I tried to reply here but the silly editor seems to think I imbedded code in the reply and rejected it. See the sextant topic for more.

I cannot remember the name of the other RPN maker, there was at least one. This getting old really sucks, notwithstanding the limited altetrnatives. If memory serves, and I less than certain here, thery were a component maker, chips or memory I think, that did calculators for a time. Think they are out of business now.

Gotit about telephone books. Me, I go with "cookbook reductions".

Now that you mention it, I recall at least one other RPN calculator line but, for the life of me, can't think of the name. Even the Wikipedia article on RPN is silent about this. Odd...

Cheers,
Rick

Mr. Emerson:

"Telephonebook arithmatic" is simply a pet phrase of mine, likely I do not come close to originating it, and even if I did, it's "public domain stuff" so far as I'm concerned.

What it described as essentially copying some numbers out of a table, then doing some simple "math", plain trig isn't difficult, even I got through it, though I do not remember all that much of it. In any case, with a "scientific calculator" or "sliderule calculator", I use the HP 11C, which BTW is an RPN unit, it's a snap. I believe all HP's were RPN. I think there might have been one or two other makers that did the RPN type, which I was always more comfortable with than algebraic keyboards. Also, if I reacall correctly, some TI's, current or recent production are "selectifv fire weapons", that is you can switch between RPN and Algebraic keyboard op.

Tell me about "Telephone Book Arithmetic" - that's one I haven't heard. Nothing wrong with the 11C - BTW, isn't that one of the RPN calculators that HP put out? I use a TI 2000 (not quite a computer and more than a calculator) running StarPilot, which I like a lot. I used to work with a Celesticomp until I found out about an interesting flaw in the programming.

Mr. Emerson:

Concerning sight reduction, I use the USPS forms, though I have no doubt there are others, likely many others. As to the process itself, the phrase TELEPHONE BOOK ARITHMETIC somes to mind.

For the trig calculations, I use an "obsolete" HP programable calculator, the HP 11C, which is a hell of a lot smarter than I am.