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

[Marco IZ3GME]

Thanks Jim for your summary, I'll wait for Dan and others then I'll 
write to mediaglobe before monday.

I'll keep you updated.

73 de IZ3GME Marco

On 27/09/2014 18:08, Jim Unroe wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 27, 2014 at 9:14 AM, Marco IZ3GME <iz3gme.marco at gmail.com
> <mailto: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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