[QuadList] Quad Manuals Scanned/Digitized In A Swap

[Ted Langdell]

One of the functions of the Quad Videotape Group is to foster preservation of Quad VTR and related manuals' content so that it can be used now and in the future.

We'll be putting a number of things on line in the next 30 days, including a batch of AVR-2 material from QuadList members Ken Zin, Chris Hill, and Kenneth Johnson.

Need for standardized scanning methods:

There's an art to the process of scanning Manuals, as Ken Zin, Chris Hill, myself and others can attest to... but also a need for uniformity and some standards.

Most Ampex manuals are in 3-ring binders, so the pages are loose and no destruction of the manual is needed.

As David Gleason observes, loose 8.5 x 11 pages can be "sheet fed" into many scanners that have a document feeder without much problem.

Long, foldout schematics and such are a different story without the right equipment.  These need a Very HIGH resolution scanner that can do long strips of paper at least 11 inches wide, and handle variable lengths.

These very high resolution ensures that those tiny little details (what's that resistor number... that capacitor value) can be enlarged by the viewer without pixel breakup making it impossible to determine.

In some cases things need to be stitched together.

What to do with the paper manuals after scanning:

We would ask that scanned paper manuals be preserved so that they can be sent to the world's biggest library—The Library of Congress—along with the scan file(s).

This will help to ensure the content is preserved and accessible long beyond the time many of us will be around to pay for web-hosting.

Ted

On May 15, 2012, at 10:58 AM, Mr. DC Memories wrote:

> Ted & Park & all,
> 
> I've previously hailed the efforts of David Gleason in this forum. He has reached deep in his own wallet to build a remarkable free online library of historic broadcasting publications (for both radio and TV, despite the domain name) at  AmericanRadioHistory.com
> 
> David has now offered to scan/digitize Quad manuals, such as those Ampex Manuals that Dennis McDonald planned to re-cycle, if someone can get them into his hands. For his efforts, he asks all Quadlist members to energetically poll their network of fellow engineers to locate even more historical broadcasting magazines for David to scan/digitize and add to his site. (Think of it as a scan swap.)
> 
> David Gleason wrote: "I would certainly do that. In fact, I have an Ampex manual on its way from a group member. He does not want the manual back, so that means I can shear off the binding and sheet feed the book, meaning 500 pages in 10 minutes or so, and another hour to process and get a good PDF.  I’d be glad to do that for anyone, and give them a PDF ready to put on their computer or a DVD. If they want the binding intact and the material returned, it takes a lot of work….. 500 pages by hand on the Book Pro library scanner is about 6 hours. So I prefer the option of trimming the binding, sheet scanning and sending the member a PDF. I will get some cool stuff, too… like the Ampex manual, which I’d love to have."
> 
> It's a little early to break out the celebratory champagne, but I think David could go a long way in making Park's dream of seeing all surviving quad manuals scanned and digitized come true.
> 
> Write Mr. Gleason at: david (at) davidgleason.com
> 
> Bob Bell
>    
> 
> On 5/15/2012 10:46 AM, quadlist-request at quadvideotapegroup.com wrote:
>> 
>> "I have a number of Ampex manuals that I soon will be putting in the re-cycle bin. These range mainly in the VTR, ACE, and ADO range. If anyone is interested in one or all of these I can post a list. Started by Dennis McDonald, Broadcast Engineer at Harpo Studios "
> Please trim posts to relevant info when replying.
> 
> Change subject to reflect thread direction. Thanks.
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Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary

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