Baofeng UV-5R Firmware Release Upgrades Recorded by Jim KC9HI Updated June 2016: The following have been recorded based on factory Firmware Revisions. Note: The firmware chip is fixed and cannot be re-flashed. BFB229 (Tonfa UV-985) The earliest known firmware BFB230 VHF band limit 136 MHz - 174 MHz UHF band limit 400 MHz - 480 MHz was 400. This software is used for UV-5R, BF-F8+, BF-F9, Misuta 5R, Misuta Hero, Misuta Samurai Download: UV-5R III Tri-Band. BAOFENG; MISUTA; Baofeng x Misuta; View All; Info UK Subscribe to our newsletter. Get the latest updates on new products and upcoming sales. Email Address.
Ed at Import Communications has gotten a new version of the UV-5R programming software. On the UV-5R Yahoo group, he notes that:
The new file has been uploaded to the Files section and also placed on my webDownload is here. The readme file states:
site. It starts in English and does 2.5 kHz frequency entries.
This is version 2 of the programming software for the UV-5R. If installing over a previous version, you must first remove or rename the file 'BF5R_CPS' from your original folder.
Improvements to this software will continue and newer versions will be announced and posted to the UV-5R Yahoo-Group and to the web site www.UV-5R.com as they are received.
73, EdThe software installed in a different path than the original version I had. YMMV. I left the radio at work, so I couldn't really test it, but it does open with the menus in English. A step (no pun intended) in the right direction!
www.UV-5R.com
Programming the very affordable Baofeng UV-5R (also available as Pofung UV-5R) dual band mobile radio can be quite complicated. Luckily, there is a program called CHIRP. This free and open-source radio programming tool together with a USB programming cable makes setting up your radio a breeze. In this blog post we will install CHIRP and a programming cable on Windows 10 and Linux (Ubuntu/Mint/Debian) to work with the Baofeng UV-5R tranceiver. It will enable basic downloading and uploading of frequencies and settings from and to the radio. In later posts we will have a more in-depth look at al the settings available. Then we wil also see how to program the radio for GMRS or PMR use, and how to set it up as a basic radio scanner.
Disclaimer: this documentation is for educational purposes only. For operating this radio you are most likely required to be a licensed radio amateur or own a commercial licence. Be sure to check the rules and regulations in your area first.
Baofeng UV-5R (Pofung UV-5R) tranceiver
The UV-5R is a cheap but decent Chinese tranceiver that is sold for the ultra-low price of around 30 USD (25 EUR). The radio is dual band (VHF/UHF, 136-174/400-520MHz, 5 Watt) and has 128 memory channels which can be alpha tagged. Together with the scanning capabilities, this makes the UV-5R also a basic but useful scanning radio. The coverage of the GMRS, FRS and PMR bands, the FM radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz) and the LED flashlight make it a popular choice for ‘preppers’. And for that price, the radio even comes with a wrist strap, battery and charger included.
Tested and recommended by OneGuyOneBlog.com: BAOFENG Dual Band Handheld Transceiver Radio Walkie Talkie UV-5R
USB programming cable
For connecting the radio to the PC I used this generic, cheap Kenwood-style serial cable. It came without any drivers, and at least for Windows 10 and Linux (Ubuntu, Mint) you don’t need any. Just plug in the cable and Windows and Linux will recognize it.
In Windows 10, you should find it as “USB SERIAL CH340 (COMx)” under Settings > Devices. This also shows the COM-port to be used in CHIRP later on.
In linux, the command
LSUSB
should list the USB-serial adapter like this:Bus 003 Device 012: ID 1a86:7523 QinHeng Electronics HL-340 USB-Serial adapter
In my experience it’s best to connect it straight to the PC; connecting it via a USB hub may cause problems.
Tested and recommended by OneGuyOneBlog.com: USB Programming Cable For BAOFENG Walkie Talkie UV-5R
CHIRP radio programming tool
CHIRP is a free, open-source tool for programming amateur radios. It supports many manufacturers and models, as well as provides a way to interface with multiple data sources and formats. Another big advantage is that it’s multi-platform: it’s available for Windows, Linux and Mac. CHIRP not only makes the programming so much easier, it also provides access to features not available through the radio’s buttons or keypad. For exmaple, with CHIRP you can give each memory channel a name or ‘alpha tag’ of 7 characters. Then instead of the frequency, the tag can be shown in the radio’s display. This tagging can not be done by using just the radio’s keypad.
CHIRP: Windows 10 install
The Windows 10 install is pretty straightforward:
- After plugging in the USB cable, download the latest Windows installer (“chirp-daily-xxxxxxxx-installer.exe”) from the CHIRP download page;
- Run the installer, ignoring the Windows Defender warnings. After installation is complete, run CHIRP (from the application menu);
- Select the “Radio” menu and then “Download From Radio” (Alt+D);
- Choose your radio settings: the COM (USB) port (for me it was “COM5”), the vendor (“Baofeng”) and the model (“UV-5R”);
- At the warning “Proceed with experimental driver?”, click “Yes” to continue;
- Follow the instructions on hooking up the radio:
1. Turn radio off;
2. Connect cable to mic/spkr connector;
3. Make sure connector is firmly connected;
4. Turn radio on (volume may need to be set at 100%);
5. Ensure that the radio is tuned to channel with no activity;
6. Click OK to download image from device; - The image will now be downloaded from your radio (a.k.a. “cloning”).
- After the image is downloaded you can use it as template. You can edit it and save multiple versions to disk, or upload an image back to your tranceiver.
CHIRP: Linux install
The Ubuntu/Linux Mint/Debian install (I installed it on Mint) is not very different from the Windows 10 one (for screenshots, see the Windows install above):
- After plugging in the USB cable, issue these commands to download and install CHIRP:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:dansmith/chirp-snapshots
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install chirp-daily - After installation is complete, run CHIRP;
- Select the “Radio” menu and then “Download From Radio” (Alt+D);
- Choose your radio settings: the serial port (for me it was “/dev/ttyUSB0”), the vendor (“Baofeng”) and the model (“UV-5R”);
- At the warning “Proceed with experimental driver?”, click “Yes” to continue;
- Follow the instructions on hooking up the radio:
1. Turn radio off;
2. Connect cable to mic/spkr connector;
3. Make sure connector is firmly connected;
4. Turn radio on (volume may need to be set at 100%);
5. Ensure that the radio is tuned to channel with no activity;
6. Click OK to download image from device; - The image will now be downloaded from your radio (a.k.a. “cloning”).
- You can now use the downloaded image as template. You can edit it and save multiple versions to disk, or upload an image back to your tranceiver.
Note: if you get an “Access denied” error when accessing the serial port, you need to add your username to the dialout group. For instance, when your username is “johndoe” you should issue the command:
sudo adduser johndoe dialout
Editing radio settings and finding the firmware version
With CHIRP, you can also edit the radio’s settings. You can even adjust a quite few settings that are not available through the keypad and LCD screen. Just click the “Settings” tab on the left, below the “Memories” tab. Here you will also find your tranceiver’s firmware version under “Other Settings > Firmware Message 1“. You can only upload an image to a tranceiver with a matching firmware version.
To be continued
In some future blog post(s) we will take a closer look at all the available channel options, the radio settings and how to adjust them for GMRS, FRS and PMR communications. And finally we will see how we can set up the Baofeng/Pofung UV-5R as a cheap and basic radio scanner. To be continued!
Tested and recommended by OneGuyOneBlog.com: BAOFENG Dual Band Handheld Transceiver Radio Walkie Talkie UV-5RTested and recommended by OneGuyOneBlog.com:
USB Programming Cable For BAOFENG Walkie Talkie UV-5RTags:Baofeng UV-5R, CHIRP, ham radio, Linux, PMR, radio, Windows
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hi,
I updated with win 10 but still i get error message radio is not responded while downloading from radio (cloning)please you advice how to solve it.
Bill AdamsReplyI updated with win 10 but still i get error message radio is not responded while downloading from radio (cloning)please you advice how to solve it.
It doesn’t work with windows 10, the problem is the drivers for the USB cable itself. This guy had some sort of Kenwood cable. And must of been able to find a driver for that cable. If you bought a cheap cable with the Baofeng, you won’t find a driver for it on Windows 10. If your cable has the FTDI chipset, which is what mine is, there is no Win 10 driver for that. I have seen other pages that tell you to roll back the driver to 3.2.0.0 but rolling back the driver will be greyed out. It won’t be an option. You need to get an old Win XP or Win 7 machine. You can’t get prolific drivers that work on 10. And if you can, you won’t find anyone that can explain how to instal them. Because it won’t go the way they say it will!
oneguyoneblogReplyThere are different cables with different chipsets. As you can read in my blog post, the cable I described (with CH340 chipset) definately works with Windows 10. I have been using it for a long time now without any problems. Also, make sure you do not use a USB hub and you tune your radio to an inactive frequency when transferring data.
SupaGReplySame problem as most others, “radio did not respond”. I suppose I’ll try to get a different cable.
SupaGReplyWell, update – The instructions say to turn the volume up all the way, but I tried a suggestion elsewhere to try setting it 1/3 of the way up and try, and if it doesn’t work keep turning it up a bit and try again. Worked on the first try.
oneguyoneblogReplyHi SupaG, I’m glad you solved the problem. Thanks for sharing your experiences, I will add your solution to the blog post.
TodReplyEverything is going smoothly until I get to “UPLOAD TO RADIO” and the choice is greyed out.
Worked when it was new six months ago, so I am not sure I am doing differently or wrong this time.
oneguyoneblogReplyWorked when it was new six months ago, so I am not sure I am doing differently or wrong this time.
Hi Tod, did you select the right COM port?