Morse code

Samuel Morse (1791-1872) invented a method of transferring the information over copper line. It was new method to code letter and numbers into pulses. Originally developed for telegraphers, the morse code is still in use.

In the first glance the morse code might seem that it does not have any pattern on how the letters are formed. The method of constructing the letters is presented in the picture below. If might seem that the letters are just placed in to the table, but that is not the case. Samuel Morse formed the original morse code (a.k.a American code) by counting the letters from the local newspaper. Then he placed the most common letters in to the top of the table so they were assigned a faster "key". The outcome was a faster transmission rates.

Since the original version did not have any of the international letters like Ä and Ö, the american code was internationalized in 1851 and it became the International Morse Code.

How to form the morse code

It is possible to form the morse code for all letters by using the picture of a table below. You start from the top. Whenever you go to left in the table, you add a short note "." to the code and whenever you go to right you add a long note "-" to the code. So, for example the letter W is formed by going to left-right-right from which we get its code ". - -".

Besides the letters, the code also includes codes for the numbers and for some special characters:


1  . - - - -		Å  . - - . -  
2  . . - - -		,  - - . . - -
3  . . . - -		.  . - . - . -
4  . . . . -		?  . . - - . .
5  . . . . .		-  - . . . . -
6  - . . . .		:  - - - . . .
7  - - . . .		;  - . - . - .
8  - - - . .		() - . - - . -
9  - - - - .		"  . - . . - .
0  - - - - -		/  - . . - .  
                        _  . . - - . -
error  . . . . . . . .	(8 short ones)

Timing

The duration of the dot (.) is one unit and the duration of the dah (-) is three units. The space between the components of one character is one unit, between characters is three units and between words seven units.

To indicate that a mistake has been made and for the receiver to delete the last word send ........ (eight dots). Then continue from the beginning of the word you made the mistake.

On-line translation

Write normal text to upper textbox, press "Translate" and you will receive the output in the box below. In the resulting code the letters are separated with spaces and words with slash (/).