SEIGLER001

New CHIRP build Aug 14 appears to fix the .5 offset AND allow TX on GMRS channels above 30! So I won't learn the XML trick for now because CHIRP also allows 7 character channels which I need! Anybody know if this radio actually does NOAA alerts as advertised? I don't see anything beyond them giving you the channels by default (too many and in weird order btw)and setting them to scan. But since weather channels transmit constantly scanning seems pointless. Any clues?

Really appreciate the hack. I may risk one of the 6 I purchased, but yes lets keep the issue alive with Radioddity/Baofeng because if they open the GMRS TX to more channels they have a real winner on their hands. I also read that with original firmware extra channels could be programmed via XML, but I'm not sure how that is written to the radio. I messed with XML file but uploaded via the Baofeng software and it just ignored the changes.

Only trouble accesing repeater is they desense easliy, which I would expect at their pricepoint. Please share the additional channel trick! I need more SMA Male antennas. I hated this at first, but having that femail stem is probalby better in the long run. Feels much more solid than the Baofengs I've torqued to death with a long antenna.

Yeah those 463 Mhz values are real, not good. Jim with CHIRP IDed the problem and should have a fix soon. Yay! (but seems like it is Baofengs prob for even allowing that to be possible!) I'll have to test the WX channels...if I can get them to receive! First listen in the house and I hear nothing (I am 40 miles away but all my other HTs receive OK.) Have you reprogrammed the squelch levels? Baofengs have weird defaults. Using chirp under other settings you can reset. I do a 5/10/15/20/30/40/50/65/80 arrangement. Makes level 3-5 a sweet spot and 9 really clamps it down!

So if you're already thinking Baofengs ...they could do both yeah? Is the idea to keep your friends (sorta via ignorance) legal and only take a legal risk yourself? I've hear arguments that reverse repeaters are legal, but would not want to be the one that tests that in court. Any FRS radio could hit the repeater, come out on the input (with potentially a ton of power) and interfere with someone's repeater input. The Retevis RT 22 is priced like a bubble pack but TXs a real 2 Watts and RXs better than any stock antenna HT I have. That might suffice simplex, and it can be programmed if you need to. How many miles, what type of terrain? In our network the FRS radios rely on human relays to get messages beyond the neighborhood. Works well with enough people.

Yes, especially if you are as strong or stronger than stations trying to access the repeater at the same time you are transmitting. If they open the repeater it won't matter if your PL is different. A good reason not to do it (and also a good reason to use as low power as possible when accessing your local repeater). Why not use the repeater outputs? Don't want to be heard by bubble packs?

First: Ritron SLX-400 | What a little tank! Still love this radio. Current: Wouxun KG-UV9G | Gotta have that VHF scan, and extra TX channels make for a near perfect though pricey dual bander, but battery life means it does a split shift with a Btech GMRS V-1 .

Yes I see the +- on repeater channels. Can you (or anyone) regularly re-create the 0.5MHz. glitch? If so add to the bug report here: Bug #9255: Illegal offset programming possible, and apparently not fixable in Chirp - CHIRP (danplanet.com)

If pull means push, yes. Thats how I discovered, when I looked at display set to freq and to my horror saw 463.275 . Also confirmed with a dummy load and nearby reciever it was indeed transmitting. (if by "pull" you mean download from radio, I just did that and all 8 repeater pairs are now set to .5 mhz offset!!...and yes they transmit in the 463 band. Baofoddity got some 'splaining to do!) Yeah. I never trust what the menus say on a Baofeng, esp in channel mode. Ugh, I just realized that by fixing the offset with Baofeng software, it inserts the NOAA channels back in. And Baofeng Software truncates chanel names to 6 characters. Bah If these radio didn't have upgradable firmware they'd all be getting returned. ( I got 6.) Maybe they will anyway...

I just programmed a .5 offset by mistake with chirp and it took it! Verified it is transmitting in the 463 MHz band. ...ulp. Could not fix with chirp but uploading from the Baofeng software fixed. Alerted Baofeng and Radioddity and Chirp. Hope next version of firmware makes GMRS TX beyond ch 30 possible! I need that...don't need 463 MHz! Did the old firmware allow GMRS TX beyond ch 30?

I was able to program frequencies with Chirp using the KG UV9D profile. (Very handy if you already have channel arrangements you like as image or csv exports) Then I did the rest of the tweaking of radio with the free software from Wouxun. Used a standard 2 prong FTDI cable I already had for Kenwoods/Baofengs. With that combo I think I was able to do all the programming I need. I took heart that I would not brick the radio with these words " the 9G will accept any program from the UV9D Plus or 9P (but with Tx locked to GMRS)." from BSR