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Don't forget that morse is still used by amateur radio operators worldwide.

by resters 3y ago

jmclnx 3y ago
I am curious if its use is dropping off. I heard knowing morse is no longer a requirement to get a license.
- vetrom 3y ago
  It is no longer a requirement, but there is a significant amount of amateur spectrum where CW (morse) is the preferred or only permitted modulation.
- dbcurtis 3y ago
  It is no longer a license requirement. It is still used for casual contacts by people that enjoy it. It is used for various things that fall under the banner of "radiosport" -- for my part I enjoy Morse-code-only radio contests. It is used for identification beacons for repeaters or propagation beacons. And for radio experimenters, a Morse code transmitter makes a great first project since it is so simple and is foundational to everything that comes after it. Pretty much any transmitter that you build is just extra stuff on top of a Morse code transmitter in one form or another. Morse code has a distinct signal-to-noise ratio advantage over any other simple modulation scheme, since the receiving filter can be so narrow, and 100% of the power is going into the carrier any time you are key-down. This is why Morse code is good for propagation beacons and also for other experiments. There are, of course, modern error-correcting codes that beat it, but then both the transmission and reception become much more complex. (See FT8 for a currently popular weak-signal mode). I view Morse code radio contests much like a sail boat racing. Nobody moves containers of goods from China to LA on sail boats. But lots of people enjoy a good boat race on a sunny afternoon, and enjoy keeping the old marlin-spike seamanship skills alive. Likewise, ftp is a much smarter way to move a 3GB file from London to SF than using Morse code, but that doesn't mean that Morse code isn't good humor during a weekend radio contest.
- ianburrell 3y ago
  One area Morse code is popular is using limited radios. Morse code works well with tiny (phone sized), low power radios. There is challenge called SOTA where hike to top of mountain and make contacts. It is much easier to take small radio and Morse paddle than the bigger radios needed for voice. There are low-power data modes, but then have to carry computer along and deal with software.
- uint8_t 3y ago
  In absolute terms, probably, but some are declaring a renaissance associated with the increasing popularity in portable operation. Summits On The Air (SOTA) in particular favors lightweight transmitters. CW is such an efficient mode, in terms of speed, reach and circuit design that it is worth learning Morse for that single use case. Personally, once I gained some proficiency with CW I realized that it is an enjoyable pursuit in and of itself, so now while not climbing mountains I stay on the low parts of the band and exchange postcards with octogenarians and I couldn't be happier.
- irrational 3y ago
  I got my license during the pandemic and it was not a requirement.
- teeray 3y ago
  It’s still very popular… tuning around CW portion of 40 meters still yields plenty of stations. There’s a fair number of enthusiasts in the Long Island CW Club [0] and CWOPS [1]—bith very welcoming groups committed to teaching CW. It’s fun too—a bit like learning an instrument tbh. Learning it gives you access to very cheap, small, lightweight QRP (low-power) transcievers with great performance worldwide. It’s also a useful skill when band conditions aren’t as favorable. [0] https://longislandcwclub.org/ https://longislandcwclub.org/ [1] https://cwops.org/ https://cwops.org/
  - jmclnx 3y ago
    Nice, I hope people keep at it. And the low power radios sounds interesting.
- seabass-labrax 3y ago
  It's still done in the UK, however you don't have to memorise anything. You're allowed to take a Morse code table into your examination, so most people don't consider 'learning' Morse code to be a requirement.

Don't forget that morse is still used by amateur radio operators worldwide.

jmclnx 3y ago

I am curious if its use is dropping off. I heard knowing morse is no longer a requirement to get a license.

vetrom 3y ago
It is no longer a requirement, but there is a significant amount of amateur spectrum where CW (morse) is the preferred or only permitted modulation.
dbcurtis 3y ago
It is no longer a license requirement. It is still used for casual contacts by people that enjoy it. It is used for various things that fall under the banner of "radiosport" -- for my part I enjoy Morse-code-only radio contests. It is used for identification beacons for repeaters or propagation beacons. And for radio experimenters, a Morse code transmitter makes a great first project since it is so simple and is foundational to everything that comes after it. Pretty much any transmitter that you build is just extra stuff on top of a Morse code transmitter in one form or another. Morse code has a distinct signal-to-noise ratio advantage over any other simple modulation scheme, since the receiving filter can be so narrow, and 100% of the power is going into the carrier any time you are key-down. This is why Morse code is good for propagation beacons and also for other experiments. There are, of course, modern error-correcting codes that beat it, but then both the transmission and reception become much more complex. (See FT8 for a currently popular weak-signal mode). I view Morse code radio contests much like a sail boat racing. Nobody moves containers of goods from China to LA on sail boats. But lots of people enjoy a good boat race on a sunny afternoon, and enjoy keeping the old marlin-spike seamanship skills alive. Likewise, ftp is a much smarter way to move a 3GB file from London to SF than using Morse code, but that doesn't mean that Morse code isn't good humor during a weekend radio contest.
ianburrell 3y ago
One area Morse code is popular is using limited radios. Morse code works well with tiny (phone sized), low power radios. There is challenge called SOTA where hike to top of mountain and make contacts. It is much easier to take small radio and Morse paddle than the bigger radios needed for voice. There are low-power data modes, but then have to carry computer along and deal with software.
uint8_t 3y ago
In absolute terms, probably, but some are declaring a renaissance associated with the increasing popularity in portable operation. Summits On The Air (SOTA) in particular favors lightweight transmitters. CW is such an efficient mode, in terms of speed, reach and circuit design that it is worth learning Morse for that single use case. Personally, once I gained some proficiency with CW I realized that it is an enjoyable pursuit in and of itself, so now while not climbing mountains I stay on the low parts of the band and exchange postcards with octogenarians and I couldn't be happier.
irrational 3y ago
I got my license during the pandemic and it was not a requirement.
teeray 3y ago
It’s still very popular… tuning around CW portion of 40 meters still yields plenty of stations. There’s a fair number of enthusiasts in the Long Island CW Club [0] and CWOPS [1]—bith very welcoming groups committed to teaching CW. It’s fun too—a bit like learning an instrument tbh. Learning it gives you access to very cheap, small, lightweight QRP (low-power) transcievers with great performance worldwide. It’s also a useful skill when band conditions aren’t as favorable. [0] https://longislandcwclub.org/ https://longislandcwclub.org/ [1] https://cwops.org/ https://cwops.org/
- jmclnx 3y ago
  Nice, I hope people keep at it. And the low power radios sounds interesting.
seabass-labrax 3y ago
It's still done in the UK, however you don't have to memorise anything. You're allowed to take a Morse code table into your examination, so most people don't consider 'learning' Morse code to be a requirement.