[chirp_users] UV-5R

[Jim Unroe]

On Thu, Jul 19, 2018 at 6:49 PM, Dennis Wage <dwage at dwage.com> wrote:
> I have 2 UV-5Rs and UV-5RA
>
> When hold the 3 key and turn on the power to get the firmware version they
> all report: BFB297

Since the release of BFB299 firmware (probably back in 2012), powering
on with the 3 key pressed has been meaningless for determining the
firmware version. Since then, all UV-5R radios (and their many
variants) all report BFB297 firmware (the exception had been BFS313
firmware which reports BFS297). The only way to know the "real"
firmware version (unless it displays BFS297) is to use CHIRP.

>
> However, in Other Settings Firmware message 1 and 2 are as follows
> UV-5R #1 - HN5RV01 1FB297 (THIS RADIO IS HORRIBLE)
> UV-5R #2 - HN5RV01 1
> UV-5RA   - N5R2407 BFB297
>
> I have some of the weirdest problems with these radios. For example on the
> UV-5RA (which seems to be the best one of the 3 ), with this one particular
> repeater I have to hit exit or A/B twice get rid of background noise during
> an incoming transmission. WHY EXIT???

My experience with the various firmware versions over the last 6 years
has shown me that the HN5RV01 is a firmware version to avoid.
Unfortunately you won't know what the firmware version it until you
have the radio in your possession and have downloaded its memory into
CHIRP.

>
> How this pertains to chirp is I downloaded the RESET image from Miklor for
> firmware version BFB297. I get the warning about wrong firmware version with
> each radio.

The BFB297 "reset" image you downloaded from the Miklor website is
only for radios with BFB297 firmware. Not one of the radios listed
above has BFB297 firmware.

There is a factory image for the radio with N5R2407 firmware. There is
no factory image available for radios with the HN5RV01 firmware
because none of the images that I have received from others or
downloaded myself from new radios are without some kind of memory
"defect" so I chose not to make them available publicly.

Those images from radios with HN5RV01 firmware that I have shared on a
one-to-one basis has never successfully corrected any problem that the
owner was experiencing.

>
> Can or does Chirp upload, or download from radio for that matter, any
> settings not seen in Chirp?

CHIRP downloads the full memory image of the above radios. It only
manipulates the memory areas known to control features of the radio.
CHIRP does everything the factory software does (except presetting
CTCSS tones and DCS codes in the VFO) plus a few additional settings.
There are probably things the radio can do that are undiscovered (an
therefore unimplemented).

CHIRP only uploads the full memory image to a radio when the firmware
version of the image being uploaded exactly matches the firmware
version of the radio it is being uploaded to. Memory areas that are
known to be incompatible across non-matching firmware versions are
skipped.

>
>
> Dennis M. Wage (W9BOQ)

Jim KC9HI