Morse Code!

Samuel F. B. Morse's Telegraph and the Morse Code


Introduction

[IMAGE]
Samuel Morse was mainly an artist. He, however, was also highly interested in electricity, and soon gave-up his old profession to become an inventor. Mr. Morse realized that there was a great need to improve long distance communications. The Electromagnetic Telegraph and the Morse Code became the answer that he and the rest of the world were looking for.







Question

Who was Samuel Morse? Where did he get his idea for the electric telegraph? How does the Morse Code work? What does the Morse Code sound like?

Who was Samual Morse?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on April 27, 1791. He attended Yale University, but left for Europe, despite his parents wishes, to study art and to continue painting miniature portraits. Although art seemed to be his life at the time, Samual Morse soon gained an interest in the electromagnet. Morse's new interest would later change the world by creating telecommunication.

Where did he get his idea for the electric telegraph?

Using an idea Morse had over heard on a ship while coming back to America, Morse, in 1835, developed his first working model of the electric telegraph. By 1838, Morse had also devised a system of communication--the Morse Code. In 1844, the first electric Telegraph line was laid from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington, D.C. and Morse sent his first message: "What hath God wrought!"

Samuel Morse's electromagnet worked by moving a small, thin iron arm that was connected to a pencil or pen. When an incoming signal sent a serge of electricity through the machine, the energy would create a magnet that would than attract the metal arm, move it, and cause a wave in the line written with the pen.

How does the Morse Code work?

The Morse Code was then devised as a way of communicating through the use of these distinct waves or signals. The signals were sent in a long or short pattern, which today are written as a series of dits and dahs. These patterns were then separated by various lengthed breaks to signify the spaces between letters and words.


The letter B, for example, is written as 
- . . .   (dah, dit, dit, dit).

The word, "Hi" would be written: 
 . . . .     . .  (dit dit dit dit   dit dit).

The dits, dahs, and breaks are expressed in the following way:
  1. The dit is considered the smallest fragment of Morse Code.
  2. The dit fills one unit.
  3. The dah is three units long.
  4. The dits and dahs are separated by one unit of silence.
  5. The letters, numbers, and other characters are separated by three units of silence
  6. The words are separated by six units of silence.
The more common system that is used today is the International Morse Code. An American Morse Code is no longer used. Today, the needle and pencil are gone and a "buzzer" type system of long and short signals and breaks are used. The use of the Morse code has been over-shadowed by new mechanical wonders such as the telephone and television. It, however, is still used in the military as one form of communication and is also used by many ham radio operators.

The Morse Code

(international version)
Letters and Numerals
Letter Code Letter Code Letter Code Number Code
A dit-dah K dah-dit-dah U dit-dit-dah 1 dit-dah-dah-dah-dah
B dah-dit-dit-dit L dit-dah-dit-dit V dit-dit-dit-dah 2 dit-dit-dah-dah-dah
C dah-dit-dah-dit M dah-dah W dit-dah-dah 3 dit-dit-dit-dah-dah
D dah-dit-dit N dah-dit X dah-dit-dit-dah 4 dit-dit-dit-dit-dah
E dit O dah-dah-dah Y dah-dit-dah-dah 5 dit-dit-dit-dit-dit
F dit-dit-dah-dit P dit-dah-dah-dit Z dah-dah-dit-dit 6 dah-dit-dit-dit-dit
G dah-dah-dit Q dah-dah-dit-dah 7 dah-dah-dit-dit-dit
H dit-dit-dit-dit R dit-dah-dit 8 dah-dah-dah-dit-dit
I dit-dit S dit-dit-dit 9 dah-dah-dah-dah-dit
J dit-dah-dah-dah T dah 0 dah-dah-dah-dah-dah

Punctuation Marks
Symbol Code
comma dah-dah-dit-dit-dah-dah
colon dah-dah-dah-dit-dit
semi-colon dah-dit-dah-dit-dah-dit
dash dah-dit-dit-dit-dit-dah
period dit-dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
question mark dit-dit-dah-dah-dit-dit