Calling all AR-152 owners...

[RGB]

Greetings.

If you have programmed your AR-152 radio with Chirp or RT Systems BAO-152 programming software, it is possible that your radio is malfunctioning and you won’t know it because your AR-152 will continue to appear to function normally. I need your help if you (1) have programmed your AR-152 radio with third-party programming software and (2) you own or have access to a VHF-UHF Power Meter. I have purchased a number of these radios and I believe that I have discovered a fairly serious problem that probably affects all AR-152 radios because, as far as I know, Baofeng is still using its original hardware design and A152V01 firmware version. But, since your radio still appears to operate normally, the true problem will be hidden from you.

Here’s the problem: When you first receive your new AR-152 it functions correctly. However, as soon as you connect it to either Chirp or RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software and program the radio, a Transmit Power malfunction is triggered and, after this happens, there appears to be no way to restore the radio to normal operation.

One of the problems with this malfunction is that your AR-152 radio still appears to function normally. It can still receive and make transmissions. There is zero hint that anything is wrong. When you set TXP=High/Mid/Low, the little “H”, “M”, “L” indicators appear in the LCD and so on. When you push the PTT button, the little transmit icon makes it look like your radio is transmitting the selected power. However, the truth is very different and the only way to determine if your AR-152 is working properly after it has been programmed, is to measure its Transmit Power. If it works properly, setting TXP=High should always produce the highest Transmit Power and setting TXP=Mid should always produce more power than TXP=Low.

If you have not yet programmed your AR-152, I strongly recommend that you NOT do so. Configure its Memory channels only via the built-in menus and avoid programming it with external software and you will not trigger the malfunction.

If you have programmed your AR-152 with external software, I’d like you to do a quick Transmit Power test and report your results here. Any Surecom Power/VSWR Meter with a 50-ohm test load will work for the test. Here’s the test procedure:

1. Fully charge your AR-152 battery.
2. Put your radio in VFO mode with a long press of the MENU key.
3. Enter a VHF frequency (such as 144.000 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting. (Hint: The keypad shortcut to change the TXP setting without using the menu is a short-tap of the #/lock-keypad key while the radio is in standby.)
4. Pick a UHF frequency (such as 462.600 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting.
5. Describe the kinds of programming changes you made when you programmed your AR-152.
6. Turn your radio off. Then press and hold the 3/SAVE key while you turn the radio back on. As soon as the LCD comes to life, release the #/SAVE key and the firmware version of your radio will momentarily appear. It happens so fast that you may need to do this several times so you can record your firmware version. Please include it in your post. (All of my radios have firmware “A152V01”, which I believe is version 1.)

If your radio has the Transmit Power malfunction, you’ll discover that the Watts you measure do not match the TXP settings. When TXP=High, the Watts will be too low. When TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, the Watts will be the same and they will be way too high. The dangerous aspect to this is: You think your radio is transmitting its lowest power when you set TXP=Low. But, in reality you’ll be transmitting at nearly full power.

To help you visualize the problem, I’ve attached five graphs which illustrate what is happening. Each data point on the plotlines was measured by me. The before measurements were made before the radio was programmed. The after measurements were made after the radio was programmed.

The first graph shows the AR-152 when it is working correctly. This is how our radios should work.

The second graph shows the AR-152 after the malfunction has been triggered by programming the radio.

The third graph combines the first two so you can view both in one graph.

The fourth graph focuses on TXP=High only and shows its dramatic drop in level after the malfunction sets in.

The fifth (last) graph focuses on TXP=Mid and TXP=Low. The reason TXP setting are shown in the same graph is because, after the malfunction is triggered, the radio thinks they are the same setting and regardless whether you select TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, you'll get the same power level and it will be way too high.

Thanks in advance for your help. Together, I hope we can demonstrate to Baofeng that this malfunction is not an isolated incident and this will prompt them to give its solution their highest priority. If you know other AR-152 radio owners who have programmed their radios, please ask them to join myGMRS and add their Transmit Power measurements to this thread. Again, thanks!

Kind regards, RGB

[gortex2]

First this is a CCR. Deal with it.

Second this is a HAM Radio. 

 

[RGB]

My Experience with the AR-152

I first learned about Baofeng’s AR-152 radio a few months ago from NotaRubicon Productions’ YouTube video (from 07-Nov-2023). I was immediately drawn to the radio because of its gigantic 12,000 mAH (12 AH) battery and its ability to operate over such a wide frequency range which included Ham, Business, MURS and NOAA NWR frequencies in the VHF band and Ham, GMRS and Business in the UHF band. Plus it can receive FM Radio. This makes it an ideal two-way radio for use during an Emergency or Disaster when FCC license requirements are temporarily suspended for people in life-or-death situations.

Since then I have purchased a number of these radios from different sellers like Brushbeater and Kong Tone. The first thing I do with a new radio is test it to make sure it is working as intended. This includes Transmit Power tests. Every one of my AR-152 radios tested great and I was very happy with them. Then I programmed my first one using Chirp and the BF-F8HP profile (this is the profile recommended by Brushbeater and it is the ONLY profile that supports all three of the TXP settings (High, Mid, Low)). Chirp enabled me to expand the VHF and UHF frequency limits (as shown in a YouTube video by Indrid Cold on Brushbeater’s website) and I configured some Memory channels to facilitate further testing. Next, I returned to my Transmit Power testing to see how well the expanded VHF and UHF limits worked. This is when I discovered the problem. From that moment on, the Transmit Power of my programmed radio malfunctioned.

My first thought was that I must have received a defective radio. So I tried programming a second AR-152 from a different vendor and the same thing happened again. My second thought was that Chirp must be defective or the BF-F8HP profile is an insufficient match for an AR-152. So I found RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software that is specifically made for the AR-152 radio. I purchased a copy and used it to program a third AR-152. The same thing happened again.

All three of these radios were brand new and had never been programmed before. I measured the Transmit Power of each of them and all three measured great before they were programmed. I purchased one from Brushbeater and two from Kong Tone. The likelihood of all three radios being defective seems rare. And remember, all three measured great before they were programmed.

I took the usual safety precautions so I could restore a radio—before I programmed it: I downloaded and saved its original factory settings using the programming software. Then, after the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered during programming, I did a full factory reset (RESET ALL) and reinstalled the original factory settings. This never fixed a radio. Once the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered, I could find no way to restore the radio to normal operation.

Yesterday (08-Apr-2024), NotaRubicon Productions posted a new YouTube video about the AR-152. It stated that the AR-152 is Chirp-compatible. However, I think my tests have shown the opposite. In fact, the current iteration of the AR-152 should not be programmed with any third-party software less you trigger the Transmit Power malfunction.

With your help I hope to document the extent of the problem. I have been in contact with Baofeng. They were very nice, but it took three messages, three radios and my detailed graphs to finally convince them of the potential scale of the problem. The last thing they told me was that they had forwarded my data to their “technical team”. However, Baofeng provides zero official support for the AR-152. It is considered a specialty radio which is only sold through select sellers. And they say those sellers configure their AR-152 radios differently for their markets. Therefore, they defer all technical support and warranty service to their sellers (in this case Brushbeater and Kong Tone).

I understand their position, but I think this problem, if widespread, is beyond the scope of their sellers and should result in a repair (if possible) or a recall and replacement (if repair is not possible). These are still the early days of this issue and it may take some time before Baofeng responds. As for radio differences from one seller to the next, my radios from Brushbeater and Kong Tone appeared to be configured the same.

Kind regards, RGB

[OffRoaderX]

37 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

First this is a CCR. Deal with it.

Second this is a HAM Radio.

Sad-H.A.M.s are a myth and do not exi.......
 

I stand corrected...

[Socalgmrs]

Wow. This is a lot of words for a problem that I bet doesn’t affect most people.   

[SteveShannon]

55 minutes ago, RGB said:

My Experience with the AR-152

I first learned about Baofeng’s AR-152 radio a few months ago from NotaRubicon Productions’ YouTube video (from 07-Nov-2023). I was immediately drawn to the radio because of its gigantic 12,000 mAH (12 AH) battery and its ability to operate over such a wide frequency range which included Ham, Business, MURS and NOAA NWR frequencies in the VHF band and Ham, GMRS and Business in the UHF band. Plus it can receive FM Radio. This makes it an ideal two-way radio for use during an Emergency or Disaster when FCC license requirements are temporarily suspended for people in life-or-death situations.

Since then I have purchased a number of these radios from different sellers like Brushbeater and Kong Tone. The first thing I do with a new radio is test it to make sure it is working as intended. This includes Transmit Power tests. Every one of my AR-152 radios tested great and I was very happy with them. Then I programmed my first one using Chirp and the BF-F8HP profile (this is the profile recommended by Brushbeater and it is the ONLY profile that supports all three of the TXP settings (High, Mid, Low)). Chirp enabled me to expand the VHF and UHF frequency limits (as shown in a YouTube video by Indrid Cold on Brushbeater’s website) and I configured some Memory channels to facilitate further testing. Next, I returned to my Transmit Power testing to see how well the expanded VHF and UHF limits worked. This is when I discovered the problem. From that moment on, the Transmit Power of my programmed radio malfunctioned.

My first thought was that I must have received a defective radio. So I tried programming a second AR-152 from a different vendor and the same thing happened again. My second thought was that Chirp must be defective or the BF-F8HP profile is an insufficient match for an AR-152. So I found RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software that is specifically made for the AR-152 radio. I purchased a copy and used it to program a third AR-152. The same thing happened again.

All three of these radios were brand new and had never been programmed before. I measured the Transmit Power of each of them and all three measured great before they were programmed. I purchased one from Brushbeater and two from Kong Tone. The likelihood of all three radios being defective seems rare. And remember, all three measured great before they were programmed.

I took the usual safety precautions so I could restore a radio—before I programmed it: I downloaded and saved its original factory settings using the programming software. Then, after the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered during programming, I did a full factory reset (RESET ALL) and reinstalled the original factory settings. This never fixed a radio. Once the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered, I could find no way to restore the radio to normal operation.

Yesterday (08-Apr-2024), NotaRubicon Productions posted a new YouTube video about the AR-152. It stated that the AR-152 is Chirp-compatible. However, I think my tests have shown the opposite. In fact, the current iteration of the AR-152 should not be programmed with any third-party software less you trigger the Transmit Power malfunction.

With your help I hope to document the extent of the problem. I have been in contact with Baofeng. They were very nice, but it took three messages, three radios and my detailed graphs to finally convince them of the potential scale of the problem. The last thing they told me was that they had forwarded my data to their “technical team”. However, Baofeng provides zero official support for the AR-152. It is considered a specialty radio which is only sold through select sellers. And they say those sellers configure their AR-152 radios differently for their markets. Therefore, they defer all technical support and warranty service to their sellers (in this case Brushbeater and Kong Tone).

I understand their position, but I think this problem, if widespread, is beyond the scope of their sellers and should result in a repair (if possible) or a recall and replacement (if repair is not possible). These are still the early days of this issue and it may take some time before Baofeng responds. As for radio differences from one seller to the next, my radios from Brushbeater and Kong Tone appeared to be configured the same.

Kind regards, RGB

Nice job documenting the problem. Ignore the naysayers. They’re just upset because you’re smarter than they are. 

[gortex2]

11 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

Sad-H.A.M.s are a myth and do not exi.......
 

I stand corrected...

Sorry I thought we were on a GMRS website. We get spun up in arguments over ID'ing your repeaters and everything else but daily conversations over how to mod your ham radio to use with GMRS. This is a HAM radio. Go to a HAM radio site and talk about it. 

Its also a CCR in a box. If your annoyed call Baofeng and tell them. Most likely they dont give a rats a$$ about it. 

But then again if it fits your youtube stuff I guess its all your gospel. 

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, gortex2 said:

Sorry I thought we were on a GMRS website. We get spun up in arguments over ID'ing your repeaters and everything else but daily conversations over how to mod your ham radio to use with GMRS. This is a HAM radio. Go to a HAM radio site and talk about it. 

Its also a CCR in a box. If your annoyed call Baofeng and tell them. Most likely they dont give a rats a$$ about it. 

But then again if it fits your youtube stuff I guess it’s all your gospel. 

Although GMRS is in the name of the site, the site also caters to ham radio interests. Radio is radio. If you’re so up-tight that the inclusion of helpful information about a radio triggers you, then you probably aren’t getting much enjoyment out of anything. Learn to ignore posts about non-GMRS radios. 

[SurfRat]

RGB,

Thanks for the heads-up...

I'm having the same issue with my AR-152. Just received it two weeks ago. I don't have a fancy watt meter, but I do have an ancient SWR meter with an analog watt meter incorporated within. It's not very accurate, but it is showing about 7 watts on Med and Low, and about half that on Hi. What a bummer.

I also have firmware version A152V01.

Field programming this radio is pretty simple; but, without the laptop programming software, I won't be able to give the channels labels. That's a huge loss for me, as I need to be able to identify and confirm channels quickly.

Thanks for including the detailed power output graphs. If the malfunctioning Low and Med settings were putting out at least close to what the normal Hi was, I might live with it and just adjust my settings accordingly. But since there is a significant difference, I can't justify keeping this radio.

It looks like this unit is going back to Amazon tomorrow. Now the question is, do I buy a new one all over again and keep it clean this time? The 12,000 AH battery is whispering "yes."

[WSCH851]

On 4/9/2024 at 6:42 PM, RGB said:

Greetings.

If you have programmed your AR-152 radio with Chirp or RT Systems BAO-152 programming software, it is possible that your radio is malfunctioning and you won’t know it because your AR-152 will continue to appear to function normally. I need your help if you (1) have programmed your AR-152 radio with third-party programming software and (2) you own or have access to a VHF-UHF Power Meter. I have purchased a number of these radios and I believe that I have discovered a fairly serious problem that probably affects all AR-152 radios because, as far as I know, Baofeng is still using its original hardware design and A152V01 firmware version. But, since your radio still appears to operate normally, the true problem will be hidden from you.

Here’s the problem: When you first receive your new AR-152 it functions correctly. However, as soon as you connect it to either Chirp or RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software and program the radio, a Transmit Power malfunction is triggered and, after this happens, there appears to be no way to restore the radio to normal operation.

One of the problems with this malfunction is that your AR-152 radio still appears to function normally. It can still receive and make transmissions. There is zero hint that anything is wrong. When you set TXP=High/Mid/Low, the little “H”, “M”, “L” indicators appear in the LCD and so on. When you push the PTT button, the little transmit icon makes it look like your radio is transmitting the selected power. However, the truth is very different and the only way to determine if your AR-152 is working properly after it has been programmed, is to measure its Transmit Power. If it works properly, setting TXP=High should always produce the highest Transmit Power and setting TXP=Mid should always produce more power than TXP=Low.

If you have not yet programmed your AR-152, I strongly recommend that you NOT do so. Configure its Memory channels only via the built-in menus and avoid programming it with external software and you will not trigger the malfunction.

If you have programmed your AR-152 with external software, I’d like you to do a quick Transmit Power test and report your results here. Any Surecom Power/VSWR Meter with a 50-ohm test load will work for the test. Here’s the test procedure:

1. Fully charge your AR-152 battery.
2. Put your radio in VFO mode with a long press of the MENU key.
3. Enter a VHF frequency (such as 144.000 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting. (Hint: The keypad shortcut to change the TXP setting without using the menu is a short-tap of the #/lock-keypad key while the radio is in standby.)
4. Pick a UHF frequency (such as 462.600 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting.
5. Describe the kinds of programming changes you made when you programmed your AR-152.
6. Turn your radio off. Then press and hold the 3/SAVE key while you turn the radio back on. As soon as the LCD comes to life, release the #/SAVE key and the firmware version of your radio will momentarily appear. It happens so fast that you may need to do this several times so you can record your firmware version. Please include it in your post. (All of my radios have firmware “A152V01”, which I believe is version 1.)

If your radio has the Transmit Power malfunction, you’ll discover that the Watts you measure do not match the TXP settings. When TXP=High, the Watts will be too low. When TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, the Watts will be the same and they will be way too high. The dangerous aspect to this is: You think your radio is transmitting its lowest power when you set TXP=Low. But, in reality you’ll be transmitting at nearly full power.

To help you visualize the problem, I’ve attached five graphs which illustrate what is happening. Each data point on the plotlines was measured by me. The before measurements were made before the radio was programmed. The after measurements were made after the radio was programmed.

The first graph shows the AR-152 when it is working correctly. This is how our radios should work.

The second graph shows the AR-152 after the malfunction has been triggered by programming the radio.

The third graph combines the first two so you can view both in one graph.

The fourth graph focuses on TXP=High only and shows its dramatic drop in level after the malfunction sets in.

The fifth (last) graph focuses on TXP=Mid and TXP=Low. The reason TXP setting are shown in the same graph is because, after the malfunction is triggered, the radio thinks they are the same setting and regardless whether you select TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, you'll get the same power level and it will be way too high.

Thanks in advance for your help. Together, I hope we can demonstrate to Baofeng that this malfunction is not an isolated incident and this will prompt them to give its solution their highest priority. If you know other AR-152 radio owners who have programmed their radios, please ask them to join myGMRS and add their Transmit Power measurements to this thread. Again, thanks!

Kind regards, RGB

 

On 4/9/2024 at 7:05 PM, RGB said:

My Experience with the AR-152

I first learned about Baofeng’s AR-152 radio a few months ago from NotaRubicon Productions’ YouTube video (from 07-Nov-2023). I was immediately drawn to the radio because of its gigantic 12,000 mAH (12 AH) battery and its ability to operate over such a wide frequency range which included Ham, Business, MURS and NOAA NWR frequencies in the VHF band and Ham, GMRS and Business in the UHF band. Plus it can receive FM Radio. This makes it an ideal two-way radio for use during an Emergency or Disaster when FCC license requirements are temporarily suspended for people in life-or-death situations.

Since then I have purchased a number of these radios from different sellers like Brushbeater and Kong Tone. The first thing I do with a new radio is test it to make sure it is working as intended. This includes Transmit Power tests. Every one of my AR-152 radios tested great and I was very happy with them. Then I programmed my first one using Chirp and the BF-F8HP profile (this is the profile recommended by Brushbeater and it is the ONLY profile that supports all three of the TXP settings (High, Mid, Low)). Chirp enabled me to expand the VHF and UHF frequency limits (as shown in a YouTube video by Indrid Cold on Brushbeater’s website) and I configured some Memory channels to facilitate further testing. Next, I returned to my Transmit Power testing to see how well the expanded VHF and UHF limits worked. This is when I discovered the problem. From that moment on, the Transmit Power of my programmed radio malfunctioned.

My first thought was that I must have received a defective radio. So I tried programming a second AR-152 from a different vendor and the same thing happened again. My second thought was that Chirp must be defective or the BF-F8HP profile is an insufficient match for an AR-152. So I found RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software that is specifically made for the AR-152 radio. I purchased a copy and used it to program a third AR-152. The same thing happened again.

All three of these radios were brand new and had never been programmed before. I measured the Transmit Power of each of them and all three measured great before they were programmed. I purchased one from Brushbeater and two from Kong Tone. The likelihood of all three radios being defective seems rare. And remember, all three measured great before they were programmed.

I took the usual safety precautions so I could restore a radio—before I programmed it: I downloaded and saved its original factory settings using the programming software. Then, after the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered during programming, I did a full factory reset (RESET ALL) and reinstalled the original factory settings. This never fixed a radio. Once the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered, I could find no way to restore the radio to normal operation.

Yesterday (08-Apr-2024), NotaRubicon Productions posted a new YouTube video about the AR-152. It stated that the AR-152 is Chirp-compatible. However, I think my tests have shown the opposite. In fact, the current iteration of the AR-152 should not be programmed with any third-party software less you trigger the Transmit Power malfunction.

With your help I hope to document the extent of the problem. I have been in contact with Baofeng. They were very nice, but it took three messages, three radios and my detailed graphs to finally convince them of the potential scale of the problem. The last thing they told me was that they had forwarded my data to their “technical team”. However, Baofeng provides zero official support for the AR-152. It is considered a specialty radio which is only sold through select sellers. And they say those sellers configure their AR-152 radios differently for their markets. Therefore, they defer all technical support and warranty service to their sellers (in this case Brushbeater and Kong Tone).

I understand their position, but I think this problem, if widespread, is beyond the scope of their sellers and should result in a repair (if possible) or a recall and replacement (if repair is not possible). These are still the early days of this issue and it may take some time before Baofeng responds. As for radio differences from one seller to the next, my radios from Brushbeater and Kong Tone appeared to be configured the same.

Kind regards, RGB

Nice writeup for HAMS, good information, I was thinking of buying one but now,,,,,,,,,.

[hfd376]

Honestly, if the software transforms the radio into the radio you want it to be, I wouldn't worry about the power. I would program everything for medium power and not look back. I doubt you'll notice a difference in range.

[BePreparedNC]

I tested mine today. Nothing seems to be wrong.

 

145.000:

H: 7.85

M: 5.33

L: 2.45

 

430.000:

H: 7.47

M: 4.31

L: 1.38

 

I have programmed mine (several times) with CHIRP. I have made sure to download and use the latest version of CHIRP software.

I'm very relieved that mine seems to be functioning properly.

[WSCV588]

Tester is a surecom sw-102VU firmware v2.7  Raido was purchased through amazon 5/21/2024 seller is Kong Tone
ar-152 stock pre chirp programming: 
stock antenna
144.000                             443.000
High 5.26w@3.16swr        High 8.42w @3.21swr
Med 5.0w @3.09swr         Med 7.7w @3.29swr
Low 3.7w @3.0                  Low 3.5w @3.26swr

SignalStick 440
144.000                              443.000
High 8.53w @1.97swr        High 8.26w @3.63swr
Med 7.21w @1.9swr           Med 7.7w @3.73swr
Low 2.5w @1.36swr           Low 3.6w @3.25swr

With the wonky power and swr levels on both a stock and aftermarket radio I opted not to program via Chirp with this radio

 

@OffRoaderX whats your take on this?  

[OffRoaderX]

9 minutes ago, WSCV588 said:

 whats your take on this?  

My take is that you cannot get an accurate SWR reading on an HT antenna without specialized equipment. I also think you should stop overthinking how imperfect you low-cost/mass-produced radio is and just use/enjoy it.  If you want a high-quality 'performance' radio, you're going to have to pay a lot more for it.

 

[Blaise]

1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said:

I also think you should stop overthinking 

 

Are you new here?  That's kinda what we do...

[OffRoaderX]

23 minutes ago, Blaise said:

Are you new here?

Yah.. Sorry.. I'm just learning all this socially ree-tarhd-ed stuff.

[raddaddio]

On 4/9/2024 at 7:05 PM, RGB said:

My Experience with the AR-152

I first learned about Baofeng’s AR-152 radio a few months ago from NotaRubicon Productions’ YouTube video (from 07-Nov-2023). I was immediately drawn to the radio because of its gigantic 12,000 mAH (12 AH) battery and its ability to operate over such a wide frequency range which included Ham, Business, MURS and NOAA NWR frequencies in the VHF band and Ham, GMRS and Business in the UHF band. Plus it can receive FM Radio. This makes it an ideal two-way radio for use during an Emergency or Disaster when FCC license requirements are temporarily suspended for people in life-or-death situations.

Since then I have purchased a number of these radios from different sellers like Brushbeater and Kong Tone. The first thing I do with a new radio is test it to make sure it is working as intended. This includes Transmit Power tests. Every one of my AR-152 radios tested great and I was very happy with them. Then I programmed my first one using Chirp and the BF-F8HP profile (this is the profile recommended by Brushbeater and it is the ONLY profile that supports all three of the TXP settings (High, Mid, Low)). Chirp enabled me to expand the VHF and UHF frequency limits (as shown in a YouTube video by Indrid Cold on Brushbeater’s website) and I configured some Memory channels to facilitate further testing. Next, I returned to my Transmit Power testing to see how well the expanded VHF and UHF limits worked. This is when I discovered the problem. From that moment on, the Transmit Power of my programmed radio malfunctioned.

My first thought was that I must have received a defective radio. So I tried programming a second AR-152 from a different vendor and the same thing happened again. My second thought was that Chirp must be defective or the BF-F8HP profile is an insufficient match for an AR-152. So I found RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software that is specifically made for the AR-152 radio. I purchased a copy and used it to program a third AR-152. The same thing happened again.

All three of these radios were brand new and had never been programmed before. I measured the Transmit Power of each of them and all three measured great before they were programmed. I purchased one from Brushbeater and two from Kong Tone. The likelihood of all three radios being defective seems rare. And remember, all three measured great before they were programmed.

I took the usual safety precautions so I could restore a radio—before I programmed it: I downloaded and saved its original factory settings using the programming software. Then, after the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered during programming, I did a full factory reset (RESET ALL) and reinstalled the original factory settings. This never fixed a radio. Once the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered, I could find no way to restore the radio to normal operation.

Yesterday (08-Apr-2024), NotaRubicon Productions posted a new YouTube video about the AR-152. It stated that the AR-152 is Chirp-compatible. However, I think my tests have shown the opposite. In fact, the current iteration of the AR-152 should not be programmed with any third-party software less you trigger the Transmit Power malfunction.

With your help I hope to document the extent of the problem. I have been in contact with Baofeng. They were very nice, but it took three messages, three radios and my detailed graphs to finally convince them of the potential scale of the problem. The last thing they told me was that they had forwarded my data to their “technical team”. However, Baofeng provides zero official support for the AR-152. It is considered a specialty radio which is only sold through select sellers. And they say those sellers configure their AR-152 radios differently for their markets. Therefore, they defer all technical support and warranty service to their sellers (in this case Brushbeater and Kong Tone).

I understand their position, but I think this problem, if widespread, is beyond the scope of their sellers and should result in a repair (if possible) or a recall and replacement (if repair is not possible). These are still the early days of this issue and it may take some time before Baofeng responds. As for radio differences from one seller to the next, my radios from Brushbeater and Kong Tone appeared to be configured the same.

Kind regards, RGB

Did you change the frequency range on all three radios? Wondering if the common denominator is software programming alone or software programming plus modifying the frequency range. 

[DavePatriot77]

Thank you for this post. I just experienced the same exact thing. I'm so pissed as there doesn't seem any way to undo this problem. Have you made any progress on figuring out a solution? Even baofang recommends using the UV5R setting to program the AR 152. It's even in the published documents. However if you use any chirp software to program the AR 152 it inverts the power settings and you lose about a watt and a half of maximum power output. I wish there was another forum that we could use to discuss this issue but this is the only place I saw any reference to this issue.

[DavePatriot77]

I'm having the same issue with my AR 152. I'm so frustrated as there does not seem to be a way to undo this. Using chirp inverted my power settings and also dropped the highest output down from almost 8 watts to about 6 watts. Has there been any progress on a solution to resolve this? And I understand this is a GMRS forum but I haven't seen this discussed in any other place. I would like to get to the bottom of this issue if anyone has any helpful solutions.

[WQYB577]

Hi RGB,

Do you have any updates since this original post?  (very informative)

Rob

[RenoHuskerDu]

On 4/9/2024 at 6:59 PM, Socalgmrs said:

Wow. This is a lot of words for a problem that I bet doesn’t affect most people.   

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.

[RenoHuskerDu]

On 10/13/2024 at 8:37 AM, DavePatriot77 said:

I'm having the same issue with my AR 152. I'm so frustrated as there does not seem to be a way to undo this. Using chirp inverted my power settings and also dropped the highest output down from almost 8 watts to about 6 watts. Has there been any progress on a solution to resolve this? And I understand this is a GMRS forum but I haven't seen this discussed in any other place. I would like to get to the bottom of this issue if anyone has any helpful solutions.

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.

[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

[WRXB215]

21 minutes ago, RenoHuskerDu said:

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.

I believe that.