Suggestion......RE-write a chapter of the manual and send to Wayne. He might want you to do the rest. Just an idea because of your back ground.
Phil Philip LaMarche LaMarche Enterprises, Inc [email protected] www.LaMarcheEnterprises.com 727-944-3226 727-937-8834 Fax 727-510-5038 Cell www.w9dvm.com K3 #1605 CCA 98-00827 CRA 1701 W9DVM -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Edward R. Cole Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 2:24 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Parting shot Good point. In fact, in my early work history as a tech writer for Hughes Aircraft, we had a minimum of three people involved in editing or reviewing text. I would write it, some one would review and edit. I would review that and correct anything I thought was needed. It went to a third reviewer and back to me and then the two others would again review and so it would go. Why it would take 3-weeks to write a page. I was an engineering writer, so I was in charge of content (technical accuracy). But one of the best experiences was a week long seminar put on by our Phd english expert on how to write documentation. It followed me thru the rest of my career, where the ability to write for comprehension mattered more than most engineers would admit. Yes, I did technical work, but often I was asked to explain (quarterly reviews) or write procedures for the un-technical personnel. An example I often love to tell is when I was a college student taking FORTRAN programing class (1965). The instructor was a complete disorganized idiot. That is not how you teach programming (a logical subject). Fortunately, the text book was great. I put together a 30-page outline of the course for teaching myself. Once that was known in the class I had several request for copies. I like to think I helped get several thru that class. A case of the recently learned teaching better than the "staff". BTW the "prof" started class by taking his old battered briefcase and dumping the contents onto his desk, sorting thru a heap papers for his class notes...ugh. But the perspective of the non-expert who has recently learned a topic having better delivery of instruction than the "expert" is good one to realize. Same approach of doing user evaluations. Some times targeted documentation is better than "does all" type. A user manual; A reference manual.; An installation manual; and a service manual. But that takes human resources to generate. BTW I had a Navy tech once tell me that all they used from our tech manuals were the diagrams! ;-) I think the K3 handbook is technically pretty good, but maybe could use some rearranging. Topics are segmented throughout the document. A good index is vital to any good manual. K3 index is pretty good, but wish I didn't have to use it so much. ---snipped There is this other thing we continually forget, anyone technically qualified to design something is hugely UNqualified to write the doc for it. Only edit after the writing for factuality. Doc on something needs to be written by somebody who has freshly learned how to use that something starting from a position of ignorance. The most important thing in doc writing is understanding NOT UNDERSTANDING. The engineering staff is usually completely opposite, they've never NOT understood how that something works. They MADE the d**n thing. 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 ====================================== BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com EME: 144-1.2kw, 432-100w, 1296-testing*, 3400-winter? DUBUS Magazine USA Rep [email protected] ====================================== *temp not in service ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] 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:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
