Doug wrote:
Dont use "active" at all. Here is why. A pilot approaches the pattern.
He turns his radio on. If all he hears is the other pilots are using
the "active", he doesn't know which runway is in use. And he doesn't
have to ask, if the pilots say the runway number instead of "active".


Precisely my point.

Even controllers usually don't use "taxi to the active", we're told
"taxi to runway 2"