IU0VYT Flash: Free 44-Brand Radio Programmer for Channels, Repeaters and Firmware

If you own more than one Chinese handheld, you know the pain. Each brand ships its own Windows CPS, each CPS speaks a slightly different dialect, and moving a channel list from a Baofeng to a Quansheng means retyping everything by hand. IU0VYT Flash fixes that with a single free Windows program that reads and writes channels, settings and firmware across 44 radio brands, converts files between brands, bundles an Italian repeater archive, and updates firmware on 57 models.

TL;DR: IU0VYT Flash by Daniele IU0VYT Bonifazi is a free GPL-3.0 Windows program that programs 451 radio models from 44 brands over cable or USB, edits settings on 396 models, auto-identifies connected radios, converts channels between any supported formats including CHIRP img and CSV plus Excel, inserts Italian repeaters from the IK2ANE list, updates firmware on 57 models with backup and verification, and runs as a single file with no install in 11 languages. Download IU0VYT.Flash.zip from the releases page, extract, start IU0VYT Flash.exe, pick the model, read from radio, edit, and write back.

What IU0VYT Flash Is

IU0VYT Flash is a free open source Windows program by Daniele IU0VYT Bonifazi that reads, writes, converts and backs up channels, settings and firmware for 451 handheld and mobile radios from 44 brands through the programming cable.

Version 4.12.0 runs on Windows 10 and 11 64-bit as a single IU0VYT Flash.exe file with no installation, uses the WebView2 component already present on an updated system, checks for updates at every start, and switches its whole interface between 11 languages instantly from the flag selector next to Info: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. The full guide and information files are translated in the lingue folder of the download package, with the Italian original in LEGGIMI.txt and the English guide in lingue/en/GUIDE.txt.

Why One Programmer for 44 Brands Matters

The budget handheld market exploded into dozens of badges on a handful of platforms. Baofeng, Quansheng, Radtel, Retevis, TIDRADIO, TYT, AnyTone, Puxing, Wouxun, Talkpod, BTECH and thirty more labels share cables, chipsets and protocol quirks, but every vendor CPS covers only its own models. A club that standardizes on one simplex channel, one repeater pair and one tone ends up maintaining the same list in five different programs.

IU0VYT Flash takes the opposite approach, one tool that learns the protocol differences once:

• You program mixed fleets from one window. Read a Baofeng, tick the channels, forward them straight into a connected Retevis with compatibility check and adaptation, no CSV round trip needed.
• You stop retyping. The universal converter moves channels from any radio or file, K67 .xlc, Bajeton .dat, CHIRP .img, CHIRP CSV, plain Excel or CSV, into the format of any other supported radio, adapted to its rules.
• You keep a safety net. Every write starts with an automatic backup copy of the radio contents and ends with a verification pass, which matters because the protocols were reconstructed for interoperability and tested against simulated radios.
• You stay current without hunting. The program checks the releases page at every start and downloads the newest package itself.

For Malaysian operators the Italian repeater archive is less directly useful than it is for an Italian ham. But the converter, the bulk editor, the auto-identification and the firmware updater work on any radio anywhere, and the repeater archive is still a good template for building a local list.

At a Glance

Channels and Frequencies

Reading and writing covers 451 models, including digital PMR and DMR radios, over serial cable and over USB where the radio supports it. Supported file formats go beyond the cable:

• CHIRP-compatible .img files, so existing CHIRP images load directly.
• Original files of the Baofeng K67 Pro (.xlc) and the Bajeton 8300 (.dat).
• CHIRP CSV and plain Excel or CSV through the universal converter.

Two power-user features stand out. Zone names replace generic Zone 1 and Zone 2 labels on the Radtel RT-950 Pro, RT-950, RT-920, RT-910, Bajeton BJ-9000 and BJ-7700, Hiroyasu HI-UV850 Pro and DMR radios RD-5R, DM-1801 and DM-32UV, read and written by cable together with the channels. Bulk edit changes power, bandwidth, scan, subtones, shift or transmit offset across all ticked channels at once while leaving every other field of each channel untouched.

Radio Settings Explained in Plain Language

Settings support covers 396 models: menus, display options, VOX, squelch levels, TOT timeout, DTMF, side keys and more. Each item carries a description of what it actually does, and sensitive items pop a confirmation before they change. That matters because vendor CPS tools often expose cryptic numeric fields with no help text, and one wrong write can silence a radio until a backup is restored. IU0VYT Flash takes the backup automatically, then verifies the write afterwards.

Identify the Radio Automatically

Connect the radio and the program recognizes it by itself, showing make, model, type, firmware and whatever else the radio reports. USB DMR radios also report DMR ID and name. The automatic identification mode listens on all cable ports at once, recognizes a radio switched on after the cable was connected, handles several radios on different cables at the same time, tries previously recognized and most common radios first, isn’t fooled by a radio sitting in firmware update mode, and opens each radio tab with channels already read. A small Identifying radio box appears only for the cable with a radio answering, and a permanent Identify radio button sits at the top right for manual checks.

Universal Converter

The converter deserves its own section because it replaces a whole folder of one-off scripts. Any channel source, any live radio, K67 .xlc, Bajeton .dat, .img images including ones made by CHIRP, CHIRP CSV, Excel and CSV, converts into the channel format of any other supported radio with the target radio rules applied. Moving a club net list from a UV-K5 to a TD-H3 to a RT-600 becomes a convert-and-write job instead of an evening of typing. Forwarding between two connected radios works the same way: tick channels in one radio, write directly into another make and model with compatibility check, adaptation, backup and verification.

Italian Repeaters by IK2ANE

The built-in repeater archive comes from the updated list maintained by IK2ANE and made available free of charge. It ships with filters, automatic channel naming, a compatibility check between each repeater and the target radio, and direct insertion into the radio memory.

Two honest notes for readers outside Italy. The list itself covers Italian repeaters, so a Malaysian operator will build a local list instead. The workflow around it, filter, name, compatibility check, insert, is exactly the workflow to copy for a 9M repeater file, and the converter imports that file into every supported radio afterwards.

Firmware Update for 57 Models

Firmware support covers 57 models using the protocols of the official manufacturer programs, with file checking and a backup copy of the radio before flashing. Coverage includes the Quansheng UV-K5, UV-K6 and UV-5R Plus with Quansheng .bin files, Radtel RT-590 and RT-600 with Quansheng and Radtel .bin files, Radtel RT-470, RT-470L, RT-470X, RT-495 and RT-630 with Radtel .kdhx files, TIDRADIO TD-H3, TD-H8 and Radtel RT-730 with manufacturer .BIN files, Retevis RA79 V3 and RA89 with .bin files, Retevis RT85 with Retevis .hex files, Radtel RT-950 Pro, RT-950 and Bajeton BJ-9000 with .BTF files, Radtel RT-920 and RT-910B with .anc files, Radtel RT-910, RT-900 and Bajeton BJ-7700 without Bluetooth with .BTU files, Radtel RT-890 with Radtel and M7OCM .bin files, Baofeng DM-1701 over USB with Baofeng .bin files, and Baofeng RD-5R and DM-1801 over USB with .sgl files. BTECH DMR-6X2 and DMR-6X2 PRO get a guided update through the official program.

The rule from the warnings section applies double here: reconstructed protocols plus firmware flashing means always keep the backup copies the program makes, and never flash on a dying laptop battery or through a loose cable.

Model Gallery of 489 Radios

The gallery lists 489 radios from 44 brands, split into compatible and non-compatible, grouped by type including amateur, DMR, GMRS and FRS, PMR446 and radios for children, and grouped by brand with search and filters. Each entry links to the official manufacturer program and manual, which makes the gallery useful even before connecting a cable: check compatibility, grab the vendor CPS as a fallback, and read the manual first.

How to Use It in Three Steps

You need a PC with Windows 10 or 11 and the programming cable for the radio.

1. Download and extract. Get IU0VYT.Flash.zip from the download section of the program site and extract the archive into a folder. There’s nothing to install.
2. Start and pick the radio. Open IU0VYT Flash.exe, go to the Models tab, choose the radio, or press Identify with the cable connected.
3. Read, edit, write. Press Read from radio, edit channels and repeaters, then write everything back to the radio.

The complete guide lives in GUIDE.txt inside the lingue/en folder of the package, with the Italian original in LEGGIMI.txt. Source code, changelog and previous versions sit on the GitHub repository.

IU0VYT Flash vs CHIRP vs Vendor CPS vs Browser Tools

The practical stack is IU0VYT Flash on the Windows bench for heavy work, CHIRP on Linux or Mac seats, and a browser tool for single-radio field fixes. They share .img and CSV files, so lists move freely between them.

For the Malaysian Shack

A few workflows translate directly to 9M operating:

• Club net standardization. Build one master channel file with the club simplex, repeater inputs and outputs, tones and power levels, then convert it into every member radio brand before a field day. The bulk editor fixes power and bandwidth in one pass.
• New member onboarding. Auto-identify the mystery handheld a newcomer brings, read it, back it up, then forward the club channels into it without touching the vendor CPS.
• Firmware hygiene. Check the 57-model firmware list before an event. A UV-K5, TD-H3 or RT-600 running current firmware behaves far better in scan and VOX than one running a 2023 build. Flash on mains power, keep the backup, verify after.
• Second radio confidence. Buying a second brand for a go-kit no longer means learning a second CPS from scratch. Convert the existing file and go.
• Custom firmware pairing. If the radio runs community firmware such as the UV-5RM Radio Mod or an experimental TD-H9 build, back up first in IU0VYT Flash, flash the mod with its own tool, then use IU0VYT Flash to manage the everyday channel lists around it.

Honest Limits

IU0VYT Flash is Windows only, so Linux and Mac operators need a VM, a spare Windows box, or CHIRP for daily work. The repeater archive is Italian, which means non-Italian users build their own list and use the archive as a workflow example. The radio protocols were reconstructed for interoperability and verified with simulated radios, so the built-in backup before every write isn’t optional decoration, keep those backups. The program is provided without warranty, is independent of the radio manufacturers, and every trademark named only indicates compatibility. Respect national frequency rules: programming a repeater pair into a radio doesn’t authorize transmitting on it, and PMR446, FRS, GMRS and amateur allocations differ by country.

Acknowledgements and License

Most radio drivers derive from CHIRP and its authors. The repeater list comes from IK2ANE. Component authors and licenses are recorded in AUTHORS_AND_LICENSES.txt in the package. The program is copyright 2026 Daniele IU0VYT Bonifazi, qrz.com/db/IU0VYT, distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later with sources on GitHub. Bugs and suggestions go through GitHub issues.

Sources and Further Reading

• IU0VYT Flash program site, English edition
• IU0VYT source repository on GitHub
• IU0VYT Flash releases and download
• English guide GUIDE.txt in the repository
• GPL-3.0 license text in the repository
• CHIRP, the open source radio programming tool
• IK2ANE repeater list source
• IU0VYT profile on QRZ.com
• WebChirp browser based CHIRP radio programming on HamRadio.my
• H9 Toolbox TIDRADIO TD-H9 browser programmer on HamRadio.my

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