Channel Management

Channel Management

The Channels tab is the most-used view in the toolkit. It's the equivalent of CHIRP's main grid: all 200 memory channels, scan-list assignments, tone configuration, names, and frequencies — editable side-by-side, with CSV import/export for bulk operations.

• The Channels view at a glance
• CSV format (CHIRP-compatible)
• Scan lists
• Tones — RX, TX, and the two-stage editor
• Migrating from CHIRP
• Bulk-edit ribbon

The Channels view at a glance

The grid shows one row per channel slot (1–200). Editable columns:

Column	Notes
Name	Up to 12 characters, ASCII printable. Empty = unnamed slot.
RX freq	MHz, 5 decimal places. Range depends on F-Lock band setting.
TX freq	MHz. Often = RX (simplex) or RX + offset (repeaters).
Mode	FM, NFM (Narrow FM), AM, USB.
Step	Tuning step in kHz.
Bandwidth	Wide (25 kHz), Narrow (12.5 kHz).
Power	Low1–Low5, Mid, High, User.
PTT ID	DTMF identification — none, BOT (start), EOT (end), both.
Compander	Off, TX, RX, both.
DCS / CTCSS	See Tones below.
Scrambler	F4HWN-specific encryption-light feature.
Busy lock (BCLO)	Block transmission if channel busy.
Scan list	Which scan list this channel belongs to (1–24, ALL, or OFF).

Save edits with the Apply Changes button (top-right of the main window). Until you click Apply, nothing is written to the radio — every edit lives in a buffer.

CSV format (CHIRP-compatible)

The toolkit uses the same 21-column CSV that CHIRP exports. Drop a CHIRP CSV into Channels → Import CSV and the toolkit reads it natively. Export back with Channels → Export CSV.

Round-trip safety

Two extensions to the CHIRP format, encoded in the Comment column:

• scan=N — the channel's scan-list assignment (1–24, ALL, or omitted = OFF)
• pttid=BOT|EOT|BOTH — DTMF PTT-ID
• bclo=1 — busy-channel lockout

Example:

Location,Name,Frequency,Duplex,Offset,Tone,rToneFreq,cToneFreq,DtcsCode,DtcsPolarity,Mode,TStep,Skip,Comment
1,REPEATER1,145.7000,-,0.6000,Tone,88.5,88.5,,NN,FM,5.00,,scan=1 pttid=BOT
2,SIMPLEX1,145.5000,,,,88.5,88.5,,NN,FM,5.00,,scan=1

Tip

CHIRP doesn't know about scan lists ≥ 3 or about the F4HWN-specific scrambler. Those round-trip through Comment cleanly: export → edit in any text editor → import back, no data loss.

Scan lists

F4HWN supports 24 named scan lists (Quansheng stock has only 2). The toolkit's Scan Lists tab lets you:

• Name each list (up to 12 chars)
• Assign / unassign channels via a multi-select grid
• Mark a channel as ALL — included in every scan list

Scan-list assignments are persisted in EEPROM as a per-channel attribute byte. The CSV scan=N extension is round-trip with this byte.

Important

A channel's scan-list assignment is part of the channel record, not stored separately. If you erase a channel slot from the grid, its scan-list membership is erased too. Conversely, you can't add a slot to a scan list without the channel having a frequency in the slot.

Tones — RX, TX, and the two-stage editor

The Channels grid shows tone status as a single column (e.g. T 88.5 or D023N). Click into the cell to open the two-stage tone editor:

Stage 1: tone mode

• Off — no tone
• Tone (CTCSS) — analogue sub-audible tone, 50 standard frequencies (67.0–254.1 Hz)
• DCS — digital coded squelch, 104 standard codes
• Cross — different RX and TX tone (e.g. CTCSS-encode with DCS-decode)

Stage 2: tone value

Once a mode is picked, the editor shows the appropriate value selector:

• For Tone, a CTCSS frequency picker (50 entries)
• For DCS, a code picker + polarity selector (Normal / Inverted, on each side)
• For Cross, two independent selectors — RX-side and TX-side

What the displayed string means

Display	Meaning
(empty)	No tone
T 88.5	TX-only CTCSS encode at 88.5 Hz
R 88.5	RX-only CTCSS decode at 88.5 Hz
TR 88.5	Both, same tone
D023N	DCS code 023, Normal polarity
D023I	DCS code 023, Inverted polarity
T 88.5/D023N	Cross: CTCSS encode TX, DCS decode RX

Migrating from CHIRP

If you've been using CHIRP and want to migrate without losing your work:

1. In CHIRP: File → Export → CSV. Save as e.g. chirp_export.csv.
2. In quansheng_toolkit: Channels → Import CSV. Pick the file.
3. The toolkit decodes the 21 columns, including any Comment extensions.
4. Click Apply Changes to write to the radio.

Note

CHIRP's notion of bank is different from F4HWN's scan list. CHIRP exports bank assignments as a separate Bank column that the toolkit ignores. To assign scan lists post-import, use the Scan Lists tab or edit Comment cells before importing.

Bulk-edit ribbon

At the top of the Channels grid is a ribbon for bulk operations on selected rows:

• Set frequency offset (e.g. add +10 kHz to all RX/TX of selected channels)
• Set tone (apply the same CTCSS/DCS to every selection)
• Set bandwidth (wide ↔ narrow)
• Set power level
• Set scan-list assignment
• Clear (wipe selected slots)

Multi-select with Ctrl+click, range-select with Shift+click, Ctrl+A to select all.

Tip

The bulk-edit ribbon is a buffer operation — it modifies the in-memory image, not the radio. Click Apply Changes when you're satisfied.

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Next: Calibration and Backup — the single most important habit before any write or flash operation.