93-year-old beats 13-year-old (in text messaging)

[Doctor Q]

Link: Morse code trumps SMS in head-to-head speed texting combat

Okay, the world title for fastest text messaging is still raging in the streets. The victor in the most recent contest was a bit of a dark horse -- 93-year-old telegraph operator Gordon Hill delivered a resounding ass-whoopin’ to his rival, 13-year-old Brittany Devlin, using Morse Code.

-. --- .-- / .-- . / -.- -. --- .-- / - .... . / ..-. .- ... - . ... - / -- . - .... --- -.. .-.-.-
NOW WE KNOW THE FASTEST METHOD.

.-.. --- .-..
LOL

 

[James Philp]

Is predictive allowed?
I'm pretty nifty with a nokia 3210!

 

[emw]

When can I get that feature on my cell phone?

BTW - for a 93-year-old guy, he sure has nice hands... at least based on the picture in the article.

 

[wdlove]

My grandfather was a telegrapher on the railroad. He used the Morse Code. I remember him showing me the code. Now it has me wondering just how fast the he was. Wonder if I still have the sample that he wrote for me.

 

[PlaceofDis]

[sarcasm] no really? morse code is faster! no way! [/sarcasm]

come on, morse code is one button pressed for varying times to create the letters of the alphabet
text messaging has 9 buttons for the alphabet and as to cycle through the other letters first

i wonder which one would be faster?

 

[ham_man]

Haha that's awesome. They should make a celphone app with Morse code with like the 1 as "-", the 2 as ".", the 3 as a " ", and the 4 as a break. % could be stop or something. It could teach kids something useful while they hammer away texting eachother. Maybe this could also be a selling point for my grandma to actually keep the cell phone that we give her...

 

[emw]

Haha that's awesome. They should make a celphone app with Morse code with like the 1 as "-", the 2 as ".", the 3 as a " ", and the 4 as a break. % could be stop or something. It could teach kids something useful while they hammer away texting eachother. Maybe this could also be a selling point for my grandma to actually keep the cell phone that we give her...

Actually, I was on the Motorola site and saw that they're trying to jump onto this bandwagon already with the new Morse Code enable MCx220 flip phone. I'm attaching a pic for you...

 

[Doctor Q]

You still need to know Morse code to get a General Class (or higher) Ham (amateur radio) license in the U.S. The minimum speed for interpreting Morse code by ear is 5 words per minute. I'm not sure how fast you need to be able to send. And no, they don't let you text message instead.

Here are some details about the exam.

My brother passed the test and has one of those license plates with his call sign. My dad knows Morse code too, so the two of them can dah and dit at each other. My mom can read Braille, which is also a dot-based language. So I guess I'm the black sheep of the family, because I only know the Morse codes for "SOS" and the letters in my own name. If I need more of them, I have to look them up.

Doctor dah-dah-di-dah

 

[840quadra]

Calling CQ CQ CQ CQ

Yeah I read this on QRZ.com . many of the older HAMS are laughing this up, and love it.

It was funny to see the people debating the WPM rate on SMS V.S. CW.

840
Macrumors HAM

 

[munkle]

The best thing about this story is imagining a 93 year old morse coding:

Hey, girlfriend, you can text all your best pals to tell them where you are going and what you are wearing

 

[mymemory]

Well...

Binary code is a sort of morse code any way.

 

[ham radio op]

Here is morse code:
A=didah (.-)
B=dahdididit (-...)
C=dahdidahdit (-.-.)
D=dahdidit (-..)
E=dit (.)
F=dididahdit (..-.)
G=dahdahdit (--.)
H=didididit (....)
I=didit (..)
J=didahdahdah (.---)
K=dahdidah (-.-)
L=didahdidit (.-..)
M=dahdah (--)
N=dahdit (-.)
O=dahdahdah (---)
P=didahdahdit (.--.)
Q=dahdahdidah (--.-)
R=didahdit (.-.)
S=dididit (...)
T=dah (-)
U=dididah (..-)
V=didididah (...-)
W=didahdah (.--)
X=dahdididah (-..-)
Y=dahdidahdah (-.--)
Z=dahdahdidit (--..)

It gets easier...numbers...
1=didahdahdahdah (.----)
2=dididahdahdah (..---)
3=didididahdah(...--)
4=dididididah (....-)
5=dididididit(.....)
6=dahdidididit (-....)
7=dahdahdididit (--...)
8=dahdahdahdidit (---..)
9=dahdahdahdahdit (----.)
0=dahdahdahdahdah (-----)

CW rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people think it's not fair because the cell phones had network delays, but know what? That's just one more thing that makes CW better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW, ham radio operators have thier own jargon to speed message transmission. Example:

73=best regards
es=and
qth=location

compare:
ES And
. ... .- -. -..

And now hams are using a very efficient digital "morse code" that has bytes that vary in length. The code was formed using a computer program to list all the base-2 numbers that follow this pattern:

The number must begin AND end with a 1 AND must not have 2 or more 0's in a row. It turned out something like this:

101
1011
1101
10101
11011
11101
10111
11111

etc.....
Now all you have to do is to assign the letters to each number and do it in a way that you get the shortest combination for the most frequently used letter. EXAMPLE: 101=E

For more info on Ham Radio, visit
http://www.hello-radio.org/
http://www.arrl.org/

You can take practice FCC exams at
http://www.aa9pw.com/radio/

Popluar ham radio forums at:
http://www.eham.net/

I'm 13 and I'm a ham operator, and I'm sure glad I know Morse Code (CW)

TNX ES 73 DE KC2OWE SK CL

 

[Doctor Q]

I'm 13 and I'm a ham operator, and I'm sure glad I know Morse Code (CW)

Have you measured your keying speed?