Dick Maitland Morse Code Sound

This is a rare sound likely created by Dick Maitland that was often used for news report segments in Sesame Street.

This recording replicates a short manually keyed Morse code transmission sent over a telegraph or continuous-wave (CW) radio circuit. The message consists of a brief sequence of letters beginning with an authentic procedural signal, followed by a series of simple characters that do not form recognizable words or standard operating abbreviations. The individual groups can be interpreted as follows:

  • BT: A genuine international Morse prosign (-...-) meaning "Break." In radiotelegraphy, BT is used to separate sections of a message, divide headings from the body, or indicate a pause between related portions of a transmission. It is one of the most common procedural signals heard in authentic Morse traffic.
  • STEETANTSTE: The remainder of the transmission consists of a continuous letter group composed primarily of S, T, E, A, and N. Although fragments such as "STE" and "ANT" resemble English letter combinations, the sequence does not correspond to any recognized telegraph abbreviation, Q-code, prosign, or intelligible message. Its structure instead resembles a practice exercise or an intentionally fabricated code group.

Taken as a whole, the transmission closely resembles the opening of a Morse message beginning with the authentic BT separator before continuing into a sequence of non-meaningful character groups. The use of BT lends the recording an air of genuine radiotelegraph procedure, while the remaining letters appear to have been composed primarily to reproduce the rhythm and cadence of Morse keying rather than to convey operational information. The result is an effective generic telegraph sound suitable for period dramas, military communications, railway telegraph offices, or vintage radio scenes.

Used In

TV Shows

  • Sesame Street (Heard in the "Sesame Street News Flash" and "Monster on the Spot" intros.)

YouTube Videos

  • Zak Wolf (Heard in some "Sesame Street News Flash" parodies.)

Image Gallery

Audio Samples