Baofeng UV-3R: Alpha Tags

While they do not display on the radio, you can enable the alpha tags in the UV-3R Mark II software.

1. Close the UV-3R software if you have it running.
2. Browse to folder where the software is installed. (The default is C:\Program Files\UV3R.)
3. Double-click the "setting.ini" file.
4. In the first section, [setup], change the value for name to 1. The line should now read "name=1" without the quotes.
5. Close the file and save the changes.
6. Run the UV-3R software.

The fields in the name column should no longer be grayed out and you will be able to edit them.

Baofeng UV-3R: Mark II Software

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

UPDATE 11-12-12: A 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!

What is in a name? Test is Forever!

All too often we end up succumbing to the pressures of customers or shareholders and find ourselves with something in production that really was meant to be a test only. In fact, sometimes these tests are named "test_procedure" but end up in production. Or, you get things like TRIG002. That's helpful. Of course, these problems are small scale compared to:

Hindsight is 20/20 by eldavojohn
If there was one thing you could go back and change about TCP/IP -- something that is far too entrenched to change now -- what would it be? 

VC: Well, I wish I had realized we'd need more than 32 bits of address space! At the time, I thought this was still an experiment and that, if successful, we would develop a production version. I guess IPv6 is the production version!

VC is Vint Cerf and he is answering questions about IPv6 at Slashdot.org.

CZ Love

From Misfires & Light Strikes at ExUrban League:

And my own CZ-75 SP-01.

I'm a Deadbeat!

From the NY Times article:

"In particular, people who pay the full balance on their cards each month – lenders call such customers “convenience users” or, more colorfully, “deadbeats,” because they do not pay interest and therefore are less profitable — may not regard that balance as “true” debt, and therefore choose not to report it. The industry, however, simply reports the total volume of outstanding loans. "

And I'm proud of it. Thirty days to use someone else's money. No fees. And even a little cash back.

Via:

ramit Look how Americans don't even realize how much they owe. http://t.co/RvKeueZB From a psychological standpoint, how would you address this?Tue, Oct 25 05:51:03 from Timely by Demandforce

YouVersion Bible - Next Week-end Download NLT

The New Living Translation is my favorite right now and you can download a local copy, so you don't have to be on-line to access it.

Hello, YouVersion Community! In a worldwide revolution, people from all over the world are engaging with the Bible—many of them for the very first time. And your personal story plays a critical role: When you share how God's Word is changing your life, others are also drawn to His love and redemption. NIV and NLT Available for Download: 48 Hours Only! Some of you have let us know that you lost your offline Bible versions after upgrading or replacing your phone without having offline translations backed up. Most versions in the Bible App are available to download anytime. However, a few are not, so we reached out to our friends at Biblica, Zondervan, and Tyndale, and they have graciously allowed us to offer the New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) for a limited time. For just 48 hours next weekend—from 12:00 AM October 30 through 11:59 PM Central Time U.S. (GMT -5) October 31—you'll once again be able to download the NIV and the NLT for offline use. (When you download a version, that means you can read it in the Bible App even when you're offline—that is, when you can't connect to your service provider or to the Internet.) Special thanks go to Biblica and Zondervan for making the NIV available, and to Tyndale for the NLT. © LifeChurch.tv 2007-2011 Blog Support Donate Volunteer Unsubscribe

Baofeng UV-3R: Change the Color of Your UV-3R

Ed, at Wouxun.us, has the UV-3R shells available ($5.95) in red, yellow, blue, and camo if you want to play dress up with your rig.

The Difference between #2A and #p2?

I could also have said the difference between us and the #OWS groups. The difference is we can answer yes. Visit Fro Design Co to see the other images in the series and to order prints.

Molon Labe Sign on Gameday

We're winning? Actually, I have no idea why someone would be holding up a sign at College Gameday that reads "Molon Labe" and has a picture of Bert (as in "and Ernie"). My Google-fu was weak on trying to figure this out.

All About the Data

SammyWalrusIV Funny how 2009 and 2010 competition between AT&T and Verizon was all about voice (coverage maps anyone?) but now it's all about data.Thu, Oct 20 09:16:24 from Twitter for iPhone

Of course it is all about the data. Voice, through the miracle of VoIP, is data now. It is also why cable companies (carriers) are looking at merging with or buying media companies (content). They don't want to just be the plumbing.