[Elecraft] CW - Living language (RE: Prosign confusion)

[Vic K2VCO]

Darwin, Keith wrote:
> Some examples of morse as a living language.
> 
> In the mid 70's, when I first started, QSOs were ended with "Shave and a
> hair cut" to which the other replied "2 bits".  Of course it was all
> done by sending dits to the rhythm.  I went QRT for several years.  When
> I came back in the mid 80's the exchanged was shortened to just the "2
> bits" part, hence the adding of the little "dit dit" to the end of a
> QSO.

Not exactly.

Dit dit was used by commercial/military operators to indicate that the 
contact on a particular frequency was finished.  After sending the 
*last* transmission before going QRT or moving to another frequency to 
pass traffic, an operator would send "dit dit".  The other would 
respond, indicating that he understood and was also finished.

The "shave and a haircut" business started in the 1950's, and generally 
indicated that the user was a lid.
-- 
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco