CHIRP for Beginners: Program Any Radio From Your Computer

CHIRP is a free program that reads the memory out of your radio, lets you edit channels in a spreadsheet-style grid on your computer, and writes them back. The routine is the same on almost every radio it supports: download from the radio, save a backup, edit, upload. These steps were written for CHIRP build next-20261030, the latest build on the official download page when I checked.

By the end you will have your channels programmed and a backup image of the radio on your disk. If you have not picked a radio yet, my handheld ham radio buyer's guide covers the common choices. Check yours against the CHIRP supported list before you buy a cable.

What you need before you start

• A computer it runs on. The current build supports Windows 10 and later (Intel 64-bit only), macOS Big Sur and later, and Linux with Python 3.
• A radio on the supported list. The CHIRP home page lists every supported model. If yours is not listed, it is not supported. Some models are handled by another driver, so the UV-K5(8) uses the Quansheng UV-K5 entry.
• The right programming cable. A Baofeng UV-5R takes the two-prong Kenwood-style plug. The Yaesu FT-4 and FT-65 use the SCU-35 cable into the MIC jack. The FT-60R uses a four-pin plug with a level converter in the housing.

CHIRP versions are named by date. A new build appears the day after any change, and the project's advice is to always run the latest one. Skip CHIRP-legacy: it no longer gets fixes and is only meant for a few radios that do not yet work in the current build.

Clone-mode and live-mode radios

CHIRP talks to radios in one of two ways. Most handhelds are clone-mode radios: CHIRP pulls the whole memory across in one go as an image, you edit that image on the computer, and you send it back. The image holds every setting, including memories and VFO state.

A few radios are live-mode. They stay on and swap one memory at a time, and each edit lands in the radio as soon as you make it. You cannot save an image of a live radio, so export to a CSV file if you want a copy.

The steps below are for clone-mode radios, which covers the Baofeng UV-5R, the Quansheng UV-K5(8) and the Yaesu FT-65R.

Program your radio with CHIRP, step by step

1. Install the current CHIRP build. Download the latest build from the CHIRP download page and install it. On Windows and macOS you do not need to uninstall an older copy, but quit CHIRP before you install.
2. Connect the cable and find the port. Plug the cable into the computer, then seat it firmly in the radio and turn the radio on. On Windows, check Device Manager under Ports for the COM number the cable was given.
3. Download from the radio. In CHIRP open Radio, then Download From Radio. Pick the serial port, the vendor and the exact model, then click OK. A clone-mode radio shows a progress bar while the image comes across.
4. Save an untouched backup image. Before you change anything, save the download as a .img file and keep it as your backup.
5. Edit the channels. Make your changes in the memory editor: frequencies, names, duplex and offset, tone mode and tone. Turn on Hide Unused Fields and Smart Tone Modes in the View menu to keep the grid simple.
6. Save the edited image. Save your edited image under a new file name so the backup from step 4 stays untouched.
7. Upload to the radio. Open Radio, then Upload To Radio. Vendor and model are already known, so you only choose the serial port. Live-mode radios skip this step because each edit goes to the radio as you make it.
8. Check the result on the radio. Power the radio off and on, then step through a few channels and confirm the frequency, offset and tone on the display.

For the Baofeng there is a UV-5R programming walkthrough with the details for that radio.

Yaesu radios need a different order

Yaesu handhelds are where beginners stall, because the order depends on the model. Alinco, Icom and Kenwood radios put themselves into clone mode when CHIRP asks. Just plug in, power on and download.

Newer Yaesu HTs such as the FT-65R, FT-4 and FT-25 also need no manual clone mode. CHIRP cannot take them out of clone mode afterwards, so switch the radio off when you finish.

Older Yaesu radios, including the long-running FT-60R, must be put into clone mode by hand, usually by powering on with one or more keys held. To download, put the radio in clone mode, click OK in CHIRP so it is waiting, then press the radio's clone send key. To upload, set the radio to wait for data (Clone Wait or Clone RX on the display) first, then start the upload in CHIRP.

Checks before you call it done

• Every repeater channel shows the right Duplex (+ or -) and Offset. With Duplex at (None), the radio transmits on the receive frequency.
• Tone Mode is set to Tone where the repeater needs a CTCSS tone on transmit, and the Tone column holds that tone.
• Names fit your radio. Name length and allowed characters depend on the model.
• You have two files: the untouched backup and the edited image.

If the next job is filling the grid with local machines, finding nearby repeaters and loading them with CHIRP picks up from here.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

A cheap cable with a clone Prolific chip

This is the big one on Windows. Many low-cost cables bundled with Chinese radios use a counterfeit Prolific USB-to-serial chip. Prolific's newer drivers detect the fakes and refuse to work with them. Windows 7 and later update that driver on their own, so a cable can stop working some time after it was fine. The same cables usually work on Linux.

My advice is to buy a cable that names an FTDI chip, since FTDI drivers are built into many operating systems. If you cannot tell which chip a cable uses, pick a different cable. If you are stuck with a Prolific clone, rolling the driver back to v3.2.0.0 is the known fix for the Code 10 error.

No serial port in the list

An empty port list almost always means the cable driver is not installed. Install the driver that came with the cable and try again. If CHIRP lists the wrong number, you can type the port yourself, for example COM15. A different USB socket gets a different COM number, so unplug and replug after you move it.

The radio does not respond

On the UV-5R and its relatives, a plug that is not fully seated is a very common cause. Some cables need a really hard push to snap in the last 1/16 inch. A keyed transmitter while the cable is in is one sign it is not seated.

Editing before downloading

A radio needs an exact copy of its own memory, so you cannot upload a CSV file or a blank grid. Always download from the radio first (or open an image of that radio), then import or paste channels into it.

Skipping the backup image

The download is a full image of your radio's settings. Save it untouched before you edit, and you can put the radio back the way it was. The project also asks for a .img file with any bug report, which is one more reason to keep it.

Picking a model that is close enough

Do not choose a different model because someone says it works. Many cheap radios look alike to CHIRP, and the wrong driver can corrupt the radio's memory or damage it. Likewise, do not upload one radio's image into another radio, and do not load drivers from untrusted sites.

Running an old build

If your radio is on the supported list but missing from your copy of CHIRP, or you see a version-not-supported error, you are on an old build. Install the latest one over the top.

What CHIRP will not do

CHIRP's focus is memory channels across as many radios as possible, not every menu setting on each one. For deep radio settings you may still need the maker's software. For channels, I would use CHIRP: one tool across a mixed set of radios, with copy and paste between them. If you are still choosing, my first ham radio guide is a good place to start.