Morse Code Activity

Morse Code Activity

Morse Code

(-- --- .-. ... . -.-. --- -.. .)

Morse code is an International system of signals employed in radiotelegraphy in the land-telegraph systems of all countries except the United States and Canada, and by all countries in flash lamp communications in marine navigation. International Morse Code consists of combinations of dots and dashes representing the letters of the alphabet, as shown below. The duration of one dash is equal to that of three dots.

Letter	*Composed of:*	*Sounds Like*	Letter	*Composed of:*	*Sounds Like*

A	*. _*	*didah*	N	*_ .*	dahdit
B	*_ . . .*	dahdididit	O	*_ _ _*	*dahdahdah*
C	*_ . _ .*	dahdidahdit	P	*. _ _ .*	didahdahdit
D	*_ . .*	dahdidit	Q	*_ _ . _*	dahdahdidah
E	.	*dit*	R	*. _ .*	didahdit
F	*. . _ .*	dididahdit	S	*. . .*	*dididit*
G	*_ _ .*	dahdahdit	T	_	*dah*
H	*. . . .*	*didididit*	U	*. . _*	*dididah*
I	*. .*	*didit*	V	*. . . _*	*didididah*
J	*. _ _ _*	*didahdahdah*	W	*. _ _*	*didahdah*
K	*_ . _*	dahdidah	X	*_ . . _*	dahdididah
L	*. _ . .*	didahdidit	Y	*_ . _ _*	dahdidahdah
M	*_ _*	*dahdah*	Z	*_ _ . .*	dahdahdidit

Activities: Morse Code

Flashlight Activity

Use a flashlight to send the following messages. With the exception of the SOS code, be sure to allow a long pause between each individual letter you send. Use the same format of brackets and backslashes when you encode or decode a message.

1. Try sending the international distress code "SOS".

{SOS} = { . . . - - - . . . }

2. Now try sending the word "hello"

{HELLO}

{    H    /   E   /    L    /    L    /    O  }

{. . . .  /   .   / . - . . / . - . . / - - - }

Other Activities

3. Encode the short message below into Morse code (the first word is encoded as an example).

{THE} {TIDE} {IS} {HIGH} =

{  T /     H   / E }{   T  /  I   /   D   /  E   }{  I  /  S  }{   H  /   I  /

   G  /   H  }

={-  / . . . . / . }{      /      /       /      }{     /     }{      /      /

      /      }

4. Now make up your own message to send and have another Cub decode it.

My message is:

{                    }{                    }{                    }

{                  }

Back | Home

Akela@15thburlington.org

This page, and all contents, Copyright © 1998 Scouts Canada, 15th Burlington Scouting Group
Select graphics courtesy of the Web Diner.
Thanks to Graham Garden of 2nd Strathcona for his editorial suggestions!

Page last revised Friday February 25, 2011.