++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 08:06:43 -0600 To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] When referring to a certain page in the manual... GM Folks: I'm just as guilty as the next guy, so please understand that I'm not preaching here... Many times, when we are attempting to help someone obtain assistance in building - completing - troubleshooting their rig, we refer them to the page in their manual. The problem is that we often don't KNOW which manual they have at their disposal... I mean, we DO know that they have THE manual, such as _A_ K2 manual, in their hands, but we don't know what VERSION of the manual they have. And believe me, no two versions are identical. As a result, when we refer to "... page XX in the K2 Manual...", when they go to that page, they expect to find what we're directing them to. But they WON'T find it there, because they have a different version of the manual. In fact, there are some instances where their manual doesn't even ADDRESS the subject we found the version of our manual. So, let's try to remember to not only reference the model/option, page, and step/paragraph number, but also the REVISION letter/number of the manual from which we are quoting. Although Elecraft has been pretty darn good about posting PDF copies of the latest version of the manuals for each of their options to their web site, they seem to not retain copies of the OLDER versions there as well. Many times, it's the older version which we used to build our rigs. If we manage to lose the hardcopy original of our manual, we must download a newer version to our PC for future use. While this is generally no problem, there have been times when the instructions, component descriptions, or values have changed from one manual revision to the next, and when we go back and try to re-trace our assembly steps, or confirm that we put every component in the proper location on the PC board, we no longer can... at least using the 'newer' version of the manual. It would be very helpful, particularly to those of us who might have older rigs and options, for Elecraft to create a MANUAL ARCHIVES section on their web site which would contain any/all versions of previous manuals. Stepping down from my soapbox... ducking and running... 73 - Tom Hammond N0SSDate: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 08:06:43 -0600 +++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 07:18:55 -0600 To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] Re: Manuals Hi Michael: >Hello, been a while. Hope all is well and that your Holidays went great! Yup... went right well... lotsa fun and had most of the family with us. Thanks for asking. >I noticed your post about manuals and their version. I got the option >kits a while ago and I'm just getting around to building the last >few. Since I got them a while ago new versions of the manuals came out in >the meantime. Example: I'm just about done with the ssb option and getting >ready to install it. I have revision B of the manual. Should I have used >the new revision of the manual in addition to the one I have? Same thing >goes for the KIO2, noise blanker and maybe the AF ( haven't looked to see >if a new one is out already). Sometimes a newer manual revision will instruct you to do something a bit differently than the version of the manual you had. This can merely be an improvement upon the original instructions, or it can be a 'fix' to something which cropped up in a previous version. HOWEVER, any time such a change is made, if it is substantive enough that it might effect the overall OPERATION or FUNCTION of the device, I feel pretty confident that Elecraft will have it covered by an ERRATA or via a BUILDER'S NOTE. So, the answer is, you probably do not need to download a newer version of the manual. However, you SHOULD always look on the Elecraft web site, to see if there were any ERRATA published for YOUR manual version. Finally, it's NEVER a bad idea to download, if available from their web site, or another source (possibly me), a PDF version of all manuals for your devices. PDFs are REALLY GREAT for just retaining in the event you might accidently LOSE one or more of your hardcopy manuals. ADDITIONALLY, the Elecraft Manuals in PDF format CAN be "SEARCHED" for the appearance of key words. So, if you want to find out why you still haven't installed a component you think SHOULD have been installed by now, or if one happens to FALL out of the PC board several weeks later (), you can search the PDF to find all occurrance of that part # or that value, to see where it should go, and WHEN it should be (or have been) installed. It'll even find references ON the schematic... a REALLY BIG benefit to many of us. >Also, is there any reason I should check the new K2 manual. I have K2 # >797 so there has been out a couple of updated manuals since them. You can probably pass on that effort. There will have been some changes, but, as I said above, any substantive changes should have been previously noted in ERRATA for your manual or in BUILDER'S NOTES. Just make sure you have all of them (for your manual version). >The manuals take a while to download, I have a slow connection, so I don't >want to go through it unless there is a good reason for it. I'd ALWAYS try to have machine-readable copies of the manuals for all of the devices _I_ owned. Otherwise, it's up to you whether you try to maintain a complete set of all manuals. In most cases, probably NOT required. 73, Tom Hammond N0SS ++++++++++++++++++++