Equal-Length Flashes
Dahs must be clearly longer than dits.
Send Morse with a flashlight: short flash = dit, long = dah. Switch vs shutter methods, SOS drill, timing table, and on-screen flasher.
Direct answer: To send Morse with a flashlight, use a short flash for a dit and a flash about three times longer for a dah, with darker pauses for letter and word gaps (same 1:3:1:3:7 timing as sound). Practise SOS as three short, three long, three short — then verify with the on-screen flasher.
Light Morse is the same International code as CW — only the medium changes. Competitors often list SOS and stop. You also need switch technique, aiming, and timing discipline.
Phone LED works in a pinch but response is sluggish and drains the battery — fine for demos, poor for distance practice.
| Element | Light action | Beginner count |
|---|---|---|
| Dit | Short flash | ~1 beat ON |
| Dah | Long flash | ~3 beats ON |
| Inside letter | Brief dark | ~1 beat OFF |
| Between letters | Longer dark | ~3 beats OFF |
| Between words | Long dark | ~7 beats OFF |
Pattern ... --- .... Point at a wall partner first, then increase distance. Full context: SOS Morse code. Encode any word on the translator, then reproduce flashes with the flasher.
Light Morse fails from timing and aim, not from “hard letters.”
Dahs must be clearly longer than dits.
Three short flashes become noise without pauses.
Aim near, not into, the receiver’s face.
Hear the rhythm, then flash it — Play SOS above.