Morse Code was once used in
communications, but even the Coast Guard does not listen for it any more. Voice radio, satellite phone and such have outdated Morse. (So why are we listening to Dave's "chatter"?

)
The coming season is '2010', which happens to be the title of a book/movie pinned by Arther C. Clarke. Clarke was the first person to propose
communication satellites back in the late 1940's.
We will be getting a small laptop for the driver's station this year to get more feedback from the robot. Could it be that the only thing Dave it hinting at, if anything, is that
communications will be important this year?