[chirp_users] Please post

Thu Sep 13 15:11:59 PDT 2012

yes, i'm running 10.7.4 on the latest imac.

and the mac version of chirp does not seem to have the /file/open stock
config and the /radio/import stock config modules although i'll be the
first to admit they are non-essential, although very useful in setting up a
new radio.

it seems to be a mixed bag as to whether it works or not for any particular
person. for every person on the baofeng_uv5r list who has it working on mac
there is another like me for whom it only works sporadically. so far no one
who has it working has enough unix savvy to pass along the pertinent info
so that i can compare my system against theirs, such as the kextstat i
posted.

my driver is loaded by evidence of the kextstat command and i can access
the driver using zterm and scrt and i get the driver in the dropdown menu
when trying to upload/download the radio.

the instructions that accompany the driver at the link you posted fail
towards the end. first, for some reason (maybe it doesn't matter to him) he
fails to note that the kext 'file' is not really a file, it's a package.
thus it appears in the terminal as a folder and none of the commands he
lists really match up because a folder shows a trailing '/':

Installing the kext file can be done in a few easy steps:
download and extract
cd /path/to/osx-pl2303.kext
cp -R osx-pl2303.kext /System/Library/Extensions/
next you need to fix permissions and execute bits:
cd /System/Library/Extensions
chmod -R 755 osx-pl2303.kext
chown -R root:wheel osx-pl2303.kext
cd /System/Library/Extensions
kextload ./osx-pl2303.kext
kextcache -system-cache

these commands fail at the 'kextload' command:

*roma:Extensions sysop$ kextload ./osx-pl2303.kext*
*/System/Library/Extensions/osx-pl2303.kext failed to load - (libkern/kext)
not privileged; check the system/kernel logs for errors or try kextutil(8).*

here's the kextlog entry:

*Sep 13 16:28:32 roma kernel[0]:
nl_bjaelectronics_driver_PL2303(0xffffff803ff47000)::configureDevice -
unable to open device for configuration *

and that's where i get stuck not wanting to invest 4 hours in poring
through system logs or learning how to use kextutil and working with kext
files at all is not for the faint of heart and even i know enough not to
push it to far. just one errant kext file can brick your osx system if
things go wrong.

and if you look in the comments following the link at the page you posted
you'll see references to the 'nl ...' file that is showing on my system. i
think this is because the prolific driver (which all this is based on) is
in the netherlands and the 'nl ...' is the name of the actual driver in the
'package'

so if anyone can tell me why 'kextload' doesn't work on my particular
system, i might be able to get a little further along in troubleshooting
this. but my troubleshooting table goes like this so far:

1) since this works every once in awhile, the driver or kext file is at
least loaded and (sometimes) working.
2) i agree from long experience that seemingly random or erratic success
would usually indicate a short or flaky cable or hardware. but the fact
that it works perfectly with two radios and two cable using a windows7
emulator on the mac using the exact same usb port indicates (to me at
least) the problem is with the mac software--at least as it runs on my
particular system.

/guy (73 de kg5vt)

On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 4:00 PM, Tom Hayward <esarfl at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Guy Teague <accts at gtweb.org> wrote:
>> perhaps you missed the part where i said chirp works flawlessly using
>> windows7 on vmware running on the _same_ mac using _exactly the same_
>> hardware and usb port. and my wouxun cable came from an official
>> wouxun dealer.
>
> That's exactly how I knew it was a driver problem. The Chirp code is
> exactly the same on Windows and OS X, so that's not a factor. You say
> the USB port is the same, so it's not the port. Must be the driver. I
> believe the official Wouxun cable contains a counterfeit PL2303 chip.
> Prolific has crippled their drivers so that only genuine Prolific
> chips work. When you buy cheap Chinese radios, they may come with some
> counterfeit chips. That's the cost of buying the cheapest thing
> available.
>
>> now i won't deny that perhaps i've gotten ahold of the wrong driver or
>> haven't gotten it installed correctly on the mac. i went to at least a
>> dozen, maybe two dozen, websites and tried everything i could find. if
>> there was an authoritative source that had actual links to actual
>> files that actually worked that might help. any links you can find
>> point to pages where you have to mount new searches and choose between
>> multiple options to the point where you end up completely confused.
>> don't get me wrong--i am a grizzled veteran of such unix/linux
>> scavenger hunts for drivers and software--it's a major factor in
>> keeping linux off desktops, imo.
>
> There's no authoritative source because there's no authority for
> counterfeit chips!
>
> FYI, Linux desktops come preinstalled with virtually every driver
> available. Even these counterfeit chips work great. I just installed
> Windows 7 for the first time last weekend and it was a 3+ hour ordeal
> trying to catch up on all the updates and install the drivers. A moden
> Linux desktop install is 5-10 minutes and when it's done you'll be
> completely up to date with all drivers installed and working.
>
>> if you are actually able to help instead of trying to suppress
>> constructive critcism, here is the output of my kextstat command:
>>
>> 161    0 0xffffff7f809bd000 0xb000     0xb000
>> nl.bjaelectronics.driver.PL2303 (1.0.0d1) <115 31 5 4 3>
>>
>> is that the right driver?
>>
>> /guy (73 de kg5vt)
>
> Those numbers just looks like gibberish to me (I'm sure they do to you
> too!). I've never heard of bjaelectronics. I recommend you uninstall
> that driver and try the one that Jay suggested in a previous message.
>
> Tom KD7LXL
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