Seeing Double: Dit Dah

[Puck M]

I can't do layers or other fancy image manipulation so here's a slow sync flash picture, taken with my Z1 with lens zoomed to 157mm (35mm Equiv.) at F 3.5 for 4 seconds. The flash went off at the beginning of the exposure. That's my 1944 vintage hand operating a 1918 Vibroplex Double Lever telegraph key. With this picture I get to play with my camera as well as my first love in the way of hobbies, ham radio and antique telegraph keys. The more bold image of the fingers is hitting the dit side of the paddles and the less bold the dah side.

This key is semi-automatic, the dits are made automatically by a vibrating pendulum and the dahs are made manually, one at a time, with the dah paddle on the right. You can see the pendulum is blurred as it vibrates back and forth.

[monkey143]

Great! Also a song by the 1910 Fruitgum Company (where'd they get that name??!?!) Isn't it nice when you can marry two loves like that?!

[Rod Bruckdorfer]

Puck:

A very creative approach and nicely done.

How many words can you send a minute? I met an old high seas operator who could continue writing the message down after the telegraph stopped sending.

I do not have a talent for Morse Code. If we have a radio, it will be a SSB unit.

Rod

[Puck M]

Rod,

I've been a ham radio operator for 44 years and only operate CW (morse code) so I've developed a pretty good skill. With the old keys like the one pictured I can send 25 to 30 words per minute (WPM). With a fully automatic electronic keyer I can hit 40 WPM on a good day. My copying ability tops out about 45 to 50 WPM.

I don't compare myself with the good telegraph ops who made their living sending and receiving messages 10 to 12 hours a day. Those folks could copy ahead and type out the messages on their mill at those speeds or better. At the higher speeds, I only can copy in my head because I don't type nor write fast enough to write it down.

It's very interesting to chat on the air with the old timers who were former telegraph, marine, and military radio ops. They have some interesting tales to tell. Some of them have since developed speeds of 60 to 70 WPM or more! I have to tell them to slow down. Of course the really high speed guys/gals have gone high tech to be able to send at those speeds and use computer keyboards to generate the morse code - but they copy that high speed stuff in their heads.

If I spent as much time with photography as I do with ham radio I might be able to take a decent picture. It's just a matter of time available and the choices we make that determines what we are really good at. A natural talent for a specific area helps too of course!

I enjoy this forum because of the very talented and skillful folks who participate in it.

[photosbyvito]

that sounds amazing! i wish i could learn that....i do have one question that you will know the answer to....

how do you tell when one letter ends and the next begins?
i mean some letters look like two put together (morse code i mean).....how do you tell that it is the one letter instead of the two seperate?

[brtsergio]

...- . .-. -.-- / -.-. --- --- .-.. --..-- / .--. ..- -.-. -.- / -- / .. / - .... .. -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-- . .-.. .-.. / .--. .-. . ... . .-. ...- . -.. / - . .-.. . --. .-. .- .--. .... / -.- . -.-- / -.. . ... . .-. ...- . ... / ... . ...- . .-. .- .-.. / -- .- -.-. .-. --- / ... .... --- - ... .-.-.- / .- ... / .-- . .-.. .-.. / .- ... / .. / - .... .. -. -.- / - .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-. .- -.. .. --- / -.. . ...- .. -.-. . ... / -.. . ... . .-. ...- . / ... --- -- . / ... .... --- - ... / - --- --- / -.. --- / ..- / .... .- ...- . / .... --- - / - ..- -... . / --- -. . ... / ..--.. / .. .----. ...- . / .- .-.. .-- .- -.-- ... / -... . . -. / .- - - .-. .- -.-. - . -.. / -... -.-- / - ..- -... . / -.. . ...- .. -.-. . ... .-.-.- / --- -. . / --- ..-. / -- -.-- / ..-. .. .-. ... - / -.-. .. .-. -.-. ..- .. - ... / .-- .- ... / .- / -.-. --- .-.. .--. .. - - .----. ... / --- ... -.-. .. .-.. .-.. .- - --- .-. / -- .- -.. . / ..- .--. / --- ..-. / .- -. / . -.-. -.-. ---.. ...-- / -.--.- / .---- ..--- .- -..- --... / -.--.- / .. - / .-- .- ... / --- ... -.-. .. .-.. .-.. .- - .. -. --. / .. -. / - .... . / -- .-- / .- -. -.. / .. / .-. --- ..- --. .... .-.. -.-- / -.-. --- -. - .-. --- .-.. .-.. . -.. / .- -- .--. .-.. .. - ..- -.. . / -- --- -.. ..- .-.. .- - .. --- -. / .-- .. - .... / .- -. / . -.-. -.-. ---.. ...-- / . -.-. .-.. ---.. ....- / -.--.- / -.... -.. -..- ---.. / -.--.- / .- -- .--. .-.. .. ..-. .. . .-. / ---... / .-- . / -.-. --- ...- . .-. . -.. / .- .-.. -- --- ... - / .---- / -- .. .-.. . / ---... / .- / --. .-. . .- - / ..-. ..- -. / ..-. --- .-. / .---- -.... / -.-- . .- .-. ... / --- .-.. -.. / -... --- -.-- ... / .... --- .-- . ...- . .-. --..-- / .. / -. . ...- . .-. / -... . -.-. .- -- . / .- -. / .... .- -- / ---... / .. / .-- .- ... / .- / .-. .- - .... . .-. / ... .... -.-- / -... --- -.-- / .- -. -.. / -... -.-- / - .... . / . -. -.. / --- ..-. / - .... . / --... ----- .----. ... / .... .- -- / .--. .. --- -. . . .-. .. -. --. / .-- .- ... / .- / .-. .- - .... . .-. / . -..- .--. . -. ... .. ...- . / -- .- - - . .-. / ..-. --- .-. / -- -.-- / .- --. .

http://www.scphillips.com/morse/inde...se/jtrans.html

[Puck M]

Vito:

All letters are made up of one to four elements, numbers have five elements and punctuation characters have six elements. An element is a dit or a dah (some say dots and dashes but dit and dah is more expressive of what they really sound like). Space is left between each letter and even longer spaces are left between words.

In brtsergio's note to me he used actual spaces between letters for letter spacing and slashes to indicate word spaces.

For example, "Vito takes good shots" would be :

...- .. - --- / - .- -.- . ... / --. --- --- -.. / ... .... --- - ... /

When sent it sounds like this:

di di di dah -- di dit -- dah -- dah dah dah
dah -- di dah -- dah di dah -- dit -- di di dit
dah dah dit -- dah dah dah -- dah dah dah -- dah di dit
di di dit -- di di di dit -- dah dah dah -- dah -- di di dit

I've used carriage returns to indicate word spaces and double dashes(--) for letter spaces to make it easier to read.

With practice the sounds of each letter are immediately recognizable and with even more practice one begins to recognize the sounds of whole words.

This has nothing to do with photography but you did ask and I tend to get wordy when it comes to this subject! I appologize to the other readers of this forum for being so off topic.

[Puck M]

brtsergio,

I can't believe you took the time to type a whole message with .'s and -'s in morse code. I've replied to you via PM!

Puck

[photosbyvito]

thanks puck....i know understand
i guess i just expecting people to just do stuff like this (forgive me if it says something mean or profane...lol i'm not writing anything i know...just random lines and dots...lol just warning you)

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

or something like that....makes sense though...i'm more impressed now that you can write 20-30 wpm! that is amazing! and more in your head......you learn how to type faster and you can go really fast!

thanks for taking time out of your day to explain that

[bcoultry]

The picture is good, the object is fascinating, the information is equally so.

Great thread.