Part of our Yaesu FTX-1: The Complete Guide.
Between memory channels, menu customizations, and quick key assignments, there’s a fair amount of configuration built up on an FTX-1 after a few months of real use. Losing it to a factory reset or a firmware update gone sideways is avoidable if you back things up on a schedule.
Two ways to back up
The FTX-1 supports saving its configuration to an SD card directly from the radio’s menu, which covers memory channels and most menu settings in one file. The other option is USB-connected programming software on a computer, which gives you a more readable, editable copy and is what I actually use as my primary backup, since it’s easier to version and store off the radio entirely.
When I actually back up
I don’t back up after every tiny change, that’s overkill. I do it after any bulk memory channel update, before any firmware update, and roughly once a quarter as a routine check. Firmware updates are the one I’d flag hardest, don’t start one without a fresh backup, since a bad update occasionally resets configuration even when it doesn’t brick anything.
Cloning to a second radio
If you’re setting up a second FTX-1, whether for a family member or a backup unit, the same backup file can usually be loaded onto the new radio to skip reprogramming everything by hand. Double check memory channels that reference band-specific power levels or antenna tuner memories, those occasionally need a quick verification pass on the new hardware even after a clean clone, since minor calibration differences between individual radios can shift things slightly.
My backup routine
- Full config backup to computer before any firmware update, no exceptions.
- SD card backup kept in the radio’s case as a fast, on-hand fallback.
- Quarterly backup as routine maintenance, treated the same as any other scheduled task.
- Backups labeled with date and firmware version, not just left as a single overwritten file.
This is a boring, unglamorous habit, but the first time you avoid re-entering forty memory channels by hand after an update goes wrong, you’ll be glad you built it.