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Article: Recalling Dashing Days of ... -- ... Distress.(two-way radios and satellite communications are making Morse code obsolete, but it was once widely used)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Insight on the News
- Article date:
- November 16, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The tap-tap-tap of Morse code is going silent at sea as satellite technology makes the system obsolete. Still, Morse could come in handy if the year-20000computer bug proves problematic.
Vessels carrying more than 50 passengers long have been required to have radio or telegraphic equipment that employs Morse code. As of Feb. 1, 1999, however, cargo ships weighing more than 300 tons and passenger ships on international voyages no longer will use the code as a means of communication.
Morse has been fading from use for years, starting in the 1940s with the widespread adoption of two-way radio. More recently, the Global Marine Distress and Safety System, ...