The Baudot code has been the most common telegraph code used as a result of the widespread use of teleprinter, its place now being gradually taken over by ASCII.

Baudot is internationally approved as CCITT alphabet ITA-2, but several national modifications to ITA-2 exist as do completely different character assignments, e.g., Arabic alphabets Bagdad-70 and ATU-80, Russian M2, and alphabets using a third shift to accommodate the shift between Latin and another character set.

Baudot is the basis for many codes in use on radio circuits due to the need for easy compatibility with teleprinter networks and equipment.

For the BAUDOT the Auto option starts the process of automatically setting up the demodulator and determining the baud rate and signal polarity.

The Baudrate item in the Demodulator menu allows a manual start of signal decoding with polarity determination remaining automatic. The user may also enter a baud rate of his choice. Setting the demodulator up for correct shift and center frequency must also be done manually via the Demodulator menu.

In the case of a manual start, the polarity is also determined and the signal is tested for a valid asynchronous data format. If valid parameters are detected, the output of text is started. Even in the case of a break in the received signal, the software does not attempt automatic synchronization. This prevents the premature termination of data capturing in the presence of transient interference to the signal.

The Auto mode will automatically cause a return to synchronization if lengthy periods of signal loss are experienced or a pre-defined error rate exceeded.

A Baudot code word consists of a start bit, 5 data bits and 1, 1.5 or 2 stop bits giving each character a length of 7, 7.5 or 8 bits. Baudot is an asynchronous code in which synchronization is performed for each character by the start and stop bits.

Baudot transmissions may be rendered unreadable by inverting one or several data bits. Using the Bit Inversion item in the Options menu any of the 32-bit inversion patterns may be pre-selected.

Isochronous or synchronous Baudot uses 7 bits and is especially used for on-line crypto systems.