Note: Many of the PDF files used on ARRLWeb will not work with versions of Adobe Reader prior to 6.0 and may cause errors with version 6.

A few users of Windows versions of the Adobe Reader plug-ins for Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Netscape Navigator have reported problems viewing PDF files on-line. (Getting nothing but a blank window or an error during download is a common symptom. Another common symptom is repeated requests for username and password entry for PDFs in the members-only part of the site.) Here are a few notes that may help:

• Remember, you must have Adobe Reader version 6.0 or later (7.0 or later recommended).

• You can configure recent versions of Adobe Reader to not use the browser plug-in module by unchecking the "Display PDF in browser" check box found under Edit/Preferences/Internet.

• You can configure older Acrobat Reader versions to not use the browser plug-in module by unchecking the "Web Browser Integration" check box found under File/Preferences/General.

• You can right-click on the link to a PDF file to get a pop-up (floating) menu that includes a command to save the file to disk. By saving the file to your hard disk, then launching Adobe Reader and opening the file, you can avoid using the Web browser plug-in altogether.

• The first thing to try if you want to fix a cranky plug-in is to reinstall your copy of Adobe Reader.

• Adobe's technical notes discuss how to manually install the plug-ins and how to configure your Web browser to use Acrobat Reader as a "helper" application rather than as a plug-in:
  • PDF Pages Are Blank Inside Web Browser Window
    
  • Configuring Internet Explorer and AOL for Windows 95, Windows 98 and NT4.0 to Display PDF Files
    
  • Configuring Navigator for Windows to Display PDF Files