language: a short "dit" (generally represented visually with a dot), and a longer "dah" (generally represented by a dash). These two lengths of tone in different orders can convey exactly the same information as anything you can say aloud or write down.

The International Morse Code

Beyond the letters, numbers, and punctuation, the International Morse Code also includes so-called "Q"-signals, which are a set of nonsense letter-codes that have an international meaning. For instance, the letters QTH stand for location--if someone were to send "dahdahdidah dah didididit dididahdahdidit"¹ ("QTH?"), the receiver would know that he is being asked for his location. There are Q-signals for all kinds of ideas, including "who else is listening?" (QRZ), "okay, I've got it" (QSL), and the various types of noise interference. The Q-signals make it possible to carry on a basic contact with a minimum of language barriers, and shorten sending time even among parties who share a common language (three-letter representations are almost always smaller than the words they represent).

In International Morse Code, a dah is the length of three dits, as is the space between letters in a word. Space between the words themselves is seven dits long. Everything, therefore, is proportional to the speed at which it is sent, so a sentence can be sent at 5 words per minute or at 20 words per minute and still sound pretty much the same. Of course, when sending with a straight key², the length of individual dits and dahs within a speed will vary. Generally, though, operators intuitively mimic these lengths while sending.

It is almost unanimously agreed within the amateur radio community, which is one of the two groups that still use Morse code on a regular basis, that one should never learn Morse code from written descriptions. It is much better to listen to the airwaves or tapes created expressly for this purpose, and learn it aurally, as this is the way that one will be sending and receiving³.

The Code's Beginnings

The Morse Code was named after its originator, Samuel Finley Bresse Morse (1791-1872). Morse was an American painter and inventor who patented the telegraph in 1840. His telegraph involved a keyer that closed an electrical circuit when pressed. The closed circuit would allow electricity through a wire, and when the key was released, the circuit opened and electricity would stop flowing. At the other end of this wire, another machine converted the electrical pulses into lines and dots on a reel of paper. (After some time, the operators noticed that they could tell the difference between the long and short sounds with their ears, and this machine was adjusted to produce clicking noises.)

To send a message with this machine, Morse needed a system. His original code was known as American Morse Code and was used primarily in the United States and Canada. Other countries, using this original Morse code, soon came up with an "International Morse Code" for general communications. Nearly all nations began using the International Morse Code during the 1850s, excluding the United States and Canada which opted to stay with their heritage and the American Morse Code. (They have since changed to the International Morse Code as well.)

Morse decided that common letters should have easy codes, and that more uncommon letters should have more complex codes. Therefore, the letter "e" is represented by a single "dit". The letter "x", on the other hand, is "dahdididah".

The Code As Communication

Morse code is still regularly used for communication within only two groups, the amateur (ham) and the maritime communities. Sometimes, however, military and commercial operators may still use it if conditions make a voice signal impossible, because Morse code has a much smaller bandwidth than single-side-band or any other type of voice transmission, and it can be heard where voice may not.

The system of Morse code has been used for visual sending and receiving in the past, as well as its well-known use in telegraphy. Wigwam flags, for instance, send signals visually with Morse code, and heliographs use mirrors and interrupting devices to send flashes of sunlight in Morse patterns to a receiving station. Both of these have been important methods of distance communication in the past.

Unfortunately, as our grasp of technology increases, our use and need for Morse code lessens. It only still exists through the efforts of the amateur radio operators who enjoy it because it presents a challenge and is something different to try. Morse code and telegraphy, however, are no longer part of our culture as a global community, and have therefore lost the importance they once had. Fewer and fewer people each year can be bothered to learn the Morse code, and those who have contributed to its use and popularity within small communities are dying weekly. Someday, it seems, Morse code will be an aspect of only the past.