Programming the Yaesu FTM-510 radio using an SD card begins with getting data from the radio to give the YPS-M510 Programmer necessary details about the radio. What is retrieved in this process are modification status, worldwide version (American, European, South American, etc), firmware version, and other information about the radio that can only be retrieved from the radio. Memory channel details are not important to this process, although they are a part of it and will appear in the programmer if you have loaded memory channels into the radio.

This may be your first experience working with the SD card and the data transfer process on a radio. The process is very similar to that used by other Yaesu radios that use an SD card for data transfer. These steps will help you through that process.

Using the SD card for programming is GREAT, especially after the radio is mounted in your vehicle. Just think, no removing the radio to bring to the computer to program and no taking your laptop to the radio for programming via a cable connection. You need only carry the SD card from the computer to the radio. (Don't drop it along the way!)

With the radio off, insert the SD card into the slot on the side of the head of the radio.

• There is only one way the SD Card will fit.
• Do NOT force it.
• Working with your left hand and presuming that you are looking at the front of the radio, the teeth of the card will be away from you.
• Gently press the card into the slot until it clicks and stays firmly in place.
• The card will not work if it is not seated properly in the slot.
• SD appears at the top of the screen of the radio indicating that the card is in place properly.

With the radio on, press hold for 1 second the [KNOB] at the upper right of the face of the radio to access the menu.

• Hold the [KNOB] long enough to access the full menu.
• A short press will access the Quick Menu. The option you seek for programming is not found there.
• If necessary, press Back to exit the Quick Menu and try the knob press again.

• Rotate the [KNOB] to Menu Item 107 BACKUP.
  • Note: Turning the top [KNOB] on the right steps through the menu items one at a time.
  • Turning the bottom [KNOB] on the right steps through the menu items a page at the time. That bottom [KNOB] will get you there faster!!
• Press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select menu item 107 BACKUP.

• With WRITE TO SD highlighted as shown,
• Press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select.

• The ALL option will be highlighted on the SD Card / Write to SD menu.
• Press the [KNOB] at the top right of the radio to select this option.

• An All screen appears.
• Cancel will be highlighted.
• Turn the [KNOB] to "OK" or touch the "OK" on the screen to select.
• Press the [KNOB] or touch the "OK" again to begin the transfer. Either will work.
• The details of the radio will be transferred to the SD card.

• Saving is displayed on the screen during the transfer.
• The process can take what seems to be a long time to complete. Be patient, if no other message appears, the process is going properly.
• Do NOT turn off the radio during the process. Again, be patient and give the radio the time it needs.
• If the Saving message does not appear, you did not engage the process properly.

• COMPLETED and a filename appear when the radio finishes writing the data to the card.
• You have no control over this filename.
• You will use it in the Programmer. Make a note of it so you can find it at that point in the process. (Hint: Only the last number is important. All the rest is the same as others created by the radio by this process.)

• Remove the SD card from the slot for use in the computer.
• It may not seem normal; but you press the SD card to release it from the slot.
• The card will eject; and be ready to remove.
• Tweezers work well to get a hold of the card to remove it from the slot.
• At all times Be sure you do NOT touch to gold contacts. This could damage the card to the point it cannot be used by the radio or the computer.

Load the SD card into a reader for your computer to use.

• A screen may open asking what you want to do with the device. This is just a normal reaction of the computer.
• Click the option to close the screen if it appears. There is nothing that you need from it.

Start the YPS-M510 Programmer

• The Programmer opens to the last file you saved or to a default file (FTM510 Untitled 1).
• If you have been working in the Programmer, the last file you saved with memory channel details will open.
• To prevent loss of the information you entered in this file, do File | New before proceeding to the next step. This will create a new FTM510 Untitled file that you can work in.

Click Communications | Read Data from SD card from the menu at the top of the Programmer screen

• The YPS-M510 programmer finds the SD card automatically once the files are written to it by the radio..as long as the card is recognized properly by the computer.
• It may appear that nothing happens. The main screen does not change since there may be no memory channels programmed in the radio; but, the Programmer has retrieved the information it needs to identify your radio
• You have completed this part of the process and are ready to set up a file for your radio with memory channels, VFOs, Limit memories and customized menu settings.

You will need to repeat this part of the process ONLY if you make changes on your radio that you want to save to the computer, you do a firmware upgrade to the radio, or you modify the radio to transmit outside the ham band.

Customize your file with details you want in your radio. Enter memory channels details including frequencies, names, tones, etc in the spread sheets.

• As you build your file for the FTM-510 radio, you will want to save it as you work.
• Click File | Save As to save the file for use on the computer.
• This is NOT the file that you will use to program the radio.
• Do NOT save this file to the SD card. Save it to the hard drive of the computer. This is a computer file that the Programmer will use when you want to make changes in the future.

Now for the exciting part!! Let's make this file ready for the radio and get that radio on the air!! .

• Click Communications | Write Data to SD Card to "translate" the file for use by the radio.
• The radio cannot use a file created with File | Save: even if you put it on the SD card.
• That file is written in computer language. The radio needs a file that is written in radio language. The Programmer will do that translation.

The Write Data to SD Card process will ask you for a filename.

• You are in complete control. Name the file anything you want up to 12 characters.
• What a great way to identify and keep the information separate for different activities or travels.
• Enter the filename then Click save on this dialog to complete the process.

Remove the SD card from the computer.

• Put it into the radio as shown in the first step of these instructions
• You're almost there.
• You only need to transfer the data from the SD card to the radio.

Think about it.. this is very similar to the process you used on other radios..

• You did Get data from Radio.
• Then created the file with the information you wanted programmed in the radio.
• Saved the File.
• Then did Send data to radio to program those details into the radio.
• You're just not using a cable this time and the process is a little more disconnected.

The process for using the SD card to program this radio is a little different because the transfer is not direct through a cable.. but it still beats pressing all those buttons to program the memory channels and other options!! AND... it's lots easier than moving the computer to the radio or the radio to the computer once the radio is mounted in a vehicle.

With the radio on, press hold for 1 second the [KNOB] at the upper right of the face of the radio to access the menu.

• Hold the [KNOB] long enough to access the full menu.
• A short press will access the Quick Menu. The option you seek for programming is not found there.
• If necessary, press Back to exit the Quick Menu and try the knob press again.

• Rotate the [KNOB] to Menu Item 107 BACKUP.
  • Note: Turning the top [KNOB] on the right steps through the menu items one at a time.
  • Turning the bottom [KNOB] on the right steps through the menu items a page at the time. That bottom [KNOB] will get you there faster!!
• Press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select menu item
  107 BACKUP.
• Yes, press the [KNOB] and select Backup without fear of data loss.
• You are in control. There are more steps to complete the process.

• With READ FROM SD highlighted as shown,
• Press the [KNOB] at the upper right to select.

• The ALL option will be highlighted on the SD Card / Read From SD menu.
• Press the [KNOB] at the top right of the radio to select this option.

The radio gives you the choice of a file to load.

• Rotate the [KNOB] to your selection.
• Press the [KNOB] to make the selection.

• An All screen appears.
• Cancel will be highlighted.
• Turn the [KNOB] to "OK" or touch the "OK" on the screen to select.
• Press the [KNOB] or touch the "OK" again to begin the transfer. Either will work.
• The details of the file will be transferred to the radio.

• Loadingis displayed on the screen during the transfer.
• The process can take what seems to be a long time to complete. Be patient, if no other message appears, the process is going properly.
• Do NOT turn off the radio during the process. Again, be patient and give the radio the time it needs.
• If the Saving message does not appear, you did not engage the process properly.

• COMPLETEDappears when the radio finishes reading the SD card.
• You have no control over this filename.
• You will use it in the Programmer. Make a note of it so you can find it at that point in the process. (Hint: Only the last number is important. All the rest is the same as others created by the radio by this process.)

The FTM-510 will cycle off and back on when the process is complete. Watch as it powers on with your callsign proudly displayed on the start up screen.

The radio may be in VFO when the process completed. This is very normal.

Press the V/M key to cycle the top of the display to memory mode. This is a short press.

If you want both the top and bottom of the display in memory mode, use the [up and down arrow] key on top of the radio to call the bottom details to the top, then press V/M to change to memory mode. Press [up and down arrow] key on top of the radio to toggle everything back to where you expect it to be.