[CW] How Old is the Closing "Dit Dit" on closing ham radio contacts?
D.J.J. Ring, Jr.
n1ea at arrl.net
Sat Aug 14 13:13:08 EDT 2021
Try "HORSES POSSIES" or "MISSISSIPPIS SISSIES OR MISSOURIS SISSIES".
All dots.
73
DR
On Sat, Aug 14, 2021 at 4:23 PM Chris R. NW6V <chrisrut7 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I find it funny that in American Morse, my name "Chris" is:
>
> Didit-dit di-di-di-dit dit-didit di-dit di-di-dit
>
> All dits :-)
>
> 73 Chris NW6V
>
> On Sat, Aug 14, 2021, 1:04 PM BURNS MARTIN JR <w4foa at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Seems like I knew that but I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer - nor
>> was I ever, hi
>> 73
>> Tony W4FOA
>> > On 08/14/2021 3:55 PM Chris R. NW6V <chrisrut7 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > Didit-dit is the American Morse "C" ="clear"
>> >
>> > On Sat, Aug 14, 2021, 12:03 PM BURNS MARTIN JR <w4foa at comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > I don't really know but it was commonplace in 1954 when I got my
>> Novice
>> > > license. At that time also, instead of QRL? QRL? many ole timers
>> simply
>> > > uses ie ie I like that better than the longer QRL? But then, all of
>> that
>> > > is personal preferences, I guess.
>> > > 73
>> > > Tony W4FOA
>> > > > On 08/14/2021 11:17 AM Steve WD8DAS via CW <cw at mailman.qth.net>
>> wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > Somewhere I recently read that some German government/military
>> > > radiotelegraph operators during WWII did the dit-dit as well.
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > Steve WD8DAS
>> > > >
>> > > > sbjohnston at aol.com
>> > > > http://www.wd8das.net/http://af4k-crystals.com
>> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > > Radio is your best entertainment value.
>> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > >
>> > > > -----Original Message-----
>> > > > From: D.J.J. Ring, Jr. <n1ea at arrl.net>
>> > > > To: CW Reflector <cw at mailman.qth.net>
>> > > > Sent: Fri, Aug 13, 2021 11:46 pm
>> > > > Subject: [CW] How Old is the Closing "Dit Dit" on closing ham radio
>> > > contacts?
>> > > >
>> > > > How old is the "dit dit" you hear on ham radio when stations sign
>> with
>> > > each other?
>> > > > Some say the "dit dit" came from "shave and a hair cut" but it
>> didn't
>> > > the roots of this went way back in radio history.
>> > > > The "dit dit" was in commercial radiotelegraphy usage in the 1930s
>> > > according to my friend Bob Shrader, W6BNB who worked for "Dollar
>> Lines"
>> > > passenger liners in the 1930s and later taught radio at U.S. Merchant
>> > > Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. I had asked him when this
>> started and
>> > > he said it was common as a handing off when signaling for a frequency
>> shift
>> > > after calling on 600 meters.
>> > > >
>> > > > Such an exchange would be like this - going back to stations that
>> were
>> > > active in the 1940s.
>> > > >
>> > > > WSL WSL WSL DE WIEA WIEA WIEA K (Steamship "Manhattan/WIEA" is
>> > > calling Amagansett, Long Island, NY Radio (Mackay Radio) on 500 kc/s
>> (kHz)
>> > > (600 meters).
>> > > > WIEA DE WSL R UP 640/633 K (Mackay Radio
>> Amagansett,
>> > > Long Island answers telling Manhattan to shift UP in wave to 640
>> meters and
>> > > listen for WSL on 633 meters.)
>> > > > Then WIEA (SS MANHATTAN) would send:
>> > > > R UP = (SS
>> > > Manhattan says "Received, UP"
>> > > > WSL (Amagansett Radio) would send:
>> > > > =
>> > > > WIEA would acknowledge WSL's sending (BT) by sending the two E's or
>> 'dit
>> > > dit'.
>> > > > dit dit
>> > > > WSL would acknowedge this with a simple singular dit.
>> > > >
>> > > > This was back when WSL was on 633 meters - or 474 kc/s (now kHz).
>> > > > Coast Stations were assigned working frequencies.
>> > > >
>> > > > WSL was assigned 633 meters / 474 kc/s.
>> > > >
>> > > > Here are the assigned frequencies for the East Atlantic USA Coast.
>> > > >
>> > > > Callsign Frequency (Wavelength) Location
>> Operating
>> > > Company
>> > > > =============================================================
>> > > > WAG 418 (718) Thomaston, Maine
>> Mackay
>> > > Radio
>> > > > WBF 436 (690) Hingham, Mass.
>> > > Tropical Radio
>> > > > WIM 406 (740) Chatham, Mass.
>> > > R.M.C.A. (Radio Marine Corporation of America - RCA)
>> > > > WSL 474 (633) Amagansett, L.I., NY
>> > > Mackay Radio
>> > > > WNY 442 (680) Brooklyn, NY
>> > > R.M.C.A
>> > > > WSC 462 (650) Tuckerton, NJ
>> > > R.M.C.A
>> > > > WMH 478 (628) Baltimore, Maryland
>> > > R.M.C.A.
>> > > > NAM 464 (647) Norfolk, Virginia
>> > > U.S. Navy
>> > > > WSV 408 (735) Savannah, Georgia
>> R.M.C.A
>> > > > WNW 438 (685) Phila, PA
>> > > Tidewater Wireless Telegraph Company
>> > > > WMR 418 (718) Jupiter, Fla
>> > > Mackay Radio
>> > > > WOE 394 (761) Lake Worth, Fla
>> > > R.M.C.A
>> > > > WAX 484 (620) Hialeah, Fla.
>> > > Tropical Radio
>> > > > NAR 464 (647) Key West, Fla.
>> > > U.S. Navy
>> > > > WPD 438 (685) Tampa, Fla.
>> > > Privately Owned
>> > > > WNU 448 (670) New Orleans, La.
>> > > Tropical Radio
>> > > >
>> > > > In the 1980s to 1990s the situation would be much the same, but
>> instead
>> > > of giving wavelengths, we now used frequency, but with one interesting
>> > > quirk.
>> > > >
>> > > > In the 1930s when Amagansett Radio / WSL told SS Manhattan to shift
>> > > wavelength from 600 meters, he said to SS Manhattan/WIEA transmit on
>> 640m
>> > > and listen for WSL on 633m. - they sent UP because they shifted UP in
>> > > wavelength.
>> > > >
>> > > > At some point, stations started using frequency in kilocycles per
>> second
>> > > instead of wavelength.
>> > > >
>> > > > So, let's give an example of one time I worked WSL Amagansett Long
>> > > Island, NY radio from WILLIAMSBURGH;/WGOA - let's see how it was
>> different
>> > > and the same.
>> > > >
>> > > > The ship working frequencies (for sending message traffic) in 1920s
>> were
>> > > in kc/s (kHz) with meters in parenthesis.
>> > > >
>> > > > 400 (750), 410 (730), 425 (705), 454 (660), 468 (640), and ship and
>> > > shore calling where both ships and shore stations kept a watch 500
>> kc/s
>> > > (600m)
>> > > >
>> > > > So the calling frequency, 500 kc/s was the lowest wave that ships
>> could
>> > > use on that group of frequencies, so any other frequency was ALWAYS
>> higher
>> > > in wavelength, so it was always UP.
>> > > >
>> > > > Here's what happened in 1980:
>> > > >
>> > > > WSL WSL WSL DE WGOA WGOA WGOA K (Steamship
>> "Williamsburgh/WGOA" is
>> > > calling Amagansett, Long Island, NY Radio (Mackay Radio) on 500 kc/s
>> (kHz)
>> > > (600 meters).
>> > > > WGOA DE WSL R UP 425/418 K (Mackay Radio
>> Amagansett,
>> > > Long Island answers telling Williamsburgh to shift UP to 425 kHz and
>> listen
>> > > for WSL on 418 kHz.) WSL's Frequency had changed over the years to
>> 418 kHz.
>> > > > Then WGOA (Williamsburgh) would send:
>> > > > R UP =
>> > > (Williamsburgh says "Received, UP"
>> > > > WSL (Amagansett Radio) would send:
>> > > > =
>> > > > WGOA would acknowledge WSL's sending (BT) by sending the two E's or
>> 'dit
>> > > dit'.
>> > > > dit dit
>> > > >
>> > > > WSL would acknowledge this with a simple singular dit.
>> > > >
>> > > > This Morse "dance" of <BT> which is = then acknowledged by - then
>> by a
>> > > dit dit then a single dit carried on for nearly 80 years when Morse
>> finally
>> > > ended in 1999.
>> > > >
>> > > > The funniest thing is that stations continued to send UP when they
>> told
>> > > the other station to shift to their working frequency!
>> > > >
>> > > > 73
>> > > > DR
>> > > > N1EA______________________________________________________________
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