Have a look at this... Among the many things you might take away from this American telegraph demonstration, you should focus on this... time 1:14... ...the kid who's focusing on the chattering gizmo that, allegedly, conveys intelligence to Santa. Captivate a kid, ignite a spark of interest in tech, and you may well have planted the seed for a future participant in STEM. Anyone who's read the book "Guerrilla Marking" (by Jay Conrad Levinson) knows that almost all of these kids will forget this almost immediately. These same readers understand that some small percentage of the kids will have something within them stimulated. Those same few will have their techie interest grow with their souls. A new technician or engineer is born and that's a good thing for all of us. This is along the same lines of a Lionel Christmas train set. Kids are amazed because a train set represents the power of transportation. The telegraph represented the power of information... and perhaps still does a little bit. Perhaps, just perhaps, we can do our part and show the next generation a little something that might stimulate great things in our own neighborhoods.
Interesting idea. But what was up with the ops 'dancing fingers'? So much for economy of motion! That's about the strangest technique I've seen!
Not unusual for a commercial op on a bug. Check out this video of "DA" aka Denise KI6BBR, "...the first female telegrapher who worked at KPH until the end of commercial Morse operations and closure of the station in 1998."
She sent: CQ CQ DE KPH KPH KPH CLOSING MESSAGE FOLLOWS BT DEAR GODBESS THE MEMBERS OF THE MARITIME RADIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARE YOUR HUMBLE SERVANTS AND WE THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING US THIS PAST YEAR AS WE CONTINUED OUR STEWARDSHIP OF THE STATIONS KPH AND KSM THE MUSIC OF MORSE HAS GLADDEND? GLADDENED THE HEARTS OF MANY AS WE HAVE CROSSED THE BARRIERS OF TIME AND SPACE WE ASK YOUR AID AND GUIDANCE IN OUR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS DURING THE COMING YEAR THAT WE MAY BE WORTHY OF THE EQUIP MENT? EMQUIPMENT AND TRADITION THAT HAS BEEN ENTRUSTID INTO OUR HUMBLE HANDS BLESS ALSO THE EARS AROUND THE WORLD THAT SHARE THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOURS ZUT 73 / 88 DA DE KPH SK AR
I am pretty sure I know who the op is at the bug - while I won't reveal his call, I've worked him on the air, and his fist is excellent. I guess that that technique with the extra finger motions between words works for him! Besides, how many of us can handle BOTH 'American' and 'International' Morse? Correction: the reference should be to 'Guerilla Marketing' https://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Mar...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0618785914
Thanks for sharing these interesting video clips. I am in the process of reading a most fascinating book on Samuel Morse which is titled "Lightning Man". Found it on Amazon and I highly recommend it. He lived a very disturbing life with complicated family dynamics and many crushing disappointments. There were so many personality conflicts and arguments over the telegraph design, laying of wire lines and the US congress floundered for so many years that the telegraph and Morse code almost failed and became extinct even before it could be demonstrated before congress. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DYGNI8?ref=dbs_p2d_P_R_popup_yes_pony_T1
As a youngster, cut my teeth listening to and learning Morse from these transmissions. WOO, NMN, KPH, WOM, KMI, WCC and others world wide. Flawless Morse. Passing the code requirements for Extra was a breeze. Visited WOO Ocean Gate on the New Jersey Coast many years ago. Amazing operation. Shame these are now silent. Wish I had their antenna system! HA
She did an outstanding job! Just wanted to translate for the no coders and at the same time, not be corrected by the CW operators.
Note the third video "High Speed Telegraphy Transmission." Note the Russian language and the booklet populated with 5 letter code groups. Kinda reminded me of the "spy numbers" stations heard on the bands!!!???
American Morse is brutally hard to copy....and I'm a good CW op. Even hard to send....the clicking and clacking is very distracting!