[CQ-Contest] Telegraph code in Lincoln movie

[Garry Shapiro]

There is no mention of which "Morse Code" was used in the film, By 
describing the instruction given, the article infers it is "modern" 
(International) Morse, but I would think the code in use domestically 
during the Civil War would have been the original American Morse 
developed by Vail and Morse. An article on Morse code in Wikipedia 
states the following;

"Morse code has been in use for more than 160 years---longer than any 
other electrical <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical> coding 
system. What is called Morse code today is actually somewhat different 
from what was originally developed by Vail and Morse. The Modern 
International Morse code, or /continental code/, was created by 
Friedrich Clemens Gerke 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Clemens_Gerke> in 1848 and 
initially used for telegraphy between Hamburg 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg> and Cuxhaven 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuxhaven> in Germany. Gerke changed nearly 
half of the alphabet and all of the numerals 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_digit> resulting substantially 
in the modern form of the code. After some minor changes, International 
Morse Code was standardized at the International Telegraphy Congress in 
1865 in Paris, and was later made the standard by the International 
Telecommunication Union 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union> 
(ITU). Morse's original code specification, largely limited to use in 
the United States and Canada, became known as American Morse code 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Morse_code> or /railroad code/. 
American Morse code is now seldom used except in historical re-enactments."

Some of the characters in American Morse differ from modern characters 
by utilizing spacing within the character as part of the character.

Garry, NI6T


On 1/7/2013 8:57 AM, N6hc wrote:
> FYI...I thought this was semi-interesting
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Guy Olinger K2AV <olinger at bellsouth.net>
> To: Georgek5kg <Georgek5kg at aol.com>
> Cc: fcg <fcg at kkn.net>; CQ-Contest <CQ-Contest at contesting.com>
> Sent: Mon, Jan 7, 2013 8:17 am
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Telegraph code in Lincoln movie
>
>
>
>
> http://www.newsleader.com/article/20121225/NEWS01/312250031/Va-telegraph-experts-bring-accuracy-Lincoln-  
>
>   
>
> On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 10:47 PM, <Georgek5kg at aol.com  <mailto:Georgek5kg at aol.com>> wrote:
>
>   
>
> > Ok, this is not a contesting question, but a curious one  nevertheless.
>
> >
>
> > I just saw the Lincoln movie.  In the movie, there was a lot  of scenes of
>
> > telegraph as it was used during the Civil  War.  I am curious to know if
>
> > the
>
> > code was authentic.  I know  that there is a group of hams who specialize
>
> > in copying the old Morse  telegraph code - they had a booth at Dayton.
>
> >
>
> > 73, George
>
> >
>
> > George  Wagner, K5KG
>
> > Sarasota, FL
>
> > 941-400-1960  cell
>
> > _______________________________________________
>
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