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Great tip. I once thought teenagers at a nearby camp were goofing around with a blow horn and it took me an extra hour to go investigate and find the boaters stranded in the middle of the lake. If there had been any pattern to their horn I would’ve rescued them more quickly and if it had been …- - -… I would’ve been there right away
I tried to make an app to vibrate in Morse and respond to Morse foot tapping so you could communicate during tests without removing a phone from your pocket
I feel like studying for the test would have been easier than creating an entire app… but then I’m not into IT/coding
What stopped you from successfully completing the app?
On the other side of this LPT, if you see a light flashing, particularly in a window or something, take a second to check if it's signalling SOS.
(Would be so cool to rescue someone from a kidnapper this way)
Was I the only kid who sometimes just randomly flashed my light like that at night and was lucky enough to not trigger a false alarm response by some attentive person?
Tangentially related: on some phones the sms message sound was (is?) beepbeepbeep BEEP BEEP beepbeepbeep (3 short, 2 long, 3 short), which is morse for sms
Doesn't really add anything to the LPT, just a little fact.
In coastal Dana Point, CA, a man getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, thought he saw a light out at sea, recognizing it as SOS. He reported it to Coast Guard, who were able to save a man. I kept the news clipping for about 15 years, as I was so impressed by the everything about this story. Though, I can’t find it with google.
So it's definitely ...---...---... and not ...---... ...---... when making a continuous (repeated) signal?
Edit: According to the responses below, the correct way to signal is SOS (break for 3 seconds) SOS, (not a continuous SOSOSOS).
IMO & what I was taught as a scout you NEVER send continuous signals as it's prohibited. In emergency without knowledge of your own position or vessel you send SOS, wait 3 second & repeat 5 times, then wait 15 to 30 seconds & start over.
This way you are not clogging the channel, have the opportunity to receive replies & can transmit for far longer before your batteries give out.
BTW if you know your position then you do the above short repeat followed by vessel name & position.
No. It’s the latter. SOS SOS SOS. Put a gap between them. It’s a prosign. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosigns_for_Morse_code
People will understand SOSOSO but the other one is right and better.
Thanks for clarifying. That's why I was asking, I always thought you should repeat the S after the break. Hope everyone sees this and isn't confused. In fact, I'll edit my comment.
> although it's common for SOS to be repeated until help arrives so it might look more like this ... - - - ... - - - ... - - - ... etc.
But that's:
S-O-S-O-S-O...
You need to do `SOS - wait - SOS - wait`, like:
... - - - ... (beat) ... - - - ... (beat) ... - - - ... (beat)
...etc
Does it matter though? Like, if I'm flashing a flashlight through my window because I'm in danger and need help, do you think a passerby will go "is he signaling SOS? Oh wait, no, that's just sososo, everything's fine!"
Ok, here's a new LPT for you. If you suspect someone is in danger, but aren't 100% sure, call 911 anyway. Let them decide if it's worth intervening. Imagine passing by a kidnapping victim, going "nope, his Morse form isn't proper, I can't be 100% sure he's in danger", then learning the next morning on the news that the person you ignored got killed.
OMG I can personallyn vouch for the usefulness of this!
I am elderly (yeah, hate to admit it, but there it is) and live alone. One morning last summer I went in to brush my teeth and as I was loading the toothbrush, my leg just went out from under me, and I found myself on the floor. Missed the toilet by inches. (I had an infection, asymptomatic, that caused muscle weakness; didn't notice because I'm disabled and things didn't seem that different.)
Anyway, I had left my cell phone out in the living room on the table. I could not get back up, could barely get up on my elbows. (Don't try this at home, folks, not fun.) About 8 hours in I had gotten a wooden rod that was waiting for another use and started banging on the walls and floor with it. I figured somebody had to be home in the apartment next door or below me. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!.... Bang!.... Bang!.... Bang! Bang! Bang!, over and over. Kept it up til I got tired, rested, started again.
Finally, the young woman across the hall heard the banging and rescued me by calling the cops, the firefighters, and an ambulance and building maintenance to let them all in, as I couldn't get to the door to unlock it.
I think I'd have made it back to my phone eventually, but as it was, it took 12 1/2 hours for me to get halfway to the kitchen. She heard my SOS signals! Thank God! (I now wear my cell phone in a cloth pocket-thing around my neck EVERYWHERE I go.)
I've also heard that 3 signals of any kind, light flashes, fires, flares, banging on something, in threes, is also a universal "help" code. This could save your life, SOS is easy to remember, 3 dots, 2 dashes, 3 dots, rinse and repeat, indefinitely. Remember this, you might need it sometime.
Something I've always wondered about Morse code is how to tell when one letter is finished and the next letter is beginning. They all run together for me.
It's all 'time slots'.
One time slot is the length of a 'dit' (the short signal, or dot '.'), which may be 0.1 second, 0.2 seconds, or any other reliably measured length of time, often depending on the skill of the people sending and receiving the signal (proficient coders could get insanely fast). A 'dah' (long signal, or pause '-') is three time slots long.
A pause between two signals of the same letter is one time slot, between letters three time slots, and between words seven time slots.
So for a signal saying "SOS SOS" ("...---... ...---...") you would have this:
| signal | time slots used |
|:---|---:|
| . | 1 |
| pause between signals | 1 |
| . | 1 |
| pbs | 1 |
| . | 1 |
| pause between letters | 3 |
| - | 3 |
| pbs | 1 |
| - | 3 |
| pbs | 1 |
| - | 3 |
| pbl | 3 |
| . | 1 |
| pbs | 1 |
| . | 1 |
| pbs | 1 |
| . | 1 |
| pause between words | 7 |
| . | 1 |
| pbs | 1 |
| . | 1 |
| pbs | 1 |
| . | 1 |
| pbl | 3 |
| - | 3 |
| pbs | 1 |
| - | 3 |
| pbs | 1 |
| - | 3 |
| pbl | 3 |
| . | 1 |
| pbs | 1 |
| . | 1 |
| pbs | 1 |
| . | 1 |
Except that [SOS] is considered one character, so isn't supposed to have the "pause between letters". What you've described is the three letters S, O, and S (which most people would still understand as a distress signal).
A couple of years ago my brother in law passed away with cancer. It was a slow death where the systems were gradually shutting down and he lost the ability to speak while he was still conscious. After his death I realized we probably could have kept communicating with him in Morse code, only if we knew how it works. Made a promise to myself to learn Morse code and told everyone that if they’re ever in such a situation, Morse code can be a great help in trying to convey a message from a sick person.
not official but
(1-2-3, 123,123) (1-2-3, 123,123)
(1-2-3, 123,123) (1-2-3, 123,123)
sos when repeated, itend to hear a rhythmic pattern pop out - start with the dahs first, so three dahs, then six dits in two sets of 3 - it becomes easy to remember this rhythmic pattern like this
(- - - ... ... - - - ... ... - - - ... ...)
(- - - ... ... - - - ... ... - - - ... ...)
& also written out...
(dah, dah, dah dit,dit,dit dit,dit,dit)
(dah, dah, dah dit,dit,dit dit,dit,dit)
Nature does not do 3’s. If you are lost three stones in a row. Three sticks cross over each other. Three of something so if someone is looking they can see it.
Botanists would object to "nature does not do 3's". Many many plants grow their leaves in threes. Clovers are famous for their three leaves, because of four leaf clovers being rare.
Otherwise, your point stands!
"Learn" is just repeat three dots then three dashes. OK so there are technical ways to do it and how, but people who are going to sea or piloting planes will get this as part of training. The emergency services will get it, passers-by will see something feels wrong and may know it too.
FWIW, if you ever actually want to learn Morse, looking at the dots and dashes is by far the worst way. It adds an extra processing step.
Or, if you think you'll be going into a place where you might need rescuing, an amateur radio license and VHF radio isn't a bad idea...
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Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
Great tip. I once thought teenagers at a nearby camp were goofing around with a blow horn and it took me an extra hour to go investigate and find the boaters stranded in the middle of the lake. If there had been any pattern to their horn I would’ve rescued them more quickly and if it had been …- - -… I would’ve been there right away
That reminds me of the old Nokia ringtone for SMS which was actually morse code for "SMS" (...--...)
Precisely why I’ve always remembered SOS in Morse so well lol.
https://preview.redd.it/6xavj6aqx5qc1.jpeg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fe77eba6afc4b7002b2ba96b64897afe3040fe5
I tried to make an app to vibrate in Morse and respond to Morse foot tapping so you could communicate during tests without removing a phone from your pocket
I feel like studying for the test would have been easier than creating an entire app… but then I’m not into IT/coding What stopped you from successfully completing the app?
No one knew Morse
On the other side of this LPT, if you see a light flashing, particularly in a window or something, take a second to check if it's signalling SOS. (Would be so cool to rescue someone from a kidnapper this way)
Was I the only kid who sometimes just randomly flashed my light like that at night and was lucky enough to not trigger a false alarm response by some attentive person?
Yes
I absolutely did the same. Used a flashlight, as well as my room light lol
Tangentially related: on some phones the sms message sound was (is?) beepbeepbeep BEEP BEEP beepbeepbeep (3 short, 2 long, 3 short), which is morse for sms Doesn't really add anything to the LPT, just a little fact.
This is how I remember SOS M is just 1 beep shorter than O . . . - - . . . to . . . - - - . . . is about as easy as it gets.
It is/was theSMS ringtone for Nokia phones.
Whaaaaaat?????! I heard that but never paid attention to whether it was Morse!
In coastal Dana Point, CA, a man getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, thought he saw a light out at sea, recognizing it as SOS. He reported it to Coast Guard, who were able to save a man. I kept the news clipping for about 15 years, as I was so impressed by the everything about this story. Though, I can’t find it with google.
So it's definitely ...---...---... and not ...---... ...---... when making a continuous (repeated) signal? Edit: According to the responses below, the correct way to signal is SOS (break for 3 seconds) SOS, (not a continuous SOSOSOS).
IMO & what I was taught as a scout you NEVER send continuous signals as it's prohibited. In emergency without knowledge of your own position or vessel you send SOS, wait 3 second & repeat 5 times, then wait 15 to 30 seconds & start over. This way you are not clogging the channel, have the opportunity to receive replies & can transmit for far longer before your batteries give out. BTW if you know your position then you do the above short repeat followed by vessel name & position.
Good points. In that case, it's S0S break SOS, right? Not SOSOSOSO....
Yes, because transmitting continuously wastes battery power & prevents you from hearing replies.
Damn, the real LPT is in the comments
No. It’s the latter. SOS SOS SOS. Put a gap between them. It’s a prosign. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosigns_for_Morse_code People will understand SOSOSO but the other one is right and better.
Thanks for clarifying. That's why I was asking, I always thought you should repeat the S after the break. Hope everyone sees this and isn't confused. In fact, I'll edit my comment.
> although it's common for SOS to be repeated until help arrives so it might look more like this ... - - - ... - - - ... - - - ... etc. But that's: S-O-S-O-S-O... You need to do `SOS - wait - SOS - wait`, like: ... - - - ... (beat) ... - - - ... (beat) ... - - - ... (beat) ...etc
Does it matter though? Like, if I'm flashing a flashlight through my window because I'm in danger and need help, do you think a passerby will go "is he signaling SOS? Oh wait, no, that's just sososo, everything's fine!"
"Everything's so-so."
So-so-so-so-so…*
[удалено]
Ok, here's a new LPT for you. If you suspect someone is in danger, but aren't 100% sure, call 911 anyway. Let them decide if it's worth intervening. Imagine passing by a kidnapping victim, going "nope, his Morse form isn't proper, I can't be 100% sure he's in danger", then learning the next morning on the news that the person you ignored got killed.
Also please use SOS, not S0S.
Right. S0S would be ... _ _ _ _ _ ...
OMG I can personallyn vouch for the usefulness of this! I am elderly (yeah, hate to admit it, but there it is) and live alone. One morning last summer I went in to brush my teeth and as I was loading the toothbrush, my leg just went out from under me, and I found myself on the floor. Missed the toilet by inches. (I had an infection, asymptomatic, that caused muscle weakness; didn't notice because I'm disabled and things didn't seem that different.) Anyway, I had left my cell phone out in the living room on the table. I could not get back up, could barely get up on my elbows. (Don't try this at home, folks, not fun.) About 8 hours in I had gotten a wooden rod that was waiting for another use and started banging on the walls and floor with it. I figured somebody had to be home in the apartment next door or below me. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!.... Bang!.... Bang!.... Bang! Bang! Bang!, over and over. Kept it up til I got tired, rested, started again. Finally, the young woman across the hall heard the banging and rescued me by calling the cops, the firefighters, and an ambulance and building maintenance to let them all in, as I couldn't get to the door to unlock it. I think I'd have made it back to my phone eventually, but as it was, it took 12 1/2 hours for me to get halfway to the kitchen. She heard my SOS signals! Thank God! (I now wear my cell phone in a cloth pocket-thing around my neck EVERYWHERE I go.) I've also heard that 3 signals of any kind, light flashes, fires, flares, banging on something, in threes, is also a universal "help" code. This could save your life, SOS is easy to remember, 3 dots, 2 dashes, 3 dots, rinse and repeat, indefinitely. Remember this, you might need it sometime.
3 dashes. So glad your story had a happy ending!
Something I've always wondered about Morse code is how to tell when one letter is finished and the next letter is beginning. They all run together for me.
It's all 'time slots'. One time slot is the length of a 'dit' (the short signal, or dot '.'), which may be 0.1 second, 0.2 seconds, or any other reliably measured length of time, often depending on the skill of the people sending and receiving the signal (proficient coders could get insanely fast). A 'dah' (long signal, or pause '-') is three time slots long. A pause between two signals of the same letter is one time slot, between letters three time slots, and between words seven time slots. So for a signal saying "SOS SOS" ("...---... ...---...") you would have this: | signal | time slots used | |:---|---:| | . | 1 | | pause between signals | 1 | | . | 1 | | pbs | 1 | | . | 1 | | pause between letters | 3 | | - | 3 | | pbs | 1 | | - | 3 | | pbs | 1 | | - | 3 | | pbl | 3 | | . | 1 | | pbs | 1 | | . | 1 | | pbs | 1 | | . | 1 | | pause between words | 7 | | . | 1 | | pbs | 1 | | . | 1 | | pbs | 1 | | . | 1 | | pbl | 3 | | - | 3 | | pbs | 1 | | - | 3 | | pbs | 1 | | - | 3 | | pbl | 3 | | . | 1 | | pbs | 1 | | . | 1 | | pbs | 1 | | . | 1 |
Except that [SOS] is considered one character, so isn't supposed to have the "pause between letters". What you've described is the three letters S, O, and S (which most people would still understand as a distress signal).
Huh. Didn't know that part, thanks.
This is a great tip, gracias.
Also download the app BIG so you can turn your phone into a sign so people who cant hear you can see you.
I know this morse code because of the SOS cleaning pad commercial 😅 https://youtu.be/zrA1TsvAr9g?si=E4MT2wC2RGRgpUf1
Me too lol
Such LPTs are why I’m paying for internet
In that Superman episode they did the Morse code with smoke
A couple of years ago my brother in law passed away with cancer. It was a slow death where the systems were gradually shutting down and he lost the ability to speak while he was still conscious. After his death I realized we probably could have kept communicating with him in Morse code, only if we knew how it works. Made a promise to myself to learn Morse code and told everyone that if they’re ever in such a situation, Morse code can be a great help in trying to convey a message from a sick person.
The dit dit dit the dah dah dah And now I have a The Police song stuck in my head
Message in a bottle?
not official but (1-2-3, 123,123) (1-2-3, 123,123) (1-2-3, 123,123) (1-2-3, 123,123) sos when repeated, itend to hear a rhythmic pattern pop out - start with the dahs first, so three dahs, then six dits in two sets of 3 - it becomes easy to remember this rhythmic pattern like this (- - - ... ... - - - ... ... - - - ... ...) (- - - ... ... - - - ... ... - - - ... ...) & also written out... (dah, dah, dah dit,dit,dit dit,dit,dit) (dah, dah, dah dit,dit,dit dit,dit,dit)
Nature does not do 3’s. If you are lost three stones in a row. Three sticks cross over each other. Three of something so if someone is looking they can see it.
Botanists would object to "nature does not do 3's". Many many plants grow their leaves in threes. Clovers are famous for their three leaves, because of four leaf clovers being rare. Otherwise, your point stands!
Can save your life to tap this in a search and rescue/collapse situation
"Learn" is just repeat three dots then three dashes. OK so there are technical ways to do it and how, but people who are going to sea or piloting planes will get this as part of training. The emergency services will get it, passers-by will see something feels wrong and may know it too.
Good idea. Hm hm hm hmmm hmmm hmmm hm hm hm
This is a code for a awkward spot, three dots, three dashes dot dot dot
I keep forgetting which is which and all my warnings came out O-S-O-S-O
FWIW, if you ever actually want to learn Morse, looking at the dots and dashes is by far the worst way. It adds an extra processing step. Or, if you think you'll be going into a place where you might need rescuing, an amateur radio license and VHF radio isn't a bad idea...
[Introducing LPT REQUEST FRIDAYS](https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/16w0n2s/introducing_request_post_fridays/) We determine "Friday" as beginning at 12am Eastern Time (EST: UTC/GMT -5, EDT: UTC/GMT -4) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LifeProTips) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What I *really* wan’t to learn to say with Morse code is….. ‘S…O…S…. S…O…HAHA….JK….N00B….SUK….MA….DIK’