Ron:

I have successfully used some tactile electronics diagrams in physics
labs and have occasionally seen some somewhat useful electronics
diagrams in books.  However, most electronics diagrams are too "busy" --
one can cram far more useful information on a printed diagram than can
be handled by the sense of touch on a page of equal size.  Hence, I deem
it almost essential that good verbal descriptions of diagrams be
provided.  If tactile diagrams are also provided, so much the better.
The fly in the ointment, of course, is finding persons who are skilled
both verbally and spatially so that they can accurately and
comprehensibly describe complex diagrams.  Bob Gunderson and associates
he trained could do it; I once had a professor of electricity and
magnetism who could be handed a diagram and immediately read it
comprehensibly -- wish I could have cloned him -- but have known few
others who were really good at it.

Mike Freeman <[log in to unmask]>
Amateur Radio: < K 7 U I J >

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2002 7:03 PM
Subject: Re: brailling arrl handbook


>   Hi everyone,
> I honestly can't say whether I would prefer a hard copy Braille
handbook or
> an ebook, I guess price and size would be a determining factor. What I
am
> wondering is, have I missed a crucial point about diagrams in this
book?
> Everyone so far has written about diagram descriptions--wouldn't it be
> useful to have tactile diagrams if we are going to hav a
> real Braille book? I am not much of an electronics person (though I
really
> would like to change that someday) but I have found that well done and
well
> labeled tactile graphics can be very useful.
>
> Just my opinion.
>
> Ron
> n6msa
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Doug Lawlor" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2002 10:35 PM
> Subject: Re: brailling arrl handbook
>
>
> > If this was for sale, would one be able to purchase the electronic
file
> > to have it brailled locally or read it on there favorite braille
> > device?
> >
> >
> > Doug
> >
> > On Sat, Apr 06, 2002 at 09:18:03PM -0500, McCloskey, Anthony wrote:
> > > Hi All:
> > > Well I would like to have a copy of the ARRL handbook, but I think
it
> would
> > > be better on cd with a text file for each chapter.  Also, If
anything
> like
> > > this were done, good schematic descriptions would be essentual or
the
> book
> > > would not be very useful.  When I worked for Recorded Periodicals
a long
> > > time ago, a friend of mine who was an electrical engineer read the
> entire
> > > 1975 arrl handbook on tape and he described all the schematics and
> > > construction techniques.  He did a sooper job. The thing was on 12
> cassettes
> > > at 15/16 speed and four tracks.  Possibly we could talk some one
on the
> ARRL
> > > staff into writing some of the schematic descriptions.   I think
the
> 2002
> > > handbook is around 1000 pages or more, so you know the braille
edition
> with
> > > schematic descriptions would be about 3 times that size or more.
> > > Have a good weekend.
> > >
> > > Tony McCloskey, WA3CAO
> > >
>
>