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I have been using Windows 11, 10 and even XP in Parallels for years on my collection of Macs to be able to program my collection of wireless radios that are not Chirp compatible. At this point, it is about the only reason left that I continue to have to use Windows at all!

if i remember, that was yellow water too

By quirky I meant how it works, such as keys to press (CTRL-BKSP instead of DEL), and that it tries to anticipate what to put in some columns based on what you enter in others, and that it doesn't show RX DCS when tones are same, and so forth.

Interesting to hear, as I've had no issues with it on Windows 10 or 11. Using it to program 4 different radios. Perhaps I've just been lucky so far...

Somewhere on Youtube there is a video of some weird guy submerging a UV-5R in the toilet, freezing it and running it over with his very-manly Jeep... The screen cracked when the extremely-manly Jeep ran it over, but the radio still worked just fine.

I see/hear a lot of folks taking great joy in knocking the Baufang brand and Cheap Chinese Radios in general, but the proof is in the pudding, and quite often these cheap little radios can surprise us!

I few days ago, I placed a UV-5r on top of a 4x4 fence post while I was working on the pool and forgot about it. That night, we had a legit severe thunderstorm -- even got a tornado about 3 miles away. Two days later, I found it still lying on the post. I picked it up, carried it in, gave it 2 days to dry out, and it works just like it did before it got wet. Obviously, you can't count on that, and I wouldn't expose a UV-5r to rain intentionally, but still, I was pretty impressed.

Even the Baufang's are pretty tough. Couple years ago when installing solar panels on my RV roof one of my UV5R jogged loose from my pocket clip and took a 12' fall to the cement.. I just said 'oh $hit" let it sit there on the cement while I continued with my work. The radio was blaring away sitting there on the ground. When i got down on the ground i checked her for damage, nothing but a slight indentation on one corner of the radio bear the antenna. Today, its one of my favorte radios, only becuse its been battle tested.

That's because I mis-read where exactly the issue was, sorry. Yeah, it definitely sounds like Chirp then, if you were able to program the same split in using the OE software. I don't have split tones on any of my gear stuff, fwiw, and it seems to work fine. EDIT: playing around with this, I'm not able to replicate the issue. I'm running it on Linux at the moment, so MAYBE that has something to do with it, but I'm able to get both a simplex and a repeater channel with split DCS tones put into Chirp without it complaining.

I haven't used the DB20 OEM software, but with most OEM software, it's difficult or impossible to cut/paste the data of 100+ channels from CHIRP into the OEM programmer. I have several different brands of radios that I like to have programmed with the same channels, so that matters to me. However, the OEM software of some radios adds bells and whistles that the CHIRP software doesn't include, so I program the channels in CHIRP, "read" the radio into the OEM software, make my tweaks, and upload the result to the radio. I don't know why the OEM programmers can't just make their spreadsheet easy to cut/paste into.

True, but it's not about the cost/value of the radios. It's about being sure they don't get damaged and will work when you need them.

The ole MXT400 has the ability to search and recover the PL Tones as well. I wasn't mentioned in the OP Manual but I found out by testing the procedure on my unit and it works.

This it true and it happened in 1978-79. I had a license and then it wasn't required anymore.

This it true and it happened in 1978-79. I had a license and then it wasn't required anymore.

That doesn't make any sense to me. I'm not going to write to the radio until Chirp can read from it without errors.

Yep, the import/export is the best feature radio programming should have. I can make massive code plugs for the Anytone 878 very quickly using this feature in conjunction with Excel with CSV files.

It's definitely worth exactly what you paid for it. Why would anyone complain about free software?

What the hell is a Mac, and why would anyone really want one?

Read and write from/to CSV files, import frequencies from external sources such as Repeaterbook; copy, paste, channels like working in a spreadsheet. RT Systems does all that too. Also, save a file with the OEM software, then change the frequency ranges of the radio and try to write the software to the radio, even though the channels you’ve programmed are well within the range you chose. It won’t work. It will with RT Systems and I bet it will with Chirp. The OEM software is worse than simple; it’s bad.

This^^^ I like to program my radios so they are the same. Being able to copy and paste is very useful.

Does it do it if you program in the DCS split tone through the OE software? If so, then it might be something weird with the radio. if not, then it'd be worth reporting the issue to Chirp so it can potentially be corrected/

UPDATE: Start time was accidently omitted in the above announcement: Net will take place Wednesday June 11th starting at 8:00 PM

It's simple, but it's clunky as hell. Being able to copy and move entire lines (or hell, an entire table of channels) at once, instead of doing them cell by cell, is nice. But if you don't screw around with your config much and just set it up once and use it, then there's no reason the OE software won't work.

Chirp is quirky for DOS/Windows users. Be sure to read the online help page.