How to Program a Handheld Radio

A new handheld can feel like a puzzle box, full of buttons and settings with names that do not explain themselves. The good news is that programming comes down to a handful of facts per channel, and once you understand those facts, any radio makes sense.

This article covers what goes into a memory channel, how to enter one by hand, and how to do the whole job with a computer. For using the repeaters you program, see How to Use a Repeater.

Keypad or Computer

Every handheld can be programmed from its front panel. That is worth learning, because one day you will need to add a repeater while traveling with no computer nearby. It is also the best way to understand what each setting does.

For more than a few channels, a computer is faster and less error-prone. You type everything into a grid, check it at a glance, and send it to the radio in one go, and you end up with a file you can keep or share. Many hams use software for the big setup and the keypad for quick changes.

What Goes into a Memory Channel

• Frequency: for a repeater, this is its output, the frequency you listen on.
• Offset Direction: plus, minus or none. Plus means you transmit above the receive frequency, minus means below, and none is used for simplex.
• Offset Amount: commonly 600 kHz on 2 meters and 5 MHz on 70 centimeters. Some radios fill this in for you.
• Tone Mode and Tone: whether to send a CTCSS tone, and which one.
• Name: a short label such as the repeater’s town, so you are not reading frequencies on a tiny screen.

Tone settings confuse almost everyone at first. In Tone mode, the radio sends the tone when you transmit, which is what most repeaters need, and your receiver stays open to anything on the channel. In TSQL mode, short for tone squelch, the radio sends the tone and also stays silent unless the incoming signal carries that same tone. TSQL is handy on a busy channel, but it only works if the repeater sends its tone back out, so start with Tone and switch only once you know it does.

Programming from the Keypad

Menus differ from radio to radio, so keep the manual handy. The overall sequence is nearly always the same:

1. Switch the radio to frequency mode, often called VFO mode, rather than memory mode.
2. Enter the repeater’s output frequency on the keypad.
3. Set the offset direction and check the offset amount in the menu.
4. Set the tone mode to Tone and choose the tone frequency.
5. Use the radio’s store or memory-write function to save everything to an empty channel number, then add a name if your radio allows it.

Before you store the channel, listen to the repeater for a moment to make sure you have the right frequency. Afterward, switch back to memory mode and confirm the channel recalls exactly what you set.

Programming with CHIRP

CHIRP is a free, open-source program that supports a long list of radios from many makers. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and you can download it from the CHIRP website.

New builds appear whenever the developers make a change, and the project advises staying on the latest one. An older version called CHIRP-legacy still exists but no longer receives updates. Check the site’s list of supported models before you start.

The most important step comes first: read the radio before you change anything. Connect the cable, choose the download-from-radio command, pick your radio’s maker and model, and let it read. Then save that file right away under a name like “original backup.” If anything goes wrong later, you can send that file back and the radio will be as it was.

Now edit the grid. In CHIRP, the Duplex column takes plus, minus or blank for simplex, and the Offset column takes the amount in MHz, such as 0.6 for 600 kHz. Set Tone Mode to Tone and put the tone in the Tone column; the separate ToneSql column is the one TSQL mode uses. When you are done, save your edited file under a new name, then use the upload-to-radio command to send it.

Cables and Drivers

Most handhelds connect to a computer through a programming cable with a USB plug on one end and the radio’s own connector on the other. Inside the USB end is a small converter chip that needs a driver on your computer. When programming fails, the cable or its driver is the cause far more often than the software or the radio.

• Use the Right Cable: the plug must match your radio, and the signal levels must suit it. The wrong kind of cable can damage some radios.
• Beware Copied Chips: some low-cost cables use imitation converter chips that newer drivers refuse to work with, so a cable can work one week and fail after an automatic update.
• Check the Port: make sure the software is pointed at the port the cable actually created, and that the plug is pushed fully into the radio.
• Read the Help Pages: the CHIRP site has a cable guide that explains these problems in more detail.

Start with a charged battery. A radio that shuts off halfway through an upload is a headache you can avoid.

Simplex Channels Worth Storing

Simplex means talking radio to radio on one frequency, with no repeater. It is useful when a repeater is down, for talking to a friend nearby, or for public service events. Set the offset to none and the tone mode to off for these channels.

• 146.520 MHz: the ARRL band plan names this the National Simplex Calling Frequency for 2 meters. Make a call, then move to another simplex frequency to chat.
• 446.000 MHz: the national simplex frequency for 70 centimeters in the ARRL band plan.
• Other 2 Meter Simplex: the band plan sets aside 146.40 to 146.58 MHz and 147.42 to 147.57 MHz for FM simplex, though 146.40 is a repeater input in some areas.

Ask your local club which simplex frequencies are used in your area. Our band plans page shows where these fit on each band.

Test and Tidy Up

Go through each new channel and listen. When a repeater is quiet, give your callsign and ask for a signal report to confirm your offset and tone are right. If the repeater does not respond, check the tone first, then the offset direction.

Keep both files, the original backup and your edited version, somewhere safe. Group related channels, such as local repeaters first and simplex after, so they are easy to find. While you test, hold the radio so the antenna is away from your eyes and face.