diff --git a/app_radios.go b/app_radios.go
index 2fe8d99..252e6d4 100644
--- a/app_radios.go
+++ b/app_radios.go
@@ -118,9 +118,16 @@ func (a *App) ActiveRadioID() string {
 }
 
 // RadioListEntry is what the status-bar menu needs: enough to draw a row.
+//
+// Name is what the OPERATOR typed, empty when they typed nothing; Label is what
+// to draw when there is no better idea. The two are separate because the caller
+// has a better idea than we do: the status bar knows what the radio calls
+// itself over CAT, and "FTDX10" beats "Radio 2" — but only where the operator
+// has not given it a name of their own, which beats both.
 type RadioListEntry struct {
 	ID      string `json:"id"`
 	Name    string `json:"name"`
+	Label   string `json:"label"`
 	Backend string `json:"backend"`
 	Active  bool   `json:"active"`
 }
@@ -135,7 +142,7 @@ func (a *App) ListRadios() []RadioListEntry {
 	out := make([]RadioListEntry, 0, len(list))
 	for i, r := range list {
 		out = append(out, RadioListEntry{
-			ID: r.ID, Name: radioLabel(r, i),
+			ID: r.ID, Name: strings.TrimSpace(r.Name), Label: radioLabel(r, i),
 			Backend: r.Settings.Backend, Active: r.ID == active,
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/frontend/src/App.tsx b/frontend/src/App.tsx
index 12a40b2..9f8c267 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/App.tsx
@@ -313,9 +313,17 @@ function RadioChip({ catUp, catState, onOpenSettings }: {
     return () => document.removeEventListener('mousedown', onDoc);
   }, [open]);
 
+  // What the operator called this radio comes first.
+  //
+  // The chip showed what the RADIO calls itself over CAT — "Kenwood (911)" for
+  // a K3, a bare "CAT" for a Flex that reports nothing useful — which is the
+  // answer to a question nobody asked once the rig has a name in the list. The
+  // model identity is still there, in the tooltip.
+  const active = radios.find((r: any) => r.active);
+  const named = (active?.name || '').trim();
   const label = catUp
-    ? (catState.rig || 'CAT')
-    : (catState.enabled ? (shortCatError(catState.error) || 'CAT off') : 'CAT');
+    ? (named || catState.rig || 'CAT')
+    : (catState.enabled ? (named || shortCatError(catState.error) || 'CAT off') : (named || 'CAT'));
   // The menu opens with ONE radio too.
   //
   // It was only shown from two, on the reasoning that a single radio has
@@ -330,9 +338,9 @@ function RadioChip({ catUp, catState, onOpenSettings }: {
       <button
         type="button"
         onClick={() => { if (!has) { onOpenSettings(); return; } load(); setOpen((o) => !o); }}
-        title={has
-          ? 'Radios — right-click for the CAT settings'
-          : (catUp ? `CAT: ${catState.rig || catState.backend || 'connected'}` : (catState.error || 'CAT'))}
+        title={catUp
+          ? `${catState.rig || catState.backend || 'connected'}${has ? ' — click to switch radio, right-click for the CAT settings' : ''}`
+          : (catState.error || 'CAT')}
         onContextMenu={(e) => { e.preventDefault(); onOpenSettings(); }}
         className={cn('inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 h-5 px-2 rounded-full border text-[11px] transition-colors',
           'border-border hover:bg-muted cursor-pointer')}
@@ -356,7 +364,7 @@ function RadioChip({ catUp, catState, onOpenSettings }: {
                 r.active && 'font-semibold text-primary')}
             >
               <span className={cn('size-1.5 rounded-full shrink-0', r.active ? 'bg-success' : 'bg-muted-foreground/30')} />
-              <span className="flex-1 truncate">{r.name}</span>
+              <span className="flex-1 truncate">{(r.name || '').trim() || r.label}</span>
               <span className="text-[10px] text-muted-foreground uppercase">{r.backend}</span>
             </button>
           ))}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx b/frontend/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx
index f28ec7e..8aff137 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx
@@ -3224,7 +3224,7 @@ function SettingsModalImpl({ onClose, onSaved, initialSection, onMainPaneChanged
                 <SelectTrigger className="h-9 flex-1"><SelectValue placeholder={t('cat.radio')} /></SelectTrigger>
                 <SelectContent>
                   {radios.map((r: any, i: number) => (
-                    <SelectItem key={r.id} value={r.id}>{r.name?.trim() || `Radio ${i + 1}`}</SelectItem>
+                    <SelectItem key={r.id} value={r.id}>{r.name?.trim() || r.label || `Radio ${i + 1}`}</SelectItem>
                   ))}
                 </SelectContent>
               </Select>
diff --git a/frontend/wailsjs/go/models.ts b/frontend/wailsjs/go/models.ts
index b6a9427..5aa0560 100644
--- a/frontend/wailsjs/go/models.ts
+++ b/frontend/wailsjs/go/models.ts
@@ -3606,6 +3606,7 @@ export namespace main {
 	export class RadioListEntry {
 	    id: string;
 	    name: string;
+	    label: string;
 	    backend: string;
 	    active: boolean;
 	
@@ -3617,6 +3618,7 @@ export namespace main {
 	        if ('string' === typeof source) source = JSON.parse(source);
 	        this.id = source["id"];
 	        this.name = source["name"];
+	        this.label = source["label"];
 	        this.backend = source["backend"];
 	        this.active = source["active"];
 	    }