To Do

MorseMR software tasks for Les to take care of:

  • Improve Escape key toggling. The Escape key should determine the current state of the wire before deciding which state to toggle to.
  • Queue webgrams for transmission. Right now, if two webgrams are submitted simultaneously (or nearly so) they will collide and interfere with each other. Also, at present webgrams can disrupt live operator station-to-station communications.
  • Implement a webgram security mechanism. The current webgram mechanism is open to misuse. We probably need a PIN code or something similar that could be changed if anyone starts abusing the system.
  • Fix audio latency. There's a slight lag between sending on the key and what's heard locally through the speakers. This makes it difficult to send good Morse without a sounder.
  • Limit type-ahead. If someone types a lot of gibberish on the keyboard, it takes a while for the program to catch up.
  • Implement "semiprivate wire" feature. Allow users without the private wire PIN code to listen to transmissions (but not transmit).

Done:

  • Fixed double letter decoding problem. (2014-09-25)
  • Word wrap. Fixed the bug which caused the decoder to start a new line after every word sent by keyboard. (2014-02-22)
  • Improve the Morse decoding algorithm. Made changes to more reliably decode Morse sent on a hand key, especially at slower speeds. (2014-02-10)
  • Log webgrams.Email copies of all webgrams to Kevin and Les. (2014-02-08)
  • Use a different telegram form. Formatted a period-correct Western Union header created by Kevin as a transparent PNG image. (2014-02-05)
  • Use a serif font. Allow the font name and font size can be specified in the config file. (2014-02-04)
  • Create MorseMR software documentation. Added web pages for an overview of the MorseMR software, installation instructions, operating instructions, and a "frequently asked questions" list. (2014-02-02)
  • Add a standalone mode. Allows the program to be run without connecting to the wire. This gives users a way of trying their hand at sending Morse on the key without disrupting other offices on the wire. (2014-01-25)
  • Suppress sending a circuit close packet on program startup. This used to interrupt the news feed and possibly interfere with other transmissions. (2014-01-25)
  • Flag missing packets. Dropped packets are indicated by inserting a line break in the displayed text as a sign that something may be missing. (2014-01-23)
  • Edit the webgram PDF document. Minor wording changes. (2014-01-22)
  • Change the behavior of the Escape key. Use the Esc key to toggle the state of the circuit from open to closed and vice versa (the way it works in MorseKOB 2.5). This is much more convenient than typing ~ to open and + to close. Ctrl-Q is now used to quit the program. (2014-01-21)
  • Create SysCheck.py. This is a simple utility program to display Python, pygame, pySerial, and morsekob version numbers and the names of available serial ports. It is useful for configuring and troubleshooting MorseMR installations. (2014-01-21)