[Ham-Mac] new HAM...need help with CHIRP

[Keith Watson]

If you just want it to work, spend the money and get the cable with the
real chip. It just works. I won't say you can't get the counterfeit one to
work, but it is a real pain in the ass.

Keith...
N9TX

On Thursday, January 7, 2016, Bob Nielsen <n7xy at n7xy.net> wrote:

> If it is a generic cable, it probably has a counterfeit Prolific chip.
> You might try the driver at <http://www.miklor.com/COM/UV_Drivers.php#mac>.
> The miklor,com website has a lot of good information about various Chinese
> radios.
>
> 73,
> Bob, N7XY
>
> On 1/7/16 12:40 PM, Dave Wright wrote:
>
>> You need to install the drivers for the cable you have. Problem is, if
>> it is a Prolific cable odds are 50/50 or worse that it is a
>> counterfeit chip and won't work.  Simply guideline; if you paid $5 or
>> $10 for it on eBay, it is counterfeit and likely won't work. That
>> being said, here's how you go about it.
>>
>> All of this is from memory as I'm at work right now, so a step or menu
>> name may be slightly off here or there.
>>
>> 1) Plug the cable into the Mac.  Go to the Applications/Utilities
>> folder and start the System Information application; select the System
>> Report button. Look under the Hardware section for USB hub and look
>> for the cable you plugged in. Click on on cable and look at the Vendor
>> ID; hopefully it is either Prolific or FTDI.  Ok, close all of that
>> out and unplug the cable.
>>
>> 2) If the Vendor ID was Prolific, download the driver for OS X 10.11
>> from http://www.prolific.com.tw/US/ShowProduct.aspx?p_id=229&pcid=41
>>
>> If it was FTDI, download the driver for OS X 10.11 from
>> http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
>>
>> 3) Whichever you downloaded, open the DMG file and run the
>> installation program.  Once it is done, you can close and eject the
>> DMG file, then reboot the Mac.
>>
>> 4) Once it starts back up, go ahead and plug the cable in.  Open the
>> Terminal in OS X and type "cd /dev" (no quotes).  Look for a device
>> name like /cu.usbserial.xxxxxxxx or tty.ftdiusb.xxxxxx or something
>> similar.  This is your cable.  Make a note of what it is called.
>>
>> 5) Make sure you have the absolute latest version of CHIRP and install
>> it. The software is updated nearly daily so you always want to check
>> for the latest version.  Once installed, open CHIRP and select your
>> COM port so that it matches the device you see in step 4. Select your
>> radio and you should be good to go.
>>
>>
>> If you're new to Ham radio on the Mac, you might also want to check
>> out MacHamRadio.com (a bit of selfish self-promotion) for links and
>> news about hardware and software associated with OS X and amateur
>> radio.
>> Dave Wright
>> K3DCW
>>
>> "Real radio bounces off the sky"
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 1:20 PM, Chip S <investingchip at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hey folks.
>>>
>>> I am glad that I finally found this mailing list.
>>>
>>> My current setup is that I have a BF-F8 and I would like to program it
>>> with my Mac (El Capitan 10.11.2).
>>> However, I guess I’m not smart enough to realize how to put all of this
>>> together.
>>> I am sure that this question has been asked a 1,000 times…
>>>
>>> I am fairly certain that I have the generic USB cable and not the ‘real’
>>> one (learning this after the fact)
>>>
>>> Can someone help me out and maybe provide some step by step instructions?
>>>
>>> I do appreciate it!!
>>>
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>
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