I think the distrust of non-Yaesu endorsed software comes from use of the 817 Commander (a precursor of Ham Radio Deluxe) software to manipulate the EEPROM on the FT-817.  It wrote so often that it eventually bricked the radio by forcing an EEPROM failure, and that became an issue when the sources for that chip dried up.  As a result, Yaesu actively discourages the use of software not blessed by them (their own or RT Systems.)

I tend to use the RT Systems software for my Yaesu needs, but I have used Chirp in the past without any issues and will probably use Chirp in the future.

I have FT-880, FT-817. FT-1, FT-2 and FT-3 loaded on Chirp.  I tend to make at least a backup copy of the configuration and keep it on a thumb drive that I can use in a pinch.

Mike, WB4TTZ

-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Wage
Sent: Mar 17, 2020 10:52 AM
To: Discussion of CHIRP
Subject: [chirp_users] Yaesu

I thought I sent this email the other day but must have started writing it and never sent.

Is there any documented cases of Chirp bricking a radio so badly it had to be sent back for a factory restore.

I see so many Yaesu users bring this up that they're afraid to use Chirp because it will break a radio bad enough to void warranty etc. etc...

Dennis M. Wage (W9BOQ)

245 Corum Hill Road