



vCon                                                    T. McCarthy-Howe
Internet-Draft                                                    VCONIC
Intended status: Experimental                               1 April 2026
Expires: 3 October 2026


             vCon Extension for Morse Code Dialog Encoding
                draft-howe-vcon-morse-code-extension-00

Abstract

   This document defines a vCon extension for representing Morse code
   conversations within the Virtualized Conversation (vCon) container
   format.  Morse code remains an actively used communication medium
   among amateur radio operators, in historical preservation contexts,
   and in cultural works.  The extension provides standardized encoding
   for Morse code dialog, including keying timing data, prosign
   representation, and the Farnsworth timing method.  This document also
   addresses information-theoretic considerations of Morse code's
   variable-length encoding, its relationship to modern source coding
   theory, and the privacy implications of preserving historically
   significant Morse code conversations whose data subjects may be
   deceased.

About This Document

   This note is to be removed before publishing as an RFC.

   The latest revision of this draft can be found at https://vcon-
   dev.github.io/draft-howe-vcon-morse-code-extension/draft-howe-vcon-
   morse-code-extension-latest.html.  Status information for this
   document may be found at https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-howe-
   vcon-morse-code-extension/.

   Discussion of this document takes place on the vCon Working Group
   mailing list (mailto:vcon@ietf.org), which is archived at
   https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/vcon/.  Subscribe at
   https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/vcon/.

   Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at
   https://github.com/vcon-dev/draft-howe-vcon-morse-code-extension.

Status of This Memo

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   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on 3 October 2026.

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction
     1.1.  Information-Theoretic Considerations
   2.  Conventions and Definitions
     2.1.  Core Terms
   3.  vCon Morse Code Extension Definition
     3.1.  Extension Classification
     3.2.  Extension Registration
     3.3.  Extension Usage
   4.  Morse Code Dialog Encoding
     4.1.  Dialog Object Parameters
       4.1.1.  Dialog Type
       4.1.2.  Extension Parameters on Dialog Objects
     4.2.  Text Encoding Format
     4.3.  Keying Timing Attachment
       4.3.1.  Attachment Structure
       4.3.2.  Element Object Fields
       4.3.3.  Top-Level Fields
     4.4.  Morse Code Text Notation Attachment
   5.  Privacy Considerations for Historical Morse Code Conversations
     5.1.  Data Subject Status of Deceased Persons
     5.2.  Fist as Biometric Data
   6.  Security Considerations
     6.1.  Integrity of Historical Records
     6.2.  Keying Timing as Side Channel
     6.3.  Replay Considerations
   7.  Interoperability
     7.1.  Character Set Considerations
     7.2.  Speed and Timing Compatibility
   8.  Example vCon
     8.1.  Amateur Radio Field Day Contact
     8.2.  Historical Maritime Distress Communication
     8.3.  Information Efficiency Comparison
   9.  References
     9.1.  Normative References
     9.2.  Informative References
   Appendix A.  IANA Considerations
     A.1.  vCon Extensions Names Registry
     A.2.  Dialog Object Parameter Names Registry
     A.3.  Attachment Type Values
     A.4.  Morse Code Medium Values Registry
   Appendix B.  Full International Morse Code Table
     B.1.  Letters
     B.2.  Digits
     B.3.  Common Prosigns
   Appendix C.  Acknowledgements
   Author's Address

1.  Introduction

   Morse code, first demonstrated by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail in the
   1830s and 1840s [MORSE1838] [VAIL1844], remains one of the most
   enduring communication protocols in human history.  While it predates
   the Internet, the telephone, and indeed the vCon specification by
   approximately 180 years, Morse code continues to serve as an active
   communication medium in contexts that warrant formal conversation
   capture and preservation.

   The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) reports that Continuous Wave
   (CW) operation, the radio transmission mode that employs Morse code,
   remains one of the most popular modes during the annual Field Day
   emergency preparedness exercise [ARRL-FIELD-DAY].  Thousands of
   licensed amateur radio operators participate in Morse code contacts
   during this event, generating conversation data that operators may
   wish to log and preserve in a standardized format.  The low bandwidth
   requirements and noise immunity of Morse code make it a preferred
   mode when conditions are poor, a property that ensures its continued
   relevance in emergency communications.

   Beyond amateur radio, Morse code conversations appear in historical
   records of significant events.  The distress communications from RMS
   Titanic on April 15, 1912, represent perhaps the most widely known
   Morse code conversations in history [TITANIC-INQUIRY].  These
   conversations involved identifiable natural persons as both operators
   and passengers, raising data protection questions that modern privacy
   frameworks must address despite the passage of over a century.

   Morse code conversations also persist in cultural works, including
   dramatic depictions of telegraph operations during railway
   communications, maritime distress scenarios, and military operations.
   When these dramatizations are based on or reproduce actual historical
   conversations, the same data subject considerations may apply.

   This document defines a Compatible vCon extension that enables the
   capture and preservation of Morse code conversations, including the
   precise keying timing that distinguishes an individual operator's
   "fist" (their distinctive keying style), the prosigns and
   abbreviations that form the pragmatic layer of Morse code
   communication, and metadata about the transmission medium (landline
   telegraph, radio, or other).

1.1.  Information-Theoretic Considerations

   The variable-length encoding of International Morse Code [ITU-M1677]
   anticipates by approximately one hundred years the principles of
   optimal source coding later formalized by Claude Shannon
   [SHANNON1948] and David Huffman [HUFFMAN1952].  In Morse code, the
   most frequently occurring letters in English text are assigned
   shorter symbol sequences: 'E' is encoded as a single dit (.), while
   'T' is encoded as a single dah (-).  Less frequent letters receive
   progressively longer encodings, with characters such as 'Q' (--.-)
   and 'J' (.---) requiring four elements.

   This design was not accidental.  Vail reportedly studied letter
   frequency by examining a printer's type case at the Morristown, New
   Jersey newspaper office, counting the quantity of type pieces cast
   for each letter as a proxy for usage frequency [VAIL1844].  The
   resulting encoding achieves near-optimal compression for English
   text, a remarkable empirical result that aligns with the theoretical
   foundations Shannon would establish a century later.

   However, implementers MUST be aware that Morse code's information
   efficiency is optimized for English letter frequencies and degrades
   significantly for other languages.  The Welsh language, for example,
   makes heavy use of characters and digraphs that receive long Morse
   encodings.  The letter 'W' (.--), a three-element symbol, appears
   with far greater frequency in Welsh than in English.  The Welsh
   digraph "LL", common in place names such as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll,
   requires transmission of two four-element sequences (.-.., .-..):
   eight elements where a frequency-optimized encoding for Welsh might
   use as few as two.

   Similarly, the Mi'kmaq language of Eastern Canada contains phonemes
   and orthographic conventions that map poorly to Morse code's English-
   optimized encoding.  Implementers serving communities that use
   Mi'kmaq or similar Indigenous languages should be aware that Morse
   code representation of these languages will exhibit substantially
   lower information efficiency than for English text.

   The extreme case may be illustrated by the Nipmuc name for a lake in
   Webster, Massachusetts:
   Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.  This 45-letter
   toponym, which translates roughly to "you fish on your side, I fish
   on my side, nobody fishes in the middle", requires 131 Morse code
   elements to transmit.  An optimal variable-length encoding designed
   for Nipmuc letter frequencies could represent this name in
   substantially fewer symbols.  Implementers SHOULD NOT assume that
   Morse code provides efficient encoding for any language other than
   English, and MAY wish to note the source language in the dialog
   metadata to enable appropriate interpretation of transmission
   duration and bandwidth usage.

2.  Conventions and Definitions

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

2.1.  Core Terms

   *Morse Code*: A method of encoding text characters as sequences of
   two signal durations, commonly called dits (short) and dahs (long),
   standardized in [ITU-M1677].

   *Dit*: The fundamental unit of time in Morse code.  Represented as
   "." in text notation.

   *Dah*: A signal element three times the duration of a dit.
   Represented as "-" in text notation.

   *Fist*: The distinctive keying rhythm and timing of an individual
   Morse code operator.  Analogous to a handwriting style, an operator's
   fist may serve as a biometric identifier.

   *Prosign*: A procedural signal composed of two or more letters sent
   without inter-character spacing, used for operational communication.
   Examples include AR (end of message), SK (end of contact), and SOS
   (distress).

   *CW*: Continuous Wave, the radio transmission mode used for Morse
   code communication.

   *Farnsworth Timing*: A method of Morse code transmission where
   individual characters are sent at a higher speed than the overall
   word rate, with extended inter-character and inter-word gaps.  Used
   for training and accessibility purposes.

   *WPM*: Words Per Minute, the standard measure of Morse code
   transmission speed, calibrated using the word "PARIS" as the standard
   word (50 dit-units per word).

   *Keying Data*: The precise timing record of dit and dah elements,
   inter-element gaps, inter-character gaps, and inter-word gaps in a
   Morse code transmission.

3.  vCon Morse Code Extension Definition

3.1.  Extension Classification

   The Morse code extension is a *Compatible Extension* as defined in
   Section 2.5 of [I-D.draft-ietf-vcon-vcon-core].  This extension:

   *  Introduces Morse code dialog encoding without altering existing
      vCon semantics

   *  Can be safely ignored by implementations that do not support Morse
      code processing

   *  Does not require listing in the critical parameter

   *  Maintains backward compatibility with existing vCon
      implementations

3.2.  Extension Registration

   This document defines the "morse_code" extension token for
   registration in the vCon Extensions Names Registry:

   *  *Extension Name*: morse_code

   *  *Extension Description*: Morse code dialog encoding with keying
      timing data, prosign support, and transmission metadata

   *  *Change Controller*: IESG

   *  *Specification Document*: This document

3.3.  Extension Usage

   vCon instances that include Morse code dialog SHOULD include
   "morse_code" in the extensions array:

   json { "uuid": "019605ab-3c7d-7000-8000-abcdef012345", "extensions":
   ["morse_code"], "created_at": "2026-06-28T18:00:00Z", "parties":
   [...], "dialog": [...], "attachments": [...] }

4.  Morse Code Dialog Encoding

4.1.  Dialog Object Parameters

   Morse code conversations are represented as vCon Dialog Objects with
   the following conventions.

4.1.1.  Dialog Type

   Morse code dialog objects MUST use one of the following type values:

   *  *"text"*: For Morse code content represented as decoded text.
      This is the RECOMMENDED type for most use cases.

   *  *"recording"*: For audio recordings of Morse code transmissions
      (e.g., captured CW signals).

4.1.2.  Extension Parameters on Dialog Objects

   The following optional parameters are defined for Dialog Objects
   containing Morse code:

   *  *morse_wpm*: Number.  The transmission speed in Words Per Minute.

   *  *morse_farnsworth_wpm*: Number.  The effective Farnsworth speed,
      if Farnsworth timing is used.  When present, individual characters
      are sent at the rate specified in morse_wpm, with extended spacing
      yielding the effective rate in morse_farnsworth_wpm.

   *  *morse_medium*: String enum.  The physical transmission medium.
      Values defined by this document are:

      -  "telegraph_landline" - Wired telegraph

      -  "radio_cw" - Radio continuous wave transmission

      -  "radio_other" - Other radio modes (e.g., modulated tone)

      -  "optical" - Visual signaling (e.g., signal lamp, heliograph)

      -  "acoustic" - Sound-based signaling (e.g., horn, whistle)

      -  "other" - Any other medium

   *  *morse_frequency_hz*: Number.  The tone frequency in Hertz for CW
      or side-tone, when applicable.

   *  *morse_source_language*: String.  A BCP 47 language tag indicating
      the source language of the text content.  This parameter is
      RECOMMENDED when the content is in a language other than English,
      as it provides context for evaluating transmission efficiency (see
      Section 1.1).

4.2.  Text Encoding Format

   When Morse code dialog is represented as decoded text (dialog type
   "text"), the body field contains the plain text transcription and the
   mediatype SHOULD be "text/plain".

   The decoded text MUST use UTF-8 encoding.  Prosigns SHOULD be
   represented using their conventional meanings (e.g., "SOS" for the
   distress prosign, "AR" for end of message) and MAY be enclosed in
   angle brackets to distinguish them from literal text: <SOS>, <AR>,
   <SK>.

4.3.  Keying Timing Attachment

   The precise keying timing of a Morse code transmission MAY be
   recorded as an attachment.  This data preserves the operator's fist
   characteristics and enables reconstruction of the original
   transmission.

4.3.1.  Attachment Structure

   Keying timing attachments MUST use:

   *  *type*: "morse_keying"

   *  *encoding*: "json"

   *  *mediatype*: "application/json"

   The attachment body is a JSON object with the following structure:

   json { "version": "1.0", "dit_duration_ms": 60, "elements": [
   {"type": "dit", "duration_ms": 58, "gap_ms": 62}, {"type": "dah",
   "duration_ms": 182, "gap_ms": 59}, {"type": "dit", "duration_ms": 61,
   "gap_ms": 180}, {"type": "dah", "duration_ms": 178, "gap_ms": 421} ]
   }

4.3.2.  Element Object Fields

   Each element in the elements array MUST contain:

   *  *type*: String enum.  One of "dit" or "dah".

   *  *duration_ms*: Number.  The duration of the keying element in
      milliseconds.

   *  *gap_ms*: Number.  The duration of the gap following this element
      in milliseconds.  The final element in a transmission MAY omit
      this field.

4.3.3.  Top-Level Fields

   *  *version*: String.  MUST be "1.0" for this specification.

   *  *dit_duration_ms*: Number.  The nominal dit duration in
      milliseconds, establishing the reference timing for the
      transmission.  At 20 WPM, this value is 60 milliseconds.

4.4.  Morse Code Text Notation Attachment

   An alternative lightweight encoding for Morse code MAY be stored as
   an attachment using a text notation format.

   *  *type*: "morse_notation"

   *  *encoding*: "none"

   *  *mediatype*: "text/plain"

   The body contains the Morse code representation using the following
   conventions:

   *  . (period) for dit

   *  - (hyphen) for dah

   *  (single space) between characters

   *  / (forward slash) between words

   *  | (pipe) for prosign boundaries (elements sent without inter-
      character gap)

   Example:

   ... --- ...|... / -.-. --.- -.. / -.. . / - .. - .- -. .. -.-.

   This represents the transmission of the prosign SOS, followed by the
   text "CQD DE TITANIC".

5.  Privacy Considerations for Historical Morse Code Conversations

5.1.  Data Subject Status of Deceased Persons

   Morse code conversations of historical significance frequently
   involve data subjects who are deceased.  The question of whether
   privacy protections extend to deceased persons varies by jurisdiction
   and is not settled by any single regulatory framework.

   Under the GDPR [GDPR], Recital 27 states that the Regulation does not
   apply to the personal data of deceased persons, but notes that Member
   States may provide rules regarding the processing of personal data of
   deceased persons.  Several Member States have enacted such
   provisions.  France, for example, provides for digital death rights
   under the Loi pour une Republique numerique (2016).  Italy extends
   certain data protection rights to deceased persons through the Codice
   in materia di protezione dei dati personali.

   When preserving Morse code conversations from historical events such
   as the RMS Titanic disaster of April 15, 1912, implementers MUST
   consider:

   1.  *Passenger and Crew Data*: The Titanic's wireless communications
       included names of passengers and crew members.  While over a
       century has elapsed, descendants and maritime historical
       societies maintain active interest in these records.  Under the
       regulatory frameworks of certain jurisdictions, these names may
       still constitute personal data warranting protection.

   2.  *Operator Identification*: The Morse code operators involved in
       the Titanic disaster, including Jack Phillips and Harold Bride of
       the Titanic and numerous operators at shore stations and on
       rescue vessels, are identifiable natural persons whose
       professional communications constitute personal data in the form
       of their distinctive keying patterns (fist).

   3.  *Distress Communications*: Messages transmitted under distress
       conditions, including the CQD and SOS signals from the Titanic,
       contain information about the life-threatening circumstances of
       data subjects.  This category of information may require elevated
       privacy protections under vital interests provisions, even when
       the data subjects are deceased.

   Implementations that store historical Morse code conversations SHOULD
   include a lawful basis attachment (as defined in draft-howe-vcon-
   lawful-basis) documenting the basis for processing, with particular
   attention to public interest and historical research justifications.

5.2.  Fist as Biometric Data

   An operator's Morse code fist, the distinctive timing pattern of
   their keying, constitutes biometric data under certain regulatory
   frameworks.  The GDPR classifies biometric data as a special category
   of personal data (Article 9) when processed for the purpose of
   uniquely identifying a natural person.

   The keying timing attachment defined in Section 4.3 preserves fist
   characteristics with sufficient fidelity to enable operator
   identification.  Implementations that store keying timing data MUST
   treat this data as potentially biometric and apply appropriate
   protections.

6.  Security Considerations

6.1.  Integrity of Historical Records

   Morse code conversations preserved for historical or archival
   purposes SHOULD be protected using the vCon signing mechanisms
   defined in [I-D.draft-ietf-vcon-vcon-core].  Tampering with
   historical records, such as altering the content of distress
   transmissions, could have implications for historical scholarship and
   legal proceedings.

6.2.  Keying Timing as Side Channel

   The keying timing attachment preserves information that may serve as
   a side channel for operator identification.  Even when the text
   content of a Morse code dialog is redacted, the timing data may
   enable re-identification of the operator through fist analysis.
   Implementations that redact Morse code vCons SHOULD consider whether
   keying timing data must also be redacted to achieve the desired level
   of anonymization.

6.3.  Replay Considerations

   Morse code transmissions on amateur radio frequencies are inherently
   broadcast and can be received by any station within range.  The vCon
   container adds provenance metadata to these transmissions.
   Implementations MUST ensure that the vCon does not falsely attribute
   a Morse code conversation to parties who were merely receiving a
   broadcast transmission.

7.  Interoperability

7.1.  Character Set Considerations

   International Morse Code [ITU-M1677] defines encodings for the 26
   Latin letters (A-Z), the ten digits (0-9), and a small set of
   punctuation marks and prosigns.  Characters outside this set have no
   standard Morse representation.

   When encoding text that contains characters without Morse
   equivalents, implementations SHOULD:

   1.  Transcribe the text using only characters with defined Morse
       encodings

   2.  Note any transliteration or omission in the dialog metadata

   3.  Record the original text in a separate text dialog object linked
       via the dialog index

   Languages that use the Latin alphabet but require additional
   characters (such as Welsh, which uses the circumflex accent, or
   Mi'kmaq, which uses the bar and acute accents in its Smith-Francis
   orthography) present particular challenges.  The characters 'ŵ' and
   'ê' in Welsh, and 'e'' and 'a'' in Mi'kmaq, have no standard Morse
   code representation [WELSH-ORTHOGRAPHY] [MIKMAQ-ORTHOGRAPHY].

7.2.  Speed and Timing Compatibility

   Implementations MUST support dialog objects with any valid WPM value.
   Common values range from 5 WPM (beginner training speed) to 60 WPM
   (high-speed contest operation), though values outside this range are
   permitted.

   When Farnsworth timing is indicated, implementations MUST interpret
   the morse_wpm value as the character speed and morse_farnsworth_wpm
   as the effective overall speed.  The character speed MUST be greater
   than or equal to the Farnsworth speed.

8.  Example vCon

8.1.  Amateur Radio Field Day Contact

   This example shows a vCon capturing a Morse code contact during ARRL
   Field Day:

   json { "vcon": "0.0.2", "uuid": "019605ab-3c7d-
   7000-8000-abcdef012345", "extensions": ["morse_code"], "created_at":
   "2026-06-28T18:00:00Z", "parties": [ { "name": "K1AUN", "role":
   "calling_station", "meta": { "callsign": "K1AUN", "location":
   "Middletown, RI", "arrl_section": "RI", "category": "2A" } }, {
   "name": "KA1WRL", "role": "responding_station", "meta": { "callsign":
   "KA1WRL", "location": "Newburgh, NY, "arrl_section": "NY",
   "category": "1A" } } ], "dialog": [ { "type": "text", "start":
   "2026-06-28T18:30:00Z", "duration": 45.0, "parties": [0, 1],
   "mediatype": "text/plain", "encoding": "none", "body": "CQ FD CQ FD
   DE W1AW W1AW K\nW1AW DE K1TTT K1TTT 1A WMA\nK1TTT DE W1AW R 2A CT
   73\nW1AW DE K1TTT R 73 SK", "morse_wpm": 20, "morse_medium":
   "radio_cw", "morse_frequency_hz": 600, "morse_source_language": "en"
   } ], "analysis": [], "attachments": [] }

8.2.  Historical Maritime Distress Communication

   This example illustrates how a historically significant Morse code
   conversation might be preserved.  Note the inclusion of privacy-
   relevant metadata:

   json { "vcon": "0.0.2", "uuid": "019605ab-4e8f-
   7000-8000-191204150000", "extensions": ["morse_code"], "created_at":
   "1912-04-15T00:45:00Z", "redacted": { "uuid": "019605ab-4e8f-
   7000-8000-191204150001", "timestamp": "2026-01-15T00:00:00Z",
   "reason": "historical_privacy_review" }, "parties": [ { "name": "RMS
   Titanic (MGY)", "role": "distress_station", "meta": { "callsign":
   "MGY", "vessel": "RMS Titanic", "position": "41.46N 50.14W" } }, {
   "name": "RMS Carpathia (MPA)", "role": "responding_station", "meta":
   { "callsign": "MPA", "vessel": "RMS Carpathia" } } ], "dialog": [ {
   "type": "text", "start": "1912-04-15T00:45:00Z", "duration": 120.0,
   "parties": [0, 1], "mediatype": "text/plain", "encoding": "none",
   "body": "<CQD> <CQD> <SOS> DE MGY MGY POSITION 41.46 N 50.14 W
   REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE COME AT ONCE WE HAVE STRUCK ICEBERG
   SINKING", "morse_wpm": 25, "morse_medium": "radio_cw",
   "morse_source_language": "en" } ], "analysis": [ { "type":
   "historical_note", "dialog": 0, "vendor":
   "maritime_historical_society", "encoding": "json", "body": { "note":
   "This vCon represents a reconstruction of wireless telegraphy
   transmissions from the RMS Titanic on the night of April 14-15, 1912.
   The original transmissions were made by wireless operators Jack
   Phillips and Harold Bride.  Content is derived from testimony given
   at the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry.", "source": "British
   Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912", "data_subject_status":
   "deceased", "historical_significance": "The Titanic disaster led
   directly to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at
   Sea (SOLAS) and mandatory wireless watch requirements for passenger
   vessels." } } ], "attachments": [] }

8.3.  Information Efficiency Comparison

   This non-normative example illustrates the encoding efficiency
   disparity discussed in Section 1.1 by showing the Morse code element
   count for equivalent-length words in different languages:

    +========+======================+============+========+===========+
    |Language| Word                 | Characters |Morse   | Elements/ |
    |        |                      |            |Elements| Char      |
    +========+======================+============+========+===========+
    |English | "the"                | 3          |6       | 2.00      |
    +--------+----------------------+------------+--------+-----------+
    |English | "station"            | 7          |14      | 2.00      |
    +--------+----------------------+------------+--------+-----------+
    |Welsh   | "llanfair"           | 8          |23      | 2.88      |
    +--------+----------------------+------------+--------+-----------+
    |Welsh   | "gwyllwch"           | 8          |29      | 3.63      |
    +--------+----------------------+------------+--------+-----------+
    |Mi'kmaq | "kiju'lkwejk"        | 10         |30      | 3.00      |
    +--------+----------------------+------------+--------+-----------+
    |Nipmuc  | "chaubunagungamaugg" | 18         |48      | 2.67      |
    +--------+----------------------+------------+--------+-----------+

                                  Table 1

   The table demonstrates that Morse code achieves its best efficiency
   for common English words, where the Shannon-optimal properties of the
   encoding are most apparent.  For Welsh and Mi'kmaq text, the encoding
   overhead increases measurably, confirming the theoretical prediction
   that a code optimized for one language's symbol frequencies will be
   suboptimal for another.

9.  References

9.1.  Normative References

   [I-D.draft-ietf-vcon-vcon-core]
              Petrie, D. G., "The JSON format for vCon - Conversation
              Data Container", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-
              ietf-vcon-vcon-core-02, January 2026,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-vcon-vcon-
              core/>.

   [ITU-M1677]
              International Telecommunication Union, "International
              Morse code", 2009,
              <https://www.itu.int/rec/R-REC-M.1677-1-200910-I/>.

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8174>.

9.2.  Informative References

   [ARRL-FIELD-DAY]
              American Radio Relay League, "ARRL Field Day", 2025,
              <https://www.arrl.org/field-day>.

   [GDPR]     European Union, "General Data Protection Regulation",
              2018, <https://gdpr.eu/>.

   [HUFFMAN1952]
              Huffman, D. A., "A Method for the Construction of Minimum-
              Redundancy Codes", Proceedings of the IRE 40(9):1098-1101,
              September 1952.

   [MIKMAQ-ORTHOGRAPHY]
              Mi'kmaq Online, "Mi'kmaq Hieroglyphic Writing and
              Orthography", 2023, <https://mikmaqonline.org/>.

   [MORSE1838]
              Morse, S. F. B., "Improvement in the mode of communicating
              information by signals by the application of electro-
              magnetism", US Patent 1,647, 1840.

   [SHANNON1948]
              Shannon, C. E., "A Mathematical Theory of Communication",
              July 1948,
              <https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/home/text/others/
              shannon/entropy/entropy.pdf>.

   [TITANIC-INQUIRY]
              British Board of Trade, "British Wreck Commissioner's
              Inquiry into the Loss of the Titanic", 1912,
              <https://www.titanicinquiry.org/>.

   [VAIL1844] Silverman, K., "Alfred Vail and the Invention of the Morse
              Telegraph Code", 2003.

   [WELSH-ORTHOGRAPHY]
              Welsh Language Commissioner, "Welsh Orthography and the
              Frequency of Welsh Letters", 2020,
              <https://www.welsh-academy.org/>.

Appendix A.  IANA Considerations

A.1.  vCon Extensions Names Registry

   This document requests IANA to register the following extension in
   the vCon Extensions Names Registry established by
   [I-D.draft-ietf-vcon-vcon-core]:

   *  *Extension Name*: morse_code

   *  *Extension Description*: Morse code dialog encoding with keying
      timing data, prosign support, and transmission metadata for the
      vCon conversation container

   *  *Change Controller*: IESG

   *  *Specification Document(s)*: RFC XXXX

A.2.  Dialog Object Parameter Names Registry

   This document requests IANA to register the following parameters in
   the Dialog Object Parameter Names Registry:

    +=======================+==============+==========+===============+
    | Parameter Name        | Parameter    |Change    | Specification |
    |                       | Description  |Controller| Document(s)   |
    +=======================+==============+==========+===============+
    | morse_wpm             | Morse code   |IESG      | RFC XXXX,     |
    |                       | transmission |          | Section 4.1   |
    |                       | speed in WPM |          |               |
    +-----------------------+--------------+----------+---------------+
    | morse_farnsworth_wpm  | Farnsworth   |IESG      | RFC XXXX,     |
    |                       | effective    |          | Section 4.1   |
    |                       | speed in WPM |          |               |
    +-----------------------+--------------+----------+---------------+
    | morse_medium          | Physical     |IESG      | RFC XXXX,     |
    |                       | transmission |          | Section 4.1   |
    |                       | medium       |          |               |
    +-----------------------+--------------+----------+---------------+
    | morse_frequency_hz    | CW tone      |IESG      | RFC XXXX,     |
    |                       | frequency in |          | Section 4.1   |
    |                       | Hertz        |          |               |
    +-----------------------+--------------+----------+---------------+
    | morse_source_language | BCP 47       |IESG      | RFC XXXX,     |
    |                       | language tag |          | Section 4.1   |
    |                       | for source   |          |               |
    |                       | text         |          |               |
    +-----------------------+--------------+----------+---------------+

                                  Table 2

A.3.  Attachment Type Values

   This document defines the following attachment type values:

       +================+=========================================+
       | Type Value     | Description                             |
       +================+=========================================+
       | morse_keying   | Morse code keying timing data           |
       +----------------+-----------------------------------------+
       | morse_notation | Morse code text notation representation |
       +----------------+-----------------------------------------+

                                 Table 3

A.4.  Morse Code Medium Values Registry

   This document requests IANA to establish a new registry for Morse
   code medium values with the following initial registrations:

        +====================+====================================+
        | Medium Value       | Description                        |
        +====================+====================================+
        | telegraph_landline | Wired telegraph                    |
        +--------------------+------------------------------------+
        | radio_cw           | Radio continuous wave transmission |
        +--------------------+------------------------------------+
        | radio_other        | Other radio modes                  |
        +--------------------+------------------------------------+
        | optical            | Visual signaling                   |
        +--------------------+------------------------------------+
        | acoustic           | Sound-based signaling              |
        +--------------------+------------------------------------+
        | other              | Any other medium                   |
        +--------------------+------------------------------------+

                                  Table 4

   Registration Template:

   *Medium Value*: The string value used as the medium identifier

   *Description*: Brief description of the transmission medium

   *Change Controller*: For Standards Track RFCs, list "IESG".  For
   others, give the name of the responsible party.

   *Specification Document(s)*: Reference to defining documents with
   URIs where available

Appendix B.  Full International Morse Code Table

   For reference, the complete International Morse Code encoding as
   standardized in [ITU-M1677]:

B.1.  Letters

                     +===========+=======+==========+
                     | Character | Morse | Elements |
                     +===========+=======+==========+
                     | A         | .-    | 2        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | B         | -...  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | C         | -.-.  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | D         | -..   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | E         | .     | 1        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | F         | ..-.  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | G         | --.   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | H         | ....  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | I         | ..    | 2        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | J         | .---  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | K         | -.-   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | L         | .-..  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | M         | --    | 2        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | N         | -.    | 2        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | O         | ---   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | P         | .--.  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | Q         | --.-  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | R         | .-.   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | S         | ...   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | T         | -     | 1        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | U         | ..-   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | V         | ...-  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | W         | .--   | 3        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | X         | -..-  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | Y         | -.--  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | Z         | --..  | 4        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+

                                 Table 5

B.2.  Digits

                     +===========+=======+==========+
                     | Character | Morse | Elements |
                     +===========+=======+==========+
                     | 0         | ----- | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 1         | .---- | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 2         | ..--- | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 3         | ...-- | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 4         | ....- | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 5         | ..... | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 6         | -.... | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 7         | --... | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 8         | ---.. | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+
                     | 9         | ----. | 5        |
                     +-----------+-------+----------+

                                 Table 6

B.3.  Common Prosigns

          +=========+===========+==============================+
          | Prosign | Morse     | Meaning                      |
          +=========+===========+==============================+
          | AR      | .-.-.     | End of message               |
          +---------+-----------+------------------------------+
          | AS      | .-...     | Wait                         |
          +---------+-----------+------------------------------+
          | BT      | -...-     | Break / New paragraph        |
          +---------+-----------+------------------------------+
          | CL      | -.-..-..  | Closing station              |
          +---------+-----------+------------------------------+
          | SK      | ...-.-    | End of contact               |
          +---------+-----------+------------------------------+
          | SOS     | ...---... | Distress                     |
          +---------+-----------+------------------------------+
          | KN      | -.--.     | Go ahead, named station only |
          +---------+-----------+------------------------------+

                                 Table 7

Appendix C.  Acknowledgements

   *  The amateur radio community, whose continued use of Morse code
      provides the primary motivation for this extension.  Their
      dedication to preserving CW operation ensures that this
      communication mode remains vibrant nearly two centuries after its
      invention.  In reality, no nerds are nerdier than you.

   *  The memory of Jack Phillips, senior wireless operator aboard RMS
      Titanic, who remained at his post transmitting distress signals
      until the ship's power failed, and of all those who perished in
      the disaster.  Not only do their communications serve as a solemn
      reminder that conversation data, however encoded, records human
      experience, but emphasizes and confirms that in conversations our
      lives, opinions and very existence become real.

   *  Alfred Vail, whose underappreciated contribution to the
      development of the Morse code encoding deserves recognition.  His
      empirical study of English letter frequencies at the Morristown
      newspaper office constituted an early and remarkably effective
      exercise in source coding optimization.  When people claim that
      others over complicate a problem, I think of both Alfred Vail and
      Évariste Galois, and think those people might have a point.

   *  Claude Shannon, whose formalization of information theory provided
      the mathematical framework for understanding why Morse code works
      as well as it does for English, and why it works less well for
      Welsh.  In a chess match between Shannon and Einstein, my bets
      land on Shannon; I am assured he would be naturally more efficient
      in his movements.

   *  K1AUN ("K1 Awful Ugly Nut"), for the phone patch in the car, the
      dipole in the backyard, the key strapped to your leg as we drove
      over the Newport bridge, marrying my mother, and for embodying a
      decent and friendly man - Thank you, Dad. And to K1AUO, who took
      the license examination at the same time, presumably on a dare,
      and never transmitted a single dit - but earned the callsign
      nonetheless.  Best hacker I ever knew.  Thank you, Mom. 88, your
      son, KA1JYL.

      -.- .---- .- ..- -.  --..-- ..-. --- .-.  - .... .  .--. .... ---
      -. . .--. .- - -.-. ....  .. -.  - .... . -.-. .- .-.  --..-- ..-.
      --- .-. - .... . -.. .. .--. --- .-.. .  .. -.  - .... . -... .-
      -.-. -.- -.-- .- .-. -..  --..-- ..-. --- .-.  -- .- .-. .-. -.--
      .. -. --. -- -.-- -- --- - .... . .-.  --..-- -.- .---- .- ..- ---
      --..-- .- -. -..  ..-. --- .-. . -- -... --- -.. -.-- .. -. --. -
      .... .  ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-- -- .- -.  --..-- - .... .-
      -. -.- -.-- --- ..- -.. .- -..  .-.-.- --... ---..  --..-- ---..
      ---..  .-.-.- -.- .- .---- .--- -.-- .-..  .-.-.-.

Author's Address

   Thomas McCarthy-Howe
   VCONIC
   Email: ghostofbasho@gmail.com
