Morse Audio Cheat Sheet
Edit on GitHubThe audio Morse reference: what the beacon's tones sound like, the timing at each speed, and the listening shortcuts.
Morse Audio Cheat Sheet
The beacon’s transmissions are tones, and the receiving skill is audio. This page is the sound of the beacon, described so you recognize it.
The sound
The beacon keys a 700 Hz tone (see Audio Tone Details):
- A dot: a short beep
- A dash: a beep three times longer
- The gaps: one unit between elements, three between characters, seven between words
The timing at the beacon’s speeds
| Speed | Unit length | SOS duration |
|---|---|---|
| 12 WPM | 100 ms | ~2.4 s |
| 20 WPM | 60 ms | ~1.4 s |
| 30 WPM | 40 ms | ~1.0 s |
The recognition shortcuts
| Pattern | Sound like | Means |
|---|---|---|
... --- ... | dit-dit-dit DAH-DAH-DAH dit-dit-dit | SOS |
-.. . | DAH-dit-dit DIT | DE (“from”) |
| A long string of digits | Regular dit-dah groups | Coordinates |
The listening practice
Tap along with the website Demo until the rhythm is physical (see Morse Keying Practice). The goal: SOS is recognized instantly, without counting.
Related pages
- Morse Timing Reference for the full timing
- Audio Tone Details for the frequency
- Morse Code Engine for the encoding