To paraphrase Mark Twain (USA's Sam Clemens): reports of the death of Morse code are greatly exagerated. Just this past weekend several of my friends and I made radio contact with nearly 600 other ham radio enthusiasts - all with Morse code. 49 of the USA's 50 states, and most Canadian provinces.

Jim Giammanco, Baton Rouge LA, USA

It's easily possible for a young person (or older one) to build from scratch a simple morse code receiver and transmitter and with readily available training enjoy the fun of World wide communication. I hope this simple pleasure never dies. Long the the ability to create, communicate and enjoy.

Paul Warman, Corfe Mullen, England

I operated with Morse Code from Orrest Head in Windermere about a year ago. I know there are many devotees of Morse Code in the UK and around the world. We use it because it works best with simple, portable equipment. I expect it will be around for many more years.

KR1S, Florida, USA

Remember the film "Independance Day". All modern technology wiped out. What price Morse and the Radio Amateur operators in that event?. You never know!!!.

Noel Thompson, Newcastle, England

Interesting to read about the death of Morse code. Obviously the author never got within 5 feet of a HF receiver. Morse is actually still alive and well. Even the Military Affiliated Radio Service is bringing it back.....

Chris, Leesburg VA, USA

SOS, RIP. NOT!!! You might tune your shortwave radio to the Amateur Radio bands and hear lots of chatter internationally between highly education Morse Code operators. You might also have someone tune into the United States Military Radio Service Morse Code Network and listen to even more activity

Jim , Las Vegas, USA

Anyone who thinks that Morse Code is dead needs to listen to one of many Amateur Radio Bands to hear the cacophony of dits and dahs. And, if I were in an emergency situation I wouldn't hesitate at all to issue an SOS on my radio using the most efficient means of communication known to man.

Peter Barbella, Littleton, MA, USA

As the others have said, morse is alive and kicking. Commercially it's cheaper to add 100w of power rather than spending a week or so teaching an operator, but CW is by far the more efficient!
Of course it's also way cooler than voice!
73 de MM0GSS

Gordon, Dunfermline, Scotland

A little online research will reveal a lot of evidence to the contrary, e.g. 'Modern Morse Code' at http://www.hxpi.com/radio/morse-code-in-21st-century.php

Alan Boxer, Bristol, UK

Hey, you want to 'exercise' your brain and stave off dementia....There are a lot of books and electronic gadgets that aim at this..and it works !!.... Crosswords, sudoku, learning a musical instrument.... _all_ good !!...

.Here's a secret for you, maybe better than 'em all ------ ----- try Morse !

Ray, sydney, australia

Morse is alive and kicking in the UK, It is in fact gaining in popularity within the Radio Amateur fraternity. Once a requirement for the UK license, it was seen as an entrance exam to the whole world using radio waves on the HAM bands. Now its being learnt for fun!......

Chris Danby, G0DWV, Norwich, UK

I use Morse daily to communicate with Radio Amateurs around the world. I'm also a member of the First Class CW Operator's Club, a renowned association of members worldwide who use Morse proficiently. The Russian Cosmonauts rely on Morse's simplicity, as do many foreign military establishments.

Alex Mendelsohn, Kennebunk, Maine, USA

Be sure of the facts before making a statement:-
I and a vast number of Radio Amateurs enthusiasts the world over use Morse Code to communicate . A simple language, which can be sent using very simple (and thus) reliable equipment - bridging language difficulties too. I use it daily

David Dunn, Horncastle, Lincs

On YouTube is a video from the Jay Leno Show where the "world champion" SMS speed-texters are up against a couple of regular radio ham Morse code users. The hams simply wipe the floor with the aching thumb brigade ;) and don't rely on cellular networks which crash too easily.

73 de Simon, MoXIE

Simon Lambert, Camberley, UK

Everyone knows what SOS means and I doubt anyone would not respond to and SOS. How many times have people written SOS in a plea for help on signs etc.
Morse code, definitely isn't dead either and whilst not the fastest way to transfer a message it is a reliable mode at low power. 73 Dom M1KTA

Dominic Baines, Cambridge, UK

When I went to Merchant Navy radio college in 1969 to train as a Radio Officer we were told that Morse would be dead in 10 years,
I retired from professional radio in 1999 with Morse still alive, I've just finished a chat with a fellow Radio Amateur in Uganda via Morse Code, dead? dont think so!

Tony Roskilly, Hereford, England

Oh... Text on mobiles... heard one sounding "dit dit dit dah dah dit dit dit" recently from someones mobile phone? That is "SMS" sent in morse code :-) 73 de Dom, M1KTA

Dominic Baines, Cambridge, UK

No way is Morse Code dead. Let's take a step backwards. As well as the global Amateur Radio fraternity, in U.S., Canada, and some overseas countries, there is a dedicated band of Morse code proponents who regularly use original Vail code created for use on the landlines of c.1844.

AK
MTC Ofc
NZ

Maurie Challinor, Auckland , New Zealand

A neat thing about Morse is that it takes very little power to communicate significant distances. My first Morse contact was from just outside Toronto to just outside Denver (about 2400 km) using 5 watts of power. By comparison, an old-style incandescent Christmas tree light is usually 7 watts.

Greg Trasuk, Burlington, Canada

Morse (or CW as it's known in Ham circles) is far from dead, it is if anything gaining in popularity with more and more Hams learning it, as it the the single most efficient way of getting a signal through when a voice singal will not or cannot get through. It frequently will travel 3x as far.

M0JEC, Newbury, UK

Rubbish, tens of thousands of Amateur Radio enthusiasts around the world use MORSE code every day of the year. Please contact the American Radio Relay League for further information...

Tom Wylie, Paisley, Scotland

Morse Code still plays an important role in the amateur radio service, as witnessed this past weekend when thousands of hams took to the countryside for the annual Field Day exercise. Over 500,000 contacts every Field Day are in CW (Morse Code), due in large part to the simplicity of CW gear.

Mike, Naples, FL, USA

Amateur radio operators still enjoy Morse code.
Interested readers can see how it works at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ourfkobMfiM

Lynn Hagar, Plainfield, IL, USA

Morse code is alive and well. Certainly it hasn't been mainstream in years, but it is a very viable means of communication, and well suited to emergency situations.

Some of us still sail and camp in tents. Most of all, from my perspective, I love it and use it. It's definitely not dead. :-)

Jim Goudie, Conestoga, PA, USA

'tis sad, for it is hard to imagine any replacement for an international language so simple that it could be broadcast by sound, or by light, or even any graphic means.

I surveyed my fellow workers today and only 1 out of 5 could recognize the signal. Alas.

Mike Reith, Fresno, CA, USA

Wow--the 4,500 amateurs worldwide who have joined the new Straight Key Century Club in the past two plus years would be astounded to hear this news. I am waiting for a call from a Morse code acquaintance in South Africa, Dave, to my low power station here in the upper US Midwest right now....

Len Litvan, Winona, MN, USA

Morse code is alive and well here in the states. Amateur radio operators here in the United States recently just had their "Field Day." The airwaves were full of CW (Morse Code) signals being sent on virtually all of the ham radio bands.

John Bates , Phoenix, AZ, US of A

In the middle of the night sending SOS by flashlight might still save someone. I just finished teaching my Grandkids SOS.

Larry, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Larry Andrus, Atlanta, USA

Amateur radio operators in many countries no longer are required to pass a Morse exam to obtain licenses to operate transmitters but the code is still doing fine on the air and many new licensees are learning it and getting on the air with simple, inexpensive equipment that gets through fine.

John Davidson, Detroit, USA

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated, I am alive and well on the ham bands and elsewhere.


Yours, truly
SOS

Phillip Smith, Vincennes, IN 47591, USA

Morse is far from dead as far as many of us are concerned. When the "chips are down" Morse code will come through for needed communication.

CJ Smith, Oregon, Ohio, USA

In the USA, Morse code was recently dropped as a requirement to get an Amateur Radio license. Since then, I'm actually hearing more beginners use it on the air because they want to, not because they have to. I learned code in 1959 and used it for 10 years. I've come back to it because its fun!

James Moen, Danville, California, USA

Morse code is not dead...this past weekend is solid proof.

when digital modes, voice, text messaging, cell phones, television all fail, Morse code will still be banging away getting the message through...reliably, clearly, accurately with little fuss or bother.
because we can.
have a safe day

Dennis Elliott, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Many say that Morse Code is dead, yet it transcends language barriers better than any I know of. Many people around the world continue to use morse code and communicate rather well with those who can not speak their native language. Morse Code is a live and doing quit well.

Rich, New York, USA

Too bad it is dying there. For those who still enjoy the code, send them to the USA where is is still alive and well. Come see for yourself!

Harry Bartel, Hugoton, KS, USA

At our club's station, during the recent ARRL (Amateur Radio) "Field Day", Morse Code was predominant. And, MARS (Military Affiliated Radio Systems) recently announced the re-authorization of Morse Code for use in MARS communications. Morse Code is still the "go-to" mode sfter all these years.

Milt Coleman, Rockville, VA, USA

It may be a bit premature to sound the death toll for morse. Morse is alive and well. The amateur radio community is the most notable user, but fishing fleets throughout the world still use it on a daily basis to communicate between boats and their corporate headquarters.

Nathan Houck, Peru, NY, USA

Silly. Certainly, it's not a "mainline" way of communicating for the general public. However, for example, during the first week after Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. Gulf Coast, a very high percentage of all emergency radio traffic in and out of that area was by ham radio and Morse Code.

Oscar Staudt, Guthrie, United States

SOS "died" a while ago. Morse, on the other hand, lives on in very strong ways in the Amateur Radio community where it continues to play a vital role in disaster communications. There's a LOT more to Morse code than "SOS" and rumors of its death are highly exaggerated 73 & best regards!

Keith Darwin, Vermont, USA

Morse code is far from dead. It is heard every day on the ham radio circuits passing messages all over the world and is also used on the ham bands for the pure pleasure of conversation.

Bert Morton, Wallinford, Vermont, USA

Morse code is alive and well here in "the colonies".

Hank Wizeman, O'Fallon, Illinois , USA

Morse is certainly not dead. It may not be used commercially much, but within Amateur Radio it is very much in use. It is used for emerg. comms. (tsunami) when the 'normal' infrastructure goes down. It will get around the world when voice and data won't, especially in current low sunspot conditions.

David Ferrington, Warfield, England

I'm an active ham radio operator and I use morse code exclusively. In the US, the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) just re-instituted morse code! For a dead language, it's still kicking!
One Beethoven note :-) the rhythm for the 5th is the morse "V" and V is the Roman Numeral for "5".

Mark, Spokane, USA

The public hears more morse code now than they realise - most mobile phones respond upon receipt of a text message with either 'M' (- -) or 'SMS' (... - - ...) in morse.

A browse on the short wave Amateur frequencies shows that it certainly is not dead, but alive and still actively communicating.

Ian Brown, Derby, UK

CW is not dead. It is alive and well and is in use every day by Radio Amateurs on various frequencies from Long Waves to Microwaves.

--... ...-- -.. . --. ----- -.. .--- .-

(Translation = 73 de G0DJA)

Dave, Bolsover, UK

On the point about mobile phones...

Morse code is still used by many mobile phones. When an 'SMS' message is delivered the three letters are sent in morse code as in "di-di-dit, da-dah, di-di-dit"

Dave, Bolsover, UK

Cellular and wireless data networks are great, but they are dependent on a fragile infrastructure, which is vulnerable to disaster in many parts of the world. Radiotelegraph systems remains one of the few truly survivable methods of communications available. Reports of its death may be premature.

James Wades, Marion, IL, USA

For all the quibbling about the "Death of Morse Code", you may be a little premature. Morse code is still actively used daily by thousands of amateur radio operators around the world. It is still the best way to communicate quickly with minimal power.
In a real emergency cell phones do not work.

Rick Eversole, Sunnyvale, USA

Don't count out morse code yet. It's there, invisible. For instance, morse code is embedded in windows. Why not?. There're plenty of things that used it or it may be needed in future development, and it doesn't take too much coding. It will become part of the junk DNA of computer.

Kirk Reeves, Portland, USA

It's now pretty much an internationally recognised thing that 3 of anything is a distress call. 3 shots fired, 3 blasts on a whistle, or indeed knocking on a pipe in sets of 3. Flash a light or mirror 3 times, anything done that attracts attention in sets of 3, pause and repeat, means 'Help!'

Alan, Kuching,

Even so, it would be a shame if someone was in an emergency situation and didn't happen to have their mobile phone with them, and was banging three shorts, three longs, three shorts on the wall or the pipework, and no-one hearing it knew what the noise was about.

Graham Rounce, LOndon, UK

It may be so that morse is not used as a distress call now, but to say that morse is dead would be an untruth! Morse is still used to great effect by thousands of radio hams around the world and is by far the most reliable way of getting a legible radio signal from A to B.

Kim Medley, Norwich, England

The maritime community took a system that not everyone could operate or fix, but that everyone could understand (SOS by Morse Code) and replaced it with a system that everyone could operate but that no could understand or fix - the satellite system.

Give me SOS any day.

David J. Ring, Jr., Green Harbor, MA, USA

Even so, it would be a shame if someone was in an emergency situation and didn't happen to have their mobile phone with them, and was banging three shorts, three longs, three shorts on the wall or the pipework, and no-one hearing it knew what the noise was about.

Graham Rounce, LOndon, UK