WRYS709

Most firmware updaters are Windows software. You can usually see it ending in the "exe" file type. Chirp usually does not update firmware.

When Baofeng originally released its DMR RD-5R, it was Tier-1 to every DMR repeater administrator's chagrin! Radioddity finally fixed it with the electronics from their GD-77 squeezed into the UV-5R form and released a Tier-2 RD-5R.

The author of that article (NO7RF) answered these questions by email:

And in the meantime, I found this interesting review of the COTRE line of HTs. They recommend getting, if at all, the C006D, which unfortunately is currently out of stock at Amazon. But there is a treasure trove of information in this article and documents linked at the end, so I will also be reviewing this information later on, too. UPDATE: I see you linked this article in one of your earliest posts on this thread: have you found a source for the C006D?

OK: It came in yesterday and using my FTDI USB K-1 cable, it programs pretty easily on both digital and analog. And it seems to work fine in analog simplex and repeaters and digital simplex (perhaps, as I only purchased one, but one can hear the "picket fencing" from its transmission digital simplex when one listens on an analog receiver), but digital DMR repeaters seems to be problematic so far. But later today I will initiate some more experimentation on both digital simplex and digital DMR repeater.

It's a draft document; hardly the basis of support for any point of view.

10-4!

Being Socrates does not change what existed in 2017 - the historical reason why the FCC limited FRS users to 1/2 watt and narrowband before the 2017 Reorg... The purpose of Channels 8-14 is the same now as it was both before and after the 2017 Reorganization: to offer handheld users a wireless service with minimal interference to each other, whether for FRS historically, or as now, for FRS and GMRS. I have personally spoken to users of those channels, and that is the reason they have told me they use them, when appropriate, instead of Channels 1-7: wireless communications in a smaller defined geographical area, that have a lesser chance of interference. Since they are FRS users, they have little or no concept nor concern about their proximity to repeater channels. They just transmit and receive.

An interesting observation, but still not the reason why the FCC limited Channels 8-14 to 1/2 watts historically.

Again, it is a common myth that the power limitations for Channels 8-14 at 1/2 watt and the bandwidth being mandated as narrowband have nothing to do with these channels being "interstitial" between repeater input channels; and your suggestions after your disagreement with me do nothing to support your assertion otherwise. Let me unpack your statements: "In the 2017 rule changes the FCC increased the power to 2 watts on FRS EXCEPT those particular channels for a reason." -- We are not discussing "EXCEPT those particular channels;" that is we are not discussing Channels 1-7. There may be one or one hundred reasons why the FCC in 2017 decided to allow FRS radios to transmit on Channels 1-7 and at 2 watts; the fact that the FCC did so, does NOT change the historical reason that the FCC limited Channels 8-14 at 1/2 watt; that was because they wanted to minimize interference between different FRS users on the same channel. "FRS was never intended to have repeater access." -- thank you for this truism but just like saying "the sky is blue" in response to "the water is grey" this statement is irrelevant to the issue at hand. "Channels 8-14 being located between the high power GMRS exclusive repeater input channels can lead to interference and "possibly" keying up of a repeater since the frequencies overlap to a degree. That depends on how tight the repeater input filters are and how close the FRS radio is to it where enough signal can leak through them." -- The conclusions in this statement are why I ended my last comment with the statement: "The opportunities for interference to repeaters is a factor not only of power and frequency proximity, but also geographical proximity." "The FCC couldn't ignore the existing population of combo radios so they left the specifications lower for power and bandwidth. That was about the best they could do under the situation." -- Again this is why I ended my last comment with the statement: "The opportunities for interference to repeaters is a factor not only of power and frequency proximity, but also geographical proximity." Let us return to the days of FRS Radio BEFORE the 2017 Reorganization: there were only 7 FRS channels and they were all limited to 1/2 watt, narrowband. BUT when the FCC did expand FRS to also allow Channels 1-7 at 2 watts; these are also "interstitial channels" of repeater output channels and based upon power and geographical proximity these channels can also cause interference to GMRS repeater users by interfering to their ability to hear the repeater outputs and by definition even more so at 2 watts than only 1/2 watt.

If you use it [6 meters], they will come!

DPS?

It is a common myth that Channels 8-14 are limited to 1/2 watt, narrowband, because they are "interstitial" between repeater input channels. The fact of the matter is that historically before the 2017 Reorganization, Channels 8-14 were FRS only and not accessible by a GMRS licensee, except for those GMRS licensees who used "combo" radios that allowed both FRS and GMRS or strict FRS radios, and in essence when using Channels 8-14, they were using them under FRS rules and not GMRS rules. The restrictions on Channels 8-14 were instituted to keep the Family Radio Service from interfering with each other. Those restrictions were carried forward in the 2017 Reorganization. Channels 1-7 are also "interstitial" between repeater output channels, yet allowed to transmit up to 5 watts on GMRS. The opportunities for interference to repeaters is a factor not only of power and frequency proximity, but also geographical proximity.

This radio does not require any "unlocking" to listen to frequencies other than GMRS within its stated band limits. As far as "unlocking" for the ability to transmit outside of GMRS, as of the date of this post, there has been no known way to unlock this radio or its clones: Pofung UV-15 and Radioddity GM-30. There is a "ham radio" version of this radio, the Baofeng UV-13Pro, that comes unlocked; and it requires its own version programming software to be downloaded.

Feel better: White Light!

Damn Windows drivers issues!!

Try to get close to the repeater and listen on the input. Sometimes repeaters use different tones for both encode and decode.

Here is what that link's software and sample codeplug looks like:

OK: attached is my generic codeplug to program it back to GMRS and still allow the other channels to continue to be open. Once you add your specific channels, you will want to resave it with a new name or date, so as to have a backup. Anytone AT-779UV GMRS 202310130140.dat

Do you have any recapping experience with Amiga of Rochester?

My K-1 cable has the FTDI chip, so I will be programming with that cable, so @wrci350: you are saying it should not work?

You sure it’s really DMR? i’ll take a look at the CPS programming software. Are their any sample codeplugs available?

Thanks! I’m ordering one right now!

You can use the programming software to turn off transmission channel by channel if that is your fear. Somewhere on this Forum, I posted my GMRS codeplug for once the radio is open to transmit on all 500 frequencies, to keep it within Part 95E rules, other than the fact that it probably loses its certification once opened. It might be posted on an Anytone AT-779UV thread, as that is the same radio.