Morse or no morse

[Jacktar]

Love the new strobe light to replace flares, only problem is most of western world knows the significance of the light flashes as spelling out SOS (mayday) in morse, our local boys do not and assume it is a invitation to a retro dance event or someting! Comments come on you know you got them?

 

[Alan Gomes]

Love the new strobe light to replace flares, only problem is most of western world knows the significance of the light flashes as spelling out SOS (mayday) in morse, our local boys do not and assume it is a invitation to a retro dance event or someting! Comments come on you know you got them?

Alas, CW is a dying art since it is no longer required to get a ham ticket. It is a useless (though fun!) skill at which I am still quite proficient!

Most recently, though, I found a life-changing use for it. I just got an iPhone 13, and discovered that I can set up a different sequence of text vibrations that I can then link to particular callers. So, with my phone in my pocket, I can tell whether my wife, son, or certain friends are texting me based on the name it spells out in Morse!

 

[thinwater]

The local boys will also think a flare for a minute is just fireworks. There is also the issue of puting a pyrotechnic device in the hands of a potentially drunk, panicked, and inexperienced user. What could possibly go wrong? That is, in fact, the main reason the USCG supported electronic SOS beacons.

A sailor will recognize SOS as separate from anything else. In-shore, a flare against a background of lights, can look like another boat or a traffic light.

In truth, if you are close enough to shore for lubbers to see the light, you will use your cell phone to call either the USCG, police, or Boat US. You might use the VHF if it is really urgent. But you won't use the flare.

--

Why did I change?

1. I went to West Marine to replace my flares, and all they had was old stock, with 1/2 the life gone. They would not discount.
2. All I need to do is change the batteries in the spring. Depending on the shelf life of the flares, in 4-6 years it is paid for.
3. I tested 3 models, side by side for Practical Sailor. The SOS beacon was far more recognizable at a mile than a flare AND it runs for 8 hours.

For 95% of boaters, flares no longer make any sense.

 

[PaulK]

If the local boys think it's an invitation and show up, isn't that what you wanted? Better than having them think it's some dude's unspectacular firework that didn't go off properly. Haven't gone through our flares yet - still snow on the ground - but will definitely be looking at the beacon option for the upcoming season.

 

[Tally Ho]

I changed to an electronic flare a few years ago, just because I was tired of throwing flares away ever 3 years ( and not wanting to forget to replace and end up with a fine.

Replace batteries every year and forget about it. I keep flares in a container marked “expired” and I keep a distress day flag with the electronic flare.

Hope to never need any of it, but figure a DSC distress call and the electronic flare gives me a good chance of being spotted and helped.

I do know that the “pattern” of the strobe is SOS.

Greg

 

[Brian D]

I have always been a proponent for Continuous Wave over radio and Morse by other means. It is not a dying art, it was removed from the ham license because too many whiners couldn't get past 5 words per minute. It is the result of the dumbing down process. It should still be a requirement whether one uses it or not. Besides, when the bands on radio are so noisy, CW can still be decoded.

 

[JamesG161]

Marines and some parts of the Navy still require Morse code.
dit dit dit ... dah dah dah .... dit dit dit [Save Our Ship]

Jim....

 

[Alan Gomes]

I have always been a proponent for Continuous Wave over radio and Morse by other means. It is not a dying art, it was removed from the ham license because too many whiners couldn't get past 5 words per minute. It is the result of the dumbing down process. It should still be a requirement whether one uses it or not. Besides, when the bands on radio are so noisy, CW can still be decoded.

Well, you are certainly correct that CW cuts through like nothing else.

Though I'm not active anymore, several years back a few of my ham buddies from high school and I used to sail over to Emerald Bay, Catalina, and operate Field Day in the battery powered, QRP class. A beautiful, wide-open shot to the east. We were running 5 watts and got lots of QSOs, all of them on CW. We took first in our division three times (I think it was), getting multipliers on our score because of using CW, battery power, and 5 watts. Great fun! No way would we have been able to make many contacts on phone!

73s,
W6AWG

 

[JamesG161]

operate Field Day in the battery powered, QRP class

I helped a Boy Scout group to do QRP with what was called in ARRL Magazine "Tuna Tin 2"
It was a empty tuna fish can radio designed for 2 meter band. But the group redesigned it for the 10 meter band. We found 8 - 10 meter crystals and a fine wire for 10 meter band. Very light weight.

But why 10 meter band?
Line of sight still works and the size of the Antenna was short.

Jim...

W D 4 I W B

 

[Alan Gomes]

I helped a Boy Scout group to do QRP with what was called in ARRL Magazine "Tuna Tin 2"
It was a empty tuna fish can radio designed for 2 meter band. But the group redesigned it for the 10 meter band. We found 8 - 10 meter crystals and a fine wire for 10 meter band. Very light weight.

But why 10 meter band?
Line of sight still works and the size of the Antenna was short.

Jim...

W D 4 I W B

What sort of contacts were you able to make?

Sometimes I think it would be fun to get a little QRP CE rig and operate marine mobile on the boat.

 

[JamesG161]

What sort of contacts were you able to make?

The Group spread out in different directions and could not return to base camp until they made a QRP contact with someone.
So it was local to local QRP. Skip was never intended. The Tuna Tin used a 9Volt battery. Thus very light weight for back packing and a Boy Scout group.
Jim...

 

[mikeracca]

While I didn’t have to learn Morse to get my license it wouldn’t have really been that much more study to get it. If you want something you will do what is needed to get the job done. I really do not have any interest in Morse though so I’m glad it wasn’t a requirement. I have been interested in radio since I was 8 and got my first crystal radio, and I built my first one from parts when I was 9. By the time I was 10 I had built an amplifier so I could listen to it through a 3” speaker instead of the ear bud. I had a set of Mini Engineer’s Handbooks that were from Radio Shack that I would build the projects in. One of the more advanced books started you out making a key and a buzzer to start a Morse code setup. Then it had me make another set, and then it kept expanding on what I made the lessons before until I had a small radio transmitter and receiver and could use Morse about 40 or 50 feet away. While I thought this was all cool stuff, I never looked back once that book started going into voice over wire and eventually voice over radio. I never got to build the voice over radio part, I lacked the parts at the time, and moved on to other projects eventually. Here is where I got my interest in radio, but after getting into voice I just never went back to Morse.

K1MDR

 

[thinwater]

When they came out, I asked some of my neighbors, as well as other sailors and family members that do not know morse what this pattern meant. About 85% said "SOS?" Recognizing ...---... is not the same as knowing morse. That said, none of us would recognize it unless we were looking for a pattern.

But a single red light 2 miles away on the horizon, that lasts only 1-minute, wouldn't mean much to me either. A single nav light or ATN that was momentarily visable? Not enough to make me go over there and search for it.

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

I changed to an electronic flare a few years ago, just because I was tired of throwing flares away ever 3 years ( and not wanting to forget to replace and end up with a fine.

Greg

Same here. I wish there was a way to recycle the flares and keep them from a land fill.

 

[rgranger]

Love the new strobe light to replace flares,

Wait! What? I missed that. When did that happen?

 

[mikeracca]

One other distress signal that is often missed by the average joe is the simplified 3 flashes or 3 blasts from a horn/or other loud device. No pattern just a honk, honk, honk. It’s simple and you don’t need to remember which is which in the dots and dashes. I learned this in scouts during some survival lessons, and also on the Navy, but many do not know this.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

As a long-time ham radio op, I only assumed everyone understands SOS in Morse code but I never heard of 3 flashes/sounds being a common emergency alert.

 

[thinwater]

Love the new strobe light to replace flares, only problem is most of western world knows the significance of the light flashes as spelling out SOS (mayday) in morse, our local boys do not and assume it is a invitation to a retro dance event or someting! Comments come on you know you got them?

NOT A STROBE.

While a strobe can be used to signal distress, the USCG beacons have very specific timing, defined by the rule. There are two types and ONLY two types approved. Even if you do not buy one, every sailor should know these patterns.

 

[patbratton]

Pilots still use three letter Morse code to ID VORs.

 

[Jacktar]

Well i guess i can only hope an old salt or a pilot spots the strobe, because the usual boater around here will still have not idea what the flashing thingie bob in the distance means.