[chirp_devel] "Don't use chirp" warning on italian radio eshop

[Jim Unroe]

On Sat, Sep 27, 2014 at 9:14 AM, Marco IZ3GME <iz3gme.marco at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi all
> on the site page
> http://www.mediaglobe.it/shop/baofeng-uv5ra-duobanda-portatile-p-5055.html
> you can see that mediaglobe (one of the biggest radio e-seller in italy)
> says "do not use CHIRP". (translate the sentence in red with google)
> The same advice is also on the page of other baofeng models.
>
> I was going to write them to tell that's not true but before this please:
> - Jim can you confirm they are wrong? please point me to the issue # if any
> - Dan do you mind me to write as "a chirp developer"?
>
> Any other thought?
>
> TNX
> 73 de IZ3GME Marco
>

Marco,

Programming these new UV-5R variant radios with CHIRP isn't the problem. A
user with a single radio and a single copy of CHIRP would never have an
issue.

The problem doesn't occur until a CHIRP *.img file from a UV-5R variant
that has an older firmware version is uploaded to one of these new radios
with N5R-20 firmware (radios with 2 power levels) or N5R-30 firmware
(radios with 3 power levels).

Up until now, CHIRP has always considered it "safe" (and it always has been
"safe") to upload the "main" memory area across all compatible firmware
versions. It is only been the "aux" memory area that CHIRP has careful only
to upload when the firmware versions of the data and radio matched.
BaoFeng/Pofung has changed the layout of the "main' memory area so it is
not safe to "blindly" upload the "main" memory area any more.

What happens is when a CHIRP *.img file made from a radio with previous
firmware version is uploaded into one of these radios with the new
firmware, a 16 byte area of memory containing data becomes filled with 0xFF
effectively erasing it. With this area of memory erased, the radio will no
longer receive without the [MONI] (monitor) button being pressed. A similar
scenario occurs to a different 16 byte area of memory if a CHIRP *.img file
from one of these new radios is uploaded into a radio with an older
firmware version.

Once the cause and affect of this issue became understood, CHIRP was
updated to prevent these memory areas from being overwritten by not
allowing the upload of incompatible *.img files. Issues #1773, #1751, #1849
and #1851 are all related to this memory layout change.

THESE RADIOS ARE NOT PERMANENTLY DAMAGED. They are easily restored to full
working order. I have personally helped many new Baofeng/Pofung owners
"recover" after an "old" *.img file has been cross loaded into their "new"
radio. The procedure for this simple "recovery" process is available here:
http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/UV5R-Recovery.php#N5R

Let me know if you need more detail about something or have additional
questions.

Jim KC9HI
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