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

[Keith Watson]

I made it work once on my MacBook Pro, but it really was not worth the
effort. I picked up a real BF cable at a local hamlets for about $12 if I
remember correctly. Installed the driver and it worked. It was worth every
cent I paid for it.

Keith...

On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 4:46 PM, Chip S <investingchip at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey Keith.
> That’s what I’m gathering as I take bits and pieces of y’alls info and
> plug it in to google…
>
> So…like you said, unless I want to try and change NVRAM settings, possibly
> make
> a big mess in my security settings, etc., spend the extra $$ and get the
> real cable.
>
> :)
>
> Thanks again for all of y’alls help!
>
> Regards,
> Chip
> KG5KLB
>
>
> > On Jan 7, 2016, at 4:40 PM, Keith Watson <keith at keithwatson.com> wrote:
> >
> > 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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