[chirp_users] UV5R "Variant" Programming Question

[Jim Unroe]

On Fri, Jun 21, 2019 at 1:24 PM N8GLS <n8gls at arrl.net> wrote:
>
> Bought this UV5R (UV5R7W) at the Hamvention this past May.  So, aside from this HT having a receiver front end that’s susceptible to harmonics from DC to Daylight (yes have played with the squelch, wish it had a harmonic elimination button…hi hi), programming with Chirp is relatively easy.  However, the Chirp programmer only seems to support a High or Low power level setting but this radio has three, High (7w or 8w depending on what document your looking at), Mid (4w or 5w), and Low (1w).  In researching the UV5R I find this radio is steeped in a hodge-podge of variations, many un-documented, that seem to make it impossible to determine what I have.  So, what I know is this is a UV5R7W, the 7w (or is it 8 ??) with three power levels High, Mid, Low.  The firmware (holding #3 while powering on) is BFB298, Chirp Daily in “Other Settings” is returning for Firmware Msg 1, HN5RV01, and 1 for Firmware Msg 2.  Don’t understand why the two firmware numbers but makes me question which witch is which, especially when I search and find different spec’s and documentation for each.

The firmware version displayed when powering the radio on with the [3]
key pressed has been of no values since the introduction of firmware
version BFB299 back in 2013. Since then, most UV-5R like radios
masquerade as BFB297 during the power-on test regardless of the "real"
firmware version. Prior to the release of BFB299, the VHF/UHF models
had a version that ended in an odd number (for example, BFB295) and
the VHF/220 models had a version that ended in an even number (for
example, BFB296). Apparently Baofeng no longer honors this tradition.

Unfortunately Baofeng (the radio manufacturer in China) seems to be
putting HN5RV01 in everything making. This makes it difficult for
CHIRP to detect which radio model is actually present.

> So, is the UV5R model in Chirp the one to use ??  I think there is a VP programmer on the CD that came with the radio, is that a better choice, although there are a bunch of programs on that CD that appear to me to have nothing to do with this particular model….again a mystery with the lack of any supporting documentation, not even a readme.

Typically the radios with 2 power levels use Baofeng/UV-5R as the
Vendor/Model selection. Radios with 3 power levels use Baofeng/BF-F8HP
as the Vendor/Model selection. Unfortunately that won't work in your
case because the HN5RV01 firmware version tells CHIRP that you have a
radio with 2 power levels.

You could enable "Enable Developer Functions" and use the "Browser" to
go in and edit the TX power level. I believe it should be...

0 = Low
1 = Mid
2 = High

Another possibility would be to open an issue, explain the problem,
and then see if someone is interested in taking on the task to
directly support the few radios with this issue.

> Any advice or sharing of knowledge would be appreciated !!  Started searching the archives but thought since this radio was relatively new (I assume anyways) that someone else may have already been down this path.  I know you get what you pay for, just want to give this a fair shot before repurposing this to be a service band and NWS monitor.

> Thanks,
>
>
>
> 73 de Brad, N8GLS

Jim KC9HI