Today, amateurs use it more in the manner that James Reid had intended that it be used -a "friendly word between operators." "Best regards" has remained ever since as the "put-it-down-in-black-and-white" meaning of 73 but it has acquired overtones of much warmer meaning.
RVN5194 HAM RADIO MANUAL
Edison's Telegraphy Self-Taught shows a return to "accept my compliments." By 1908, however, a later edition of the Dodge Manual gives us today's definition of "best regards" with a backward look at the older meaning in another part of the work where it also lists it as "compliments." Dodge's The Telegraph Instructor shows it merely as "compliments." The Twentieth Century Manual of Railway and Commercial Telegraphy defines it two ways, one listing as "my compliments to you " but in the glossary of abbreviations it is merely "compliments." Theodore A.
RVN5194 HAM RADIO MANUALS
Over the years from 1859 to 1900, the many manuals of telegraphy show variations of this meaning. Here, in the 92 Code, 73 changes from a fraternal sign to a very flowery "accept my compliments," which was in keeping with the florid language of that era.
A list of numerals from one to 92 was compiled to indicate a series of prepared phrases for use by the operators on the wires. In 1859, the Western Union Company set up the standard "92 Code". Here, 73 was a greeting, a friendly "word" between operators and it was so used on all wires. In the National Telegraph Convention, the numeral was changed from the Valentine-type sentiment to a vague sign of fraternalism. Curiously enough, some of the other numerals then used have the same definition now that they had then, but within a short time, the use of 73 began to change. At that time, 73 meant "My love to you!" Succeeding issues of this publication continued to use this definition of the term. The first authentic use of 73 is in the publication The National Telegraph Review and Operators' Guide, first published in April 1857. But there are no data to prove that any of these were used. It is found in some of the earliest editions of the numerical codes, each with a different definition, but each with the same idea in mind-it indicated that the end, or signature, was coming up. The traditional expression "73" goes right back to the beginning of the landline telegraph days.
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