[chirp_users] BF-A58S Tri-band and Chirp

[Jim Unroe]

Hi Mark,

On Sat, Jul 11, 2020 at 4:45 PM Mark Thompson <bigpimp347 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> not sure how to reply to messages, not seen a forum like this before..
>
> on in my Chirp i select radio BF-A58S
> is 'settings' and then 'other settings'
> i have
> VHF lower limit 136Mhz
> upper limit 174Mhz
> UHF lower limit 400mhz
> upper limit 520Mhz

Then one or more of the following is true.
- the factory messed up (they programmed in the wrong band limits)
- the factory messed up (they gave the radio the wrong model name)
- someone changed the band limits before you got the radio
- someone changed the band limits after you got the radio

Did you happen to save and keep the first successful, unedited,
download from the radio?

>
> i can't see anything which mentions 200Mhz to 260Mhz ??

Nothing is supposed to. CHIRP just shows the radios configured band
limits on the "Other Settings" menu panel. The VHF band is set to 130
and 260, and then the firmware blocks out the range from 175.0000 MHz
to 199.9975 MHz (splitting the band into 2 segments).

> hence why i'm unsure that if i start adding 220Mhz channels and such like that when i try to upload it'll either deny them
> or brick the radio..

You won't "brick" the radio. The band limits have nothing to do with
programming channels when using a computer and programming software.
All they do is establish the frequency limits that can be enter into a
VFO from the keypad.

Currently you can only key in frequencies from 136.0000 MHz to
174.9975 MHz. Set the VHF High band limit to 260 and you will be able
to key in frequencies from 200.0000 MHz to 260.0000 MHz as well. This
has 100% to do with the radio and 0% to do with CHIRP. That is how the
radio works.

> yes i have half a dozen already programmed in by the factory,
> but also all the 220 channels and a couple of UHF have a \ next to them where it's meant to say channel name..

So did mine. Like all the test frequencies left in these radios from
the factory, they should be removed and replaced with frequencies you
are authorized to use.

If you want a Baofeng like radio that has 3 distinct bands and 3
distinct sets of band limits, get the Baofeng Tech (the radio dealer
in the USA). That's how they had their manufacturing partner (which
was not Baofeng) design the radio. Then when Baofeng (the radio
manufacturer in China) attempted to copy the BTECH design for their
own models, what you have is what they came up with (basically a UV-5R
with the band limits extended to cover both bands).

Jim KC9HI