Morse Code Gets The @ Sign - But It's Too Long
from the but-why? dept
The whole point of the @ symbol is that it's shorthand for the word "at." So, plenty of people (well, actually not that many care at all) are confused as to why the first update to Morse Code in 60 years to include the @ symbol has it much longer than just tapping out the word "at." The real issue is that "at" is apparently the same code as "w," though no one seems to have asked if anyone was actually confused by this. For those who care, the @ symbol can be tapped out as dit-dah-dah-dit-dah-dit. Update: Multiple people have noted that the report is wrong that "at" and "w" are the same, since there should be a pause between the "a" and the "t" designating "at". People who know better than I claim it's nearly impossible to be confused. This makes sense, though, as how else would you be able to write any words without confusing the hell out of people as the letters started to run together.
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techdirt being late!?
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Re: techdirt being late!?
Maybe because people are using Morse code to spread the word?
I think it's incredible (and maybe a little neat) that people are still using the code.
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Mixed Media
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Re: Mixed Media
(Morse used to be required for a Ham license, but I think that was removed in the last year or two).
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Re: Mixed Media
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Why still Morse?
Example: You can talk literally halfway around the world, 12,000 miles or more, on 1-2 watts of transmit power using Morse and the correct frequencys. Can't do that with voice (unless using a lot more power).
Of course, there are satellite systems that two way microburst and can run for a long time on batterys... but you can't build that transmitter yourself...
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@
letter "w" is dit dah dah
If you run the first ones together they sound similar to the second. You're not supposed to run them together.
Mike W6INA
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