Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Baofeng UV-3R: Mark II Software


[ Don't have a UV-3R yet? Get one here. ] 

UPDATE 11-12-12A new version (1.10) has been released under the UV-X4 model. It adds the ability to update the FM Broadcast memories via the software. 
With the release of the new Baofeng UV-3R Mark II, the original software has also been updated. (You still have the option of using CHIRP.) And, as usual, Julian is ahead of the curve with his post about the updated software.

To use the software, you will need a few obvious items - the UV-3R (Amazon), the free software, and a programming cable. Download the software here for version 1.09. You can order the programming cable or build one. If you don't have a radio, then you can order one here, there, and yonder.

Before walking through the install, here are some trouble-shooting tips to keep in mind.

  • Make sure the first memory location is populated. It will cause errors if it is left blank.
  • Always read from the radio first and save the file as backup. It is nice to have a known good config. This practice does assume you can read from the radio without writing first.
  • As you may have gathered from the lines just above, sometimes you must write a file to the radio first. An example of this situation is when you get an NKT_3R.EXE Error Signature.
  • Likewise, if you get both rows on the display showing DDD.D25 then try adding some frequencies via the software and write to the radio.
  • Make sure your cable is good.
  • Confirm in Device Manager that the USB driver installed correctly.
  • Verify that the COM Port used by the USB device matches what you have configured in the software - see screen shots below.
  • Set the baud rate to 1200 if you have inconsistent results using the software.

Also, you should note that the old software created ".dat" files. The new software creates ".3R" files. You cannot simply rename a ".dat" to ".3R". However, you can open the new ".3R" files in the old software.

The install process is fairly simple.

I plugged the USB cable into the radio and then into my computer. I turned on the radio and Windows 7 installed the Prolific appropriate driver. In this case, it is using COM8.



As I mentioned in the trouble-shooting, you may need to change the baud rate to 1200. Right-click the device and select Properties. You can change the baud rate (Bits per second) using the drop-down box.




Now that we know the USB driver is installed correctly and which port it is using, we can start installing the software. Double-click the file you downloaded (extracting it from the compressed file if needed - if you need something to open .RAR files, try 7-zip.) Click Next.



If you are okay with the default install location, click Next. Otherwise, use the Browse button to change the location.




Click next to use the default name for the Program Folder that will be visible under your Program Files.




Confirm your settings and click Next.





Once the file copies are complete, click Finish.





You get one more screen showing the version. Click OK to complete the install.




To launch the application, double-click the short-cut it created.


You can click Help then About to confirm the version you are running. If you've installed previous versions, this might be worth a couple of seconds to make sure you have launched the latest one.



Click Settings the Communication Port to make sure your configuration matches the COM Port the USB device is actually using and then you are off to the races!






15 comments:

  1. What if you missed the step where you save the known good configuration? How do you reset the radio to get it back to factory defaults?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Reset info here:
    http://www.brickolore.com/2011/09/baofeng-uv-3r-factory-reset.html

    But you may have to get a good config file and write it to the radio depending on what your problem is. I will look for the detailed instructions and see if I can find them for you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you get the DDD.D25! error, you may want to check out the UV-3R FAQ:

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6qmDIGSLrh6mhhAVpjTrJYO4loQzxQq8fv4AGp9SI0/edit?hl=en_US

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brick-

    Hey, thanks for the help. I figured out what i did wrong. Looks like i was using the old software to try to program a newer radio. Got it resolved. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a terrible software.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've seen worse. At least the fixes/work-around are being documented and not too complex. If I were paying $100s for the rig and software, I would be more upset. You can always try CHIRP.

    http://www.brickolore.com/2011/07/baofeng-uv-3r-chirp-now-available-for.html

    And the problems are not limited to Baofeng.

    http://www.brickolore.com/2011/12/wouxun-kg-uv6d-software-bug.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Baofeng Uv-3r Mark 11 is now with a 115Mhz to 530Mhz TX and RX modification, with the modded program...


    -Close the UV-3R Mark 11 software if you have it running.

    -Browse to folder where the software is installed. (The default is C:\Program Files\UV3R.)

    -Double-click the "setting.ini" file.

    -I tried copy and paste but didn't worked for me so i just changed manually for this.

    [setup]
    com=2
    searchcom=1
    name=1

    language=english

    [ModelInfo]

    Freq0=[136-174/400-470]
    data0=6013401700400047

    Freq1=[115-400/400-529]

    data1=5011993900409952

    -Close the file and save the changes.

    -Run the UV-3R Mark 11 software.


    The (Name) option will work in the program only,not on the Baofeng but you can take notes.
    So now you have now 3 frequencies choices in the menu up left in the program window. Now that's fun...I have a Baofeng Mark 11 with 19 menu options and work very well...

    ReplyDelete
  8. A hint for using CP2101 USB-UART bridge and home-made cable (http://www.uv3r.com/images/UV-3R_Interface.jpeg).
    After installing a driver (CP210x_VCP_Win_XP_S2K3_Vista_7.exe downloaded from Silicon Labs website):
    - a default COM # was COM11 - outside the valid range (see the picture above) -> changed to COM1 with Device Manager
    - UV-X4 v 1.11 application still showed all COM1-COM8 ports grayed
    - after rebooting a system the application perceived COM1 -> so DON'T PANIC, your bridge is OK, this is only MS Windows - it likes being rebooted frequently ;)

    Standard settings 8N1, no flow control. I tested flow rates 1200 bps and 9600 bps. The speed of transfer is OK for me and don't think to test higher rates.

    The problem with original UV-X4 v 1.11 application from Baofeng is that you have to do everything manually inside the channels table. No settings cloning from one row to another. No Copy-Paste within the table.

    As CHIRP (http://chirp.danplanet.com) supports CSV file format, I'm going to play with CHIRP and a spreadsheed (e.g. Excel).

    ReplyDelete
  9. Can you tell the UV-3R Mark ii via software to ONLY operate within ITU Region 2 allocated 2m and 70cm bands?

    I'm going for my exam on Friday (8/11) and ordered this as my first radio - I just want to make sure I don't operate illegally accidentally.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might be able to use a process like this to limit the frequencies in the band (instead of expanding them). I've never done this and not heard of anyone who has - so this might be a really bad idea.

      http://www.brickolore.com/2011/12/baofeng-uv-3r-expanded-frequencies.html

      A better solution might be to start with the software and program in the frequencies you want to use. You could just stay in channel mode with the freqs you have safely setup.

      Delete
  10. How do you load the software? When I try to load it, my computer gives me an error message that it does not recognize the .rar file and I need another program to load it. Can you help me?

    KK6APK
    cornpone@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The .rar file is a compressed file - like a .zip.

      You need something like 7-zip to open it.

      http://www.7-zip.org/download.html

      Hope that helps.

      Delete
  11. i have program the radio but when i juse ann other radio to send to it it take long time before i have a UV-3R the radio opning the signal, i can see the signal in the radio but not hear it, when i turn off the SQL i hear the sending signal,normal the SQL is on 1. some time i need to press PTT button 2-3 time and then the radio will be able to resive signal and open and i can hear the signal

    ReplyDelete