In a message dated 1/12/06 1:18:43 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Jim, N2EY wrote: > > (CQ is) a two-letter abbreviation like QRZ. > > -------------------------- > > But neither of them are abbreviations (i.e. shortened words). An abbreviation isn't always a shortened word - how did we get "lb" as an abbreviation for "pound"? > In commercial use, CQ was employed from the earliest days of public message > handling. It is true that Marconi's stations were not "public" but private, > talking only to other Marconi stations except in time of emergency. After > other radio services came about in competition with Marconi, CQ was used as > a general call to ANY other station who wished to contact them. In that case > it was for the purpose of announcing their availability to ships who wanted > to send messages. Of course - but did it start with Marconi, or was it adapted from landwire use? As you know, the coastal stations open for traffic would > > sent out a constant CQ call using their "wheel" (For others, the wheel was a > mechanical disk with notches around the edge that rotated at a fixed speed. > Contacts followed the notches to key the transmitter and send CW > automatically). Interspersed with the CQ was a listing of the frequencies on > which they were listening for anyone who wanted to call them. > Exactly! > I agree about 'keeping the flame alive' and the ease of signals like "ES" > for "and". I am also very much aware of how hard the French struggle to keep > the French language pure. I suspect they, among all the "western nations" at > least, are the most dedicated to maintaining the purity of their language. > Yet, common usage keeps creeping in with newly-adopted words and syntax. In > our case with Morse or "CW", ES became popular because it was easy and > useful. We don't hear parenthesis or asterisks on the CW bands much because > they aren't as useful in our casual QSO's. "ES" for "and" goes back a long way, though. I found references to it in QSTs of the 1950s, and it was used as if everyone would know what it meant. (I saw it in the bug-practice sentence "SHE IS 55 ES SHE IS HIS SISTER". Try sending *that* ten times, fast, with no mistakes!) > > I applaud efforts to preserve CW, but, like any language, what is the "pure > form"? Ultimately, it's what the keepers of the flame say it is...;-) I submit that same pressure for change in vocabulary and usage that > > any language experiences is constant and relentless. It is slowly changing > the CW language as we know it. If that keeps More popular and in use, is > that such a bad thing? > Only if the new is better than the old. To judge whether a new form is better requires knowledge and understanding of the old way. Too often, ignorance of the past results in a repeat of the mistakes of the past. Remember the story about the railroad signal towers? 73 es ZUT 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
