Morse Code Image Decoder
Some searchers photograph a blinking light or screenshot a visual Morse app. This page samples brightness along one scan line and guesses dot/dash lengths. It is a teaching aid, not a replacement for a trained operator or a proper audio decoder. For microphone and WAV files, use the Morse code decoder.
Decode flashing light from an image
Upload a still frame or short strip where Morse was sent as light on/off (for example a screenshot of a blinking LED). The scan runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded to a server. Works best on high-contrast black/white flashes — not handwriting or audio spectrograms.
When an image decoder helps
Maritime lights, emergency beacons, and DIY LED projects sometimes send International Morse as on/off light. A single crisp frame can show whether the sender used short and long pulses. If you have a video, export a frame at the brightest flash or use the audio track with the in-browser audio decoder instead.
Limits
Camera exposure smears short dots. Colored backgrounds break the threshold. The tool does not read letters printed as dots and dashes — use the translator for typed Morse. Timing ratios follow ITU-R M.1677-1 when you verify results by ear.
Practice path
Learn characters with the alphabet chart, drill Koch lessons on the Koch method hub, and test copy speed in the quiz. Amateur operators often train with live CW on receivers; the ARRL lists licensing steps if you want on-air practice legally.
Workflow tips
Crop screenshots to a single row of flashes before upload. Increase contrast in an editor if the scan line looks flat. For repeating beacons, capture multiple frames and compare whether dot length stays stable — inconsistent timing usually means the heuristic will guess wrong. Always cross-check decoded strings with ear training via the translator Play button.