from the IEEE: SOS does not stand for "Save our Ship"

[Richard Spargur]

I had learned that S-O-S was chosen simply because it was so easy to
recognize and distinguish from other signaling.

 

     V/R

 

     Richard K. Spargur

    K3UI

     -  .  -       .  .  .  -  -       .  .  -       .  .

 

 

 

From: tacos-bounces+k3ui=comcast.net at amrad.org
[mailto:tacos-bounces+k3ui=comcast.net at amrad.org] On Behalf Of Andre
Kesteloot
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 4:53 PM
To: Tacos
Subject: from the IEEE: SOS does not stand for "Save our Ship"

 

MORSE CODE ‘SOS’
The “SOS” in Morse code does not, as is popularly believed, stand for “save
our ship.” The letters S-O-S were chosen in 1910 as the distress call to
replace the previously used C-Q-D because the pattern of three short, three
long, three short letters was more easily distinguishable against background
noise. CQ originated from the “sécu” in the French word “sécurité”
(security) followed by D, which signaled distress. 

  _____  

TITANIC'S DISTRESS CALLS
The sinking ship’s distress calls were not received by ham radio
<http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Amateur_Radio>  operators in the
United States, as is commonly believed, because the Titanic’s transmitter
range did not extend that far. What ham radio operators did pick up was the
radio traffic relayed from ship to ship, and from ship-to-shore stations.

The ship’s state-of-the-art transmitter had an 800-kilometer range during
the day, extending to 4800 km at night when the reflective character of the
atmosphere changed. But that range constantly varied with the location of
the ship, along with the atmospheric conditions. Although a ham radio with a
good receiver and antenna could have heard Titanic’s distress calls on the
East Coast of the United States, there is no confirmed report that happened.
The only amateur radio operator to receive a signal directly was Welsh
wireless operator Artie Moore.

  

 

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