Baofeng UV-5R will not program [Solved]

[Jan]

I have a brand new Baofeng UV-5R. I can program it using the clumsy menu approach built into the radio, but I cannot get either the original Baofeng software, BF5R, or Chirp to program it. The Windows XP netbook sees the USB to serial converter, but when I try to use it both programs report that the radio does not answer. I cannot even look at the memories via software.

BF5R says: "Communication port is error, please setting right communication port.!" The port is 5, I can see it in Device Manager and I set Using the Communication Port Setup menu.

Chirp forces me to choose a UV-3R, since UV-5R is not there. It originally said that the radio did not respond. Now, there is no port specified, and the drop-down menu does not work. When I type in a port it does not use it, but instead says that it cannot open the port.

Can someone tell me what I might be doing wrong?

Jan, KX2A

[Redbad]

The problem you describe appears to be related to the computer not being able to read the radio.

The first thing to check is the programming cable. Make sure that it is fully in the radio (mine sticks so that it is not fully in and when that happens I have similar problems to the ones you describe). Push until you hear a click.

If the programming cable is properly seated, the software (either chirp or Baofang) should be able to read the radio. Make sure you have the most recent build of chirp.

There is a Yahoo group dedicated to the UV-5R and if the fix above does not work, you should contact this group as they have a really good knowledge base.

[Jan]

Redbad,

Thank you for your complete response. I will check out everything again tonight. I also appreciate hearing about the Baofeng site. I know that the computer knows about the USB-to-serial converter, but I am not so sure about everything else. I will update this thread when I know more.

73 and thanks,

Jan, KX2A

[Jan]

Redbad,

What baud rate and other parameters did your computer assign to your working USB-to-serial port?

Jan, KX2A

[nacho]

USB to serial converters suck, and rarely work for programming radios. When you find one that works for radio A it won't work for B. My advise is to get a computer with a serial port, or even better the USB cable for your UV5R.

[Jan]

USB to serial converters suck, and rarely work for programming radios. When you find one that works for radio A it won't work for B. My advise is to get a computer with a serial port, or even better the USB cable for your UV5R.

Nacho,

This is the USB cable for the radio. It came with the UV5R, packed in the same box with the name Baofeng on four sides. Windows XP sees it as a Prolific USB-to-serial port. On the outside it says "www.radioshop888.com" which is where I bought it, but I think that is the major source of Baofeng radios. It has two phone plugs on the output that fit into the side of the radio where a speaker/microphone might go. What other kind of USB cable is there for this radio? If I had a serial port with a DB-9 or DB-22 connector, what would I plug into it that would then go into the radio?

Jan, KX2A

[Jan]

All who assisted,

I got it working, I think. At least the BF5R software program works to read and it says it is writing. While these happen, the LED below the VFO/MR button blinks. The trick was to change the baud rate from 9600 to 38400 in the Hardware tab of Windows Device Manager. However Chirp never worked. I do not know if I have the latest version of Chirp, since it only has UV-3R and not UV-5R.

Thanks and 73,

Jan, KX2A

[Jan]

I got Chirp to work. I had the regular version, which is not yet updated to reflect the UV-5R. I went to

Code: Select all

http://www.miklor.com/uv5r

and looked for the daily build. The latest one has the UV-5R, and they say that at some time in the future, the regular version of Chirp will have it as well.

Jan, KX2A

[nacho]

This is the USB cable for the radio. It came with the UV5R, packed in the same box with the name Baofeng on four sides. Windows XP sees it as a Prolific USB-to-serial port. On the outside it says "www.radioshop888.com" which is where I bought it, but I think that is the major source of Baofeng radios. It has two phone plugs on the output that fit into the side of the radio where a speaker/microphone might go. What other kind of USB cable is there for this radio? If I had a serial port with a DB-9 or DB-22 connector, what would I plug into it that would then go into the radio?

Sorry I thought

The Windows XP netbook sees the USB to serial converter,

meant you were using a USB to serial converter. Many programming cables use RS-232 / DB-9 connectors. Most current laptops don't have serial ports so people end up having to use USB to serial converters. I have never run into your type of issue using USB terminated cables as long as I had the proper drivers installed.

Anyhow, glad you got it worked out.

[Jan]

This is the USB cable for the radio. It came with the UV5R, packed in the same box with the name Baofeng on four sides. Windows XP sees it as a Prolific USB-to-serial port. On the outside it says "www.radioshop888.com" which is where I bought it, but I think that is the major source of Baofeng radios. It has two phone plugs on the output that fit into the side of the radio where a speaker/microphone might go. What other kind of USB cable is there for this radio? If I had a serial port with a DB-9 or DB-22 connector, what would I plug into it that would then go into the radio?

Sorry I thought

The Windows XP netbook sees the USB to serial converter,

meant you were using a USB to serial converter. Many programming cables use RS-232 / DB-9 connectors. Most current laptops don't have serial ports so people end up having to use USB to serial converters. I have never run into your type of issue using USB terminated cables as long as I had the proper drivers installed.

Anyhow, glad you got it worked out.

Nacho,

I think we are speaking at cross purposes. I am using the optional cable that comes packaged with the Baofeng UV-5R radio, This cable is a USB-to-serial converter. I suspect that the converter circuit is in the large housing that holds the USB connector. It does not state this on the device or in the user manual, but if you look in Windows Device Manager you will see that it is a Prolific USB-to-serial converter; at least mine is. The Prolific chip set is the one most likely to succeed with various external serial devices (e.g., ham radios). I am surprised that I seem to be the only one who has found that changing the baud rate made the converter work. I did not find this out in a Baofeng discussion, I bumped into it in a discussion about a different radio entirely (I do not remember where). What made it more surprising is that I had to increase the computer baud rate for the converter to work.

73 and thank you for the help,

Jan, KX2A

[Binyamin]

Yes, it looks like you have to be careful which "version" of CHIRP or other software you get. Some of it is outdated, so try to get it from the official CHIRP source. This helps prevent UV-5R programming conflicts. I believe the firmware on some older UV-5R radios is outdated, which may cause some programming issues.
73s -