International Morse Code Guide
A comprehensive guide to understanding and using International Morse Code.
History
Morse code was developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail for use with the electric telegraph. The International Morse Code, a simplified version, was created by Friedrich Clemens Gerke in 1848 and adopted as the international standard. It remains in use today in amateur radio, aviation, and as an assistive technology.
Timing Rules
• Dot duration — 1 unit
• Dash duration — 3 units (3× dot)
• Inter-element gap — 1 unit (between dots and dashes within a character)
• Inter-character gap — 3 units (between characters)
• Inter-word gap — 7 units (between words)
Common Signals
SOS
... --- ...
International distress signal
CQ
-.-. --.-
General call to all stations