[ARC5] R-10 in the receivers.

[Bruce Long via ARC5]

Having criminals do tech writing seems implausible to me.  However if you replace the word "criminal" with conscientious objector or similar formulation, the story is quite a bit more believable.

In general in my opinion good tech writing is both difficult and unrewarding.  For that reason tech documentation seems to be generally poor and sometimes just plan wrong.  I've worked hard over my engineering career to develop acceptable technical writing skills with some success but I still find it difficult and something I only do when I have to.


I have seen situations where equipment designers are essentially forced to sit down and write something which is then "cleaned up" and extended by an experienced writer who might well have no technical background.  Indeed at work I am falling behind on a large load of technical writing assignments and it has been suggested I do just that, slap something on paper and let a professional clean it up.

kj3z




________________________________
 From: Brian Clarke <brianclarke01 at optusnet.com.au>
To: ARC5 at mailman.qth.net; 'Mike Morrow' <kk5f at arrl.net>; don davis <dxguy at earthlink.net> 
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 7:09 AM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] R-10 in the receivers.
 

I am unwilling to name my source. I have signed the Official Secrets Act.
73 de Brian, VK2GCE

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 9:00 PM, you said:


Do you have a source or citation for prisoners being used for tech writing? 
I did a lot of it in the AF in 60's and 70's, and was frequently over 
worked.  I may have felt like a prisoner...

73 de don ad6pb

-----Original Message-----
From: ARC5 [mailto:arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Brian Clarke
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:13 AM
To: Mike Morrow; ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [ARC5] R-10 in the receivers.

Be very careful about accepting explanations in military technical manuals. 
During war conditions, able-bodied and intelligent people were occupied in 
designing, making and using this stuff. Very few had time to write 
explanations. The writing of explanations was often given to prisoners, for 
whom high-level education in physics and electronics would have been 
unlikely. I have found many explanations that read well, but in terms of 
demonstrating electronics knowledge, were pure, arrant nonsense. This 
explanation falls very near that category. The problem is that a small part 
of it is probably correct -

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