CHIRP

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-2:

Jim Unroe wrote in #note-1:

Please provide the following...

• The radio's current firmware version

1.6

• Attach a CHIRP Radio Images (*.img) file that was downloaded from the radio

Attached.

"STOCK 512": I took a new radio out of the box, read it in Chirp, and saved it. No module patches. I doubt this picked up anything above channel 512.

Great. Many don't do important step.

"WITH 999 BUT MAX 512": I took that same radio, used the OEM CPS to add channel 999 [and a few others], read it into Chirp, and saved it. Note that Chirp showed channels to 999 in the channel editor. But, no module patches, so I doubt this picked up anything above channel 512.

Sure it did. It must. For example use the 'stock' CHIRP to upload the original image back into the radio. Read with OEM CPS. You will not see any channels above 512. Now upload the "NO MAX 510" image with stock CHIRP. Read with OEM CPS. You should see channel 999 pluss any other additional channels above 512 that were there.

"WITH 999 WITH MAX 999": I took that same radio [with channels up to 999 via the OEM CPS], loaded a patched version of module "mml_jc8810.py" with "_upper = 999" at line 1446, read the radio into Chirp, and saved it. It seems to have captured all 999 channels, because the .img is twice as big.

Not so. The 2nd and 3rd files are exactly the same size (which they should be) and contain exactly the same data (which they should).

• Edit/update the attached menu list and note the differences.

I attached the new settings menu, which I renamed as best I could decipher. MANY changes to the order of settings; a couple of all new menu items. I wasn't sure what to do with the [BAND] section, so I left it alone.

This means that there is more to this than just expanding the number of supported channels to 999. The settings will need to be added/modified accordingly.

The [BAND] section is so that I can match CHIRP with the frequency ranges that are available in the radio. It is common that the number of bands that the radio covers and/or the range of frequencies of a band to be increased with a firmware upgrade. CHIRP is currently programmed for firmware v1.4.

Basically you can look my list as see that there are gaps between the bands. You need to check to see if any gaps have been reduced and/or closed or new bands added.

For example switch to VFO mode and key in 200.000. Not tap the down arrow. Since 200.000 should be the lower band limit, the frequency should wraparound to the upper limit. See if it is still 260.000 (259.9975) or if it has been changed. Do the same for the other bands. Then key in 520.000 and if it is accepted as a valid frequency, tap the down arrow to wrap it around the upper limit. Then add this additional band.

#17 note correct spelling of options now

#20 "Single Mode" OFF = displays A and B radios; ON = displays only A or B radio. Requires dual watch [#18 TDR] to be off. It shows the current ANI string in the other display, or "UNNAMED" if no ANI.

#48 "Unlock Sw CH":
Off = "Up/down keys are disabled when the keyboard is locked."
On = "Up/down keys can still change channels (not effective in frequency mode) when the keyboard is locked."

#49 "Dis S Tbl":
Off = "Turn off S-meter display."
On = "Display S9+ and the specific dB value when the received signal report is greater than 59"

I need to take some time to study the above changes. After I do that, I will have some additional requests to make of you. Thanks.

Jim Unroe wrote in #note-3:

Not so. The 2nd and 3rd files are exactly the same size (which they should be) and contain exactly the same data (which they should).

Yeh, I was looking at the wrong .img file when I said one was twice as big as the other. [In another experiment, I read from the radio after adding a channel 999 with the OEM CPS and then loading the patched module and reading into Chirp, then pasting 999 channels in from a CSV I created, then saving it from Chirp. That .IMG is 84 kB.]

I need to take some time to study the above changes. After I do that, I will have some additional requests to make of you. Thanks.

I'm at your service. Thanks!

...R

OK. This doesn't look too bad. I need 3 sets of 2 CHIRP images. Please use the stock CHIRP. Do not use any externally loaded customized modules.

Please provide images for the 3 new settings...

Menu 20: Single Mode
Menu 48: Unlock Sw CH
Menu 49: Dis S Tbl

Save an image from the radio for each setting in both its OFF and ON states. The best/easiest way to do this is by editing each setting using the radio's menus. What I like to do is set the setting the the alternate value (if it is OFF then change it to ON), download to CHIRP and save, set it back to the original value, download to CHIRP and save. Be careful not to have any other difference (VFO/MR mode, A/B, etc) that the setting being changed. Use file names that make it obvious to me what each is. For example: Talkpod_A36plus_8w_Menu 20 OFF.img

Again, thanks for your assistance.

Wilco. [I'll be tomorrow.]

Thanks again.

...R

Jim Unroe wrote in #note-5:

OK. This doesn't look too bad.

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-9:

Jim Unroe wrote in #note-8:

I spoke to soon. There is substantial display corruption after uploading the 999 channel .IMG file. Sadly, I need to get back to work; I'll experiment later to try to discover a connection.

...R

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-9:

We were talking about Menu 36, but you asked for Menu 38. I attached 36 ON and GSTART, which remain the only two options on the radio; let me know if you actually needed 38 or that was just a typo.

Yes, this was a typo. Menu 36 is correct. Thanks.

Jim Unroe wrote in #note-11:

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-9:

We were talking about Menu 36, but you asked for Menu 38. I attached 36 ON and GSTART, which remain the only two options on the radio; let me know if you actually needed 38 or that was just a typo.

Yes, this was a typo. Menu 36 is correct. Thanks.

After uploading the last .IMG, the display at first was garbled, then went all white after sitting there a few minutes. I've tried factory reset to no avail. [I know it's resetting because voice prompts tell me where I am in the settings menu, and when I read the radio after resetting it, the channels were all reset]. Are you aware of a way to un-brick the radio?

Jim Unroe wrote in #note-13:

Try using this 'restore' driver module to upload the 'STOCK 512' image back to your radio.

Unfortunately that didn't work. Still an all-white display. I also tried reverting to 1.4 and then back to 1.6 to no avail.

Good news: Problem solved. For future reference, putting the radio into "Flexibility" mode [PTT + 8 + power on] fixed the display.

...R

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-15:

Good news: Problem solved. For future reference, putting the radio into "Flexibility" mode [PTT + 8 + power on] fixed the display.

...R

That is good news.

What's $50. Easy come, easy go ;)

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-17:

What's $50. Easy come, easy go ;)

Is there any way that you could capture the serial port data of the radio when downloading and uploading with the OEM CPS? I've got just about every model supported by this driver (mostly from donations -- I bought one because it was less then $25) except the Talkpod. I can't bring myself to spending the $50 to be able to do it myself.

Is there any way for you to get me your shipping address? I'll send you one.

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-12:

We were talking about Menu 36, but you asked for Menu 38. I attached 36 ON and GSTART, which remain the only two options on the radio; let me know if you actually needed 38 or that was just a typo.

Would you set menu 36 to GSTART, then set it back to OFF and then capture an image? Thanks.

I think that that's what I did to generate the "OFF" version of those last two files, since that's how you asked me to do it last time [i.e., set the option to ON, then generate the ON image, then set it to OFF, then generate the OFF image]. But I'll do it again to be sure. Hang on.

Rob Bailey wrote in #note-22:

Here's what I did:

• factory reset the radio with "All"
• used the OEM CPS to put a channel 999 in
• went into Menu; 36 is OFF as expected
• I set it to GSTART, then exited settings menu
• I set it to OFF, then exited settings menu
• I opened Chirp in dev mode and loaded "mml_jc8810 - fw1.6.py"
• I read the radio, saved the IMG, and attached it to this message

...R

Thanks. Unfortunately I am unable to compare this single file to anything. It is too different from the previous 2 files. The original 2 file are identical 0x9000 and 0x902F where the settings are stored. So either menu 36 wasn't changed between saves or menu 36 is not storing its setting.

I'll take another look at it again tonight. You're looking for the bit that flips w/Menu 36, right?

I'm also still willing to send you an A36plus Max 8W radio.

...R