From: James WB8SIW

Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2025 13:12:36 -05

Some thoughts on learning to copy from a telegraph sounder.

The Morse Telegraph Club is an association of retired commercial telegraphers an maintain a web page at www.morsetelegraphclub.com (don't go to the ".org" page web page has a simple circuit that allows tone from a receiver to operate a telegra

I recommend that hams wanting to learn to copy from a sounder build this simple CW. Eventually, you will be able to discern the rhythm patterns and copy on the sou diminish the tone until all you hear is the sounder. It won't take long, particularly if y

Activities that have repetition on-air help speed the process, such as traffic nets in it is not difficult to copy on a sounder.

I would recommend that you use a "main line sounder" with the tone converter circ sounder or the small 4-ohm "learner's sets" one encounters. On that note, underst 40 to 60 mA. See this document for a detailed discussion:

On a related note, in the United States, sounders were utilized in commercial ("land commercial telegraph companies (Western Union, Postal Telegraph and Cables, Ca wire services (Associated Press, United Press, International News Service), and so explained in this document:

If you want to hear the difference between the two codes in tone, you can check ot latter being in "tone," so that ham radio operators can hear the difference:

Here is a video of Christmas telegrams being sent from the Saginaw, Michigan "Ho the telegrams being sent. It is, however, in American Morse Code.

Anyway, I hope that helps a bit in your efforts.

73,

JW (WB8SIW)