N1MM has taken the approach that *they* are not going to be responsible for you having a paper copy. But they do have a set of instructions available for you to "print" to a .pdf format so you can have a "local" copy on your PC or your iPAD.
I find that works extremely well and it's a lot easier to remain current - and it was already too much of a PITA to print the manual in a standard, printed document. Personally, I find the manual availability in .pdf format from Elecraft to be a very workable solution. Art - N4PJ On Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 1:21 PM, Lu Romero <lrom...@ij.net> wrote: > A lot of Equipment manufacturers I work with have stopped > shipping printed manuals. You get a printed "Quick Start" > or "installation guide" with the product and either a DVD/CD > ROM with the manual in PDF or a website to download and > print the latest iteration of the manual in PDF. > > Printed manuals are both expensive and hard to keep current. > There are many benefits to paper manuals, but also many > benefits to "soft" manuals. There are mutual benefits to > both the manufacturer and the customer, and yes, detractions > as well. One video server device that I use has the manual > included in the product's hard drive as a web page which > they update remotely and automatically via the internet as > needed. Anywhere you use the product, the manual is as > close as the client computer's browser. When (not *IF*, > *WHEN*!) the server goes down, though, how do you reference > the manual if you didnt print it or move it to your > Ipad/Tablet? > > Im still not "paperless" in manuals and technical reference > documents; I like to have a printed version around. Its an > old habit. But Im a dying breed. More and more, I see IPads > or Tablets being used for this purpose, a handheld > "reference library" of sorts. Its quite efficient with text > search functions... that is, until you need the manual at a > remote site when the power is out and the battery in the > device runs down. > > The tech in the gear we use today is more and more software > based. It changes so quickly and so often, usually by the > time the product ships, the manual is several iterations > old. Its a sign of the times. I have been doing a lot of > thinking about this issue at work recently. > > So, Im wondering, how upset would us Elecraft customers be > if paper manuals were not included with the product? When > purchasing the product, you would have to either download > the manual from the web and print it if you wanted a printed > copy or get it on Optical Media and print it from there > Just wondering what everybody thinks about these scenarios. > Is it blasphemy? Is it progress? > > Lu - W4LT > K3/P3/K1 > > ------------------------ > > > Message: 5 > Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:51:48 -0400 > From: Don Wilhelm <w3...@embarqmail.com> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KX3 and KPA500 > To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net > Message-ID: <4fd5e9e4.3080...@embarqmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Yes, updating of on-line pdf manuals is easy and trivial, > but what does > Elecraft do when 100 manuals have been printed and have to > be updated - > open them and pencil in the changes? I think not - Errata > sheets are > the only practical method. > > 73, > Don W3FPR > > On 6/10/2012 10:34 PM, Jim Brown wrote: > > On 6/10/2012 6:34 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > >> This is a classic example of the results and frustration > caused by > >> ignoring the Errata Sheet. > > Yes, BUT -- with modern desktop publishing, it is > trivially easy for a > > decent technical writer to keep a pdf up to date. I have > several dozen > > tutorials online as pdf files, and I can edit the source > file, save it > > as a pdf, and upload it to my website in an hour. If I > can do that, > > Elecraft should be able to do that. It's equally easy for > that pdf to > > include a running list of changes and additions as an > appendix. > > > > 73, Jim K9YC > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
