Re:Rather impractical (Score 1)

The speed of the Leno "Morse" sender was just under 30 words per minute, typical of what is on the ham bands today, except for newbies. Most operators copy in their heads instead of writing everything down. The keys/paddles/keyboards can cost hundreds for the ubersenders but a $2 flea market key will do the job, too. Talk about geeks, however. There is a small group that uses 300 baud modems and relays connected to phone lines to drive antique sounders (think click/clack) using the "extinct" landline Morse language, not the International code used over radio. They dial into a hub (2 in the lower 48 & 1 in Alaska the last I knew) and then all communications is done with the old instruments using the old telegraphy procedures (netiquette).