BBC Examines Morse Code’s Demise and SOS

By Doug Lung
published

The BBC News Magazine has an interesting look at changes in distress communications in the article Save our SOS. It notes it’s been 100 years since “SOS” became the standard signal for ships in distress. The article outlines how “SOS” came into being and how it has been used during the last 100 years. “Digital Selective Calling”, which automates sending the distress call along with position information, and “999” on satellite phones, have largely replaced SOS.

The article notes, however, that there are still uses for SOS.

“The days of morse have long gone,” said Andrew Mahood, a Coastguard watch manager. “Morse can still be used if a person’s on a boat and the radio’s not working; then they will use the good old Mk I torch.”

Comments to the article are interesting. Some people noted that SOS has value in providing a way for people everywhere to indicate an emergency situation.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.