Hello!  We would like to help explain two methods you can use to connect to the HABGab repeater using handheld radios.  Even better would be to use a higher power base station VHF/UHF radio, but we assume if you own one of those, you know how to set it to crossband operation.

 

Method 1 – Programming your handheld radio using CHIRP

We will program our radio using a free software called CHIRP, a popular radio programming tool. This software is easy to use. Here are the instructions for how to use CHIRP to program your radio for HABGab 2023!

You can download CHIRP here. Once you finish installing, you will see a screen that looks like this:

 

Now it’s time to plug in your radio. You will need a programming cable such as this, if you have a Baofeng.  If you have another handheld radio, you’ll just need a compatible programming cable.

Now, select Radio>Download from Radio, and select your radio model. Be sure to follow the prompts after this to select your port and to turn on your radio (Protip: unscrew antenna before programming to avoid audio interference for the programming cable).

Ok, you made it! Time for the actual programming. You want to fill out one of the rows as the following:

 

Note: when you select “split” as the Duplex mode, it will bring up a window for the uplink frequency. Input 146.550 MHz, and hit OK.

 

Now it’s time to upload this to the radio. Navigate to Radio>Upload to Radio, select your model, then follow the instructions on the screen. Once it’s done uploading, you may unplug the cord from the radio, restart it, navigate to channel mode, and select the correct channel.

Congratulations! You have now programmed your radio for the HABGab event, and you can use a single dual band antenna from here to make contact.  A rubber duck may work, but we would recommend something like a base station ground plane vertical or dual band Yagi.

 

Method 2 – Use two handheld radios on simplex

This method is fairly simple, as it requires no programming. First, set one radio to 446.050 MHz to listen to the downlink frequency. This radio should have no CTCSS or offsets. The second radio should be set to 146.550 with CTCSS set to OFF and no offset. On launch day, you can listen to the downlink radio for the net control, or W1U, and use the uplink radio to transmit and make a contact!

Make sure to watch the countdown timer for when it’s going to launch! See you on the air!