[Yaesu] Operator's manuals today

Mon, 1 Mar 2004 16:32:38 -0800

I think the manual that started this trend ... at least one of them ... was
ICOM's IC-73�  --- wow, try to figure that memory setup!  There were
companies that hired OTHER companies to write for them .. AA6AA used to
author brochures, etc. for Marantz / Sony Superscope, etc. as I recall.
Some of the early attempts at consumer usable instruction graphics -- mike,
power plug, etc. by WRL, Drake, and others .. they should have gave the
"artists" bigger crayons!  HIHI...     Ahhhh well ... now look what you
started, John!
73, Y'all ... Mark  AA6DX
http://home.pacbell.net/aa6dx
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kay W. Hargis" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 3:05 PM
Subject: FW: [Yaesu] Operator's manuals today

Just my $.02...

I have noticed, not only on amateur radio equipment, but anything made
in a foreign country, the manuals have "lost something in translation".
It is a crying shame that the stateside offices of equipment made abroad
do not take the time to make sure the instruction manuals are translated
correctly... Very frustrating, because you try to read the manual and it
is so disjointed and gramatically incorrect you cannot get a clear
instruction of what you are supposed to do..

Lets hope some of the Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood et al companies that import
equipment get this message..

Kay

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Jerry Lofstead
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 3:11 PM
To: John Geiger; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]
Subject: Re: [Yaesu] Operator's manuals today

John,

Well, they have joined the real world... Most people don't know how to
read or at least this is what it looks like...  They DO NOT read the
manuals and then are dissatisfied with the equipment because it does now
"work properly", having never cracked the book!  This is a big problem
if you watch the various lists.  The answers to most questions are in
the manual!

They do not include schematics because no one knows how to read one.  If
you need one, in most cases, they will send one on request, for FREE.

Jerry
W3CDE

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Geiger" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 5:03 PM
Subject: [Yaesu] Operator's manuals today

> Has anyone else noticed a change in the level that
> Operator's manuals are written at today?  I have
> recently picked up a few older pieces of equipment
> here and there, and the manuals from 15-20 years ago
> are a world of difference from todays.
>
> The older manuals would first thank you for purchasing
> the equipment, and had circuit descriptions, block
> diagrams, alignment procedures sometimes, and were
> generally written at a high level.
>
> Todays manuals look like they are written for the
> under 70 IQ crowd.  They have cartoon figures.  They
> usually have a "your first QSO" section which really
> insults your intelligence.  It is written like we
> wouldn't know how to turn on a radio, tune in a
> frequency, and push the mic button without being
> guided through it step by step.  There are no circuit descriptions,
> alignment procedures, or block diagrams anymore.
>
> Now part of this might be cost, in that the
> manufacturers want to cheapen the cost of manuals and
> save all of that stuff for the service manual, but I
> also wonder if this is saying something about the
> competency of hams today versus in years past.  If it
> has changed that much, the last thing we need to do is
> make the licensing procedures any easier.
>
> Just an interesting observation.
>
> 73s John NE0P
>