KN4YZY

No reader questions in the comments yet this week, so I’m answering one of the questions I hear most often at club meetings: “How do I get the local repeaters into my handheld without pushing a hundred buttons?” The answer for a lot of radios is CHIRP, a free program that lets you edit your channels on the computer like a spreadsheet and then send them to the radio.

Level: Beginner  |  Time: About 30 minutes  |  Note: These steps are for the current version of CHIRP (called CHIRP-next). Check that your radio model is on CHIRP’s supported list before you start.

What You’ll Need

• A computer with CHIRP installed (free from chirpmyradio.com, for Windows, Mac and Linux)
• A programming cable made for your radio. The CHIRP folks recommend cables that say they use a genuine FTDI chip.
• The frequency, offset direction and tone for each repeater you want

Step 1: Download From the Radio First

Always start by reading what’s already in the radio. That gives CHIRP the right file layout and gives you a backup.

1. Plug the cable into the computer and the radio, then turn the radio on.
2. In CHIRP, choose Radio > Download From Radio.
3. Pick the cable’s port, then the Vendor and Model, and click OK.

Yaesu owners: you have to put the radio in clone mode first, then press the radio’s clone send key after you click OK. Your radio’s manual explains how to get into clone mode.

Step 2: Save a Backup

Before you change anything, use File > Save As to save the image (an .img file) with a name like “my-radio-original.” If anything goes wrong later, you can upload this and be right back where you started.

Step 3: Add Your Repeaters

Click an empty row and fill in the columns:

• Frequency: the repeater’s output, the frequency you listen on.
• Name: a short label that shows on the radio’s screen.
• Tone Mode: Tone sends the tone when you transmit, which is what most repeaters need. TSQL also keeps your receiver quiet unless the repeater sends the tone back.
• Tone: the CTCSS tone, like 100.0. (If you use TSQL, set the ToneSql column instead.)
• Duplex and Offset: set Duplex to + or –, and put the offset in Offset (0.600000 MHz on 2 meters and 5.000000 MHz on 70 cm in the US).

Shortcut: CHIRP can pull repeaters from RepeaterBook with Radio > Query data source > RepeaterBook. Look over what it brings in, since directory listings aren’t always current, and copy the ones you want into your radio’s file.

Step 4: Upload to the Radio

Save your edited file under a new name, then choose Radio > Upload To Radio. Yaesu radios need to be waiting in clone receive mode before you start. When it finishes, turn the radio off and back on, then check a repeater by kerchunking it.

Gotchas

• Cheap cables with fake chips. Many low-cost cables use clone Prolific chips, and newer drivers can refuse to work with them. The cable might work one day and stop the next. A good cable saves a lot of headaches.
• Starting from a CSV file. You can’t upload a CSV straight to a radio. Download from the radio first, then import the CSV into that file and upload.
• The cable isn’t fully seated. Handheld plugs need a firm push. Many “radio not responding” errors are just a loose plug.

Your Turn

This is “You Asked Friday,” so I want your questions. What’s the one thing about your radio you’ve never been able to figure out? Ask it in the comments, include your call sign if you’d like a shout-out, and it might be next Friday’s post. More guides are on the How-To page.

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