Part of our Yaesu FTX-1: The Complete Guide.
The FTX-1 handles C4FM and WIRES-X the same way its other Yaesu siblings do, but between the registration process and a PC-side quirk with COM ports, there’s enough friction here to justify writing it all down. This is the full path from a bare radio to an active WIRES-X node connected to a room, including the parts that aren’t obvious the first time through. For background on what WIRES-X actually is and how it compares to DMR and D-STAR, see our getting started with Yaesu System Fusion and WIRES-X post. This one skips the theory and goes straight to setup.
Step one: register for WIRES-X before you touch the PC software
Before installing anything, get your radio ID from the FTX-1’s menu. This is a unique identifier Yaesu assigns for network use, and you’ll need it for registration.
Head to Yaesu’s WIRES-X registration page and create an account. Yaesu sends a verification email first, click that to activate the account, then log back in and fill out the actual registration form with your radio ID and callsign information.
After submitting, you’ll get an “application accepted” email that just confirms the details you entered. The one you’re actually waiting on is a second email with your WIRES-X node ID and room ID, and this is the one that has no fixed timeline. Yaesu quotes 1 to 5 business days. Mine landed in about 12 hours, but don’t plan the rest of this setup around a specific arrival time since it’s out of your hands. If it’s been longer than 5 days, both IDs are also viewable anytime on your WIRES-X profile page once your account is active, so you don’t have to hunt through old emails to find them again later.
Radio-side prep while you wait
Two things need to be set on the FTX-1 itself before WIRES-X will work at all:
- Put the radio on VFO A. WIRES-X does not function on VFO B at all, and this isn’t documented anywhere obvious, so if the connection to the PC software seems to silently fail, check which VFO you’re on before troubleshooting anything else.
- Enable HRI in the menu. This is the setting that lets the radio talk to the WIRES-X software over the USB connection. If you need a refresher on navigating the FTX-1’s menu structure, our FTX-1 menu deep dive covers the basics.
Installing the WIRES-X PC software
Download and install Yaesu’s WIRES-X software on the PC connected to the radio via USB. Launch it, then physically press and hold the X button on the top of the FTX-1. Holding it loads the WIRES-X application on the radio itself, which is what lets it talk to the PC software rather than just sitting there transmitting normally.
The COM port trap
This is the part that ate the most time for me. When you plug the FTX-1 into the PC over USB, it presents three separate COM ports, not one. In the WIRES-X software’s port selection, the port you want is not the one labeled Standard, and it’s not the one labeled Enhanced. It’s the third one, and it took some trial and error to land on that before the software actually connected. If you’ve already been through this same driver install for CAT control, see our FTX-1 CAT control setup with Ham Radio Deluxe post, since the multiple virtual COM ports come from the same USB driver and the port numbers can shift depending on what else is plugged in.
Finishing the connection
Once the right COM port is selected, the Serial / Radio ID field in the software should auto-populate with your FTX-1’s radio ID, which is a good sign the link between the radio and the PC is actually working. From there, enter the node ID and room ID from your registration confirmation email (or from your WIRES-X profile page if that email hasn’t arrived yet). With those filled in, the software should connect the node to your chosen room, and the radio is live on the network.
Quick recap if something isn’t working
- Confirm the radio is on VFO A, not VFO B.
- If you press and hold the X button and the radio pops up with “Check Mode” instead of loading WIRES-X, that’s the radio telling you it’s on VFO B. Switch to VFO A, then press the X button again.
- Confirm HRI is actually enabled in the menu.
- Make sure you held the X button on top of the radio long enough for the WIRES-X app to load on the radio’s display.
- Try the third COM port, not Standard or Enhanced, if the radio ID field won’t populate.
- If node and room IDs haven’t arrived by email yet, log into your WIRES-X profile page directly to grab them.
None of this is difficult once you know where the snags are, it’s just not obvious the first time through. For the broader picture of how WIRES-X fits alongside DMR and D-STAR, our digital voice mode comparison is worth a read.