Manual Archive Sites - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

pmmunro · 4th Oct 2021, 8:14 am

I've recently had a need to find manuals, mostly user manuals, for various appliances and pieces of equipment.

There are several different sites on-line which seem to offer manual archives but all those I have tried seem to lead to the same three-step access page with guidance from a voice with an American accent. I'm very wary of proceeding any further as this process seems to require permission to make changes to the user's computer.

What are other people's experiences please?

PMM

Craig Sawyers · 4th Oct 2021, 8:46 am

Any site that demands some sort of software download, or multi-step process, gets an instant wide berth.

What you need is a site that simply allows download of a pdf.

This is an excellent example http://bee.mif.pg.gda.pl/ciasteczkowypotwor/ but it depends on the sort of things you are looking for.

Craig

Graham G3ZVT · 4th Oct 2021, 1:14 pm

Trust you're instincts on this!
One ploy I have seen for a year or two is one that seems to take your Google search terms, and send you to a fake forum style page which because it is created "on the fly" gives the illusion that a contributer has a link the very thing you want. Another contributer says "but it needs a CC" and yet another says "Don't worry, it's a trusted site."

pmmunro · 5th Oct 2021, 7:27 pm

Thanks for your advice.

The information I have been looking for recently has been for domestic appliances, home electronics and test equipment. In the first two categories, this has often been for items are just beyond the age for the original manufacturer still to be interested.

I wouldn't expect to find all of this information on one site but I was often able to find manuals freely available on different sites until the last two or three years. There now seems to be "screen" of doubtful sites which get in the way of finding the useful and genuine ones.

PMM

Vintage_RC · 6th Oct 2021, 10:06 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by rambo1152

Trust you're instincts on this!
One ploy I have seen for a year or two is one that seems to take your Google search terms, and send you to a fake forum style page which because it is created "on the fly" gives the illusion that a contributer has a link the very thing you want. Another contributer says "but it needs a CC" and yet another says "Don't worry, it's a trusted site."

I've bumped into this one several times when searching for a manual, definitely one to avoid.

vidjoman · 6th Oct 2021, 11:34 am

There are thousands of Manuals on this free site - https://archive.org/details/manuals - covers almost anything you can imagine, not just radio etc.
You'll have to search as it's so big. Seems to have worldwide coverage of makers.

There's also this site - https://elektrotanya.com/keres which has been mentioned many times.

4th Oct 2021, 8:14 am	#1
pmmunro Octode Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dundee, UK. Posts: 1,813	Manual Archive Sites I've recently had a need to find manuals, mostly user manuals, for various appliances and pieces of equipment. There are several different sites on-line which seem to offer manual archives but all those I have tried seem to lead to the same three-step access page with guidance from a voice with an American accent. I'm very wary of proceeding any further as this process seems to require permission to make changes to the user's computer. What are other people's experiences please? PMM

4th Oct 2021, 8:46 am	#2
Craig Sawyers Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 4,982	Re: Manual Archive Sites Any site that demands some sort of software download, or multi-step process, gets an instant wide berth. What you need is a site that simply allows download of a pdf. This is an excellent example http://bee.mif.pg.gda.pl/ciasteczkowypotwor/ but it depends on the sort of things you are looking for. Craig __________________ Doomed for a certain term to walk the night

4th Oct 2021, 1:14 pm	#3
Graham G3ZVT Dekatron Join Date: May 2010 Location: Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 18,714	Re: Manual Archive Sites Trust you're instincts on this! One ploy I have seen for a year or two is one that seems to take your Google search terms, and send you to a fake forum style page which because it is created "on the fly" gives the illusion that a contributer has a link the very thing you want. Another contributer says "but it needs a CC" and yet another says "Don't worry, it's a trusted site." __________________ -- Graham. G3ZVT

5th Oct 2021, 7:27 pm	#4
pmmunro Octode Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dundee, UK. Posts: 1,813	Re: Manual Archive Sites Thanks for your advice. The information I have been looking for recently has been for domestic appliances, home electronics and test equipment. In the first two categories, this has often been for items are just beyond the age for the original manufacturer still to be interested. I wouldn't expect to find all of this information on one site but I was often able to find manuals freely available on different sites until the last two or three years. There now seems to be "screen" of doubtful sites which get in the way of finding the useful and genuine ones. PMM

6th Oct 2021, 11:34 am	#6
vidjoman Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 3,326	Re: Manual Archive Sites There are thousands of Manuals on this free site - https://archive.org/details/manuals - covers almost anything you can imagine, not just radio etc. You'll have to search as it's so big. Seems to have worldwide coverage of makers. There's also this site - https://elektrotanya.com/keres which has been mentioned many times. Last edited by vidjoman; 6th Oct 2021 at 11:40 am. Reason: Added info