Why do the KISS mode commands work in HEX? Wouldn decimal be easier?
Yes indeed it would! However, the microcontroller simply does not have enough available code space (actually, it doesn’t have any!) for the necessary decimal to binary conversion, and HEX is much simpler. The command interpreter already takes up most of the code space. Besides, operating in decimal is only the tip of the iceberg, because what you really want is to program directly in frequency, which would involve the microcontroller in floating point division (dividing by the resolution), and there CERTAINLY isn’t room in the micro for that! Anyway, the PC software handles all this conversion stuff for you effortlessly. If you program in KISS mode, you do have to calculate the frequencies by hand, and convert to HEX. You might prefer to write down a list of magic numbers for your favourite frequencies. If you run MAKEBCN (even without the Exciter) and enter the frequencies you want, you will see it display the HEX values you need.
