[CW] Morse code for ! and #

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Prior" <n7rr at hotmail.com>
To: "CW Digest" <cw at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, January 04, 2014 10:00 AM
Subject: [CW] Morse code for ! and #





We have a Morse code version of the @ character:
di-dah-dah-di-dah-dit.

There has been a lot of discussion over the years about the 
need for the exclamation point (!) in International Morse 
Code and various proposals have been made.

It would also be helpful if the number sign (#) could be 
rendered in Morse code as well.  I don't know whether that 
possibility has ever been considered.

I have proposed that # be made a symbol in the International 
System of Units, also called SI or the Metric System.  Here 
is my proposal:

     The original version of the Continental code had an 
exclamation point, the sign was the same as is now used for 
the period or full stop: -.-.-. the signal used for the 
period was .. .. ..  At some point around the late 1920's 
the signal period was switched to the one previously used 
for the exclamation point and the latter dropped. The old 
symbols continue to show up in some code charts, notably the 
one in the book _Reference Data for Radio Engineers_ 4th 
edition. It was long since obsolete then. I don't think the 
hash mark (#) ever had a symbol in International Morse. 
American Morse had a lot of signals from the Philips Code 
which were not official. It also had signals to indicate 
capitalization, etc. Very old books often include these. The 
convention of 30 for end of message is probably from Philips 
Code. It is carried over as the signal AR which approximates 
it in International Morse. I am not so sure about 73 and 88 
but they probably pre-date wireless.
   Philips Code is interesting. I think one edition of the 
Philips Code is available on-line free, not sure of the URL. 
A system of short hand called Speed Writing seems to have 
been inspired by the Philips Code.  Those of a certain age 
will remember seeing small ads in magazines reading 
something like F U CN RD TS U CN GT A GD JB AS A SEC. A 
friend of mine actually did this, i.e. learned Speed Writing 
and became an excutive secretary.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com