The first electronic form of communication, Morse Code, started in the early 1830s and was known as the American Morse Code. The use of the code at the time lacked ability to transmit non-English characters. A variant called the International Morse Code was devised by a conference of European nations in 1851, and with minor changes is used to this day by nations all over the world.

We are now 180 years into the use of this mode of communication, and as you can imagine, there is a lot of history and tradition that goes with it. For early amateur radio operators Morse Code was the only way to communicate using a radio.

To me, the image of a man turning on his equipment, watching vacuum tubes glow dark orange behind panels, and using a key to send the dits and dahs conjures up a romantic feeling. A feeling of a time long gone, A feeling of simplicity, the closest you can get to your radio equipment where you mechanically send your message through the ether.

For me, it’s the connection to that long gone era and the simplicity of its use that draws me. I don’t need to use Morse Code as I have a good radio that allows me to talk to others around the world; I’ve done it thousands of times. The thing is that I want to do it to challenge myself. It uses the
least amount of technology (not talking about the radio here), yet it is the hardest skill to master when communicating.

It’s exciting. It’s satisfying. It’s romantic.