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AirCopy

AirCopy transfers memory channels and radio settings between compatible radios. It uses FSK over the air and, starting with v6.1.0, can also use a direct serial cable connection.

[!IMPORTANT] AirCopy is included in the Transfer and Labs editions. It is not part of the standard Fusion or FieldOps editions.

[!WARNING] AirCopy is not intended to make unlike firmware layouts compatible. Use the same firmware generation on both radios and select the same data section on the sender and receiver. The optimized v6.1.0 protocol is not wire-compatible with earlier AirCopy versions.

Starting AirCopy

  1. Switch the radio off.
  2. Hold PTT + SIDE BUTTON 2️⃣ while switching it on.
  3. Release all keys when the AirCopy screen appears.

The default over-the-air frequency is 434.000 MHz at very low power. You can enter another permitted frequency with the keypad before starting the transfer.

Use the navigation keys to select the same section on both radios:

Then start the target before the source:

  1. On the receiving radio, press EXIT.
  2. On the sending radio, press M.
  3. Wait for AIR COPY OK on both radios.

Each memory selection transfers 128 channels, including channel names and attributes. Settings includes radio settings, scan-list names, the VFO area used by ScnRng, the MIX scan-list selection, and the saved FoxHunt and Beacon preferences. All (Mem+Set) transfers all eight memory banks and Settings in one run.

AirCopy transfer screen

Reliable protocol in v6.0.0

v6.0.0 introduced an acknowledged transfer protocol:

A memory bank contains 68 AirCopy blocks of 64 bytes; Settings contains 12 blocks. Because the receiver sends acknowledgements, both radios transmit briefly on the selected frequency.

v6.1.0 improvements

Faster radio transfers

The new protocol carries up to three 64-byte blocks in one FSK data frame. This reduces the fixed turnaround and acknowledgement overhead and makes a full transfer approximately twice as fast under similar radio conditions.

Before sending data, the source provides CRC32 hashes for groups of up to 24 blocks. The target compares those hashes with its local data and requests only the blocks that differ. Repeating a backup or synchronizing two nearly identical radios can therefore be much faster than copying every block again.

The progress gauge distinguishes data that was already identical from data that was actually copied. The protocol also validates that sender and receiver selected the same logical data section; a mismatch fails instead of writing a different map by mistake.

Cable Copy

The Transfer edition adds CABLE COPY over UART. On the ready screen, press * SCAN to switch between radio and cable transport. Cable mode uses the same comparison, acknowledgement, retry, and selection checks as radio mode, but does not use an RF frequency.

The implementation raises the serial rate for the transfer and restores the normal rate afterward. Both radios must run matching cable-copy firmware and use a compatible direct serial connection.

External-Flash cloning

When CABLE COPY is active in the Transfer edition, an additional Flash 2M selection can clone the radio’s external Flash. It compares 4 KiB sectors by CRC32 and writes only different sectors. The device-specific calibration sector is deliberately excluded.

[!WARNING] External-Flash cloning can replace firmware slots, configuration banks, apps, logs, logos, and other shared external-Flash data on the receiving radio. Back up important data first, verify the direction carefully, and do not disconnect or power off either radio during the operation.

Troubleshooting

If a transfer fails: