CHIRP / RT-1000 / Nicsure880g CSV Converter

chirp_to_radio.py converts between three radio programming CSV formats:

Format	Description	Detected by
rt1000	RT-1000 CPS software	RX Freq column
rt950	RT-950PRO / standard CHIRP export	Location col, no split Duplex
nicsure	Nicsure880g RMS software	Location col, uses split Duplex

Input format is auto-detected. Output format defaults to the logical opposite (chirp/nicsure → rt1000, rt1000 → rt950). Use --out to override.

Prerequisites

Python 3.8 or newer. On Windows install from python.org; use py (the launcher) or python depending on your PATH.

Usage

# Auto-detect: CHIRP/Nicsure -> RT-1000
py chirp_to_radio.py RT-950PRO.csv output.csv

# Auto-detect: RT-1000 -> RT-950/CHIRP
py chirp_to_radio.py output.csv restored.csv

# Override output format
py chirp_to_radio.py output.csv for_nicsure.csv --out nicsure
py chirp_to_radio.py nicsure_export.csv for_rt1000.csv --out rt1000
py chirp_to_radio.py RT-950PRO.csv converted.csv --out nicsure

If py is not on your PATH, use the full interpreter path:

"C:\Users\Wayne\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python314\python.exe" chirp_to_radio.py input.csv output.csv

Format notes

All formats → RT-1000

• CHIRP Location maps to output CH (1..1024). 1024 rows are always written; unused locations produce empty rows.
• Duplex=split (Nicsure style) is handled: the Offset field contains the literal TX frequency.
• TX Power: <=1.0W → Low; >1.0W → High.

RT-1000 → RT-950 / Nicsure

• Only occupied channels (non-empty RX Freq) appear in the output.
• TX Power (Low/High) maps to 1.0W / 8.0W in wattage formats (exact wattage is not stored in the RT-1000 format).

RT-1000 → RT-950 specifically

• Duplex is inferred: equal RX/TX → simplex, TX>RX → +, TX<RX → -.

RT-1000 → Nicsure specifically

• Duplex is always split; Offset contains the literal TX frequency.
• DtcsCode written without leading zeros (e.g., 23 not 023).
• Default tone frequencies written as integers (e.g., 67 not 67.0).

RT-950 ↔ Nicsure (chirp-format reformat)

• Converts Tone="Tone" ↔ Tone="Cross" CrossMode="Tone->".
• Normalizes DtcsCode zero-padding and tone frequency decimal formatting.

Troubleshooting

• N/T (No Transmit) in Nicsure — use --out nicsure when targeting the Nicsure880g software. The nicsure format requires wattage power values (8.0W/1.0W); the generic CHIRP High/Low strings are not recognized.
• PermissionError writing the output: close any program (Excel, editor) that has the file open.
• python/py not recognized: restart your terminal, ensure "Add Python to PATH" was checked at install, or use the full interpreter path.