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guides › Install on your computer › WeeChat

weechat-radio:$ WeeChat

WeeChat is a separate chat program. Most people should run wcr setup then wcr gui. Use this page if you want WeeChat instead.

What you need

  • wcr node or wcr tui Already running on this computer.
  • WeeChat with the Python plugin
Where WeeChat sits On this computer, WeeChat connects to the wcr node over IRC on 127.0.0.1 port 6667. The node is the only part that talks to the hub over the internet or to the radio. WeeChat never talks to the internet by itself. this computer WeeChat #bulletin > _ IRC wcr node 127.0.0.1:6667 hub internet radio on the air WeeChat never talks to the internet by itself; the node decides what leaves
WeeChat talks to WeeChat Radio on this computer, on port 6667. It never talks to the internet by itself.

Easy way

On Linux, the official installer tries to install WeeChat with the system package manager.

On a Mac it does not. Homebrew has no bottles on older macOS, so brew install weechat compiles dozens of packages from source and looks stuck. Install WeeChat yourself, then point it at the node:

brew install weechat
wcr weechat --configure
wcr node
wcr weechat

If Homebrew has no bottle for your macOS, use MacPorts instead (sudo port install weechat), then the same wcr weechat --configure line.

To rewrite the server and script later:

wcr weechat --configure

Manual way

Only if you installed WeeChat yourself.

  1. Copy the script

    Copy radio.py into WeeChat’s Python folder:

    • Linux and macOS: ~/.weechat/python/
    • Windows (WSL): same path inside WSL
  2. Add the server

    In WeeChat, paste these lines one at a time:

    /server add radio 127.0.0.1/6667 -autoconnect
/set irc.server.radio.tls off
/set irc.server.radio.capabilities "message-tags,echo-message,server-time,msgid"
/connect radio
/script load radio.py
  3. Start chatting

    You land in #bulletin. Chat as usual. /radio help lists node commands.

  4. Change the theme

    The script defaults to theme tron (indigo / orange, same as this site). Turn it off with:

    /set plugins.var.python.radio.theme plain

How you know it worked

The radio bar at the bottom of WeeChat shows your mode and SNR, like INTERNET-RADIO │ IDLE │ VHF-FM │ SNR 12. Sending a message adds the same marks as the node: [tx], [rl], [gw], [ok], [all], [no], and [xN]. With 3 retries the last copy is [x4], and [no] waits two more intervals after that. #bulletin stops at [ok]. Email is only in wcr gui, not in WeeChat.

Prefer the built-in window? 5-minute start uses wcr setup then wcr gui.