Reading CW by Ear
Edit on GitHubLearn to copy SOS and coordinates by ear: timing, practice patterns and the letters that matter
Reading CW by Ear
Overview
The beacon’s payload was designed to be copyable by ear: a trained listener hears SOS DE MARIO ROSSI PSN N4553 E01230 and can plot the position without any software. This page covers the minimum skills for that - not full Morse fluency, but the patterns a rescuer actually needs.
The Five Patterns That Matter
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
... --- ... | SOS |
-.. . | DE (from / to) |
.--. ... -. | PSN (position) |
| Letters and digits | The name and coordinates |
| Space | Word gap (7 units) |
At 13 WPM, a rescuer mainly needs to recognize SOS, count letter groups, and copy the digits.
Timing Refresher
| Element | Units |
|---|---|
| Dot | 1 |
| Dash | 3 |
| Gap inside a letter | 1 |
| Gap between letters | 3 |
| Gap between words | 7 |
Unit duration at 13 WPM = 92 ms. SOS at 13 WPM takes about 2.7 s.
Practice Method
- Use a practice oscillator or the beacon’s own SEARCH-mode audio.
- Learn digits first - coordinates are 80% digits.
- Practice with the beacon itself: set a short payload and let it transmit while you copy.
- Aim for 10 WPM recognition speed before worrying about 13.
Digit Cheat Sheet
| Digit | Morse |
|---|---|
| 0 | ----- |
| 1 | .---- |
| 2 | ..--- |
| 3 | ...-- |
| 4 | ....- |
| 5 | ..... |
| 6 | -.... |
| 7 | --... |
| 8 | ---.. |
| 9 | ----. |
Digits are the hard part at first because they are five elements long. Practice N4553 E01230 until it becomes a rhythm.