Morse Code vs Text Contest
The above is a classic test to see if Morse code operators can beat young kids texting.
Here's what you don't realize unless you're a Morse operator.
The guys sending Morse on Jay Leno's show were doing it probably at only 20 words per minute (WPM).
It's not unusual for good operators to be up at 30, 35 and even 40 WPM. Military operators who sent encrypted sets of five letters in a group routinely sent and received at 50 WPM.
Morse operators can be much much faster than texting.
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Seeing that this video is ten years old, I would be interested to see how a teen texting on a modern smart phone would do in this challenge. 🙂
Remember what I said above. The operators in the video were going moderately fast. I can easily get two 50 WPM operators to do a test that will smoke texters. Remember, the texters must send the complete word, no shortcut words.
I agree that in 2005 the phones had to hit buttons multiple times to get certain letters, thus greatly slowing them down. I would also be interested in a follow-up challenge. I bet even with smart phones capable of auto-finish and swiping like the Samsung that a pair of good Morse Code operators would still squeak by with a win.
To make it really fair, have them try to send the message without looking at the phone. You don't need to look at the key to send a message, and you don't need to look at the receiver to get the message.
Still, the texting would not keep up or at best, be about the same. What people don't realize is that sending Morse code at 35 wpm, is actually transmitting words, not letters. You won't realize that until you get there.
Dave T
WA7AXT