🎧 Accessories
Cables, drivers, headsets and speaker mics for radios.
Accessories matter more than you'd think: a «charging-only» USB cable won't let you program a radio, a counterfeit CH340/CP2102 chip won't be detected by the system, and a poorly chosen headset won't fit the connector. Here's what you actually need for programming, communication and convenience — and how not to buy something incompatible.
The main pitfalls are cables and drivers (the PC doesn't see the COM port), headset connectors (Kenwood 2-pin and others) and the microSD for a hotspot (class, capacity, fakes). Below are detailed guides on each topic.
Programming cables and drivers: why the PC doesn't see the port
CH340/CP2102/PL2303 chips, counterfeit Prolific, a «charging-only» cable and choosing the COM port — why the radio won't program.
AccessoriesHeadsets, speaker mics and audio accessories for radios
Connectors (Kenwood 2-pin and others), speaker mics, covert earpieces and Bluetooth — what fits which radios.
AccessoriesCHIRP: free radio programming (and why it's not for DMR codeplugs)
Free cross-platform software for channels on hundreds of radio models: frequencies, CTCSS/DCS subtones, power. Installation, cable drivers — and why a full DMR codeplug is only made with the native CPS.
AccessoriesWhich microSD a hotspot needs: class, capacity and how to avoid a fake
A genuine 8–16 GB card is enough for a Pi hotspot: what Class 10/U1, A1/A2 (IOPS matters, not just sequential speed) and High Endurance mean, how to spot a fake and why a cheap card corrupts the file system.
AccessoriesBaofeng: programming channels in CHIRP step by step
Step by step: Baofeng channels in CHIRP — driver, COM port, read, edit, write.