Julian G4ILO wrote:
On Nov 29, 2007 7:36 AM, Ian White GM3SEK <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I'm aware of that option, but would only regard it as a temporary
workaround. Connecting a computer and reconfiguring the whole rig is not
the right way to handle a routine change of operators.
I imagine most people have a computer in their shack anyway, and the
K3 is probably already connected to it for firmware updates, if not
for logging, so where's the difficulty?
As others are saying, we need to keep a clear distinction between the
different layers of controls and data:
1. Front-panel controls (for moment-to-moment operation)
2. MAIN menu (mostly operations-related)
3. CONFIG menu (mostly static configuration items)
4. Downloads from an external source.
Individual user profiles would be a layer-2 function. Using layer 4 for
this purpose would certainly not be difficult; it's just ugly.
The real problem with the proposal as suggested is that it would
require a whole duplicate area of memory to store just one saved
firmware configuration, whereas a computer could store an unlimited
number with no overhead. People keep adding ideas to the K3 wish list
and Elecraft keep adding them to the list, but I guess that the point
has to be reached some time when the K3 MCU runs out of memory to add
new features, just as the original one in the K2 did. This doesn't
seem to me like a good use of a presumably limited resource.
Maybe it doesn't, to you. But family operators will value it, and
contest operators will demand it.
Nobody is suggesting storage of the complete firmware configuration,
only the parts that genuinely do vary between individual users - voice
EQ being the most obvious example, keyer settings and stored messages
involving the operator's callsign being two more.
As for 'presumably limited resources', the MCU has 2Mbits of flash
memory for storage of static data (and another 2Mbits for dynamic data).
Given the trivial number of bits that individual user profiles would
actually need, I don't think this request would break the bank.
--
73 from Ian GM3SEK
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