[HN Gopher] Morse Code Audio Translator
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       Morse Code Audio Translator
        
       Author : pabs3
       Score  : 22 points
       Date   : 2022-03-27 04:08 UTC (2 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (morsecoder.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (morsecoder.org)
        
       | anonymousiam wrote:
       | It does not seem to generate code that conforms to the standard
       | symbol spacing requirements, but it's still copyable.
        
       | marcodiego wrote:
       | Cool! Now I want a FLOSS android app that does that.
        
         | adhesive_wombat wrote:
         | Denied! Instead you can have 50 variously deficient ad/malware
         | vehicles with no way to even file a bug.
        
       | madengr wrote:
        
       | wedowhatwedo wrote:
       | On the about page: "Morse code is an encrypted way of
       | communication that no third person can read/hear."
       | 
       | The author does not understand encryption and does not understand
       | that there are people who can decode morse code out there.
        
       | otras wrote:
       | Interesting to see this page branding itself like a SaaS startup
       | with the long form descriptions on each page and the features
       | section of the home page: "Fully Secure", "Easy to Use",
       | "Stunning UI", etc - is there some sort of SEO ad or incentive
       | I'm missing?
       | 
       | For example:
       | 
       | > Specifications
       | 
       | > Generate morse code for letters and numbers
       | 
       | > To secure the data like password, OTPs, security codes, Date of
       | birth, name, score, etc, you can use this morse code generator.
       | It will generate strong morse code for you that creates a strong
       | encryption channel to prevent the information from leaking. You
       | can generate morse code for numbers easily with this tool.
       | 
       | Morse code as encryption? I'm not sure I understand.
        
         | lozf wrote:
         | I guess an April Fools joke that leaked early.
        
       | wedowhatwedo wrote:
       | The person posting a link to their site possibly violated their
       | terms and conditions. It's a pretty scary terms and conditions
       | page for a toy.
        
       | dragontamer wrote:
       | I've been picking up Morse Code on my walkie-talkie when I'm
       | scanning regularly. Apparently GMRS radio-repeaters share the
       | same frequencies as FRS (FRS being the "common walkie talkie"
       | protocol). So while my FRS-radio is unable to use those radio-
       | repeaters, I'm able to hear their Morse-code callsigns (a GMRS
       | requirement is to broadcast your callsign at least every 15
       | minutes).
       | 
       | I don't know if I actually want to be "proficient" in Morse Code,
       | but... I've been wanting to understand these dits and dahs enough
       | to get the callsign of this nearby GMRS Repeater station...
       | 
       | I don't know why I want to do it. I guess I just happened to hear
       | these callsigns and I'm curious. Its probably just going to be a
       | jumbled nonsense sequence though (callsigns aren't exactly
       | English-sounding, they're almost just a collection of random
       | letters and numbers).
       | 
       | ----
       | 
       | Anyone out there who wants to properly learn Morse Code probably
       | should start with this tree:
       | http://www.cranburyscouts.org/MorseTree.htm
       | 
       | And furthermore: your ears are *ridiculously* good at sounds,
       | language, and coding. Don't try to do this visually. Use your
       | ears, they're practically designed to decode language.
        
         | cbfrench wrote:
         | I'm currently working to improve my CW proficiency to be able
         | to work QRP more effectively. I absolutely second your
         | recommendation against trying to learn the Morse alphabet
         | visually. It's counterproductive.
         | 
         | The usual advice I've encountered in the CW community is that
         | it's much better to start learning the aural rhythms of the
         | letters from the outset; otherwise, you put yourself at a
         | pretty serious disadvantage when you're trying to think in
         | terms of dits and dahs rather than letters and letter groups.
         | You're interposing a step that will always slow you down in
         | both copying and sending.
         | 
         | https://lcwo.net/ is a great resource to start learning using
         | the Koch Method (characters are learned at 20 wpm speed from
         | the beginning, but with larger spaces between characters to
         | reduce the overall effective speed to make it easier).
         | 
         | For the more dedicated, https://cwops.org/cw-academy/ offers a
         | series of online courses with live instructors. I've heard
         | great things about them.
        
           | dragontamer wrote:
           | I found this 1960s US Army training film to be hilarious (and
           | helpful): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X81RQtErqg
           | 
           | Its very little to do with Morse Code itself, and more to do
           | with "morse code mindset". Maybe something to watch before
           | you begin your studies.
           | 
           | There's enough simple examples in the film that it "shows you
           | how to learn". Like, how the "ear" thing and "rhythm" is
           | actually really easy for your brain to work with.
        
         | Isthatablackgsd wrote:
         | > Don't try to do this visually. Use your ears, they're
         | practically designed to decode language.
         | 
         | Whelps, I'm out then. My ears are too broken to pick up any
         | sounds.
        
         | creeble wrote:
         | Just a little updating here.
         | 
         | GMRS repeaters (which use the same receive frequencies as FRS
         | channels 15-22 if your radio has them) do not strictly require
         | identification (the Morse code you hear), but many do it anyway
         | as good practice. Users ARE required to identify every 10
         | minutes of conversation (and at start of conversation).
         | 
         | It's really fun to learn Morse well enough to catch these IDs.
         | FWIW, GMRS licenses generally (always? I think) start with W,
         | and are seven chars long; the first four are letters, followed
         | by three numbers. Some idents follow ham conventions and are
         | followed by "/r" meaning "repeater".
        
           | dragontamer wrote:
           | > Some idents follow ham conventions and are followed by "/r"
           | meaning "repeater".
           | 
           | One of the few things I have caught is that the end of the
           | Morse code is: Di-dah-dit (or "r" as you mentioned). So that
           | makes sense!
           | 
           | > followed by three numbers
           | 
           | All letters are 4-or-fewer dits/dahs. All numbers (0 through
           | 9) are 5x dits/dahs exactly.
           | 
           | I've caught the pattern of 3 numbers in there for sure, but
           | I'm not competent enough to know what numbers they are
           | exactly. I'm good enough to count "oh, 5x dits/dahs" but not
           | translate (or even remember the dits/dahs after they're sent)
           | 
           | Its not like this repeater warns me before it sends Morse
           | code. It just sends it all in maybe a span of ~5 seconds, so
           | its one of those things thtat I probably need to be trained
           | in Morse Code before I can just remember / write down what
           | was transmitted. Fortunately, it does seem to send it every
           | ~15 minutes or so (I haven't timed the exact pattern quite
           | yet, so maybe it is 10 minutes like you suggested...)
        
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       (page generated 2022-03-29 23:02 UTC)