This is a HUGE benefit to the PDF versions and the use of the PDF search engine. Then all you have to do is figure out what you are lookig for is called. hi hi
73, de Jim KG0KP ----- Original Message ----- From: "Guy Olinger K2AV" <olin...@bellsouth.net> To: <k6...@foothill.net> Cc: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 2:36 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 How do I uncouple VFO's? > On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 2:35 PM, Fred Jensen <k6...@foothill.net> wrote: > >> I wonder if the complexity of the K3 has surpassed human ability to >> adequately describe it in written language? :-) > > This is hardly a K3 only issue. Superb technical writing is in > extreme frustrated demand everywhere in the entire general > electronics/computer/software industry. The complaints are the same. > At the center the root user complaint: > > "I only want to do one little thing and I can't find it in the > centimeter thick manual." > > Frustrated reflector users reply with RTFM to the thousandth iteration > of the same question. On the other side is the newbie who is measured > in studies as having no chance whatsoever of reading the centimeter > thick manual like a book and retaining anything other than a tiny > slice of the total content. > > "Read a step and do a step" manuals work well. But they require > complete reading and adherence from start to finish. > > Heathkit instruction manuals and Bell System Practices are two iconic > examples of the best of this genre, but neither could be read like a > book for retention BSP's were a massive library organized by equipment > and task that would take a lifetime to read through once. It was > possible (and required) for the reader to be able to complete the > described task 100% accurately at a competent commercial speed without > ever understanding the workings behind the task. Indeed if retention > was the goal, it failed miserably, because even those of us with years > of experience on a given task would never do a BSP spec'd adjustment > without the particular BSP open in front of us, no more than a 40 year > old veteran pilot would start up or shut down a plane without the > checklist for his equipment. > > Carefully staged scientific studies on retention of information from > reading of flat paper manuals have only given terribly discouraging > results. In many technical support centers, really good techies are > stretched to breaking by customers who only get through a task by an > exercise the techies refer to as "reading the manual" to them. > > The K3 itself stepped into dangers documentation areas the minute they > tried something that did not have a precise analogue in the world of > analog radios. That meant there were concepts and behaviors in the > radio which had no precedent in earlier radios and were impossible > (yes, impossible) to duplicate in an analog radio. > > That took away one of a writer's best tools, relating something new as > an elaboration or extension of something old and understood. > > IMHO, "drill-down" tools have the best chance of moving beyond "read > and do" manuals, implementable only in electronic devices. But these > are constrained by the absolute need to provide common word glossaries > to key search terms. Too often the user is defeated by not knowing the > single secret word (out of dozens of synonyms and phrase > approximations that will index the required knowledge. This was the > number one issue with the monumental IBM knowledge base, with nothing > in second, third, or fourth place. > > Usually creating the glossary/term/phrase index for a drill down > manual requires continuous and ongoing work that carefully collects > "can't find" data from tech support activity and updates the indexing > system. This usually requires expenditure of a full-time employee even > in a smaller company, which adds to expense, and is tempting to forgo. > > As a society we hit this problem in the 1930's and it only gets worse. > > 73, Guy. > ______________________________________________________________ > 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
