In orbit high above Earth, a multi-

In orbit high above Earth, a multi-billion-dollar formation of communications satellites stands ready to instantly connect pilots, seamen and all kinds of navigators to every available aid when they find themselves in an emergency. But what if the communication computers on board these ships and aircraft started acting up or even broke down? The world could go silent, and leave travellers groping around for directions. Not to worry. There is a backup plan, using technology that was invented in 1835. It's Morse code, the language of dots and dashes that has survived the assault of higher technology for a century and a half.
Named after its inventor, Samuel F B Morse, the code is a series of combinations of short and long tones (dots and dashes) representing letters of the alphabet that can be transmitted manually by a key operator. A telegrapher combines the dots and dashes to form letters and words. It is a seemingly tedious procedure, but skilled operators can transmit and receive faster than most secretaries can type. The fastest Morse transmission ever recorded is an amazing 84 words per minute, sent by an operator named T L McElroy in 1951.
Morse telegraphy may seem like a quaint anachronism, with its brass sounder and key operated by the world's most basic tool, the human finger. However, it is sometimes vital to worldwide communications. When the Mexico City earthquake
occurred in 1985 and all the power went off, calls for help were transmitted in Morse by an amateur radio operator. “We see the Morse code as a dying art, but we refuse to let it die completely,” says Major General Leo M Childs, the US Army's Chief Signal Officer. “Newer isn't always better. Even though it is old and slow, Morse is still the most reliable in difficult conditions.”
Every merchant vessel bearing the US flag must carry a radio officer who can both transmit and receive Morse code. Under US law, the officer must spend eight hours every day at sea monitoring the radio for Morse distress signals. Should you ever find yourself adrift at sea in a lifeboat launched from a sinking passenger cruise ship, it will be equipped with a single communications device: a Morse transmitter that automatically signals a distress call, but is also equipped with a keyboard in case you happen to know Morse code. Perhaps the best-known bit of Morse code is the call for help – SOS. In the code, these letters form a distinctive pattern (dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot) easily recognised in an emergency.
The enduring use of Morse telegraphy is the legacy of a burst of industrialisation in 19th-Century America, when the railway and telegraph developed side by side. Most of those railway telegraph lines were used well into the mid-20th century, well after radio, television and computers became commonplace. Until 1985, the Milwaukee Road had a Morse telegraph line between Milwaukee and La Crosse that was used routinely to relay orders to train crews. This Milwaukee operation was shut down quietly in the late Eighties. In many other countries, however, railway Morse is still used.
The military services continue to be the most serious users of Morse telegraphy. While billion-dollar satellites and sophisticated ground networks are good in theory, such communication systems can break down on the battlefield. As a matter of prudence, the Army keeps a functional Morse capability. Morse code signals require much less broadcasting power to transmit than voice messages. In addition, even an unclear Morse signal can be interpreted, whereas a distorted voice transmission is virtually useless. The Army annually trains about 2,800 men and women in Morse code for a variety of signal jobs in infantry, artillery, intelligence and even Special Forces. A Morse transmission will get through when all else fails, and especially in military conflicts, “he who communicates first, no matter how primitively, will come out on top,” says Major General Childs.
In that case, retired railway telegraph operators will probably take over the world. Each evening, the amateur radio waves come alive with the Morse transmissions of the retired operators known among themselves as ‘old heads’. “I get on the air and use the code every night to chat to other old heads,” says Craig Becker, the retired Milwaukee telegraph operator who received the railway’s final telegraph message in
1985. “There are a lot of telegraphers around. Every night you hear them pecking.” Experienced Morse operators say the code is not so much a clatter of sounds as a language, because operators don't hear dots and dashes. “You can sit back and hear a conversation,” says Becker.
When Morse inaugurated the telegraph service in 1844, he wired from Baltimore to Washington the now-famed message: “What hath God wrought!” Ever since, the death of Morse code has been predicted regularly. However, although the telegraph has receded from public view, experts say that they cannot envision an end to its use any time soon. “I can carry a very small Morse key in my pocket and transmit around the world,” says Burke Stinson, a public relations man for American Telephone & Telegraph Co. “I don't think you will ever see Morse code die. It is going to be difficult to find another method that is as flexible and reliable.”

Результаты (русский) 1:

На орбите высоко над землей несколько миллиардов долларов формирования спутников связи готов мгновенно подключить пилотов, моряков и все виды навигаторов для каждой имеющейся помощи, когда они оказываются в чрезвычайных ситуациях. Но что делать, если связь компьютеров на борту этих кораблей и самолетов начали действовать или даже сломался? Мир может идти молчать и оставляют путешественников, ощупью вокруг для направления. Не волнуйтесь. Существует план резервного копирования, с использованием технологии, которая была изобретена в 1835 году. Это код Морзе, язык точек и тире, переживший нападение более высоких технологий для половины столетия.Назван в честь его изобретателя, Сэмюэл Морзе B F, код представляет собой серию комбинаций коротких и длинных тонов (точек и тире) представляющие буквы алфавита, который может быть передан вручную ключевым оператором. Телеграфист сочетает в себе точек и тире в форме букв и слов. Это казалось бы утомительной процедуры, но опытные операторы могут передавать и получать быстрее, чем большинство секретарей можно ввести. Быстрая передача Morse когда-либо зарегистрированных является удивительный 84 слов в минуту, отправленные оператором с именем T L МакЭлрой в 1951 году.Морс телеграфирования может показаться, как причудливый анахронизм, с его латунью оповещателя и ключ управляется компанией мира самым основным инструментом, человеческий палец. Однако иногда жизненно важное значение для коммуникации во всем мире. Когда землетрясения Мехикоoccurred in 1985 and all the power went off, calls for help were transmitted in Morse by an amateur radio operator. “We see the Morse code as a dying art, but we refuse to let it die completely,” says Major General Leo M Childs, the US Army's Chief Signal Officer. “Newer isn't always better. Even though it is old and slow, Morse is still the most reliable in difficult conditions.”Every merchant vessel bearing the US flag must carry a radio officer who can both transmit and receive Morse code. Under US law, the officer must spend eight hours every day at sea monitoring the radio for Morse distress signals. Should you ever find yourself adrift at sea in a lifeboat launched from a sinking passenger cruise ship, it will be equipped with a single communications device: a Morse transmitter that automatically signals a distress call, but is also equipped with a keyboard in case you happen to know Morse code. Perhaps the best-known bit of Morse code is the call for help – SOS. In the code, these letters form a distinctive pattern (dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot) easily recognised in an emergency.The enduring use of Morse telegraphy is the legacy of a burst of industrialisation in 19th-Century America, when the railway and telegraph developed side by side. Most of those railway telegraph lines were used well into the mid-20th century, well after radio, television and computers became commonplace. Until 1985, the Milwaukee Road had a Morse telegraph line between Milwaukee and La Crosse that was used routinely to relay orders to train crews. This Milwaukee operation was shut down quietly in the late Eighties. In many other countries, however, railway Morse is still used.The military services continue to be the most serious users of Morse telegraphy. While billion-dollar satellites and sophisticated ground networks are good in theory, such communication systems can break down on the battlefield. As a matter of prudence, the Army keeps a functional Morse capability. Morse code signals require much less broadcasting power to transmit than voice messages. In addition, even an unclear Morse signal can be interpreted, whereas a distorted voice transmission is virtually useless. The Army annually trains about 2,800 men and women in Morse code for a variety of signal jobs in infantry, artillery, intelligence and even Special Forces. A Morse transmission will get through when all else fails, and especially in military conflicts, “he who communicates first, no matter how primitively, will come out on top,” says Major General Childs.In that case, retired railway telegraph operators will probably take over the world. Each evening, the amateur radio waves come alive with the Morse transmissions of the retired operators known among themselves as ‘old heads’. “I get on the air and use the code every night to chat to other old heads,” says Craig Becker, the retired Milwaukee telegraph operator who received the railway’s final telegraph message in
1985. “There are a lot of telegraphers around. Every night you hear them pecking.” Experienced Morse operators say the code is not so much a clatter of sounds as a language, because operators don't hear dots and dashes. “You can sit back and hear a conversation,” says Becker.
When Morse inaugurated the telegraph service in 1844, he wired from Baltimore to Washington the now-famed message: “What hath God wrought!” Ever since, the death of Morse code has been predicted regularly. However, although the telegraph has receded from public view, experts say that they cannot envision an end to its use any time soon. “I can carry a very small Morse key in my pocket and transmit around the world,” says Burke Stinson, a public relations man for American Telephone & Telegraph Co. “I don't think you will ever see Morse code die. It is going to be difficult to find another method that is as flexible and reliable.”