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morse, QSO - Morse-code trainer and QSO generator for aspiring radio hams  


morse [-i] [-I] [-r] [-n num] [-R num] [-N num] [-C charset] [-w num] [-f num] [-v num] [-g num] [-f num] [-e] [-c] [-b] [-a] [-l] [-m] [-t] [-T] [-s] [-q] [-p num] [-E num] [-M num] [-d] [-A] [-B] [-S] [-x num] [-X num] [word...]


The morse program is a Morse-code trainer intended to help aspiring radio hams pass the 5-word-per-minute Element 1 test. It can take test text from a text file on standard input, or test words from its command-line arguments, or generate random text (-r) or play back what you type (-i).

A helper program, QSO, generates plausible QSOs that can be fed to the standard input of morse.

The following options control the behavior of morse:


Play what you type.


Like -i but don't turn off keyboard echoing.


Generate random text. Starts out slanted towards easy letters, then slants towards ones you get wrong.

-n NUM

Make words (groups) NUM characters long. Valid values are between 1 and 20.


Set the total time (in minutes) to generate text.

-N NUM (default 0 means unlimited)

Set the total number of words (groups) to generate.

-C 'STRING' (default all available characters)

Select characters to send from this STRING only.






volume (zero to one, rather nonlinear)


alternate_frequency (toggles via control-G in input FILE at a word break)




leave off the <SK> sound at the end


complain about illegal characters instead of just ignoring them


print each word before doing it


print each word after doing it


print each letter just before doing it


print morse dots and dashes as they sound (this printing-intensive option slows the wpm down!)


Type along with the morse, but don't see what you're typing (unless you make a mistake). You are allowed to get ahead as much as you want. If you get too far behind it will stop and resync with you. You can force it to resync at the next word end by hitting control-H. Hit ESC to see how you are doing, control-D to end. (The rightmost space in the printout marks where the average is. Farther left spaces separate off blocks of letters that are about twice as probable as the average to occur, three times, etc.)


Like -t but see your characters (after they are played).


Stop after each character and make sure you get it right. (implies -t)


Quietly resyncs with your input (after you make a mistake).

-p NUM

Make you get it right NUM times, for penance. (implies -s).


If your count of wrong answers minus right answers for a given character exceeds this, the program will start prompting you. If above the maximum error prompt it will never prompt (implies -t).


If you get more than this number of characters behind, pause until you do your next letter. 1 behind is normal, 0 behind means never pause. This option mplies -t.


Dynamically speed up or slow down depending on how you are doing. (if also-s, then -d only speeds up!)


Add ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1) signs to test set.


Add uncommon punctuation to test set.


Add uncommon prosigns to test set.


Set error volume. Error volume 0 means use console speaker.


Set frequency of error tone.

Here is the basic International Morse codest that the program will train you in:

        A  .-          N  -.          1  .----       .  .-.-.-
        B  -...        O  ---         2  ..---       ,  --..--
        C  -.-.        P  .--.        3  ...--       ?  ..--..
        D  -..         Q  --.-        4  ....-       (  -.--.
        E  .           R  .-.         5  .....       -  -....-
        F  ..-.        S  ...         6  -....
        G  --.         T  -           7  --...
        H  ....        U  ..-         8  ---..
        I  ..          V  ...-        9  ----.
        J  .---        W  .--         0  -----
        K  -.-         X  -..-        /  -..-.
        L  .-..        Y  -.--        +  .-.-.
        M  --          Z  --..        =  -...-

The following characters are included if one uses the -B option:

        )  -.--.-      "  .-..-.      _  ..--.-      '  .----.
        :  ---...      ;  -.-.-.      $  ...-..-     !  -.-.--

The following procedural signals (prosigns) are also included if one uses -B:

<AR>    "+" over, end of message
<AS>    "*" please stand by (<AS> 5  Wait 5 Minutes) (".-...")
<BT>    "=" (double dash) pause, break for text
CL          going off the air (clear)
CQ          calling any station
K           go, invite any station to transmit
<KN>    "(" go only, invite a specific station to transmit
R           all received OK
<SK>    "%" end of contact (sent before call) ("...-.-", known also as <VA>)

The following less-used prosigns are included if one uses the -S option:

<AA>    "^" new line (".-.-", the same as :a, ae)
<BK>    "#" invite receiving station to transmit ("-...-.-")
<KA>    "&" attention ("-.-.-")
<SN>    "@" understood ("...-.")

The following characters are included if one uses the -A option:

        :a  .-.-   (also for ae, the same as <AA>)
        `a  .--.-  (also oa, danish a with ring over it)
        ch  ----   (bar-ch ?, bar-h ?, ISO 8859-1 code 199 and 231 ?)
        -d  ..--.  (eth, overstrike d with -, ISO 8859-1 code 208 and 240)
        `e  ..-..
        ~n  --.--
        :o  ---.   (also for oe)
        :u  ..--   (also for ue)
        ]p  .--..  (thorn, overstrike ] with p, ISO 8859-1 code 222 and 254)
        paragraph  .-.-..  (ISO 8859-1 code 167 ?)

For the raw beginner trying to learn morse code, we recommend the following sequence:

1. Start learning the alphabet:

morse -r -s -T -d -w 5 -F 15 -p 5 -E -10

2. Then drill drill drill:


3. Real-time drill, with hints if you really need it:

morse -r -T -d -w 5 -F 15 -M 2 -E 4

4. Simulated test:

QSO | morse -e -T -d -w 5 -F 15

5. The dreaded random-letter test:


6. Finally try for greater and greater speed:

morse -r -T -d -w 13 -F 24


Joe Dellinger

Updated 2005 by Eric S. Raymond

Other contributions by Jacek M. Holeczek and Marc Unangst.




This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.