Extract text from Channel list files (CHN)
To convert CHN Channel lists to another format, you need Genie 2000 or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Scientific Data File" file type, you need software like Genie 2000 or a similar tool.
The .CHN file extension is primarily associated with Spectroscopy Multichannel Analyzer Data files. These files contain raw gamma spectrum data recorded by nuclear spectroscopy equipment and are managed by Canberra Genie 2000 (now part of Mirion Technologies). Secondarily, the extension is heavily used to store Satellite Receiver Channel Lists for set-top boxes (STBs) utilizing NationalChip (GX) chipsets, as well as digital mixer channel presets for the Behringer X32 and Midas M32 consoles. Other niche uses include Epic Games Unreal Engine UTF-16 (LE) localization files, National Instruments DIAdem data acquisition channel files, and KEPServerEX communication drivers.
The main problem with .CHN files is extreme fragmentation. Because "CHN" is simply an abbreviation for "Channel," multiple industries use the exact same extension for entirely different, proprietary, and incompatible data structures. A nuclear spectroscopy .CHN file contains specialized binary or ASCII data that cannot be natively read by standard data analysis tools like Excel and requires expensive, specialized software to open. Satellite channel lists are often locked to a specific hardware firmware version, making them useless if you upgrade your set-top box. Furthermore, KEPServerEX driver files are actually executable code disguised as .CHN, which can be flagged by overzealous antivirus software.
Users usually need to extract the raw data from a .CHN file into a more accessible format for analysis, sharing, or editing. For scientific data analysis, converting to CSV or TXT is the standard approach, allowing the spectrum data to be imported into Python, R, or a spreadsheet. For satellite channel lists, converting to XML or BIN allows for easier editing before flashing the data back to the STB.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CHN file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SPE, TXT, EXE, ZIP, DAT, XDSL, CMI and FMS files.
If you want to convert CHN file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use Genie 2000 or similar software from the "Spectroscopy Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to CHN, try Genie 2000 or another comparable tool in the "Spectroscopy Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our CHN converter.