There are three main components to keep in mind when sending a message using the Morse Key: the message that you’re sending in Morse code, a sender that send the message, and a receiver in the other end of the line that translates and records the initial message sent using Morse code, a code which included a series of “dots and dashes”, with dots being a shorter signal and dashes being a longer signal. Letters which were used more frequently such as “A” or “E” got a simpler code, while those used infrequently such as “Q” and “Z” got a longer and more complex code.
Once you have these components, the user must then determine if the electrical current is present. The user will press down the knob to determine is the electrical current is present, and if it is not, the message cannot be sent. If the current is present, the message can be sent and the user can move forward by pressing the key. Once the key is held down, the telegraph will go through a “touch and release” process where the anvil and hammer subsequently close the circuit. If the circuit does not fully close, the message cannot be sent. If the circuit fully closes, the message can be sent.
Once the message is sent, it will be transmitted over electrical wires or cables over to the receiver. If the message is not transmitted successfully over wire or cables, the receiver will not get the message. If the message is successfully transmitted over the wires or cables, the receiving telegraph will transmit the message in Morse Code on a piece of paper. Morse’s original telegraph receiver used a mechanical clockwork to move a paper tape. When an electrical current was received, an electromagnet engaged an armature that pushed a stylus onto the moving paper tape, making an indentation on the tape. However, different telegraph receivers were developed over time.
When the first telegraphs sent telegrams, the receiver used a telegraph register to record the message if it was successfully sent. If the message was successfully sent, pulses of electricity would cause the two vertical electromagnets to pull against an iron bar attached to the horizontal brass lever arm. The other end of the receiver featured a stylus pressed up against a piece of paper that would record the message that was sent. Moreover, the stylus would make a clicking noise when receiving the message. The receiver of the message would then will then translate the message from Morse Code to the language that they are fluent in or understand.
An invention that processed telegrams in a more efficient way was developed in the last 1850’s called the telegraph sounder. It consisted of an electromagnet attached to the telegraph line, with an iron armature near the magnet’s pole balanced on a pivot. When current flowed through the electromagnet’s winding, it created a magnetic field which attracted the armature, pulling it down to the electromagnet, resulting in a “click” sound. When the current ended, the counterweight pulled the armature back up to its resting position. Eventually, telegraph operators learned they could translate the clicks directly into dots and dashes, and write it down by hand, which made the tape unnecessary. When Morse code was adapted to radio communication, the dots and dashes were sent as short and long tone pulses.
Over time, how the telegram was received by the user changed. At first, the receiver translated the message from Morse Code. As the telegraph and technology continued to develop, a system that automatically printed telegrams was introduced, though people were still necessary to help send the message.
