Showing posts sorted by date for query chirp. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query chirp. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Baojie BJ-218 Software

In the comments on the original Baojie BJ-218 2M/440 Mini Mobile post, some folks were looking the programming software. Someone posted the link to the Baojie downloads page that includes the software.

It also looks like you can use CHIRP:
Yes, the BJ-218 works with the Luiton LT-725UV CHIRP driver as well as the factory software. I have one of each, an LT-725UV and a BJ-218, factory software and files are interchangeable, and I was able to write my LT-725UV CHIRP .img file into the BJ-218 without issue. My only question is when will the LT-725UV driver go from 90% to 100% and leave the Beta stage?

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Baofeng BF-T1 (BF-9100)

Some interesting stuff about the Baofeng BF-T1 that Ivan Hazelton shared* on the original BF-T1 post:
Good news! With the programming cable you can program this little rig with 20 channels 400-520MHz and 130-174MHz. Now be aware that the antenna is ... sub-optimal for the 130-174MHz so a suitable replacement will need to be MacGyvered. It'll be great to have a little, >$20, 4oz, disposable, dual band rig. It goes by another name BF-9100A, and the software to program it can be found here or direct linked here (.rar file).  The cable does use a fake PL-2303 serial chip, so you'll also need the drivers off the same page, or direct linked here (.rar file)
Direct link to BF-9100A/BF-T1 Manual (.doc).
Also, it has CHIRP support.

*I've done some editing so the links work.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Baofeng Tech: GMRS-V1

When you don't blog for a couple of weeks, you get really behind... Baofeng Tech announced the GMRS-V1 on October 13. The GMRS-V1 is FCC certified (Part 95A) for use on GMRS frequencies. The GMRS-V1 is also FCC certified for VHF/UHF scanning capabilities (Part 15B):
15 Modifiable GMRS Two-Way Channels (Channels 0-14) - Receive and Transmit
8 Modifiable GMRS Repeater Channels (Channels 15-22) - Receive and Transmit
105 Programmable Scanner Channels (Channels 23-127) - Receive Only
FM Radio
Flashlight
50 CTCSS Privacy Tones
346 DCS Digital Privacy Tones
NOAA Weather Radio Compatible
Tri-Color Adjustable Backlight

Programming can be done via CHIRP.

It's not the same, but it reminds me of the AnyTone Tech multi-service radios. Since it is only GMRS plus scanning, the certification process should have been much less contentious.



Tuesday, September 27, 2016

ARRL CHIRP Webinar

ARRL to Host CHIRP Radio Programming Webinar:
ARRL will host a CHIRP Radio Programming webinar on Wednesday, October 19, at 8 PM ET (0000 UTC on Thursday, October 20, in US time zones). This presentation will offer a brief overview of the free, open-source CHIRP software, which can be used to program most radios. 
Attendees will learn: What CHIRP is, which radios are supported, how to get CHIRP, and how to troubleshoot CHIRP. Presenter James Lee, N1DDK, became active in CHIRP development for the initial TYT9800 driver. He is a hardware development engineer for Qualcomm.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Baofeng Tech: UV-5X3 Tri-band HT

BaoFeng Tech has announced their new lasted HT... the UV-5X3 tri-bander (Amazon $64.89).
From the press release:
"First and foremost, the UV-5X3 was built by adding filtering and support for the 220MHz Amateur band. The original UV-5R was a 4-watt dual-band radio; while the UV-5X3 can now output 5-watts on VHF and 4-watts on both 1.25M and UHF. The UV-5X3 focused specifically on the amateur band frequencies of the 1.25M band during design. The UV-5X3 supports: 65-108MHz (RX only - FM Radio), 130-179.99MHz (RX/TX), 222-225.99MHz (RX/TX), and 400-520.99MHz (RX/TX)"
The announcement also talks about simplified scanning, the option to sync the display (channel name and frequency), CHIRP as the programming software, and more.



Monday, August 8, 2016

Baofeng Tech UV-50X3 and CHIRP

This is pretty cool when you think about it...

 
MILESTONE: CHIRP's First OEM Partnership
The BTECH UV-50X3 became the very first radio to be exclusively supported by CHIRP programming software. CHIRP is a volunteer based effort to cohesively program radios from all vendors on Windows, Linux and OSX. BaoFengTech.com fully supports CHIRP and the efforts that CHIRP volunteers make to provide you the easiest programming solution between your radios. Download, support, and learn more about CHIRP at:http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Download

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Baofeng Tech: UV-50X3 Tri-band Mobile

Baofeng Tech follows up a big Amazon Prime day with the announcement of their new tri-band mobile: the BTECH UV-50X3. So let's get to it...

- It is on sale now for $339.
- It looks a lot like the Vero TelecomVR-6600P.
- 50 Watt TX on VHF/UHF
- 5 Watt TX on 220 MHz
- CHIRP compatible day 1
- VHF/UHF Crossband repeat
- Full duplex
- Separate head unit
- Separate volume, squelch, wide/narrow filters for each VFO
- 1000 Memory channels
- RX:
-- 5-1.71MHz (AM Radio)
-- 76-108MHz (FM Radio)
-- 108-135.995MHz (Air Band (AM))
-- 136-250MHz
-- 300-399.995MHz
-- 400-520MHz









Friday, May 13, 2016

The Other Chirp

Google's alternative to the Amazon Echo is code-named Chirp. I'm pretty excited for competition in this space. Tools like these should drive some innovation in the integration of all my IoT devices. And, yes, I'm sure everything will be designed with security at a priority.



Thursday, March 24, 2016

Baofeng Tech Mobiles: CHIRP Support

The latest version of CHIRP now supports the Baofeng Tech mobiles (UV-2501+220UV-2501, and UV-5001). I got to try out a beta version and had no problems with the basic functions.


Via Miklor on the BAOFENG AMATEUR RADIO NETWORK (B.A.R.N.) Facebook page

Monday, April 6, 2015

CHIRP: TERMN-8R and OBLTR-8R Support

Per the AnyTone Tech web page, CHIRP now has basic channel editing support for both the TERMN-8R and OBLTR-8R. I'm sure there will be more to come.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Boafeng Squelch Changes via CHIRP

A follow-up on the Baofeng Squelch fix....

John (http://www.miklor.com) comments:
"The newest release of CHIRP 
http://www.miklor.com/COM/UV_CHIRP.php 
Allows settings to go as high as 123, but a max of 64 seems to be the most preferable range."
And Hans has some measurements that quantify the changes. Looks good.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Baofeng Squelch Fix

You may have seen it elsewhere, but CHIRP now has ability to modify the squelch levels for some Baofeng radios. I'm really excited to test this with the BF-F8HP that BaofengTech has provided.

Here is the overview from Miklor of the squelch settings:

UV5R / UV82 / F8HP series

CHIRP Daily Build
20150111 or newer
 

Modifying settings will change the way your
radio performs. Change them at your own risk.

This is not compatible with UVB5/B6 or BF888S models
due to differences in firmware.

The factory squelch settings on these models has long been known to have little or no impact on the actual squelch level. The smallest noise burst would easily pop open the squelch. Until now, it was one of those  little 'quirks' you just needed to tolerate.
 
But no longer...  Through the efforts of Jim KC9HI and the CHIRP development team, this has become a thing of the past.  A new 'Service Settings' tab has been added to CHIRP which allows you to alter the factory level settings, so a weak signal can open level 1, and only a monster signal can open level 9.

At this time we are not aware of any measurements made with actual test equipment that is designed to measure actual squelch sensitivity, but on the air testing confirms that it definitely works.


Compatibility

There are too many Baofeng/Pofung models, variants, and firmware versions to be certain which radios are compatible and which ones aren't.

Testing that has been done indicates the following:
 
The CHIRP Service Settings will adjust the levels on:
-  UV82 series radios (82C / 82X)
-  F8HP series radios
-  UV5R series radios with firmware BFB291 and later.
PowerOn while holding '3' button displays firmware on UV5R.


The Fix

The lowest factory levels were 14 > 22, and the highest were 40 > 48.

Using the settings below spreads the range from 24 > 64 in increments of 5. This is a good starting point, but can fine tune these  to any value or increment desired from 1 to 64. You also have the ability to change the VHF and UHF values independently.

After changing the level values, test the different levels to determine which is the best for your type use.

You can see the defaults I just pulled from the BF-F8HP.


Monday, January 5, 2015

Squelch Threshold Adjustments

Jim (KC9HI) writes on the Baofeng UV-5R Yahoo Group about making squelch threshold adjustments through a software change to the image file:
"This capability isn't available in CHIRP (yet).

I am working on it and wouldn't mind a few testers. 
The oldest radios must get the settings from firmware and can't be adjusted. My UV-5R with BFB231 firmware can't be adjusted. 
I first tried this out on a UV-82L with success. Then later on a GT-3. Earlier this week, I got to try it on my own UV-82 and BF-F8HP radios. The difference is amazing. I don't know why Baofeng ships these radios with the squelch so "broken"."
 And continues:
"Here is your .img file back with the updated squelch settings. Make sure you have a backup image before you get started. I now have a backup here. ;-) 
I believe that you will now find that Squelch 9 can really squelch out stronger stations and you will have to reduce squelch to 6 or maybe 5 for normal operation.
If you like these settings, don't upload any other image file into your radio or they will be reset to the values in that image file. If you don't like these settings, or that don't appear to do anything, then just upload your original image file and everything will be as is was before."
I'll be following this to see how it develops.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Baofeng BF-F8HP:Unboxing

Here are a few obligatory unboxing pictures of the BF-F8HP (along with a few of the UV-82C in the group shots) from BaofengTech.

I've fired up CHIRP and have a few repeaters setup. So far, so good!













Reads "Baofeng"


Reads "U - V Antenna"


















Saturday, May 31, 2014

Tiny 2M Receiver

I was running the other day while listening to my iPod and was wishing I had a 2M receiver in that form factor. I thought it would be nice to listen to have the option of listening to the repeaters. (Even a UV-3R would be too big for my ideal running companion.) My 6th generation iPod Nano uses the headphone wire as the antenna, but I prefer the physical buttons of my 2nd generation iPod Shuffle. Being able to easily start or stop a scan while on the move would be great. And while I am dreaming, I want to use CHIRP to load the repeater frequencies.

Anybody seen anything close to what I'm talking about? Am I the only one that would be interested in this sort of device?

(This reddit post got me thinking about this again. I think about lots of things while I run, but that's not the best time for me to record them for later.)

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Baofeng UV-B5: The Best Kept Secret's Secret

Amazing... I had noticed a bunch of traffic on the Yahoo Group, but I had not made time to read through it. John sums up that the dual-band (2M/440) UV-B5 can do about 2 Watts out on 220. You can access the additional band frequencies by using Chirp to program the radio.


Thursday, January 2, 2014

Baofeng GT-3: Best of Comments

Pulling some good info out the comments left on various posts...

Michael:
I have had my GT3 for 3 weeks now. I'm very pleased with it, The new hardware inside is different. It seems a bit quieter and more stable, than other models I have purchased from Baofeng, and the audio volume is comparable to the UV-82. The software features are similar to previous Baofeng radios. It is easy to manually program. There is no "free" Baofeng software for this GT-3 model yet. Chirp does not have it yet either. I chose RT Systems programming software, which make it very easy to program. I have used it on a local repeater systems here. And changing repeaters is a simple process. The screen has a black background, and is very easy to program by computer. Transmitting is clear, and other contacts have said the audio is crisp, and quite running at 5 watts. I have used the radio for simplex operation, and clarity of voice on flat open terrain is exceptional for 2 - 4 miles. Repeater operation is solid also. I also like the Baofeng UV82. In addition I have a ICOM ID 51 D-Star radio, but find myself on the Baofeng's most of the time for general use. Also because I cannot use a earmic on the ICOM radio without an adapter. Overall I'm very pleased with this Baofeng GT-3. Top items that make this radio very worth while:
1. Light weight, (Due to the closed cell plastic)
2. Compact size (Even the rubber antenna is small, but does not compromise on gain).
3. Improved hardware exceeds previous models.
4. Unique look compared to other Baofeng radios.
5, Better hardware and performance for 2014.
The Chinese seem to be listening to their american customer pool.

Mike (website):
Brick i just got mine today, Cant go wrong with it. 
Pros:
The squelch works now.
Audio sounds much tighter now on the RX at any volume
The radio is more sensitive (at least to me it is)
I can see the screen in very low light when the backlight is not on
The feel of the radio is nice.
The light is much brighter 
Cons:
The stock antenna is still junk.
I don't like the rubber around the main knob
Hopefully the silk screening on the keypad does not wear off like the other models do.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Baofeng GT-3: Review by W9MDB

Mike (W9MDB) shares his thoughts on the GT-3 on a post to the UV-5R Yahoo Group:
"My observations so far. 
#1 Same poor performing antenna as what people refer to as the UV-5R "stock"antenna (it's the Baofeng UV-5R Logo antenna)
#2 Battery/charger is not compatible with UV-5R batteries at all - nomodification possible that I see
#3 Speaker sounds a lot better to my ear (I have some high frequency hearingloss and I hear more low freq on the GT-3)
#4 Had to trim my FTDI cable jack as the radio case around the jack is atouch deeper than the UV-5R so the top pin wasn't seating fully
#5 CHIRP speaks to it as a UV-5R
#6 Firmware is BFS311 and reports as BFB297 on power up so should be fullycompatible with UV-5R
#7 The GT-3 software has one more menu than the UV-5R for setting freq rangeotherwise it's identical that I see.
#8 The specifications in the manual are identical to the UV-5R.
#9 I'm seeing better FM performance on my UV-5R then the GT-3. Stationscoming in weaker on the GT-3 with both radios using identical Diamond RH771antennas. My experience contradicts Jerry's review.YMMV apparently.
#10 I'm questioning the weather resistance. I don't see a lot of differencefrom the UV-5R. The speaker grill is quite open and you can see the LEDlight through the microphone hole. The keys don't look like they are sealedto the case. I suppose they might've coated the board (haven't taken itapart yet to see)..that would be the only thing I can think of that mightmake it more water resistant than the UV-5R.manual/box says nothing aboutwater resistant.
Software available here if you want to try the Baofeng VIP software
http://www.radioddity.com/downloads
Mike W9MDB"