This is my experience so far with CHIRP and the TM-D700A radio. The radio receives input from CHIRP in Live mode, with changes being in near real-time on the control head. Turning the radio off and on and then re-downloading the memory slots displays what was entered previously (of course it would, why are you mentioning that?). I can understand why RT Systems stopped supporting this model calling it a “cranky” radio. Here are some observed anomalies, and the solutions I found to work after much experimentation:

• Although the frequencies and memory names from CHIRP stick with the radio, the Tones do not, and even if the correct tone is there, moving to another memory slot and back to the previous memory loses the Tone setting. This was odd as the re-download from the radio had the correct tones still there, while the radio [F] à [T.SEL] displayed a completely different and as far as I can tell unrelated tone frequency. The solution to this has been to load the memory into the VFO and enter the correct tone in VFO mode; then re-save the complete setting back to its memory slot. Don’t hold the M.IN button too long (> 1s) or it will enter as Split mode (±), and that’s a cul-de-sac not to be trapped in (the escape is going into VFO mode and back to the intended memory slot using another memory slot that’s in the proper +/- offset for the target repeater). It’s unclear to me why this radio just won’t accept what it’s told to configure.
• This radio pays attention to which Band it’s in (see TM-D700 Manual, p.41). By default Band A (the Left knob) is for VHF, and Band B (the Right knob) is for UHF. I’ve learned to be sure to bring up for PTT in the Band associated with the frequency in a specific memory slot (listening to anything on either Band works fine with no problem). That also is the case for programming a memory slot, that is, program VHF frequencies with Band A and UHF frequencies with Band B, including correcting the Tone setting that it received from CHIRP and didn’t keep.
• I’m not sure this is something that CHIRP can solve: The Repeater Book look ups contain errors in the Tone settings. A couple of examples I’m directly familiar with are:
• The 146.13/73 repeater in Frederick, MD operates on Tone only (not CTCSS). The Repeater Book CHIRP lookup displays this repeater as TSQL (which sets the radio into CTCSS mode when applied). This repeater does not provide a downlink tone, resulting in dead silence in CTCSS mode.
• The 146.295/895 repeater in Manchester, MD is a multi-access repeater listed in the manually accessed Repeater Book listing as:
  146.8950            -0.6 MHz              CSQ / 107.2        Manchester        Carroll   N3KZS   OPEN    FM AllStar IRLP
  CHIRP will not load the listing for this repeater from its Repeater Book lookup saying this radio does not support Cross Tone mode:
  [146.895000/-0.600/107.2] Tone Mode: Cross; Cross Mode: -> Tone
  However, I’ve successfully accessed this repeater with this radio using the 107.2 tone listed, after manually entering it into its memory slot.

Hope these observations help people use CHIRP to help them work through the TM-D700A radio’s “crankiness.”

Thanks,
Mark
AC3EW