[chirp_users] KT7900D/QB25 driver for macOS 10.13 (Mojave)?

[Jim Unroe]

On Sun, Jan 20, 2019 at 3:07 AM Patty Winter via chirp_users
<chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com> wrote:
>
>
> I was recently given a Radioddity QB25, which is also a QYT KT7900D. It came with a programming cable. I got CHIRP up and running on my MacBook Air, and followed the steps to turn off the radio, connect the cable, and turn the radio back on. But there is no USB port in the ports list in CHIRP, and when I try the default Bluetooth port, I get a message that the radio is not in clone mode.
>
> I suspect a driver issue. I tried to search the archives of this mailing list and found some information about macOS drivers for various cables (including some built-in Apple drivers), but didn't see anything specifically about the cable that's supplied by Radioddity. Their website only has Windows driver software. (They say the cable itself works with Windows 7 without a driver but you need a driver for Windows 10.) I tried the generic driver linked from the CHIRP MacOS Tips page, but that didn't work. (Was I supposed to have restarted the MacBook? I only quit and relaunched CHIRP.)
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> There are other macOS drivers listed on that page, but without knowing what kind of cable/chip Radioddity supplies, I don't know which driver to look for. Does anyone here happen to know what's in the QB25 cable and which driver works with it? I could try contacting Radioddity, but they appear to know nothing about Macs and might not give me sufficient information.
>
>
> Thanks/73,
> Patty N6BIS

Hi Patty,

I am assuming that the programming cable you have was manufactured
with and unauthorized copy of a Prolific USB-to-TTL chip. The device
driver written and supplied by Prolific (the chip manufacturer) is
designed to be incompatible with counterfeit copies of their chips.

The simplest solution to get you going should be to get an FTDI chip
based programming cable like the PC-04 from Baofeng Tech (the radio
dealer in the USA). My understanding is that the native Apple FTDI
device driver is recommended for FTDI chips. Baofeng Tech sells direct
on their website and also via Amazon, so with an Amazon Prime
membership you could have a PC-04 programming cable in 2 days.

https://baofengtech.com/pc-04-programming-cable

A possible solution to use the programming cable that you already have
would be to purchase a device driver from a 3rd party. I have read
where the device driver from the link below has been used successfully
with programming cables manufactured with Prolific type chips. It
costs EUR 7.90 (about $9.00) and you would be able to download it
right after purchasing it. They do offer a money back guarantee if
their support can't get you going.

https://www.mac-usb-serial.com/

Here is their page for OS X Serial Driver Installation

https://www.mac-usb-serial.com/docs/support/installation.html

Good luck,
Jim KC9HI