New User - Nationwide data and CHIRP

[moodperson]

I am a new user and frustrated. I just got my subscription specifically so I could use the nationwide database of radioreference to import into CHIRP.

The trouble is, when I try to do that, I am limited to using a zipcode. But what I need are the national frequencies so I can get them into CHIRP.

There was a report here in the forums about this issue that goes back to 2013. Hasn't it been resolved yet?

I also tried to download the national frequencies I needed as a .csv file, but CHIRP wouldn't import the resulting .csv file. Perhaps I could do this if I was able to get a real CHIRP file from radioreference, but no luck there.

So, anyone know if I am out of luck? Maybe there is a workaround for this. I don't really want just local frequencies.

Thanks

 

[nd5y]

What national frequencies?
Amateur, public safety or something else?

 

[moodperson]

What national frequencies?
Amateur, public safety or something else?

Thanks for the quick reply.
Basically I was looking at the Civil Air Patrol frequencies

 

[nd5y]

I'm not a paid member so I can't download and import stuff and have not done that with Chirp.
Maybe somebody else will be able to help you.
Half of the CAP frequencies in the database are P25 digital. I don't know how Chirp would handle that, or your radio. I don't think any Chirp supported radio is digital capable.

 

[moodperson]

You're right about the digital, but then again, why not the analog?
I just think that CHIRP ought to be able to access all frequencies that are in the RR database. Otherwise, why even list them? Manually inputting that data is tiresome to say the least, so if RR lets me get access from CHIRP on my local frequencies, then why not the national?

 

[hiegtx]

You're right about the digital, but then again, why not the analog?
I just think that CHIRP ought to be able to access all frequencies that are in the RR database. Otherwise, why even list them? Manually inputting that data is tiresome to say the least, so if RR lets me get access from CHIRP on my local frequencies, then why not the national?

Can't help you with CHIRP, but you may be able to work around the download issue by using FreeSCAN. Download & install the software. Then, since you are a Premium subscriber, you can use the web import function to download what you need from RadioReference, then you can export that data to a *.csv file that hopefully you could access. The user guide for FreeSCAN is in the Wiki: FreeScan User Guide - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[moodperson]

Thank you. YOu did get me on the trail of an answer. Apparently I have to manually massage the csv file to get it to import into CHIRP.
But can anyone here tell me why I can't access the Civil Air Patrol data at RadioReference directly from within CHIRP? I tried out the Freescan software, and it allowed me to narrow down my search to the Nationwide frequencies, so apparently RadioReference will allow a search on this parameter.
I guess I have to complain to CHIRP!

 

[ka3jjz]

I've asked about topics like this when I was working on the CHIRP wiki and there doesn't seem to be any real will to make the RR interface work like the other scanner software (like FreeScan).

There is other software - RT Systems software now supports RR imports - but they're not freeware...Mike

 

[ecps92]

Not having used CHIRP, but can't you cut-n-paste from the RR Wiki ?

Thank you. YOu did get me on the trail of an answer. Apparently I have to manually massage the csv file to get it to import into CHIRP.
But can anyone here tell me why I can't access the Civil Air Patrol data at RadioReference directly from within CHIRP? I tried out the Freescan software, and it allowed me to narrow down my search to the Nationwide frequencies, so apparently RadioReference will allow a search on this parameter.
I guess I have to complain to CHIRP!

 

[ka3jjz]

I'm pretty sure the answer is no, because CHIRP handles dozens of radios, both of the Chinese budget and numerous ham radios, too. I don't think they have an intelligent mapper like FreeScan does (I played around with an early version of CHIRP...).

It seems the only way to import external data that doesn't use one of their mapped applications is to use a csv file import, and that method itself is klunky. Here's the page from the CHIRP wiki...

CSV HowTo - CHIRP

Mike

 

[nd5y]

Chirp is one of those programs where cut/copy/paste functions don't work with the windows or linux clipboard. It only works within Chirp.

 

[nd5y]

It seems the only way to import external data that doesn't use one of their mapped applications is to use a csv file import, and that method itself is klunky.

You can manually enter 100 channels in the time it takes to figure out how to make .csv files work.

 

[moodperson]

Thank you for responding.