  We present preliminary results of BeppoSAX AO1 observations of 3C 273
performed in January 1997. We also present a close comparison with data
obtained during the satellite SVP, in July 1996. On average, the AO1 flux is
about a factor 2 higher than the flux detected during the SVP, and roughly on
the middle of the historical X-ray flux range. Power law fits with galactic
absorption to all observations yield spectral indices in the range 1.53-1.6,
with the spectrum extending from 0.2 to at least up to 200 keV without any
significant slope change. The broad band spectrum appears basically
featureless, marking a clear difference from the SVP data, where an absorption
feature at low energy and a fluorescence iron emission line are present. The
lack of cold/warm matter signatures in our data may indicate that, at this
"high" level of luminosity, the featureless continuum produced in a
relativistic jet overwhelms any thermal and/or reprocessing component, while
the two components were at least comparable during the "low" state of July
1996.
