How to Program a QRZ-1 — Step by Step

The ten settings you actually use are printed on the number keys, so MENU and one key gets you there. The other seventeen are a scrolling list behind the same MENU key.

This page covers: Explorer QRZ-1. One model, so nothing here has to be translated from a near relative — every step below was written for exactly this radio.

What you can do on this radio

• Save a repeater to a memory channel
• Set the transmit tone (CTCSS / PL)
• Set the receive tone
• Set the offset direction and amount
• Set the squelch
• Change the transmit power
• Delete a memory channel
• Turn off the roger beep
• Turn off the voice announcements
• Turn off dual watch
• Lock the keypad
• Factory reset

Save a repeater to a memory channel on a QRZ-1

The QRZ-1 stores whatever is on the screen in frequency mode. So you type the frequency, hang the offset and the tone on it, and only then push the whole thing into a channel number. The manual's own worked example does exactly this, and it is worth following in the same order.

1. Press # until the radio is in frequency mode.#The screen should show: VFO shown beside the frequency, instead of a channel number.The # key toggles frequency mode and channel mode. Held down it opens the broadcast FM receiver instead, which is a different thing entirely — a short press is what you want here.
2. Press A/B until the arrow is beside the band you want to program.A/BThe screen should show: The pointer moves between the top line and the bottom one.Watch out. The radio shows both bands and only works on the one the arrow marks. This is the most common reason a freshly programmed channel appears to do nothing.
3. Type the repeater's output frequency on the keypad.type 146940The screen should show: Your frequency, with the decimal point placed for you.There is no decimal key. The manual's example types 450.325 MHz as 4 5 0 3 2 5.
4. Press MENU then the 1 key — it is the one labeled Tone — and set Tone Mode to TX. MENU saves it.MENU›1 Tone Mode›▲▼ TX›MENUThe screen should show: Tone Mode, with Off, TX+RX, RX or TX underneath.TX sends the tone to the repeater without demanding one back, which is what almost every repeater wants. TX+RX also mutes your speaker unless the incoming signal carries the same tone.
5. Press MENU then 2 — labeled Code — and scroll to your repeater's tone. MENU saves it.MENU›2 Tone Sel›▲▼ your repeater's tone›MENUThe screen should show: Tone Sel and a frequency in hertz.Watch out. This one frequency is shared. There is no separate transmit tone and receive tone on this radio; item 1 decides which direction the tone at item 2 is used in.
6. Press MENU then 3 — labeled Rptr — and choose plus or minus to match the repeater. MENU saves it.MENU›3 Repeater›▲▼ + or −›MENUThe screen should show: Repeater, with +, − or Off.This is only the direction. If your repeater uses the standard offset for its band you are finished here; if it does not, set the amount at item 16 as well.
7. Now hold MENU down until the channel digits start blinking at the top right of the screen.hold MENUThe screen should show: A blinking three-digit channel number.Watch out. This same hold is the first step of DELETING a channel too. What separates them is the key you press at the end.
8. Arrow to an empty channel number, or type one straight in, and press # to store it.▲▼ an empty channel›#The screen should show: The radio drops into channel mode showing your new channel.Watch out. # stores. ✱ deletes. Same screen, two keys apart, no confirmation either way.

The radio has 200 channels. If the new channel will not key the repeater, the tone is the first thing to check. The manual does not say whether a stored channel's tone can be edited in place, or what happens when you store into a channel that is already in use — so the safe move is to set item 1 and item 2 again in frequency mode and store to a channel you know is empty.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the transmit tone (CTCSS / PL) on a QRZ-1

Two items, always in this order: item 1 says whether a tone is used at all and in which direction, item 2 says which tone. Setting the second without the first does nothing, which is the usual reason a QRZ-1 will not open a repeater.

1. Press MENU then the 1 key, set Tone Mode to TX, and press MENU to save.MENU›1 Tone Mode›▲▼ TX›MENUThe screen should show: Tone Mode with Off, TX+RX, RX or TX.TX means your radio sends the tone but does not require one to open its own squelch. That is the setting for ordinary repeater work.
2. Press MENU then 2, scroll to the tone your repeater wants, MENU to save, and tap PTT to get back to the main screen.MENU›2 Tone Sel›▲▼ your tone›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Tone Sel and the tone in hertz.Watch out. The list starts at 62.5 Hz, which is lower than the 67.0 Hz most tone charts begin with. Scroll carefully — the first entry is not the one you are used to seeing first.

Do this in frequency mode before you store the channel, not afterwards. And remember there is only one tone frequency on this radio: change item 2 and you change it for receiving as well, if item 1 has receiving switched on.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the receive tone on a QRZ-1

Receive tone keeps your speaker shut unless the station calling carries the right tone. On this radio it is the same pair of items as the transmit tone, with a different choice at item 1.

1. Press MENU then 1 and choose RX to listen for a tone without sending one, or TX+RX to do both.MENU›1 Tone Mode›▲▼ RX or TX+RX›MENUThe screen should show: Tone Mode with your choice.RX on its own is for a quiet simplex channel. TX+RX is the one to pick when you want the repeater to hear you and want your speaker to stay shut for everything else.
2. Press MENU then 2, pick the tone, MENU to save, PTT to leave.MENU›2 Tone Sel›▲▼ your tone›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Tone Sel and the tone in hertz.

If a channel has gone silent on you, this is the first place to look — item 1 set to RX or TX+RX with a tone that does not match what is coming in will mute a perfectly good signal. Setting item 1 back to TX restores the speaker without losing your repeater tone.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the offset direction and amount on a QRZ-1

Direction and amount are two different items on this radio and they sit a long way apart — the direction has its own key, the amount is buried in the scrolling part of the menu. For a standard repeater you usually only need the first one.

1. Press MENU then the 3 key — labeled Rptr — and choose plus, minus or off.MENU›3 Repeater›▲▼ +, − or Off›MENUThe screen should show: Repeater, with the direction underneath.The manual's own table: 145.2 to 146.97 MHz takes minus 600 kHz, 147 to 147.39 takes plus 600 kHz, 442 to 445 takes minus 5 MHz, and 447 to 450 takes plus 5 MHz. Your repeater directory beats any rule of thumb.
2. Only if the repeater uses a non-standard split: press MENU, scroll down to item 16 Offset, press MENU again, and type the amount as seven digits.MENU›16 Offset›MENU›type 0006000›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: The screen reads 0.60000 once you have typed 0 0 0 6 0 0 0.Watch out. Item 16 has no number-key shortcut — the shortcuts stop at item 10 — so this one has to be scrolled to. And the field is in megahertz: 600 kHz is 0006000, not 600.

Set the direction first and test before you go hunting for item 16. Most repeaters in the US use the standard split for their band, and the radio already knows it — the amount only needs changing for the unusual ones.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the squelch on a QRZ-1

Squelch decides how strong a signal has to be before the speaker opens. Ten steps, and the radio leaves the factory in the middle.

1. Press MENU then the 4 key — labeled Sql — pick a level from 0 to 9, MENU to save, PTT to leave.MENU›4 Squelch›▲▼ 0 to 9›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Squelch and the level.The default is 5. Zero holds the squelch open so you hear the noise as well as the signal; nine opens only for strong signals and quietly throws away the weak ones.

The manual gives the method worth learning: wind it down until the noise comes back, then up one step at a time only until the noise stops. Stopping there keeps the weakest usable signals. Going higher trades range for quiet, which is a bad trade on a handheld.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Change the transmit power on a QRZ-1

Three levels on this radio, and the manual puts real numbers on them: low is 1 watt, medium is 2 watts, high is 5 watts.

1. Press MENU then the 9 key — labeled Pwr — choose the level, MENU to save, PTT to leave.MENU›9 Power›▲▼ Low, Medium or High›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Power, with Low, Medium or High.The power setting is stored with each memory channel, so a channel you programmed on low comes back on low.

Five watts out of a handheld is not much more useful than two when the antenna is the limiting factor, which it usually is. Low is the right default for a repeater you hear cleanly, and it roughly doubles how long the battery lasts on a busy day.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Delete a memory channel on a QRZ-1

This is the one procedure on this radio to slow down for, because it starts with exactly the same keystroke as storing a channel and ends one key away.

1. Get into frequency mode first with a short press of #.#The screen should show: VFO beside the frequency.
2. Hold MENU down — the manual says only "long-press" — until the channel digits blink on the right of the screen.hold MENUThe screen should show: A blinking channel number.
3. Arrow to the channel you want gone, or type its number, and press ✱ to confirm.▲▼ the channel to delete›✱The screen should show: The radio skips to the next channel, which is how you know the old one has gone.Watch out. ✱ deletes and # stores. The screen looks identical up to this point, and there is no confirmation. If you meant to save a channel and pressed ✱, you have just emptied the one you were looking at.

Deleting one after another works: each confirmation moves you on to the next channel, so you can walk through a block of unwanted channels without leaving the screen. That convenience cuts both ways — it is also how people delete more than they meant to.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Turn off the roger beep on a QRZ-1

This radio does not have this feature. What follows is what it does have, and why the thing you were looking for is not here.

There is nothing to turn off. The QRZ-1's menu is 27 items long and the manual lists all 27; none of them is a roger beep or an end-of-transmission tone. If your radio is making a noise when you release the PTT, it is coming from somewhere else.

1. The one beep this radio does have is the keypad beep. Press MENU then the 8 key — labeled Beep — and set it Off.MENU›8 Beep›▲▼ Off›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Beep, with On or Off.That is the click when you press a key, and only you hear it. It is not transmitted.
2. If a tone is still going out over the air at the end of your transmission, listen on a second radio to see where it is really coming from.listen again on a second radioAlmost always it is the repeater's own courtesy tone, which arrives a moment after you unkey and belongs to the repeater, not to you. Nothing on your radio will turn that off.

Worth knowing in the other direction too: because the radio has no roger beep, nobody on the far end gets an audible cue that you have finished. On a repeater the courtesy tone covers it. On simplex, saying "over" is the whole solution.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Turn off the voice announcements on a QRZ-1

This radio does not have this feature. What follows is what it does have, and why the thing you were looking for is not here.

This radio does not talk, so there is nothing to silence. The published menu runs from item 1 to item 27 and there is no voice, voice prompt or voice announcement setting anywhere in it — the QRZ-1 simply does not have the feature that makes a Baofeng announce every menu item out loud.

1. If what you actually want is a silent radio, item 8 is the keypad beep — MENU, then the 8 key, then Off.MENU›8 Beep›▲▼ Off›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Beep, with On or Off.
2. And item 17 controls the screen that greets you at switch-on. Scroll to it — there is no shortcut key above item 10 — press MENU to open it, and set it Off.MENU›17 Welcome›MENU›▲▼ Off›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Welcome, with DC, Message or Off.That is a display setting rather than a sound, but it is the other thing people are usually trying to get rid of when they go looking for this.

If your radio is announcing things out loud, it is not a stock QRZ-1 doing it — check whether a speaker microphone or an app is in the path before you go hunting for a menu item that does not exist.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Turn off dual watch on a QRZ-1

Dual watch is the radio listening to both bands at once. On this radio there are two separate menu items that both claim to do it, so turning it off means turning off both.

1. Press MENU then the 5 key — labeled Dual — and set Dual RX off.MENU›5 Dual RX›▲▼ Off›MENUThe screen should show: Dual RX, with On or Off.The manual describes this one as monitoring the primary band and the secondary band at the same time.
2. Then scroll down to item 25 Dual Watch, press MENU to open it, and set that off too.MENU›25 Dual Watch›MENU›▲▼ Off›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Dual Watch, with On or Off.Watch out. The manual describes item 25 as allowing reception on bands A and B simultaneously — which is the same sentence as item 5 in different words. Nothing in the book tells the two apart, so set both and you are covered whichever one your radio actually uses.

With both off, the radio listens only to the band the arrow is against, and the other line goes quiet. That is the setting to use when you are working one repeater and do not want the radio wandering off to the other band mid-conversation.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Lock the keypad on a QRZ-1

One key locks it, and one menu item decides how much it locks. This radio is unusually good about the second part — most handhelds only lock the keypad, this one can lock the PTT as well.

1. Hold the ✱ key for two seconds to lock, and hold it again to unlock.hold ✱The screen should show: A padlock appears at the top of the screen.The ✱ key is printed with the word Lock next to the star, which is the radio telling you what it is for.
2. Scroll to item 23 Lock Mode and press MENU to open it, then choose what the lock covers. All locks the keypad, the monitor and flashlight keys, and the PTT. PTT locks the transmit button only. Key locks the keypad only. Key+S locks the keypad plus the monitor and flashlight keys.MENU›23 Lock Mode›MENU›▲▼ All, PTT, Key or Key+S›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Lock Mode, with the four options.Watch out. The manual does not say which of the four the radio leaves the factory on, so check it rather than assuming. If you want a radio that genuinely cannot transmit from inside a bag, you need All or PTT — the other two leave the transmit button live.

All is the setting worth having for a radio that travels. The one thing it costs you is that you have to unlock before you can answer somebody, which is two seconds on the ✱ key.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Factory reset on a QRZ-1

Item 26, with three options — and this is the one place the manual lets you down, so read the caution below before you commit to anything but VFO.

1. Press MENU and scroll down to item 26 Reset, then press MENU again to open it.MENU›26 Reset›MENUThe screen should show: Reset, with All, VFO and Full.Watch out. There is no shortcut key for item 26 — the number keys only reach items 1 to 10 — so this one has to be scrolled to.
2. VFO is the one to try first. By its name and by the manual's description it resets the frequency-mode settings.▲▼ VFO›MENUThe screen should show: VFO on the value line.This is what clears up most of the reasons people reach for a reset — a tone set by accident, an offset nobody can find, a radio that has gone quiet for no visible reason.
3. Full is described as resetting everything under both frequency mode and channel mode. Choose it only if you are willing to lose your channels.▲▼ Full›MENU›PTTThe screen should show: Full on the value line.Watch out. The manual's description of this item is garbled — the middle clause is missing a word, what separates All from Full is never said, and it points at a page number that was never filled in. So treat anything other than VFO as capable of emptying your memories, and read your channels out to the programming software before you press MENU.

Ten minutes saving your channels to a computer first turns a reset from a risk into a routine. If the radio is already unusable and you have nothing saved, VFO is still the right first attempt — it is the least destructive of the three and it fixes most of what sends people here.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Not covered yet on this radio

Listen on the repeater's input · Name a memory channel

These are honestly missing rather than hidden. Nothing goes on this page until it has been walked on the radio itself, or two independent sources agree on it, or it comes straight out of the manufacturer’s own manual for this model — and guessing at a keystroke is exactly the failure these pages exist to avoid.