[Elecraft] [K3] more function keys please

[David Ferrington, M0XDF]

All this discussion on macros is very good, but what I'd really like  
is some more programable function keys.
I don't want to use Mx keys, because I want them for recorded  
messages. That leaves just PFx keys.

I did post over a year ago on the possibility of allowing us to have  
to banks of function keys, using PFx + [0-9] as the way of accessing  
them.

That is, (via a CONFIG option of course) to be able to use PF1 as an  
introducer, followed by one press of the 0 - 9 keys, therefore with  
both PF1 & PF2, that gives us 20 function keys. And it works rather  
like a quick memory (M->V + [0-9]) so I hope wouldn't be too onerous.  
This however does mean you would have to HOLD PF1 or PF2, which might  
be a little annoying.

The alternative for people who want to keep PF1 & PF2 and would work  
around the HOLD of PFx, is to allow us to specify that one of the Mx  
buttons is the introducer to a function bank, thereby, we would loose  
one Mx message and gain 10 function keys, still keeping the PFx keys  
and getting a TAP introducer. It would also allow those that wish it,  
to be able to have 40 function keys by designating all four Mx buttons  
as function introducers. And I guess (if there is enough memory, both  
machine and human) they could designate both TAP and HOLD Mx to give  
them 80 function keys, but I'd have trouble remembering 10 personally!

Of course, I'm hoping the P3 will provide some more function keys.
And I saw a suggestion here that perhaps a row of keys could be  
designed to fit under the K3, I guess using the RJ11 (or is it an  
RJ12) service connector as the way into the firmware.

73 de M0XDF, K3 #174
-- 
Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity.
But I'm not so sure about the universe. -- Albert Einstein.