Reed Code book updates

Ledger, look at the cardboard insert. Book 15 is available and I do NOT like the microfiche layout of it AT ALL, but they got both listed..

--Shiva--

im amazed. Cant believe people still use code books.

I use instacode.

Didnt even think the books would still be supported with updates.

well, Chris, it comes down to money/vs/use/vs money..

give me $2,000 and I will sell you a tool that you 'might use' once a month, and make$20 with it? interested? I do NOT use 'code books on disk' BECAUSE of the associated cost.. insufficient return on investment. and I am talking, IN MY AREA (BTW, there are 4 other far bigger shops than me within a 30 mile drive and NONE use a laptop with code software-its a desktop)

$1200 or so for a lap top, (and up) (and dont even GO THERE about the $50 laptops available-that arent) PLUS using IE to 'update it'? I dont THINK SO.. plus the cost of the software? $600 or so..

I 'weighed the options' and found I can do far more with that $1800 or so, than spend it on something that I would use SELDOM, plus would become a liability in certain areas..

I have many new 'code series' that I NEED that are not available anywhere except from the originating company, and they are not 'parting with that information YET..' (Arco Rifkin comes to mind as a PRESSING need)

Its like my Sidewinder machine.. bought it in 96..I had the third one around in an area of almost a quarter million people..there was a 'demand' coming on for those keys..

2 months later, the 2 car dealers that sold those particular cars, closed their doors, and now the nearest dealership is 250 miles one way, or 200 another..

is ther ANYONE in my area that will 'originate' a 'code key' for a sidewinder vehicle? no.. but, is there a DEMAND for that service? again, no.. what would the necessary tools cost? far more than the cost of the Sidewinder.

some of us do not need the latest and greatest 'tools'..we prefer to invest the money where the return IS at..wherever that area is in our particular area..

BUT, in YOUR AREA.. you may 'need the information' a few/several times a day, and then, its a VERY useful addition to your stock --Shiva--

Shiva, I agree that many people these days can be scammed by "low cost" laptops and such... But why on earth you would ever want to e tied down to a desktop computer in this day and age baffles me. Sure top-of-the-line laptops cost a lot, but so do the desktops of the same caliber... Not to mention the fact that ANY computer needs to be constantly updated in order for it to remain as secure as it can be against weaknesses...

There are so many other things you can do with a computer other than lookup codes from a disc... There is the word processing, spreadsheet capacity with MS Office... There are accounting software packages out there as well... If you are computerized in any respect, it should be on a laptop, as it can follow you out to your jobsite... or maybe you like spending time after closing hanging around your shop catching up on the assorted paperwork and accounting type functions that any successful business keeps up with on a daily basis to stay organized...

Well not being a professional locksmith or in business, I can agree that cost/benefit analysis has to weigh in on many decisions... However, if codes on disc aren't for you, then perhaps soem kind of membership to a professional code lookup website could work out, maybe one where you pay for each lookup, and can charge the customer directly for that service when it becomes necessary to use...

I hear those machines are quite expensive, so I can understand how you feel about your apparent "waste" of resources in accquriing a machine that you have on your bench somewhere with its dustcover over it all of the time, not making you any money...

Evan, ~~ formerly a maintenance man, now a college student

I run Instacode on the workshop desktop & Laptop, & Reed codes on the vans laptop. The beauty about the DOS based version of Genericode is you can run it on an old model laptop, which means you can pick up a older model laptop for next to nothing. My van laptop is a Toshiba. It was the first Toshiba model to have a coloured display, and was built when Christ was a boy, ha ha, and even though the battery passed away many years ago, it runs like a champion on the van inverter.

Steve, you can also add a printer and use a bookkeeping program. we use Quickbooks so we can, enter our invoice, print a copy for our customer and our bookwork is done on the spot. when we return to the office, we just update our office Quickbook program.

g'day

Yep, I have often 'toyed' with the idea of running my Quickbooks from the van 'point of sale' idea, but I guess I'm set in my ways. I have always written up my invoices / cash sales etc by hand on site, then transfering them to computer at days end. I kinda enjoy sitting down and relaxing at the end of a busy day, old dog curled up at my feet, turn on the TV, sip on a nice 10 year old Tawny Port, and spend half an hour tapping on the keyboard.

Just loaded Quickbooks Plus 2005-2006. Been running QB V8.1 since 2000, so this new program takes a bit of getting use to driving, biggest drama is re-doing all your forms (invoices, cash sales, Quotation etc) all over again, as the new program scrambles up all your old ones when it over writes your system. Took me 4 days to get it all sorted out. The feature I like most is being able to enter your customers invoice then hit EMAIL and he gets a PDF file to save & print out. We don't have to print out and fax or post invoices / reminders / overdue accounts anymore. Cheers mate.

doesn't your new Quickbooks Plus have an option to restore your company info that you have backed up from your old QB V8.1 ?

just wondering

Yes, it overwrites and saves your current company info, so everything shows up as before, just on more fancy new navigators and report screens etc, nothing is lost, but because the new invoice forms etc are better and different than your old ones, you need to spend a bit of time setting them out as you want them to look like.

Michael,

Seems like someone forgot the original question. I don't believe the Reed Code Books are any longer updated.

The last Padlock Code Book I have is Volume 4. The last General Code Book I have is Vol. 14.

Mike

go to framon site.. 15 is available but nothing new past 4 in padlock codes.

--Shiva--