1. Overview
"73" is a professional term used in amateur radio communication to express well wishes to the other party. Sending a heartfelt message before the end of the communication is both a courtesy and a symbol of the spirit and good qualities of HAM (amateur radio) enthusiasts. The meaning itself is "to send you my best wishes."
2 Origin
The first recorded use of the code "73" was in the April 1, 1857 edition of *The National Telegraphic Review and Operators' Guide*. At this time, "73" meant "My love to you"! Subsequent editions of the book continued to use this definition. Many telegraph codes from the 19th century are still in use today, but curiously, the use of "73" began to change relatively quickly. In the Telegraph Convention, this code evolved from a romantic expression into a general signal of friendliness. Here, "73" was used as a greeting, a friendly phrase between telegraph operators that could be used on any telegraph.
In 1859, Western Union established a standard called "92 Code". This involved editing a series of common phrases and representing them with numbers from 1 to 92 for use by telegraph operators when sending and receiving messages. In the "92 Code", "73" evolved from a signal of friendliness into the widely used phrase "accept my compliments," which was also a common modifier at the time. From 1859 to 1900, numerous telegraph manuals showed how its meaning had evolved. Dodge's *The Telegraph Instructor* simply described it as "compliments." In *Twentieth Century Manual of Railway and Commercial Telegraphy*, it had two definitions: "my compliments to you"; but in the abridged dictionary, it was only "compliments". Theodore A. Edison's *Telegraphy Self-Taught* also referred to it as "accept my compliments." By 1908, a definition for what we now know as "best regards" finally appeared in a later edition of Dodge's manual, while the earlier meaning of "compliments" could still be found in other parts of the book.
From this point forward, "best regards" has always been understood as the equivalent of James Reid's original phrase, but it also carries a more friendly and personal meaning. Today, amateur radio enthusiasts still use it as a way for operators to express friendliness and goodwill.
3. Usage
Before the current communication process ends, "73" means to "convey a heartfelt blessing to the other party." Since "73" should be an action, everyone doesn't need to repeatedly say "73" when using it; simply saying "73" will convey the message clearly, quickly, and efficiently.
4 Methods of Reading
Regarding pronunciation, the "73" has consistently had two tendencies: "seventy-three" and "seven three." To facilitate communication, let's take the example of using Chinese: "七十三" and "七三". The reason for pronouncing "seventy-three" is that the number 73 was used in the "92 code" from 1859 to represent this meaning. From 1 to 92, there are 92 consecutive numbers, with no concept of tens or units, so they were read as "seventy-three". The reason for pronouncing "seven three" is that the encoding of "seven" and "three" was sent in Morse code, so it was read as "seven three". After researching, I found that neither pronunciation has been officially defined by a reputable authority. I personally prefer the first pronunciation because the "92 code" was the first to standardize the use of codes in Morse code, and there is no way to distinguish between the number of digits sent in Morse code. Both "seven three" and "seventy-three" send the same Morse code. However, whether it's "seven three" or "seventy-three", as long as the recipient understands, it doesn't matter. What do you think?
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