[Elecraft] What does 72 mean

Tue Sep 17 11:53:00 2002

Maybe 72 could be used by retired persons as I feel like I'm on a
permanent "holiday season" since I retired in January...  ;-))

..72/73 - Bruce (VE5RC+VE5QRP) QRP-C#1  QRP-L#886  ARCI#9683  Zombie#272
            A-1 Operator Club - 10/10# 944 - QRP Borg#1  - Whiner#10 -
            - VE5QRP SOC#11 - VE5RC SOC#12 - oo#148 - K2#2032 - COG#15 -
          "QRP! How sweet it is!"        "I am da man wit "DAH" paddle!"

On Mon, 16 Sep 2002, Helmut Usbeck wrote:

> 72 in the radiogram code, which was bases on the land telegraph code
> means "wishing you and yours the best this holiday season"
>
> --Helm.  WB2ADT
>
> Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
> >
> > > ...guess I'm just a traditionalist.
> >
> >    then maybe 73/2 would appeal more to you?
> >
> >    73(/2), Eddi ._._.
> >
> > I don't have any quarrel with anyone who says "72". I take it as a QRP
> > equivalent of 73. I'm not criticizing that choice at all. I only said
> > that I don't use it because I enjoy the authentic connection to our
> > roots. These numbers come from the standards set up for handling
> > messages back in the railroad telegraph and Western Union days. I
> > believe it was known as the '92 code' and assigned meanings to the
> > numbers from 1 to 92, much like the "Q" codes we use today.
> >
> > As for doing something different now, I can't recall a QRP QSO in which
> > our rigs and power levels weren't discussed, so what's the point?
> >
> > If that should happen, it was because there was something more important
> > to discuss was at hand. So why the distraction?
> >
> > I do sign /QRP when calling running 5 watts or less. That's to alert
> > other stations who may be looking for QRP contacts. And that's in
> > accordance with very long-standing practice started by the FCC decades
> > ago and something the FCC currently recommends American hams use as
> > needed to designate any unusual status of the station.
> >
> > If enough operators use "72" long enough, it will eventually become
> > incorporated into usage no doubt. Like another of the old number codes,
> > "30" that means "End of Message" . 30 in landline Morse was sent as
> > di-di-di-dah-dit, daaaaah. (The long dash was a zero as those of us who
> > use manual keys are still apt to send it). Over time it started being
> > sent as di-di-di-dah-di-dah which is usually written as the prosign SK
> > today and used by Hams world wide to signify "End of Message".
> >
> > Something similar may happen to 73 due to the use of 72 nowadays. I'll
> > leave that for future generations to sort out.
> >
> > With that I'll go "21" (stop and eat) for now. It's lunch time.
> >
> > Ron AC7AC
> > K2 # 1289
> >
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