What is your go to reference material when you don't know something not directly military related?

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:12:13 -0400

I run into this frequently in AF comm where we are given equipment or asked to do something we don't know and there is no training for. It usually ends up being myself and another E-5 from my shop using google and trying to patch something together. I know people in other career fields and branches have to have similar situations where there is no official military guidelines.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2016 9:21 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:21:08 -0400

Google is my friend.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made May 13 at 2016 9:30 AM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:30:47 -0400

Well if it's not Google, then I'm using the experience of those around me or that came before me that might have encountered a similar situation. Anything that can give me a definitive answer.

Response by MSgt James Mullis made May 13 at 2016 10:02 AM

MSgt James Mullis — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:02:57 -0400

It depends on the problem. I usually search the interwebs for owners/technical manuals then do a search on YouTube for a video showing how to do whatever I'm wanting to do.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made May 13 at 2016 10:22 AM

SGM Erik Marquez — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:22:02 -0400

If it is a piece of equipment, I pick up a phone or send an email to the manufacture..... Reality is, that manufacture likes thier gov contract and they will bend over backwards to assist, even if not part of the contract.
If training and support is part of the contract, they will point you in the right direction.

When Harris radios were just coming on board, we had some significant issues making them work on the vehicle platforms, dismounted and the like..it was operator error and installation based unknowns.

I went from zero to hero in about three phones calls to harris IN THE UK ....lol.. Then went TDY to a course taught be Harris, paid for by Harris....all for the simply action of picking up a phone and saying HELP.

Response by COL John McClellan made May 13 at 2016 10:48 AM

COL John McClellan — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:48:21 -0400

These days my first actions are usually a "google" search or to check Wikipedia, if it's something I have no particular knowledge of. These resources quickly give me an initial scoping of the topic and usually provide follow-on links or more authoritative references that I can pursue if need be!

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made May 13 at 2016 10:49 AM

SrA Matthew Knight — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:49:23 -0400

Pretty much always use Google in some way or another. It's a great tool when you know how to word things to search for.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made May 13 at 2016 10:59 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:59:06 -0400

Other than the COMSEC Equipment sounds about like everything else in most the shops I worked in. Although I wore Navy Blue I worked primarily for a Civilian Organization within the DOD that had an virtually unlimited budget and a lot of the equipment was one of a kind. Many times we were allowed to get off the shelf equipment from local stores. I always enjoyed the Diversity of Radio Receivers from Ancient but Reliable Military R-390s to Radio Shack CB Radio Receivers, we had it all and their wasn't an RF Frequency that we couldn't prosecute.

Response by Liz Hodges Flores made May 13 at 2016 11:05 AM

Liz Hodges Flores — Fri, 13 May 2016 11:05:56 -0400

I HAVE WORKED WITH MOFFET FIELD NAVAL AIRFORCE BASE HANGER 1 !!!!

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2016 11:08 AM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 May 2016 11:08:01 -0400

For infrastructure related projects I often check the BITSEP volumes, but they're somewhat dated. I also look to the UFCs and other relevant guidance at the Whole Building Design Guide website. There used to be an Avaya/Nortel Wiki too, but I don't know if it's still up. For security issues I check the DISA STIGs.

But yes, Google is my friend.

Response by Liz Hodges Flores made May 13 at 2016 11:12 AM

Liz Hodges Flores — Fri, 13 May 2016 11:12:42 -0400

I LIKE YOUR ADVICE !!!!

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2016 3:47 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 May 2016 15:47:22 -0400

In the auto shop it's either the manufacturers' manuals or a source like AllData.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2016 5:06 PM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 May 2016 17:06:37 -0400

For IT relate work, Google is my friend. This even holds true for TTP's in Cyber.

Response by Amn Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2016 10:04 AM

Amn Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 14 May 2016 10:04:18 -0400

Look up the pieces of equipment on the manufacturer's website is all I can recommend. I don't know though. I run into that problem all the time

Response by SSgt Jeremy Phillips made May 15 at 2016 4:19 PM

SSgt Jeremy Phillips — Sun, 15 May 2016 16:19:02 -0400

I've been away from the Air Force for a little while now, but our standard hierarchy of source documentation was always TO/TM, followed by Vendor Manuals, followed by Industry Best Practices (IEEE, etc.), followed by whatever it takes to get the job done (Google, usually - always consult the Oracle).

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2016 5:22 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 15 May 2016 17:22:38 -0400

I usually go to http://armypubs.army.mil/ first. I'm trying to learn how to use CATS and ATN, but either I have no idea how they work, or they're hard to use. After that it's Google. Google works especially well for technical info. Couldn't seem to get pertinent info on our PEQ15a lasers. YouTube has an excellent tutorial on zeroing and sighting them.

Army Electronic Publications & Forms - Department of the Army

Official Department of Army (DA) administrative publications and forms managed by the United States Army Publishing Agency USAPA. Utilizing the latest technologies producing high quality downloadable electronic pubs and electronic forms view U.S. Army Regulations and DA Forms.

Response by MSgt Mike (Lobo VNV Original) Morrow made May 18 at 2016 9:11 PM

MSgt Mike (Lobo VNV Original) Morrow — Wed, 18 May 2016 21:11:51 -0400

I always relied on the manufacturer then Google came around along with Wiki. If those three fail then it it's trial and error. Keep copious notes so you write up directions.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 19 at 2016 7:25 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 May 2016 19:25:25 -0400

I find that Google can be a great resource, but also calling the vendor directly can be a huge help sometimes.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2016 4:25 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 09 Jul 2016 16:25:08 -0400

Google