[CW] Signal Corps Morse Writing

[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

When I was studying for my 1st class radiotelegraph Morse tests - 25 wpm
English and 20 groups per minute of cipher groups, I learned Chancery
cursive italic which was a bookhand used in the middle ages by monks who
copied the Bible and other books hour after hour.  It was optimized for
legibility and speed.

http://jp29.org/itintro.htm

I use a simplified version of the script shown here - with some
modifications - I put a slash through the zero, and I put a foot on the
figure one, and I simplify the capitals removing most of the flourishes -
with the strange exception of the capitals of D and R which for some reason
got used when I serviced a telegram, those letters being my sine.

I also searched for the fastest ball pen, I found the Write Bros pen at the
time was fastest.  The test I gave was to drag the pen ove paper without
pressure and see if it would write.  The Sanford company makes the fastest
roller balls these days - uniball, jetstream, vision.  Try one you'll love
it.

The research was worth it - I could NOT write 20 wpm clearly before and the
examiner at the FCC told me that I had very good handwriting - and even more
importantly, I passed the two Morse receiving tests.  Fortunately for me the
FCC allowed me to do the 25 wpm English sending test with a Vibroplex bug.
I did the 20 gpm ciphers with a hand key - but they're much easier because
they don't have groups of fast dots like ESE and so forth that are really
hard to send fast!

73

DR

David Ring, N1EA
-30-

On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 12:13 PM, Henry Mei'l's <meils at get2net.dk> wrote:

>  *Yes, theSG writing style is  fine for legibility -- but is it optimal if
> you have to copy at hi speed and don't have a mill at hand?*
> **
> *73 Henry OZ1uF, Cph.*
>
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