How big is the total data on the CD if I may ask?

It's 145Mb on disc for 4,400 pages in TIFF format, so roughly 33k per page.

I don't see why it's a big deal with PC compatibility when there are TIFF readers for every computing platform. I suppose it must be that there is some program to view them on the CD that is only Windows compatible.

Ray's been selling these publicly for some time, he may have sort permission from the copyright owner or the AORSM's may be in the public domain.

Just a few thoughts...

Do the original manuals include a copyright notice? It would be difficult to copyright something that wasn't your own original work, the copyright to the circuit diagrams would surely be owned by the old (mostly now defunct) radio manufacturers. Collating someone else's work doesn't mean you own it...

I'm not sure who mentioned compatibility, but Ray's disc comes with a primitive indexing and retrieval program that looks to have been written for Windows 3.1.

I don't use that. I have my own index and reference the .tif files directly with a good document viewer.

It would be difficult to copyright something that wasn't your own original work, the copyright to the circuit diagrams would surely be owned by the old (mostly now defunct) radio manufacturers. Collating someone else's work doesn't mean you own it...

You are correct about collation and copyright.

I have found this whole area of Australian schematic publishing mysterious. The (American) Riders manuals mention that they are published with the assistance of the manufacturers (or words to that effect). Surely, Mingay and Lawton would have had to have some agreement in place with the manufacturers, too.

And if you want even more mystery, how about the JR Manuals that followed AORSM. From a lot of research I have an inkling as to who "JR" was, but I would need to confirm that via the family involved and they are proving hard to contact. [No mentions of "Dallas", please.]

A retired serviceman who dealt with the JR company told me that, although he can't recall his name, the guy he dealt with was a curmudgeonly fellow.

Speaking of JR, I was told recently that JR had vending machines installed in Sydney where you put in your money and selected the schematic and out it came. I have no idea of the veracity of that story, nor how it was accomplished.

Not in this thread, but compatibility is mentioned where the CDs are sold (legitimate or not),
and someone has also written a viewer for Linux,
but if you can access the TIFFs directly, compatibility becomes trivial.

Scraps, they would have been licensed at the time for the particular AORSM distribution I imagine.
This also happens today. You can licence a satellite image
for use in a program/book or whatever that you distribute,
and the fee you pay covers distribution for one particular book/program,
or use for a single company on multiple computers on a single premises.

"And if you want even more mystery, how about the JR Manuals that followed AORSM."

This is from the index page of a JR manual:-

JR Publication Pty. Ltd., PO Box 29, Chester Hill, NSW, 2162. Compiled by WESTLEY CONTRACTORS PTY. LTD., 67 Jocelyn St., Chester Hill.

The JR Valve manual covers Australian (and some foreign as well) valve radio schematics from 1953 to the end of the valve era. In some circles it was known as the unofficial volume 15 of the AORSM. There is some overlap with both publications.

Intrestingly enough, the Precedent circuits in the JR manual were drawn by the AORSM.

Perhaps as way to prevent lawsuits, the AORSM, particulary after the war years, were drawing their own circuits - especially for the smaller, lesser known manufacturers. The major radio manufacturers did have their own schematics in the AORSM's.

I have mentioned before in this forum that I think some of the AORSM drawn circuits have mistakes in them.

Anyway, they question remains, how were some radio companies able to block supply of parts to a Brisbane company, when the southern radio companies didn't make parts?

I've never heard of this happening in the vintage radio industry but let's assume it did...

It'd be very easy, much like how Coles and Woolworths have a stronghold over their suppliers today. Because there are only two large supermarket chains they are able to engage in parallel conduct (which is illegal but hard to prove) and tell their suppliers what they will pay for their products. The suppliers either agree or go belly up. radio companies that were strong and powerful could easily say "supply these mugs and we won't buy from you" and there were quite a few brands that were strong enough to call the shots, again, assuming that did happen.

The bigger the gorilla, the harder he can slap his chest.

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

I had another look, it's actually radiomeuseum if you were interested:
http://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=10855.

"Their cabinets were often elaborate and well crafted."
I've yet to see one of these though!

Hi Everyone,
I am Ray, The original producer of the AORSM CD, We originally produced this CD back in 1995. We have checked copyright on original AORSM manuals, and found that any copyright had expired, basically any one can scan or photo copy the original manuals.
BUT
once they have been scanned the image or .TIFF becomes property of the person who scanned it, also anyone who reproduces the image or converts the file from the original image is deemed to breach copyright, furthermore, the disc contains image indexes and tables that are created for search engines, there files , programs, and intellectual property that belong to the owner, you can't copy or distribute these files , images or converted images unless you have the permission from the author, and the disc won't work without the tables, whether you are using the LINUX version, or another. Simply converting the whole lot to .PDF won't get you off hook either.
All this can be confirmed in the Australian Copyright Legal site.
I spent a lot of time and money for this project, and it is a travesty to see bootleggers stealing it and selling for themselves, I was hoping most of us radio guys are honest, and I am sure almost all of us are.

Saying this, if anyone was to start from scratch, and that can make it better, I wish them luck, and would be the first to assist or help. If you want to copy them, just ask first, but don't pirate them and sell as you own as that is illegal

any comments are welcome
Regards
Ray

This is from the index page of a JR manual:-

Compiled by WESTLEY CONTRACTORS

Yes, but who owned and operated Westley Contractors is the question. I think I know, but I need to confirm it ... if I can track down living relatives.

I am Ray, The original producer of the AORSM CD, We originally produced this CD back in 1995.

Welcome to the forum.

Hi Ray,
Nice to have it cleared up

It is actually good news that you could copy from an original manual.

Oops, double post.

QUOTE: On the other hand, the books originally had a copyright on them too to both the publisher and perhaps the radio manufacturers.

It's likely that the copyright holders no longer care, or figure that the amount of "pirating" is too small to bother with. That the stuff is out of print, and for the market today, it's not worth the trouble to start printing again. That the material has no real value anymore. "What, for maybe fifty radio collectors, vs thousands of repair shops back when the radios were only a few years old and consumers wanted them repaired". Or that the copyright holders no longer exist.