-----Original Message----- From: Ron D'Eau Claire <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: 'Elecraft Discussion List' <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> Sent: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 08:37:44 -0800 Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Prosign confusion (was: Anticipating Morse)
>One might ask what is CQ an >abbreviation of? Some say it's a phonetic "seek you" but I've never heard a >single plausible explanation of it as anything other than a prosign. It's a two-letter abbreviation like QRZ. It originated in landwire Morse, where it meant "general call, all stations copy" or "calling all stations". Useful for sending bulletins, synchronizing clocks, etc. In wireless use it came to mean "I'm looking for a QSO" or "calling *any* station". Such an abbreviation was not needed in landwire Morse because in that sort of operation there was no question of "contact" - if you were plugged into a wire, you heard everything on that wire, and if not, you heard nothing. CQD was developed by the Marconi Company to mean "urgent/distress message, any stations respond" essentially the same as SOS >So what's the bottom line? To me it's that CW or Morse is a language and, >like most languages it goes through a process of evolution and change >according to popular usage. And those changes will probably bring anguish to >the purists who remember the "old ways" just as changes in spoken and >written languages of all sorts have done. I agree to a point. But we amateurs are the last widespread users of Morse Code - the keepers of the flame, as it were. I think it's up to us to preserve its unique character. And why not keep the old ways alive, if they work? Most of the old ways are the way they are for good reason. Abbreviations like "73" survived because of both their usefulness and how they sound in Morse. "ES" is shorter than "AND", more distinctive, and just rolls off the bug with ease. There's also a genuine satisfaction from doing a thing well, as it was intended to be done, even if it's not absolutely necessary. 73 de Jim, N2EY _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
