Re: Major Corrections to 5-level code Extension Scheme

From: Terry (r2000swler@hotmail.com)
Date: 03/30/03 

From: r2000swler@hotmail.com (Terry)
Date: 29 Mar 2003 16:29:03 -0800

jsavard@ecn.ab.ca () wrote in message news:<sNmha.3711$qn.438110@localhost>...
> After recent clarifications to my web page at
>
> http://home.ecn.ab.ca/~jsavard/crypto/mi6133.htm
>
> I realized that one thing that remained to be explained clearly was how to
> parse the sequences of multiple shift codes that I was using in my scheme
> which attempted to represent a large group of characters - even a gamut as
> large as that of UNICODE - within 5-level code.
>
> This wasn't a sort of UTF-5, however, since it wasn't based on UNICODE,
> but instead required individual languages to be separately adapted to
> 5-level code for the maximum bandwidth efficiency.
>
> In doing this, anyways, I found I had made some errors: I had to change
> some of the sequences (but less-used ones!) (as if one can use the term
> "less-used" about something that has yet to be implemented anywhere) so
> that I could propose a simple and unambiguous decoding rule... also, I
> found that I had left the notion of a superfluous FIGS code dangling
> about.
>
> My page, therefore, is now corrected and updated. I hope it is now
> understandable enough so that, although 5-level code hardly seems like the
> vehicle to employ for a large character gamut, with 8-bit codes so widely
> available, that I really have proposed something which would, in the same
> way that Recommendation S.2 had, allow 5-level links when required because
> of bandwidth limitations to have a bit more life and versatility.
>
> John Savard

Is there much interest in 5-level codes today?
I had a Westeren Union "Gumming Label" teletype unit years ago.
It was great fun in the early 1970s to print press stories.
But, except for the ARRL RTTY/ASCII broadcasts, and a few
hams, I haven't heard any 5-level signals in over 15 years.
I did just remembmer KAWN? Elk Creek USAF weather broadcasts
several years ago. There is so little FSK that I have placed my
MFJ1278 multimode TNC in storage.

Terry