Morse Code Blog
Where Morse code came from, what SOS really stands for, and how pilots, radio amateurs and people who type with a single switch still use it. Every article lists its sources, and every dot-and-dash example in it plays when you tap it.
History
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SOS
History
What Does SOS Stand For? The Real Story of the Distress Signal
Not "save our souls". Why three dots, three dashes and three dots won.
4 min read
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MORSE
History
A Short History of Morse Code, from 1837 to Today
From a New Jersey ironworks to the bottom of the Atlantic and the radio age.
4 min read
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VAIL
History
Who Invented Morse Code? Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail and the Credit Question
The name says Morse. The alphabet owes much more to Alfred Vail.
4 min read
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TORTURE
History
The Prisoner Who Blinked TORTURE in Morse Code on Television
Jeremiah Denton's 1966 interview, and the message hidden in his eyes.
3 min read
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TAP
History
The Tap Code: How Prisoners Knocked Messages Through Walls
Why a wall can't carry Morse code, and the grid that took its place.
3 min read
How it works
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WRITE
How it works
How to Write Morse Code by Hand, and Read It Back
Spaces, slashes and the one mistake that makes Morse impossible to read.
3 min read
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USA
How it works
International vs American Morse Code: What Is the Difference?
Same idea, different alphabet. Why railroad Morse sounds wrong to a radio ear.
4 min read
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BIT
How it works
Is Morse Code Binary? What a Computer Scientist Sees in It
Two signs, five symbols, and an idea Huffman made famous in 1952.
3 min read
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WABUN
How it works
Morse Code in Other Languages: Cyrillic, Greek, Japanese and More
How Russian, Greek, Japanese, Korean and Chinese are sent in dots and dashes.
3 min read
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SK
How it works
Morse Code Prosigns Explained: AR, SK, BT, KN and More
Letters run together into one signal, with meanings of their own.
3 min read
Learning and ham radio
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KOCH
Learning and ham radio
How to Learn Morse Code: The Koch Method, Farnsworth and 10 Minutes a Day
Learn the sound, not the chart. A method and a daily plan that work.
4 min read
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CQ
Learning and ham radio
Getting Started with Morse Code (CW) in Amateur Radio
Why hams still love Morse, and how to make your first contact.
3 min read
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73
Learning and ham radio
Q Codes and Morse Abbreviations: QTH, QSL, 73 and 88
The radio shorthand that turns a sentence into three letters.
3 min read
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KEY
Learning and ham radio
Telegraph Keys Explained: Straight Keys, Bugs and Paddles
From the pump-handle straight key to the paddle that sends at 40 words a minute.
3 min read
Everyday use
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CW
Everyday use
Is Morse Code Still Used Today?
Pilots, radio amateurs, navies and people who type with one switch.
3 min read
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YYZ
Everyday use
Morse Code Hidden in Songs, Phones and Films
Rush's YYZ, the Nokia tone, Interstellar and Independence Day.
3 min read
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VOR
Everyday use
Morse Code in Aviation: How Pilots Identify Radio Beacons
Every VOR, NDB and ILS still says its name in dots and dashes.
3 min read
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HELP
Everyday use
How to Signal for Help with a Flashlight, Whistle or Mirror
SOS by light, three blasts on a whistle, and a mirror flash seen for miles.
3 min read
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TYPE
Everyday use
Morse Code as Assistive Technology: Typing with One or Two Switches
A whole keyboard from two switches, and the people who type with it.
3 min read
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LOVE
Everyday use
Morse Code Tattoos and Jewellery: How to Get the Message Right
Spacing, word breaks, dates and direction, checked before it is permanent.
3 min read