Every Menu File Slot Consumed in M10x Laptop

Field Day 2008 will be a bit different than my past Field Day efforts in one
respect: I will operate on every HF band allowed by the Field Day rules, and I
will employ every allowed mode of transmission.  Consequently, in the
particular M10x laptop that I'm dedicating to handling the logging chore, use
of the "Log Recorder for Model 10x" will consume every menu file slot.  It's
an interesting "maxed-out menu" situation where the Model 10x has just enough
file slots to meet the demand -- no file slot remains unused and no additional
file slots are needed.

As is the norm, the first 5 file slots are consumed by the built-in
applications (BASIC, TEXT, TELCOM, ADDRSS, and SCHEDL).  All of the remaining
19 menu file slots are consumed, as the menu depiction below illustrates.

| BASIC     TEXT      TELCOM    ADDRSS   |
| SCHEDL    LOGREC.BA L160CW.DO L160DI.DO|
| L160PH.DO L80CW.DO  L80DI.DO  L80PH.DO |
| L40CW.DO  L40DI.DO  L40PH.DO  L20CW.DO |
| L20DI.DO  L20PH.DO  L15CW.DO  L15DI.DO |
| L15PH.DO  L10CW.DO  L10DI.DO  L10PH.DO |

The BASIC program file of the Log Recorder for Model 10x, file LOGREC.BA,
consumes 1 menu file slot.  The 18 remaining file slots are consumed by log
files that are needed to cover all combinations of the six HF bands (160, 80,
40, 20, 15, and 10) and the three transmission modes (CW, Digital, and Phone).

Currently, the Field Day rules do not allow use of the 60 Meter and 30 Meter
bands.  Perhaps the rules will change in future years.  If so, and recognizing
current FCC restrictions on transmission modes for these two bands, then an
additional 3 log files would be needed: L60PH.DO, L30CW.DO, and L30DI.DO.  In
order for the menu to support those additional 3 log files, the file slots of
3 of the 5 built-in applications would have to be sacrificed.  Sacrifice of
ADDRSS functionality and SCHEDL functionality would not be problematic, so
their sacrifice will yield 2 file slots.  That leaves one more built-in
application to be sacrificed, and the question becomes: which one should be
sacrificed?  BASIC functionality must be retained.  So either TEXT
functionality or TELCOM functionality must be shed (using BASIC functionality
to accomplish this) in order to yield another file slot.

Lacking TEXT functionality means there's no way to alter a log file.  Should
some mistaken log entry be made during Field Day activity and a correction be
needed immediately, there would be no straightforward means to do so without
TEXT functionality.  Nevertheless, sacrificing TEXT functionality may be the
better choice compared to sacrificing TELCOM functionality.

Lacking TELCOM functionality means there's no direct means to offload the log
files (via a Nul Modem cable to a PC) after Field Day activity is concluded.
Use of FLOPPY or FLOPPY.CO or DOS100.CO or TEENY.CO or any other such disk
service requires a file slot on the menu.  Using any of those disk services
(which consumes a file slot) and sacrificing TELCOM (which frees a file slot)
is a "no-way-out" predicament that doesn't net an available file slot on the
menu.  This predicament arises when sacrificing TELCOM functionality.  But
using the D service (or the R service if storage media is a RamPac or a ReMem)
of an O___ system completely avoids this predicament because the services of
an O___ system do not consume any file slots -- they are hot-key invoked.  So
sacrificing TELCOM functionality is a practical expedient in cases where an
O__ system is used.

GL to all of Field Day de WD8PNL,  -= Ron Wiesen =-