Getting Started with CHIRP Radio Programming

Amateur, or ham radios, have become increasingly capable over the years, adding features that once were not even dreamed of. This is especially true of handheld radios that can now easily reach the other side of the world with ease using newer digital protocols. Unfortunately this has led to the radios being increasingly hard to program. What used to take a couple of minutes to set the frequency, offset, and tone for a couple of local repeaters has turned into something that can take hours of frustration to get anywhere. Today, the vast majority of popular handheld radios can be programmed using the open-source and freely available software called CHIRP. This too has a downside, it has no documentation to speak of. While CHIRP is fairly straight forward and easy to use once you know what you are doing, it can be daunting for the new radio operator who doesn't understand the terms or even the basics of radio communications. That's where Getting Started with CHIRP Radio Programming comes in, guiding you from start to finish to getting your radio up and running fast and easy. Whether you are running Windows, MacOS, or even Linux, this guide walks you through the installation of the software and then covers every menu option in the software. You are introduced to a programming cable used to connect your computer to your radio, and even shown step-by-step how to make your own! While cables may vary from radio to radio, the idea will remain the same making sure you can create a custom cable for any radio you choose. After that, you go on a tour of every programming option available using the most popular handheld radio today, the Baofeng UV-5R, as an example radio. Comparisons in sections to other radios with more complex features makes sure you know what you might run into regardless of which radio you might want to program. Then the book rounds out your education with a section on getting help when things don't work as they should and a nice glossary of terms for amateur radio. So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy and become a CHIRP radio programming guru TODAY!