How to sos in morse code?

SOS is a Morse code distress signal ( ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ), used internationally, that was originally established for maritime use.

Although a lot of people presume SOS stands for Save Our Souls or Save Our Ship, these are backronyms, and the letters have no true meaning. Perhaps SOS was chosen for how simple it was to transmit via Morse code. S is translated as three dots, and O is translated as three dashes, leaving very little room for confusion. Whatever the reason, SOS has stuck around, but there are more ways to signal that your soul needs saving. Here's how to signal SOS, wherever you're stranded.

If you become lost while mountaineering, don't fret! Just use one of these signals to catch someone's attention from far away.

Step 1: Smoke Signals

For smoke signals to be effective, you’re going to need to climb up to the highest altitude possible, as it greatly increases your chance of being spotted. Releasing one plume of smoke translates to “Look here!” It’s usually not a signal for an emergency but rather to get someone’s attention. Two plumes of smoke mean that everything is fine within the campsite. Three plumes of smoke signal for an emergency, aka “SOS.” To control the plumes of smoke, use a wet blanket to throw over the fire.

Step 2: Arms

Let’s say you notice an aircraft above you, but you have absolutely no tools to signal for help. That’s where your arms come in handy! Simply raise both of your arms up to form a “Y” shape and wave them around, which signals to an aircraft that you’re in need of assistance.

Step 3: Rock Piles

Large rocks come in handy when you’re unable to build a fire while mountaineering. It takes some labor, but the process is quite simple. Just find a bunch of rocks and build three large rock piles with them. And be sure to space them out about 100 feet from each other in a triangle shape, if at all possible.

Step 4: Waving Clothes

Spare clothes can come in handy during emergency situations, and waving them around for help is a very visual way to grab someone’s attention.

A peaceful and relaxing stroll can quickly turn into an emergency situation if you find yourself lost in a maze of skyscraper trees. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to signal for SOS in forests, and here are a few of our favorites:

Step 1: Whistle

If you happen to have a whistle on you (or you’re blessed with the ability to whistle loudly with your fingers), proceed with these steps: Three long whistle blasts (which is “S”), followed by three short blasts (“O”), and then three long whistles once more (“S”).

Step 2: Flashlight

A night in the woods can be scary, but if you have a flashlight, you can use it to signal SOS via Morse code. Flash the light three times rapidly, then slowly for another three times, and then rapidly for three seconds once more. Try to keep the “rapid flashing” to less than a second if you can and the “slow flashing” to just over one second in length.

Step 3: Mirror

A signal mirror can come in handy when you need to signal airplanes, vehicles, ships, or a possible hiker in the woods. Using the sun’s reflection, point the mirror toward the target, then cover it or move it away quickly. Repeat two more times to spell out the “SOS” code. If you’re using an improvised mirror, use your index and middle finger to form a v-shape directly in front of the mirror. This will allow an ample amount of light to pass through this v-shape so you find the “bead of light” to reflect back to your target.

Step 4: Signal Fire

SOS fires are a great way to draw attention to yourself, especially at night. Building three fires in either a straight line or in a triangle is the internationally recognized symbol of emergency distress. And be sure to build each fire approximately 100 feet from each other to reduce the chance of starting a forest fire. The last thing you’ll want is to be running for your life in the middle of nowhere.

It's not just getting lost or stranded that leaves you needing rescue. It might not bear thinking about, but having a plan if you become trapped in a tight spot after a disaster, or end up the victim of a kidnapping situation might just save your life.

Step 1: Tapping

Tapping Morse code is a great way to signal for help in a confined space. Try tapping on a window or on a pipe by using the following method: tap three times fast, then three times slow, then three more times fast.

Step 2: Blinking

If you’re trapped as a hostage where you’re unable to speak, you can try blinking for help! This clever SOS signal can be done by blinking fast three times, blinking slowly three times, and then blinking fast three times once more.

Step 3: Hand Signal

Let’s say you’re trapped in the backseat of a moving vehicle, but you can’t utter a sound. The best way to signal for help in this instance is to use a hand signal against the window. Open your hand and fold your thumb over your palm. Then curl all of your fingers over your thumb to create a gesture that looks similar to a closed fist (except here, your thumb is hidden under your fingers). Keep your hand against the window as long as you can and hopefully, a passerby will see this and call for help.

These final few methods for how to signal SOS can be applied in any situation where you need to alert someone's attention.

Step 1: Flag

Similar to the “waving clothes” option in the mountaineering section above, a flag is a great visual cue to signal for help. Be sure to pack a vibrant flag that stands out from your surroundings, such as orange.

Step 2: iPhone

You use it for Instagram and checking emails, but did you know that each iPhone has a built-in SOS feature? To use it, press and hold both the side button and one of the volume buttons simultaneously. You’ll see an “Emergency SOS” slider pop up in the center of the screen. Just be sure you have enough battery power left to use this feature!

Step 3: Morse Code

At the start, we mentioned that SOS in Morse code is three dots for the first “S," three dashes for the “O," followed by three more dots for the second "S."

Step 4: Writing

You can write out “SOS” or three large “X” marks using rocks, sticks, tree branches, or your hands or feet. This is ideal if you’re stranded on a beach or an island, but this also works in a clearing of a forest.

Morse Telegraph History Includes: Morse telegraph history     Morse keys development     Vibroplex & mechanical bug keys     Telegraph sounder     Morse inker     Samuel Morse     Fascinating facts     Morse code SOS message

Morse keys: Clipsal key     Camelback     Walters Electrical Patt 1056A Post Office key     Steel lever Morse telegraph key     RAF Bathtub Morse key

The Morse code distress signal is probably one of the most famous messages associated with radio communications.

The SOS message has been included in many films or movies and has many associations with stories like the sinking of the Titanic or other famous ships.

However the reality of the Morse code SOS message is far less romantic and has more associates with people who are in real trouble and wanting assistance.

The sound is very distinctive and there were reserved times on various maritime frequencies that had to be kept clear for distress signals. The signal was also used in many other ways as an alert for a person or group of people in distress.

The sound of the Morse code SOS signal is very distinctive with its three short, three long and three short sounds.

One of the key elements is that the Morse code SOS sound is sent not sent as S O S, i.e. three separate characters, but with all the dots and dashes together as one character.

The SOS Morse code distress signal was used internationally and it was originally established for maritime use where it was transmitted using on-off keying of a wireless transmitter.

Often called CW for continuous wave or carrier wave, this type of transmission was far easier to transmit as it only required the transmitter to be keyed on and off as opposed to applying a form of audio modulation which was the other option in the time when SOS was widely used.

The other advantage of a Morse signal was that it could be copied at far lower signal strengths than other forms of signal, making it a more effective form of transmission.

The SOS consist of three dots, three dashes and three dots which are transmitted as a single character - not three letters as is normally seen and heard in films / movies etc.

As a result of the SOS signal being transmitted as a single character, it is often written as a the three letters SOS with an over-score above it.

The character became known as SOS because this was an easy way of remembering it: it could equally well have been designated as "3B", "V7", "IWB" etc as these all make up the same three dots, three dashes and three dots.

When an SOS distress message is being sent, it should follow a set format.

To make these distress cals, the International distress calling frequency was used. The frequencies for these were 500 kHz, 2182 kHz, and some other frequencies.

There are also various other frequencies used for voice calls, both in the HF and VHF regions of the radio spectrum.

For the International distress frequencies, it was mandatory that when a distress call was heard, all other transmissions should cease. Also a period of silence was maintained on the hour and half hour to ensure any weak signals could be hear.

It was also mandatory that radio silence was maintained on 500 kHz and 2182 kHz channels at the relevant times. Three minute silence periods were used twice every hour on the main primary calling frequencies of 500 kHz (h15 and h45, i.e. 15 and 45 minutes past the hour) and 2182 kHz (h00 and h30).

The clock in a ship's radio room had these periods highlighted. All communication had to stop during these silence periods. If the silence was broken for routine messages the radio operator was likely to be reported, and potentially lose their licence

SOS was not the first distress signal to be used. With wireless communications being used for many ship communications from around the beginning of the 1900s, the importance of having a set distress signal was realised.

The first distress signal was C Q D, transmitted as three separate letters. The letters CQ were used by radio stations to indicate a general call, indicating they wanted to communicate with someone. The letter D was appended tot his to indicate it was a distress call.

C Q D was adopted by the Marconi International Marine Communication Company, possibly the largest company of the time that was installing radio or wireless equipment onto ships.

On 7 January 1904 the Marconi company issued what was called "Circular 57" which which specified that for the any of the Marconi company ship installations, the new CQD distress called would be used. The starting date for this would be 1 February 1904.

There were also several other distress calls that were adopted by other companies and countries around this time. In fact there was no international agreement on any call and its format.

The famous SOS call was came out of Germany which was the first country to use it. The sequence of three dots, three dashes and three dots was adopted because it was easy to identify and remember. It was very distinctive and could not be confused with other sequences.

The SOS distress call was adopted by Germany from 1 April 1905, and later started to be adopted internationally. The process started in 1906 at the first International Radiotelegraph Convention which met in Berlin. Realising the need to international coordination over distress calls, an agreement was produced and signed on 3 November 1906 to use the SOS call. This became effective on 1 July 1908.

The adoption of SOS as the Morse code distress call did not start to be used by everyone immediately. However, possibly the first reported ship to use the new SOS call was the Cunard liner RMS Slavonia which was shipwrecked off the Azores on 10 June 1909. Two other ships received her signals and went to the rescue.

Even as late as 1912 when the Titanic sank, it was not uniquely used as the wireless operator, Harold Bride, used both CQD and SOS in the distress messages.

The Morse code SOS signal remained the maritime radio distress signal until 1999, when it was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System which provided more universal and immediate communications for distress communications.

Despite the many ideas, SOS does not stand for anything. It was simply chosen as a set of dots and dashes that was easily identifiable, very memorable and was unlikely to be confused with any other set of dots and dashes.

It was only after its introduction that people started to associate the letters with other words, using it as an abbreviation for a particular phrase.

Although "Save Our Ship" and "Save Our Souls" might seem like an ideal solution to what SOS stands for, neither is true.

However, to many, "Save Our Ship" and "Save Our Souls" can be an easy way of remembering which letters are used in the distress call, they were only made up well after SOS was introduced as the distress signal to be used on the airwaves.

During the 1830s and 1840s, American artist and inventor Samuel Morse developed the telegraph, an electrical system that uses a series of wires to transmit messages over long distances. The telegraph had a profound impact on society, revolutionizing the way people communicated and did business. It laid the foundation for the rapid spread of information, and it played a key role in the development of the modern communication systems we have today.

In 1835, not long after the telegraph was invented, Morse and his assistant and partner Alfred Lewis Vail developed Morse code. Morse code is a language of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that correspond to the letters of the alphabet. This code allowed the telegraph to transmit text information long distances and could be easily understood by a skilled listener or observer without any special equipment.

Morse code remained an important means of communication for many years, particularly in maritime and aviation contexts. With the advent of new technologies such as the telephone and the internet, the use of Morse code has greatly diminished. However, it is still used to transmit some emergency and military signals, such as SOS.

What is SOS? SOS in Morse code is transmitted as three dots, three dashes, and then three dots. Morse code for SOS can also be written as ''... --- ...''.

The Morse code language is a series of dots (short marks, ''.'') and dashes (long marks, ''-''). Each letter of the alphabet and numbers zero through nine have a corresponding combination of dots and dashes. The complexity of the combination correlates to the frequency of the use. For example, the letter ''e'' has a simple code (.) and the letter ''q'' has a more complex code (--.-).

Morse code letters, numbers, and spacing are measured in units. When deciphering a telegram, units distinguish spaces between distinct letters and words.

In Morse code, SOS also incorporates several one and three-unit gaps. Therefore, more accurately, the SOS in Morse code would be read as ''. . . - - - . . .''.