RenoHuskerDu

Dan from CHIRP answered my post to that mailing list. Here is my > question and his comments. For now I'm holding off on programming two 152s I have ready. I did program one last week for a friend and plan to test its power output with a wattmeter and dummy load to see if those power settings are now off. > I found this thread on mygmrs forum about the AR-152 and the effect > CHIRP allegedly has on it. It's quite a good thread. I didn't get any > hits on RadioReference when I just searched. I hadn't read this thread until you posted, nor have I heard any complaints about this issue. However, for context here on the list, people say the RT Systems software appears to have the same effect, which likely means this isn't actually a CHIRP-specific problem. > In a nutshell, it says that once you run CHIRP on your Baofeng AR-152. > your power settings are permanently altered such that you no longer > have low power or full power anymore. > > This post is from May and has been relatively quiet since. I wonder if it's still a risk? For what it's worth, what is being described there doesn't make any sense to me. Although a common misconception, CHIRP doesn't tell the radio "this memory should be 8W and this other one should be 2W". All it says (and all it can say) is "this memory should be power level 3, and this memory should be power level 1". Those are just instructions to the radio about which numbered power level to use, and the radio determines what that output power would actually be. On some radios, there are calibration settings stored (in a different part of memory) that could influence those numbers. However, a download and subsequent upload with CHIRP by definition will upload the exact bits into the exact locations and as such, it would be very unlikely that simply doing that would cause the radio trouble like is being described. There's not really enough information in that thread to begin to comment about why that may have happened. I'd have lots of questions to ask someone making such a claim, including lots of details they seem to be glossing over which are quite relevant. I also feel like if this was very widespread we'd have seen at least one report of it in our bug tracker, but I find none. The author of that post seems to think that it's a hardware issue (which seems unlikely, but supported by the fact that the RT Systems software also does it), so perhaps that's why. Also, testing with a power meter isn't really enough to say anything about whether the radio is outputting a lower power because it has been detuned, or if it's just driving lower, etc. > I have two 152s on the bench right now to program so I saw this post > just in time to stop. Both have the firmware rev A152V01 indicated as > problematic. I'm surprised the issue hasn't been discussed here. Yeah, if you're concerned about it, then it's probably best not to risk it. I'll also say that I believe the UV5R-derived Baofeng radios basically lie about their firmware versions after a certain point starting many years ago, so I'm not sure you can really say much about that firmware version. --Dan

I just cross-posted this issue to RadioReference forums. There are a lot more hams there, who tend to have more technical knowledge. I also put in on the CHIRP mailing list.

It is basic radio safety to use the lowest power needed to make the comm in question. I don't want 10w right by my head. I run low power most of the time and use higher power only when needed. It's like basic firearms rules. So, yes this affects me. I have two 152s on the bench now and I'm glad I spotted OP's post before I programmed them.

Sorry to be late to the flame party. Most of us have invested heavily in analog FM rigs. We're not giving up on analog until we have cold dead hands. Analog severely affects digital trans. They will never mix. The only hope for your idea is for the FCC to create additional bands for digital TDMA etc. Then gradually new hybrid digital/analog rigs would be introduced to the market. But analog will always mess up digital. One bit off and the whole packet is junk.

What we like about the GT-3TP is its ruggedness (except the battery clip). We have only one failed after 4 years of hard ranch use. Several 1/4 wave whips have failed though. A friend scored a dozen ICOM GMRs radios for a song, but they won't do narrow band or go off freq. The Baofeng offers narrow banding in Frequency Mode which lets us run at 6.25khz wide FM, so we don't hear as much interference from business users (probably non-licensed FRS) when we go to town.

Rarely. Usually we're only a few hundred yards or so and stay on 1 watt 99% of the time. You probably have your ham lic too? Always use the minimum power required to make the trip.

It's the battery clip, not the belt clip. We break belt clips all the time and buy spares by the dozen. But thanks for the link.

Almost all of the Baofengs (GT-3TP) we use here on the ranch have suffered a broken battery clip. The heavier big battery really breaks that little clip quickly. Then we have to tape the battery in place, which only last a few months depending on Texas heat. The clip in question is at the top of the battery slot, normally hidden. You only see it when the battery is removed. Has anyone settled on a Baofeng HT for licensed GMRS use that has a stronger battery clip, but still does an honest 8 watts if needed?