Information architecture

How the UI is organized: the Home screen, the logical input layer, what each key does in each context, quick settings, the six top-level destinations, settings grouped by intent, and the key maps for the four reference radios. Principles referenced as P1 to P10 are in principles.md.

Hardware details below (key labels, knob types, display sizes) are the designer's understanding and must be checked against docs/spec/capabilities.md and the board descriptors when those exist. The design does not depend on them: a wrong assumption only changes a row in a key map table.

1. Concepts the user sees

Keep the number of concepts small and name them the same everywhere.

Concept	Meaning	Not called
Channel	A saved frequency plus mode and settings (FM or DMR)	memory, slot
Zone	A named list of channels	bank, group
VFO	Tune any frequency by hand	frequency mode, manual mode
Talk target	Where PTT goes right now: a talkgroup, a person, all-call or (FM) the channel	TX contact, contact, call target
Talkgroup (TG)	A DMR group number with an optional name	group contact
Contact	A person (DMR ID, name, callsign)	private contact, digital contact
Listen list	The talkgroups a channel listens to (the codeplug's RX group list)	RX group list (that phrase appears only in "Advanced" and in qdmr)
Recent	Stations heard and calls made, newest first	last heard, call log (both are filters inside Recent)
Digital monitor	Promiscuous monitoring: play every talkgroup on this timeslot ("hear all" in the code)	promiscuous, hear all

On-the-fly changes are temporary (P7). A temporary change shows a dot next to the changed field on Home and lasts until the channel changes or BACK is pressed on Home. Making it permanent writes it to the channel.

The talk target has three lifetimes:

One-shot: press PTT while a talkgroup or contact is focused in any list. Transmits to it now. It stays the talk target for the reply window (default 10 s after the last transmission or reception on it), then Home reverts to the channel default.
Temporary: SELECT on a talkgroup or contact ("Talk to"). Stays until the channel changes or BACK on Home.
Permanent: long SELECT on it ("Make channel default"). Writes the channel.

Replying to whoever just spoke is automatic during the reply window: if a station calls on TG 91 while the channel default is TG 3100, Home shows "Reply → TG 91 (8 s)" and PTT goes to TG 91 until the countdown ends. The setting "Reply window" (Talk & listen) allows 0 (off) to 30 s.

2. Logical actions

Screens consume only these. Each board maps physical inputs to them (boards/<radio>/keymap). Each action arrives with a gesture: PRESS (short, released before the long-press threshold), LONG (held past the threshold, default 600 ms, fires once at the threshold with a tick), REPEAT (navigation keys only, while held), and for PTT and MONITOR the raw DOWN/UP.

Action	Meaning everywhere	Required?
`NAV_UP`, `NAV_DOWN`	Move focus; on Home and in value editors, change the value (channel, frequency, level)	yes
`NAV_LEFT`, `NAV_RIGHT`	Change the focused value / switch tabs. If absent, screens fall back to `NAV_UP`/`NAV_DOWN` after `SELECT`	optional
`SELECT`	Do or open the focused thing. Long: make it permanent (save)	yes
`BACK`	Back one level; on Home clear temporary state. Long: Home	yes
`QUICK`	Quick settings for the current context. Long: key lock (on Home)	strongly recommended; fallback long `SELECT`
`CONTEXT`	Actions for the focused thing; on Home, the last or current caller. Long: Recent	strongly recommended; fallback: first item in Hub
`DIGIT_0` to `DIGIT_9`	Type (numbers, T9 letters). On Home: start Find. In quick settings and Hub: pick item by number. Long on Home: speed-dial slot	optional (keypad radios)
`PTT`	Transmit to the talk target (or the focused target, one-shot)	yes
`MONITOR`	FM: squelch open while held. DMR: digital monitor (hear all) on / off on each press (#19)	recommended
`TALK_TARGET`	Open the talk target picker	assignable
`EMERGENCY`	Hold 1.5 s to start or cancel emergency (if enabled in codeplug)	optional
`CHANNEL_POS(n)`	Absolute channel selector position (1 to 16)	from knob
`ENC_STEP(+/-)`	Encoder detent. Forward (+, clockwise): next channel on Home (as `NAV_UP`), value up in editors, focus down in lists and quick tiles (the next row, like a scroll wheel). Back (-): the opposite	from encoder
`USER_1` to `USER_4`	Side and top keys; each has a short and a long function from the assignable list	optional

Assignable functions for USER_n keys (short and long, chosen in Settings > Keys or in qdmr): Monitor, Talk target, Quick, Context, Recent, Power cycle, Scan on/off, Hear all on/off, Privacy on/off, Zone picker, Speak status, Backlight, Mode FM/DMR (in the VFO), Copy to VFO, Lock, Reply, Radio check last caller, Silent (mute tones and prompts), A/B and Dual watch (dual-watch.md), None.

Rules for key maps (P3, P10):

Every board maps NAV_UP, NAV_DOWN, SELECT, BACK, PTT. Everything else must be reachable through a fallback on boards that lack it.
Text keys (*, #, digits) inside a text field are typing keys: * = shift/case/symbols, # = space and mode (T9 / multi-tap / digits), long digit = the literal digit. BACK deletes a character, long BACK still goes Home (after an "unsent text kept as draft" banner).

3. Home

Home answers four questions at a glance (P2, P5): Where am I (zone, channel), What will PTT do (talk target, mode, TS/CC or tone, power, privacy), What is happening (TX/RX, caller), Is the radio OK (battery, signal, GPS, messages, lock).

Regions, top to bottom, the same on every display class (sizes differ):

Status strip: state pill (TX red / RX green / scan / hotspot / idle), USB network word (IP, with link arrows once the computer has it up), RSSI, battery %, GPS fix, unread messages, lock, privacy. Drawn on every screen.
Place: zone name (small) and channel number + name (large). In VFO: the frequency (large) and "VFO".
Talk target: "PTT →" + TG or contact name and number (large), with chips: mode, TS, CC (DMR) or tone and bandwidth (FM), power. Temporary fields have a dot; reply window shows a countdown.
Activity: idle = the last heard station (name, callsign, TG, time ago). RX = the current caller big (name, callsign, ID, TG, talker alias, RSSI bar, distance if a position is known). TX = timer and target.
Hint row: what the nearest keys do here, for example OK Menu · * Quick · # Last caller. Hidden in large-text mode and after the user turns hints off.

Home keys:

Input	Short	Long
`NAV_UP` / `NAV_DOWN`, encoder forward / back	Channel +1 / -1 in zone (VFO: frequency step)	repeat
`SELECT`	Open Hub (top-level destinations)	Make temporary changes permanent ("Saved to channel")
`BACK`	Clear temporary state: end reply window, revert temporary TG and fields, dismiss banner	Already Home: tick
`QUICK`	Quick settings	Lock keys
`CONTEXT`	Actions for the last/current caller	Recent
Digits	Find (channels, TGs, contacts, settings; in VFO, frequency first)	Speed-dial slot 0-9
`PTT`	Transmit to talk target	-
`MONITOR`	Monitor while held	-

Large-text mode (accessibility, or chosen by the user) shows only the status strip, the channel name and the talk target, each as large as fits.

Banners and interruptions

Group call heard: Activity region shows it; no focus change on any screen. Outside Home, the status strip shows RX TG 91 · K1ABC.
Text message: tone, banner "Message from K1ABC: first words…", CONTEXT while the banner is visible opens it; the banner goes away after 8 s and the message waits in Messages with an unread count on the status strip.
Private call to me, call alert, radio check request: banner with tone; Home shows the caller with "PTT to reply". A private call does not take over a screen the user is editing; it shows in the status strip and the reply is one CONTEXT away.
Emergency received: full-screen, alert tone, repeated until acknowledged with SELECT or dismissed with BACK.

4. Hub: six top-level destinations

SELECT on Home opens the Hub. Items are numbered; digits pick directly. Order is fixed so muscle memory works.

#	Destination	What is inside
1	Contacts	Search field on top. Tabs (or filter chips): Talkgroups, People, Listen lists. Item actions: Talk to, Private call, Message, Radio check, Call alert, Request position, Add to speed dial, Edit
2	Messages	Inbox (unread first), New message, Canned messages, Sent, Drafts
3	Recent	Everyone heard and every call made, newest first, filters: All / Calls to me / Missed / Talkgroups. Item actions are the same as Contacts, plus "Save as contact" and "Show position"
4	Zones	Zone picker, current zone's channels, VFO, Scan lists
5	Channels	Every channel by number; New channel from current settings (first row); a channel's settings, edited in place and saved (ui.md 2.1)
6	Tools	Scan, Position (GPS), Hotspot, USB network, Single frequency repeater, ID lookup, Signal meter, DTMF, APRS, Registration (ARS), Battery
7	Settings	Grouped by intent (below), with search

Each Tools item keeps its number on every radio and build, so a key path such as SELECT, 6, 7 (Diagnostics) is the same everywhere. An item a radio may not have goes last (Battery, 9, on a mobile), so commonly used items have no gaps.

Contacts, Recent and Messages are the "people" side, Zones, Channels and Tools the "radio" side, Settings the preferences. Nothing operational lives only in Settings (P1).

5. Quick settings

QUICK opens a 3x3 grid (240x320 and 160x128) or a numbered list (128x64). Positions are fixed; digits 1-9 act directly, matching the keypad layout. Positions that mean the same in FM and DMR are in the same place.

Key	DMR channel	FM channel
1	Power (each press cycles levels)	Power
2	Timeslot 1/2	Squelch level
3	Color code	Tone (CTCSS/DCS, RX and TX)
4	To VFO (copy the channel to the VFO and open it)	To VFO
5	Hear all (promiscuous) on/off	Monitor latch on/off
6	Privacy on/off	VOX on/off
7	Dual watch (On / Off; a zone scan is in Tools > Scan)	Dual watch (On / Off; a zone scan is in Tools > Scan)
8	Talk target	Bandwidth 12.5/25 kHz
9	Brightness	Brightness
0	All settings	All settings

Toggle tiles change on one press; cycle tiles (power, timeslot, bandwidth) advance one value per press; value tiles (CC, squelch, tone, brightness) open an inline editor (NAV_UP/NAV_DOWN or digits, SELECT or QUICK to close).
Every change is temporary on a channel (dot on Home). Long SELECT on a tile makes it permanent. In VFO, changes apply to the VFO directly.
Tile 4 depends on where you are. On a channel it is "To VFO": the channel's settings in effect now (temporary changes included) become the VFO's own and the VFO opens ("Copied to VFO"); the channel is unchanged, and a channel the VFO can't hold is refused with a toast. In the VFO, tile 4 is Mode (FM / DMR), kept like the VFO's other settings. A channel has no temporary mode change.
Each tile shows its current value. The voice prompt reads "Power, high" etc.
BACK or QUICK again closes and returns to where the user was.

DMR channel with no codec installed (any DMR tile, and the VFO's Mode tile switching to DMR): the DMR tiles show "DMR needs the codec (see docs)" instead of failing silently.

6. Settings by intent

Settings has a search field on top (T9). Groups, in this order:

Group	Contents
Sound	Key tones, tone volume, talk permit tone, voice prompts (on/off, speed, verbosity), message tone, call alert tone, vibrate (radios with a motor)
Display	Brightness, backlight timeout, theme (light/dark/high contrast), highlight color, filled status bar, large text, orientation (240x320 boards), hint row, Home secondary fields
Talk & listen	Reply window, TX timeout, default squelch, VOX sensitivity and delay, mic gain, mic AGC, mic noise reduction, hear all default, talker alias show/send, name source (contacts, ID database, alias)
Privacy	Basic Privacy keys (per channel and per contact), lock behavior (auto-lock, what stays active when locked: PTT, side keys), PIN for settings
Location	GPS on/off, position format, send position (UDT, LRRP, APRS) and interval, reply to position requests
Connections	Hotspot defaults, USB network (at power-on, control station: PC answers data, link address; TFTP codeplug write), single frequency repeater role, ARS registration, radio check auto-reply, call alert answer, message format
Power	Battery saver, auto power off, low-battery warning level, power level defaults
Keys	Side/top key functions (short and long), long-press time, key repeat, Up/Down on Home (channel / zone / talk target), speed dial slots
My radio	DMR ID, callsign, name, talker alias text, radio name, region/band limits, time and date
Advanced	Calibration view, codeplug info, firmware info, factory reset (confirmed, P7), diagnostics, crash log (send the report, its target, Off/Ask/Auto after a crash)

Rule: each setting lives in exactly one group, and Find also reaches it by name and synonyms ("promiscuous" finds Hear all; "RX group" finds Listen lists).

7. Key maps for the reference radios

Notation: short / long. "-" means none. All maps also follow the text-field rules in section 2.

7.1 Baofeng DM-1701 (and TYT MD-UV380 class): keypad, channel encoder, volume knob, 2 side keys, top key, 160x128 color

Physical	Logical (short / long)
Green Menu key	`SELECT` / save
Red Back key	`BACK` / Home
Up / Down	`NAV_UP` / `NAV_DOWN` (repeat)
`*`	`QUICK` / lock
`#`	`CONTEXT` / Recent
0-9	digits / speed dial
Channel encoder detent	`ENC_STEP` (Home: channel; editors: value; lists: focus, forward = down)
Upper side key (row 2 D5) and middle side key (row 2 D7): see hardware-dm1701.md 10 and 20	`MONITOR` (while held) on the middle key
SK2 (lower side)	`AB` (dual watch A / B) / Dual watch on/off
Top (orange) key	Press: power cycle. Hold 1.5 s: `EMERGENCY` where it is built (hold again to cancel), else speak status
PTT	`PTT`

Notes: the channel knob is a quadrature encoder with detents, not a 16-position switch (hardware-dm1701.md 10.3), so zones of any size step through it. No NAV_LEFT/NAV_RIGHT.

7.2 Baofeng DM-32UV: keypad, channel encoder, volume knob, side keys, color display

Physical	Logical
Menu / OK	`SELECT` / save
Back / Exit	`BACK` / Home
Up / Down	`NAV_UP` / `NAV_DOWN`
Encoder detent	`ENC_STEP` (Home: channel; editors: value; lists: focus, forward = down)
Encoder push (if present)	`SELECT` / save
`*`	`QUICK` / lock
`#`	`CONTEXT` / Recent
0-9	digits / speed dial
SK1	`MONITOR`
SK2	`AB` / Dual watch
Top / alarm key (if present)	`EMERGENCY` or assignable
PTT	`PTT`

The encoder has no hidden modes (survey: Yaesu knob complaints). Forward is "next" everywhere: the next channel on Home (as Up), a higher value in an editor (as Up), the next row down a list (as Down). Lists follow the knob the way a scroll wheel does; Home and editors follow the number. (Until 2026-10-10 the knob moved list focus up, which read as backward on the radio.) Display resolution comes from the board descriptor; the layouts for its class apply.

7.3 Radioddity GD-77: keypad, no encoder, channel knob absent, 128x64 monochrome

Physical	Logical
Green key	`SELECT` / save
Red key	`BACK` / Home
Up / Down arrows	`NAV_UP` / `NAV_DOWN`
Left / Right arrows (if present on the model)	`NAV_LEFT` / `NAV_RIGHT`
`*`	`QUICK` / lock
`#`	`CONTEXT` / Recent
0-9	digits / speed dial
SK1	`MONITOR`
SK2	`AB` / Dual watch
Top orange key (if present)	assignable (default Power cycle / Speak status)
PTT	`PTT`

128x64 has no room for a 3x3 grid; quick settings are a numbered list with the same numbers. Home uses two text sizes only.

7.4 TYT MD-9600 (mobile): front panel encoder and a few keys, hand mic with keypad, 160x128 color

Physical	Logical
Front encoder detent	`ENC_STEP`
Front encoder push (if present)	`SELECT` / save
Front Menu / Back keys (or P keys, per board)	`SELECT` / `BACK`
Front P1	`QUICK` / lock
Front P2	`CONTEXT` / Recent
Mic Up / Down	`NAV_UP` / `NAV_DOWN`
Mic 0-9, `*`, `#`	as on handhelds (`*` = `QUICK`, `#` = `CONTEXT`)
Mic function keys (A-D or P1-P4, per mic)	`TALK_TARGET`, `MONITOR`, Scan, Power cycle by default; assignable
Front VOL key, on a radio without a volume knob	`VOLUME`: the volume screen; the encoder and Up / Down change it, OK / Back or 3 s idle close it
Mic PTT	`PTT`

Mobile-specific: while driving, the "driving" profile (Settings > Display, or automatic when the radio is a mobile and the mic is the input) hides the text keyboard (P5, NHTSA lockout: no manual text entry), offers canned messages only, and enlarges Home. Voice prompts are on by default on mobiles.

7.5 Few-key radios (example: four front keys and a knob)

Missing action	Fallback
`QUICK`	long `SELECT` (save then moves into `CONTEXT` > "Save to channel")
`CONTEXT`	Hub item 0 "Last caller" above Contacts
Digits	Find uses a letter wheel (encoder or Up/Down) with recent and frequent items first
`TALK_TARGET`	Quick tile 8
`MONITOR`	Quick tile 5 latch

7.6 Baofeng DM-1801 Pro: keypad with direction keys, side keys, SOS key, no encoder, 128x64 monochrome

Physical	Logical (short / long)
Menu	`SELECT` / save
Back	`BACK` / Home
Up / Down	`NAV_UP` / `NAV_DOWN` (repeat)
Left / Right	`NAV_LEFT` / `NAV_RIGHT`, long: `USER_1` / `USER_4`
VFO/MR	`VFO_TOGGLE` (switch between channel and VFO) / `COPY_VFO` (copy the channel to the VFO)
A/B	`ZONE_UP`
`*`	`QUICK` / lock
`#`	`CONTEXT` / Recent
0-9	digits / speed dial
SK1	`MONITOR` (while held)
SK2	`AB` / `USER_2`
SOS (top)	hold: `EMERGENCY` where it is built
PTT	`PTT`

The layouts are the 128x64 ones of section 7.3. Which matrix position is which key isn't known yet (hardware-dm1801pro.md 9.1).

8. Screen inventory

Screen	Reached from	Depth
Home	power on, long `BACK`	0
Quick settings	`QUICK`	1
Talk target picker	`TALK_TARGET`, quick 8, `CONTEXT` > Talk to	1
Find	digits on Home	1
Caller actions	`CONTEXT`	1
Hub	`SELECT`	1
Contacts / Messages / Recent / Zones / Channels / Tools / Settings	Hub	2
Item actions (contact, message, channel)	from a list	3
Message composer	Contacts/Recent/Messages actions	3
Settings group / setting	Settings	3 (setting editors are inline, not a fourth level)
Hotspot, Network, SFR status	Tools	2, and shown on Home while active

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