[chirp_users] I get an "unknown file format" when importing

Thu Mar 25 08:51:43 PDT 2021

Hey Nigel?

I am going to ask something here, and it might get you irritated, but please understand that it is important and also within the context of this group.

Do you have any kind of visual impairment that negatively impacts your ability to use specific software on whatever platform you choose to use?

I can tell you right now, if you don’t, then you don’t have any real understanding of the problems that me and others on this list (who do) have when it comes to software. Screen readers and braille displays are pretty much a must when you can’t see the screen.

Now, someone suggested the use of Libre office. That’s all fine and good if you are on a Linux OS. Not so useful on either the OS X or windows platforms when a screen reader/braille display is in use.. This means we are limited in what we can (or can’t) use on a given platform at a given time and set of circumstances. The same is true for CHIRP. I can only use it on Linux and no where else.

Also, on the subject of CSV and TSV files, both of those are standardized formats that shouldn’t be presenting any issues. I use the 2010 version of excel and word here on the windows machine as nothing later is supported (it’s windows 7). So far, I have not encounter the issues you spoke of. If MS excel is introducing these types of errors, then they broke something and are violating standardized formats doing so.

Now, as for me, I am totally blind (literally). I have no light perception, so I expect all my tools to work in an expected fashion. If they don’t, then I am in serious trouble. This pretty much means that I have to be very conversant with them and how they work at the software/hardware level.

So, when it comes to CHIRP, I really wish it were fully accessible using braille or screen reader on platforms other than just Linux. Until that happens, I have to keep up on the latest tools (such as more specialized radio programming software that is accessible on windows or OS X), office packages that need to communicate with one another regardless of platform etc. Unfortunately, being totally blind makes that rather more difficult under the best of circumstances. So, unless you have a real understanding of how those of us without sight have to function, then you really don’t have any understanding at all. Oh, and if you *THINK* that wearing a blindfold will help you understand, no it won’t. It’s because, at the end of the day, you will still be able to take it off and use your eyes. Those of us who don’t have that option have to spend longer doing some tasks, use alternative methods to get our info, or even use radio programming software with tools designed to work around the lack of eyesight issue. The chirp package is no exception to this. If I want to use windows to program my radios, I have to use RT systems on that oS platform. I don’t get a choice. On OS X, there are NO accessible packages or methodologies that will allow me to program a radio like my UV5R, or the PK-888, the Retevus H777s, or even my midland g40. Most of these can be handled by Chirp on linux and no where else for me. Now, lets see you try and maintain 3 os platforms, on separate machines, having to know keyboard commands for each screen reader, etc. I can do it because I am cursed with an Eidetic memory. When I say cursed, I mean it. If any changes get made, I have to account for those, etc. that means my head gets full and I have no way to dump those memories. On the plus side, once I pick up something, I never lose it again, ever.

Anyway, enough of my ranting on software, accessibility, etc.

DE n7zzt Eric

> On Mar 23, 2021, at 8:37 AM, Glenn K0LNY <GlennErvin at cableone.net> wrote:
> 
> Well from the perspective of a screenreader user, I find editing things much easier to make changes in a spreadsheet program outside of Chirp and import them after the changes were made, so I would call that, the better way.
> Glenn
>  
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Nigel A. Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF <mailto:nigel at ngunn.net>
> To: Eric Oyen <mailto:eric.oyen at icloud.com> ; Eric Oyen via chirp_users <mailto:chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2021 7:45 AM
> Subject: Re: [chirp_users] I get an "unknown file format" when importing
> 
> The best way is not to use CSV files at all. 
>> On 23/03/2021 02:08 Eric Oyen via chirp_users <chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com>> wrote: 
>> 
>> 
>> One good way I have found to edit CsV files is to use a spreadsheet program like Microsoft excel or one of the linux free variants. Simply import as a cSV, do your editing, then export back to a CSV file. Compare the original to the new edited version to make sure the same number of commas are in place on the right lines. BTW, I have already tried this on my windows box using excel and a program specifically designed for the Baofeng radio. So, it should work the same way with chirp as both that program and cHIRP should read or write CSV files in the same way. 
>> 
>> DE n7zzt Eric 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Mar 20, 2021, at 11:39 AM, Jim Unroe <rock.unroe at gmail.com <mailto:rock.unroe at gmail.com>> wrote: 
>>> On Sat, Mar 20, 2021 at 1:25 PM Steve Vecchiarelli via chirp_users 
>>> <chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com>> wrote: 
>>>> 
>>>> ’m trying to import a csv file into CHIRP to upload back to my radio. 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Steps I’ve taken: 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Connected radio to CHIRP and downloaded the memories to CHIRP 
>>>> Exported memories to a CSV file 
>>>> Added the new frequencies to the CSV file 
>>>> Saved CSV and tried to import back to CHIRP bur getting an unknown file format message 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> What am I missing? 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks for any help! 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Steve 
>>>> 
>>>> KF0CPV 
>>> 
>>> How did you edit the CSV file? 
>>> What did you change? 
>>> Did you compare the new CSV file to the original file CSV file using a 
>>> text editor? 
>>> Attach both the before and after CSV files to this conversation so 
>>> that they can be reviewed. 
>>> 
>>> The most common cause of trouble is... 
>>> 
>>> - The data format of a cell was changed. 
>>> - The number of commas required at the end of a data row was changed. 
>>> 
>>> Jim KC9HI 
>>> _______________________________________________ 
>>> chirp_users mailing list 
>>> chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com> 
>>> http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users <http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users> 
>>> This message was sent to Eric Oyen at eric.oyen at icloud.com <mailto:eric.oyen at icloud.com> 
>>> To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users-unsubscribe at intrepid.danplanet.com>
>> _______________________________________________ chirp_users mailing list chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users This message was sent to Nigel Gunn, W8IFF at nigel at ngunn.net To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe at intrepid.danplanet.com 
> 
> Nigel A. Gunn, ///shoulders.outwards.resolutions   tel +1-937-971-0366
> Amateur Radio G8IFF W8IFF and GMRS WRBV701, e-mail nigel at ngunn.net www http://www.ngunn.net 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> chirp_users mailing list
> chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com>
> http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users <http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users>
> This message was sent to Glenn at glennervin at cableone.net <mailto:glennervin at cableone.net>
> To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users-unsubscribe at intrepid.danplanet.com>_______________________________________________
> chirp_users mailing list
> chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users at intrepid.danplanet.com>
> http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users <http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users>
> This message was sent to Eric Oyen at eric.oyen at icloud.com <mailto:eric.oyen at icloud.com>
> To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe at intrepid.danplanet.com <mailto:chirp_users-unsubscribe at intrepid.danplanet.com>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://intrepid.danplanet.com/pipermail/chirp_users/attachments/20210325/1ab5decd/attachment.html 