Actually, International Morse is faster to send and easier to copy at high
speed, where the spaces in Continental code get lost above 35-40 words per
minute. It takes longer to send C in Continental Morse at high speed because
you have to pause for the space. I timed myself send C using both codes to
verify that high speed Morse is really faster and more intelligible than
Continental Morse using an iambic keyer. Of course, if you're using a bug,
you can't send intelligible code above 35-40 wpm because the mechanical
action of the bug is the limiting factor. Bugs are instantly recognizable
because every operator has a distinctive 'fist'. With an iambic keyer, all
proficient operators sound alike. Code proficient hams routinely contest and
rag chew at 40 wpm. An exceptional few can copy International Morse in their
head at 55 wpm. I don't know anybody that can send or receive Continental
Morse at that speed. I think Continental Morse was a hold-over from the
early telegraph days when the sounders couldn't send dashes, only clicks,
and the spaces between the clicks carried intelligence. Once it was possible
to send dashes, Continental Morse was abandoned in favor of International
Morse because it is faster and easier to send and easier to copy, especially
when sent using an iambic keyer. Morse code isn't a "lost language", it's
just that fewer people are learning it since the Navy and Coast Guard
stopped using it and FCC dropped the code requirement for amateur radio
licenses. Most of my radio contacts are in Morse code, and I prefer it to
voice communication because it's easier to work weak signals through the
noise using code.
Nelson, KU0A
-----Original Message-----
From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of glen
brewer
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 10:37 AM
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CBQ] Re: FW: Morse Code: A Lost Language
--- In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, "Dale Reeves" <drale99@...> wrote:
>
> Not accurate to say the codes are slightly different. Continental
Morse has
> fewer dashes, many letters different. Uses spaces, much faster. For
> instance, C is .. .., much faster than -.-.
Dale,
In conventional (land) Morse, a C is ".. ." vs "- . - ." in radio code.
The SOS well known as "... --- ..." in radio code, would be "... . .
..." in Western Union or RR code. The real difference is that
International or Continental eliminated the pauses and elongated dashes
using only dots and dashes. Yes, quite a few letters are different.
Glen
RailroadGloryDays.com <http://railroadglorydays.com>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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