Morse code

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A morse code word was used to memorize the code of a letter in the morse code alphabet . Different words were used depending on the language. Morse code words had a historical tradition in training, but they are unsuitable for learning Morse code with them, as the memory aids can no longer be implemented at normal touch speed. The memory aids have been replaced by so-called hearing reading.

history

In the 1948 book Cheaper by the Dozen , two children of the American Taylorist Frank Gilbreth , Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. , described how they had learned Morse code from their father using donkey bridges .

The memory aids begin with the letter to be coded. Each syllable in the associated keyword stands for a signal. Syllables that contain the vowel O mean a dash (long signal) and all other syllables mean a point (short signal). In addition, the syllable rhythm (rhythm words or sound image words) was also used as an aid. There were mixed forms in the series of O-syllable words and rhythm words. Other memory aid variants were based on the spelling board developed by the ICAO in 1947 .

The Morse syllable aid for the letter L became famous through the musical declaration of love I love you (rhythm corresponds to the Morse code · - · · for L) of the operetta Sissi by Fritz Kreisler , which was premiered on December 23, 1932 in the Theater an der Wien later released Sissi-Film can be heard, as well as through the German radio song, which premiered in 1939.

Example of a memory aid list

There was a different word list in each language, the German was different from the Swiss, and many instructors had their own.

Letter code Motto Syllables
A. - Adolf a-DOLF
B. - · · · Boron Vaseline BOR-va-se-lin
C. - · - · Coburg-Gotha CO-burg-GO-tha
D. - · · Doria DO-ri-a
E. · serious serious
F. · · - · Friedrichroda fried-rich-RO-da
G - - · gomorrha Gomorrha
H · · · · Study men-ren-zim-mer
I. · · Ida i-there
J - - - Yes Odol yes-WOHL-O-DOL
K - · - command Command
L. · - · · Leonidas le-O-ni-das
M. - - engine ENGINE
N - · Nora NO-ra
O - - - economist ECONOMIST
Ö - - - · Economy Ö-KO-NOM-ie
P · - - · Peloponnese pe-LO-PON-nes
Q - - · - Quolsdorf near Forst QUOLS-DORF-bei-FORST
R. · - · revolver revolver
S. · · · Sabine sa-bi-ne
T - death DEATH
U · · - uniform uniform
Ü · · - - Over account about-KON-TO
V · · · - Death from burns incineration death
W. - - World north pole welt-NORD-POL
X - · · - Xolabaphone XO-la-ba-PHON
Y - · - - York Yellowstone YORK-yel-LOW-STONE
Z - - · · Zoroaster Zoroaster

The big Brockhaus . 15th edition, Volume 12 (MAI-MUD). Leipzig 1932, p. 762.

Better methods

In order to achieve the usual telegraphic speeds, other paths must be taken. One of the most effective training techniques was published in 1936 by the German psychologist Ludwig Koch . It allows you to hear Morse code based on the sound of the characters, without counting the dots and lines.

Well-known telegraphy learning methods are:

  • Koch method , in which the characters are learned in a certain order at a relatively high speed (for example 80  fpm );
  • Farnsworth method , named after the US radio amateur Donald R. Farnsworth, in which the speed is high from the start, but the spacing between the individual Morse code is increased. When learning, the distances are gradually reduced to the standard length.

literature

  • Frank B. Gilbreth Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey: Cheaper by the Dozen. HarperCollins, 1948.
  • Ludwig Koch: Work-psychological study of the activity when recording Morse code, at the same time a new training procedure for radio operators. In: Journal for Applied Psychology and Character Studies , Volume 50, Issues 1 and 2, February 1936.
  • Jon Bloom: A standard for Morse timing using the Farnsworth technique. (PDF; 137 kB) In: QEX , April 1990, pp. 8-9.
  • Rudolf Grötsch: Correct Morse Code - A Guide for Morse Instruction. 11th expanded edition. Jakob Schneider Verlag, Berlin 1964.
  • Regulation H.Dv. 426, L.Dv. 407 - Instructions for training in Morse code. Wehrmacht High Command , 1941.

Individual evidence

  1. Easy Morse Code. - English memory aids from the Second World War
  2. Learn Morse Code Like an Efficiency Expert. (PDF; 228 kB) Retrieved January 19, 2013 .
  3. ^ Morse code mnemonics based on the NATO phonetic alphabet in the English language Wikipedia
  4. Learn Morse code with the HTC . ( Memento of the original from November 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 998 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.htc.ch