Manually Programming the Retevis RA79

July 27, 2026

The Retevis RA79 is a feature-rich, multi-band analog handheld transceiver built for the modern amateur radio operator. Offering multi-band 50–600 MHz receiving, AM aviation airband reception, dual-watch monitoring, a hardware frequency counter for sniffing tones, wireless air-copy cloning, and dual charging options (USB Type-C + desktop cradle), it's a versatile field HT.

This guide covers manual keypad programming for simplex and repeaters, as well as step-by-step workflows for the RA79's built-in amateur radio tools 🛠️!

🔌 Dual Charging Capabilities

The Retevis RA79 provides flexible power management whether operating at home or off the grid:

Desktop Base Cradle: Insert the radio or spare Li-ion battery into the desktop base for standard, full-speed charging. The LED glows red while charging and solid green when complete.
USB Type-C Charging Port: Located directly on the side of the radio for emergency field charging via USB power banks, solar generators, or vehicle adapters. A solid blue light indicates active USB charging.

📻 Keypad & Navigation Quick Reference

Understanding the front panel shortcuts makes on-the-fly field programming quick and intuitive:

[ MENU ]: Short press to open the menu or confirm settings. Long press to reopen the last modified menu item.
[ EXIT ]: Press to cancel menu entries or clear numbers. Long press to return directly to the standby screen.
[ ▲ ] / [ ▼ ]: Navigate up or down through menu items, frequencies, or stored channels.
[ PTT ]: Press to transmit on the selected active channel; release to receive.
[ Side Key 1 ]: Short press opens squelch monitor; long press sends a 1750Hz repeater access burst tone.
[ Side Key 2 ]: Short press toggles the built-in LED flashlight; long press triggers the emergency alarm.

⚡ Fast Key Shortcuts (Press [ F ] followed by key):

[ F ] + [ 1 ] (BAND): Cycle through receiver frequency bands (F1–F7) in VFO mode.
[ F ] + [ 2 ] (A/B): Toggle active focus between Upper (Channel A) and Lower (Channel B) displays.
[ F ] + [ 3 ] (VFO/MR): Switch between VFO (Frequency) Mode and MR (Channel) Mode.
[ F ] + [ 4 ] (FC): Open the Fast Pair / Frequency Counter tool.
[ F ] + [ 5 ] (NOAA): Open NOAA Emergency Weather Radio.
[ F ] + [ 6 ] (H/M/L): Toggle Transmit Output Power (High / Low).
[ F ] + [ 7 ] (VOX): Toggle Hands-Free Voice Transmit mode.
[ F ] + [ 8 ] (R): Toggle Frequency Reverse (Talk Around).
[ F ] + [ 9 ] (CALL): Jump instantly to your assigned One-Key Shortcut Call Channel.
[ F ] + [ * ] (SER): Start automatic CTCSS/DCS tone scanning.
[ F ] + [ 0 ] (FM): Turn broadcast FM Radio on or off.
Long Press [ * ]: Start frequency tuning or channel scanning.
Long Press [ F / # ]: Lock or unlock the front keypad.

⚙️ Step 1: Basic VFO Settings (Step, Bandwidth & Power)

1. Switch to VFO Mode

Press [ F ] + [ 3 ] until raw frequencies are displayed without channel preset numbers.

2. Set Frequency Step (STEP — Menu 02)

Press [ MENU ] ➔ press [ 0 ] [ 2 ] (STEP) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Use [ ▲ ] / [ ▼ ] to choose your tuning step: 2.5K, 5K, 6.25K, 10K, 12.5K, or 25K.
Press [ MENU ] to save, then [ EXIT ].

3. Set Channel Bandwidth (W/N — Menu 10)

Press [ MENU ] ➔ navigate to Menu 10 (W/N) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Select WIDE (25 kHz for standard ham repeaters) or NARROW (12.5 kHz).
Press [ MENU ] to confirm.

4. Set Output Power (TXP — Menu 03)

Press [ F ] + [ 6 ] directly, or navigate to Menu 03 (TXP).
Select HIGH (5W) for maximum transmission distance or LOW to conserve battery.
Press [ MENU ] to save.

🟢 Step 2: Programming a Simplex Frequency

Example Simplex Setup: 146.520 MHz (2m VHF National Calling Frequency)

Press [ F ] + [ 3 ] to enter VFO Mode.
Press [ F ] + [ 2 ] to select Channel A.
Key in 1 4 6 5 2 0 on the numeric keypad.
Ensure repeater shift is off: Open Menu 08 (SFT-D) ➔ select OFF ➔ press [ MENU ].
You are ready to transmit directly radio-to-radio 🎙️!

📡 Step 3: Programming a Repeater Channel

Example Repeater Parameters:

Receive (RX) Frequency: 444.200 MHz
Offset Shift & Direction: +5.000 MHz (Positive Shift)
Transmit Tone: CTCSS 100.0 Hz

1. Enter Receive Frequency

In VFO Mode, key in 4 4 4 2 0 0 on the keypad.

2. Set Transmit CTCSS / DCS Tone (T-CTCS — Menu 07)

Press [ MENU ] ➔ enter Menu 07 (T-CTCS) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Use [ ▲ ] / [ ▼ ] to scroll to 100.0 Hz (or enter DCS using Menu 06).
Press [ MENU ] to confirm.

Note: If receive tone squelch is also required by the repeater, set the RX tone via Menu 05 (R-CTCS) or Menu 04 (R-DCS).

3. Set Repeater Shift Direction (SFT-D — Menu 08)

Press [ MENU ] ➔ select Menu 08 (SFT-D) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Choose ADD for positive offset (or SUB for negative offset).
Press [ MENU ] to save.

4. Set Offset Frequency Value (OFFSET — Menu 09)

Press [ MENU ] ➔ select Menu 09 (OFFSET) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Key in 005.0000 MHz using the keypad.
Press [ MENU ] to confirm.

💾 Step 4: Storing & Deleting Memory Channels

Storing a Channel (MEM-CH — Menu 13)

Set your frequency, power, bandwidth, tones, and offset options in VFO mode.
Press [ MENU ] ➔ navigate to Menu 13 (MEM-CH) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Use [ ▲ ] / [ ▼ ] or keypad numbers to pick an empty channel slot (empty slots show plain numbers like 004; occupied slots show CH-001).
Press [ MENU ]. When SURE? displays, press [ MENU ] again to save.

Deleting a Stored Channel (DEL_CH — Menu 50)

Press [ MENU ] ➔ navigate to Menu 50 (DEL_CH) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Select the channel number using [ ▲ ] / [ ▼ ] or keypad digits.
Press [ MENU ] ➔ when SURE? appears, press [ MENU ] to confirm deletion.

🔍 Special Feature 1: Fast Pair Frequency Counter & CTCSS Tone Sniffer

Need to find out what frequency and sub-audible tone a nearby radio is transmitting on? The RA79 features a hardware Fast Pair frequency counter that acts as an instant tone sniffer.

How to Sniff Frequencies and Tones:

Bring your RA79 within close range of the target transmitting radio.
Press [ F ] + [ 4 ] to enter the Frequency Meter interface.
Key the target radio's PTT button. The RA79 will immediately read the incoming signal and display the exact carrier frequency alongside the decoded CTCSS tone or DCS code.
Press [ * ] if you wish to clear the display and re-measure.
Save directly to a Channel: Once the frequency and tone are decoded on screen, press [ MENU ] to save the captured parameters straight into a designated memory channel!
Press [ EXIT ] or [ PTT ] to exit the frequency counter.

📲 Special Feature 2: Over-The-Air (OTA) Wireless Radio Replication (Air Copy)

Cloning channel programming between RA79 units in the field can be done completely wirelessly without needing a computer or programming cable.

Step-by-Step Wireless Air Copy Workflow:

Power OFF both the source (transmitter) and target (receiver) radios.
On both radios, press and hold [ PTT ] + [ Side Key 2 ] while powering the radio ON. The screens will display Air Pair.
Verify or key in matching replication frequencies on both keypads (the factory default frequency is 410.0125 MHz).
Target (Receiving) Radio: Press [ EXIT ] to set the unit into receive mode.
Source (Transmitting) Radio: Press [ MENU ] to begin transmitting frequency and channel data wirelessly.
During transmission, progress will display on screen as RCV: XX E: XX (where E: XX indicates error counts). Once complete, the transmitter displays SND: 120.

✈️ Special Feature 3: AM Aviation Band Receiving (108–136 MHz)

The RA79 includes dedicated AM demodulation for listening to air traffic control, ground operations, and aircraft broadcasts.

In VFO Mode, tune to an airband frequency between 108.000 MHz and 136.000 MHz.
Press [ MENU ] ➔ navigate to Menu 48 (AM) ➔ press [ MENU ].
Set Menu 48 to ON to enable AM demodulation. (Note: AM mode is specifically active for the 108–136 MHz frequency band).
Press [ MENU ] to save.

🌪️ Special Feature 4: NOAA Emergency Weather Radio

Stay informed during severe weather hazards with 10 built-in NOAA weather channels:

Quick Weather Access: Press [ F ] + [ 5 ] to enter or exit NOAA weather radio mode.
Auto Weather Scanning: Set Menu 49 (NOAA_S) to ON to automatically scan active local weather broadcasts.

🔀 Special Feature 5: Cross-Band & Dual-Watch Operation

Dual-Watch (TDR — Menu 17): Open Menu 17 (TDR) ➔ select CHAN_A or CHAN_B as your default transmit channel. The display will show DW and monitor both channels simultaneously.
Cross-Band Receiving/Transmitting (WX — Menu 18): Set Menu 18 to CHAN_A or CHAN_B to route outgoing transmissions through your assigned cross-band channel whenever a signal is received on the secondary channel.

📋 Retevis RA79 Ham Operator Menu Reference

Menu #	Display Name	Options / Values	Description
01	`SQL`	0 - 9	Squelch Level Threshold
02	`STEP`	2.5K, 5K, 6.25K, 10K, 12.5K, 25K	Frequency Synthesizer Tuning Step
03	`TXP`	LOW / HIGH	RF Output Power Selection
04	`R-DCS`	OFF / 1-104 / 105-208	Receive DCS Squelch Code
05	`R-CTCS`	OFF / 1-50	Receive CTCSS Squelch Tone
06	`T-DCS`	OFF / 1-104 / 105-208	Transmit DCS Squelch Code
07	`T-CTCS`	OFF / 1-50	Transmit CTCSS Sub-Audible Tone
08	`SFT-D`	OFF / ADD (+) / SUB (-)	Repeater Shift Direction
09	`OFFSET`	0 - 999.9999 MHz	Repeater Offset Frequency Value
10	`W/N`	WIDE (25kHz) / NARROW (12.5kHz)	FM Channel Bandwidth
13	`MEM-CH`	Channel 001 - 200	Store Frequency to Memory Slot
15	`VOX`	OFF / Level 1 - 10	Hands-Free VOX Sensitivity
17	`TDR`	OFF / CHAN_A / CHAN_B	Dual Watch Standby Mode
18	`WX`	OFF / CHAN_A / CHAN_B	Cross-Band Receiving & Transmitting
23	`MDF`	FREQ / CH / NAME	Channel Display Mode
30	`1-CALL`	Select Channel	Assign One-Key Call Shortcut
48	`AM`	OFF / ON	AM Airband Mode (108–136 MHz)
49	`NOAA_S`	OFF / ON	Auto Scan Emergency Weather Channels
50	`DEL_CH`	Select Channel	Delete Channel Memory Slot
51	`RESET`	VFO / ALL	Restore Factory Defaults