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APPENDIX B
CODE SPEED
The International Morse Code speed is defined by the word "PARIS". It has 10 dots, 4 dashes, 9 in-
tracharacter spaces, 4 intercharacter spaces,and one word space for a total equivalent of 50 code
elements (dot or space time). To adjust code speed for various dot-space and dash-space ratios,
the number of code elements in the word "PARIS" is used as a reference so that with any allowable
dot-space and dash-space ratios, the code speed is correct for the reference word "PARIS".
An old rule of thumb says that to calculate code speed in words per minute, divide the total number
of characters sent in one minute, by five. That can be quite misleading!!! This method does not ac-
curately take into account the variable length of individual characters.
Quite often, when the speed of the MM-1 is compared against tape recordings of certain speeds,
the MM-1 appears to be sending too slowly, but many tapes on the market are actually sent faster
than the labeled speed! Suffice it to say that it is the opinion of AEA that the MM-1 has the most ac-
curate speed calibration of
any
keyer, trainer, or code tape on the market.
