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πŸ“» South Sound Channel Plan

Pick the repeaters you can actually reach from home, then download one file that programs almost any ham radio through the free CHIRP software. It does the same job as the paid per-radio programmers in the back of the magazines, with a range scope so you can see what's in reach.

Memories 00 Home Lakewood Range 50 mi Format CHIRP CSV
Extras

Range scope

North is up. Rings are quarter steps of your max distance. Tap a pin to include or skip that repeater. Pins sit at the named site, so distances are close, not exact.

Channel sheet

UseMemBandOutputShiftToneCallSiteDist

Export for CHIRP

  1. Get CHIRPIt's free and open source, at chirpmyradio.com. You'll also need your radio's USB programming cable.
  2. Back up firstRadio β€Ί Download From Radio, then save that file before you change anything.
  3. Import this fileFile β€Ί Import, pick the CSV, and drop the channels into your radio's memory grid.
  4. Send itRadio β€Ί Upload To Radio. Try one repeater by ear before you count on it.

Why bother programming a radio this way?

A ham radio holds hundreds of memory channels, and each repeater needs four things set right: the output frequency, which way the transmit shift goes, how far, and the sub-audible tone that opens it. Punching that into a handheld's keypad is slow and easy to get wrong. Programming software turns it into a spreadsheet you can save, back up and load into the next radio. Companies like RT Systems sell one programmer per radio model. CHIRP does the same for hundreds of radios at no cost, and this page fills it with the repeaters around the South Sound, plus NOAA weather, so the radio is useful the day it comes out of the box, and when the cell network isn't.

Repeaters from the Radio Club of Tacoma's club and area list (checked October 31, 2026) and the RepeaterBook record for WW7CH at Paradise. The W7DK 147.280 repeater carries the club net Tuesdays at 7:30 pm. NOAA channels are for listening only. Transmitting on amateur frequencies needs an FCC amateur license. Repeaters change, so check RepeaterBook before a trip.