OT: Today's Freecycle offer

[Davey]

"WANTED: Morse key / tapper (Bury St. Edmunds)".

Interesting, I wonder why?

[Jeff Gaines]

There are a lot of active radio amateurs using morse, perhaps he wants to join them?

[Rod Speed]

Davey [e-mail] wrote

There are still some into that stuff.

[David Wade]

Lots of Morse on the amateur bands. Go to any one of the web based short wave receivers, e.g.

and you will usually be able to see some dots and dashes in the bottom of the band....

... or he could be the usual freecycle free loader. Even old grotty ex WD keys fetch £30.00 e.g. :-

nice examples can reach £200 or more

Dave

[Jim gm4dhj ...]

... .... .. _

[Davey]

Yes, I had wondered about their price at auction. It's the kind of thing that appears occasionally at our local sales place. I didn't think £200, though, that's good.

[Spike]

I use a WWII Morse Key 8 Amp No.2, far less glamorous. But I like it…

[Spike]

I use a WWII Morse Key 8 Amp No.2, far less glamorous. But I like it…

[Max Demian]

It's an emergency, and he wants to go ... --- ...

[Ian Jackson]

In message [e-mail], Rod Speed [e-mail] writes

Although it's been around three decades since passing a morse test was required to get a full Class-A radio amateur's licence, it continues to be a very popular mode of communication. Although these days a lot of the really high-speed stuff is computer-generated and decoded, in principle all you still need is a supple wrist and a working brain.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

flashy hi mound for me on a marble slab.....

[Brian Gaff]

Well a lot of people used Morse in the services, and many are now getting old. It would be great to use Morse to keep the old brain cells active. If you are a radio Amateur, you can tune around the bands and still find a lot of people sending hand sent mores. Admittedly, these days many bits of software can both send and receive it, but there are die hard who like the old fashioned keys, like the ones some airmen had strapped to their thighs for some forms of communication.

Brian

[Brian Gaff]

I tried to learn it as a kid. My favourite sender was a bit like a castanet that you squeezed and it sent the pulse of whatever length you wanted. It is quite hard though. Also reading it is difficult through a lot of noise. It used to be mandatory that you learned it if you were a radio operator, and for the exam to become a Ha,, but not nowadays.

I also had a computer program for decoding RTTY, or radio teletype too. That could be fun in the old days, but very few use it these days, as most communication is digital. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Yes, I think it was the latter that failed me. Some keys are beautiful to behold and use. Some of the original telegraph keys from the last century tended to be polished wood and brass with big terminals and a lovely positive action. They used to have some at Bletchley Park, but they have more recently gone all dumbed down. Brian

[jim.gm4dhj]

spring chicken five decades for me....tee hee

[David Wade]

But you are still looking at £30.00 ....

.. and I gave two away last year..

Dave

[Davey]

A new offer today: " OFFER: Pine cones (Westley)

Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2023 13:46:52 +0000 From: nic_f8

13 large pine cones."

Any interest?

[Theo]

Spray 'em silver, sell 'em on the Christmas market for a few quid a pop...

[Sam Plusnet]

Sell them as weather-forecasting devices. Ecologically sound, low environmental impact, vegan-friendly.