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atomicsnarl t1_iubssbf wrote

Reply to comment by JustaOrdinaryDemiGod in ELI5: Morse code is made up of dots and dashes. How did telegraph operators keep from losing track of where one letter ended and another began? by copperdomebodhi

Rhythm is a big part of Morse interpretation. From back in the WWII era, some Morse training was based on mnemonics for the letters. For example (from my Dad) with emphasis on the bold words:

F is .._. dit dit dah dit Payday to day

P is .__. dit dah dah dit The grand old bitch

and so on.

One of the openings for a general broadcast looking to make contact is CQ followed by your call sign.

C is _._. dah dit dah dit

Q is _ _._ dah dah dit dah (the inverse of F)

So CQ becomes: Can you hear me, answer my call

Which serves to show the pattern and remember the purpose of the letter combo!

And of course, the famous Beethoven's 5th Symphony opening:

V is ..._ dit dit dit dah -- V for victory! (WWII, remember?)

Most people can play Name That Song in however many notes. It's like that for Morse, and eventually whole words (the, and, or, go, etc.)

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cjrs79 t1_iubwo67 wrote

I honestly do not understand this at all. Can you explain how these mnemonic devices work? For example: hot does “payday to day” hemp you remember that F is dit dit dah dit??

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trbolexis t1_iubxsaz wrote

The bold letters are the DAH, the un-bold letters are the DIT. As for the word "answer", you have to dah for both syllables.

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atomicsnarl t1_iubyjxe wrote

On the radio, how many songs can you recognize from just hearing the opening few seconds? It's like that. Some people can latch on to a phrase faster than just the dit dah sounds. If it works for you, it works.

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Mox_Fox t1_iubxc96 wrote

I think it's just easier to link a letter to a phrase instead of a rhythm, even if they aren't related.

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sirsmoochalot t1_iuc33mb wrote

Somehow, reading this has planted, "Shave and a haircut...Two Bits!" firmly into my brain!

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drmalaxz t1_iudnc1h wrote

Swedish army telegraph training also used mnemonics like that, but with the added bonus that the first letter of the mnemonic was the letter it represented.

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