Origin of 73

[ed sharpe]

Phillips who?
there was a famous radio operator by that name.....


ed
----- Original Message -----
From: Glen E. Zook <gzook at HOME.COM>
To: <BOATANCHORS at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2001 4:52 PM
Subject: Origin of 73


> Many amateurs already know that "73" is from what is known as the
> "Phillips Code", a series of numeric messages conceived for the purpose
> of cutting down transmission time on the old land telegraph systems when
> sending text that is basically the same.
>
> In the April 1935 issue of QST on page 60 there is a short article on
> the origin of 73.  This article was a summation of another article that
> appeared in the "December Bulletin from the Navy Department Office of
> the Chief of Naval Operations".  That would be December of 1934.
>
> The quotation from the Navy is as follows:  "It appears from a research
> of telegraph histories that in 1859 the telegraph people held a
> convention, and one of its features was a discussion as to the saving of
> 'line time'.  A committee was appointed to devise a code to reduce
> standard expressions to symbols or figures.  This committee worked out a
> figure code, from figure 1 to 92.  Most of these figure symbols became
> obsolescent, but a few remain to this date, such as 4, which means
> "Where shall I go ahead?'.  Figure 9 means 'wire', the wire chief being
> on the wire and that everyone should close their keys.  Symbol 13 means
> 'I don't understand'; 22 is 'love and a kiss'; 30 means 'good night' or
> 'the end'.  The symbol most often used now is 73, which means 'my
> compliments' and 92 is for the word 'deliver.'  The other figures in
> between the forgoing have fallen into almost complete disuse."
>
> One of the chief telegraphers of the Navy Department of Communications,
> a J. L. Bishop, quoted from memory the signals that were in effect in
> 1905:
>
> 1  Wait a minute
> 4  Where shall I start in message?
> 5  Have you anything for me?
> 9  Attention or clear the wire
> 13 I do not understand
> 22 Love and kisses
> 25 Busy on another circuit
> 30 Finsihed, the end-used mainly by press telegraphers
> 73 My compliments, or Best Regards
> 92 Deliver
>
> Now days, 22 has become 88 (love and kisses).  I don't know when this
> came about.  30 is still used in the newspaper and magazine business to
> indicate the end of a feature, story, or column.  And, of course, 73 is
> still used by amateur radio operators to mean "best regards".
>
> Making any of these numbers plural (73s, 88s, etc.) is incorrect since
> they are alread plural.  73s would mean best regardses and 88s would
> mean love and kisseses.  Those make no sense.
>
> Anyway, the subject of where 73 came from comes up periodically and this
> article reinforces the "Phillips Code" origin.
>
> Glen, K9STH
>
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