CHIRP

Talked A36PLUS should be Talkpod A36PLUS

This radio has 00-53 and doesn't match the layout in the online owners manual (which is poor at best).
#53 is a QR Code that goes back to a Chinese website (which I can't read).

Mine starts at 00 which is Squelch, and it's off by one number from the manual which shows that it should be 01.

My included paper manual matches the online manual and does not match the radio.
#10 is listed as "ANI NAME" and does not appear in the manual.
#09 is CH-NAME and my options are "NO NAME" the rest are in Chinese and Korean. (No English option). Default is "NO NAME"
#20 is SC-REV and appears as 23 in the manual.
#24 is TOP KEY and does not appear in the manuals.

I haven't gone through the rest of them. Just out of curiosity, I just checked the serial number in the display against the tag under the battery.... and they don't match either.

It appears there are variations of this radio or an undocumented firmware update.

I can map them all out if you need them. I don't trust the OEM software so I have not installed it. I may try to install it on a clean unattached OS and watch it, maybe to just get the layout.

Just let me know how I can help.

O L wrote in #note-9:

Jim,

I used your template to recreate what I have in my radio.
I've changed the items where needed, added the feature options and showed what's default.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

Thank you! I like the added feature options and defaults. I probably should to do the same with my list.

It would seem that the big change was to add the TOP KEY menu. I should probably look into adding support for that.

Jim KC9HI

You're welcome. I appreciate the work you do for the rest of us.
I don't mind doing the leg work in making the list. Just don't know what format/layout you prefer.

Seems like these cheap radios are being pumped out faster than you can stay current with option changes.

Looking forward to your update.

O L wrote in #note-12:

Jim,

I took the time to break down the menu in more detail.
Hope this helps.

Yes. This will be very useful. I will compare it to my UV-A37 v1.23 to what differences, if any, need to be accounted for.

Jim KC9HI

Jim,
I had a chance to try out the 2nd driver you posted and it worked.
I was able to get into the radio and read/program it.

Here are a few of the things I noticed.

Valid Modes Needs AM
Needs Top Button
Needs Tuning step in Memories Menu (01)
Needs VOICE PRIORITY (VOICEPRI 08)
Needs SFT-D (27)
Needs CDCSS Save Mode (30)
Needs TDR (Dual Standby 46)

Importing from radio reference does not bring in all of the fields correctly when pasted.
Duplex & TX Freq have to be entered manually.

The Info page won't let me scroll to see the full right side or the last row. The slider shows that there's more to see but it's grayed out.

If these items are already there or I'm misunderstanding a translation please forgive me.

O L wrote in #note-14:

Jim,
I had a chance to try out the 2nd driver you posted and it worked.
I was able to get into the radio and read/program it.

Here are a few of the things I noticed.

Valid Modes Needs AM

Not needed. Just like with the factory software, there is no AM selection. This is because when you program a frequency in the range of 108-136 MHz, the Mode field is disregarded and the radio automatically selects AM .

Needs Top Button

The radio does not have a TOP KEY menu. Have you confirmed that programming the TOP KEY works? If you have and it does, what are the valid choices? I will definitely add support if it works.

Needs Tuning step in Memories Menu (01)

Tuning step is built in and is not needed for programming memories in CHIRP. The STEP menu is only required while the user is in VFO mode at which time the user would select the STEP value using the menu based on the current need (scanning or entering frequencies).

Needs VOICE PRIORITY (VOICEPRI 08)

This is a per-channel setting for scrambling and I have not decided if I am going to implement it yet.

Needs SFT-D (27)

SFT-D is a per-channel setting. As with all per-channel settings, it is supported by the the memory editor (the Duplex field in this case).

Needs CDCSS Save Mode (30)

CDCSS Save Mode is called QT Save Type in the RT-470 factory software so that is what it got named in CHIRP

Needs TDR (Dual Standby 46)

TDR is supported (after Alarm Sound and before FM Radio )

Importing from radio reference does not bring in all of the fields correctly when pasted.
Duplex & TX Freq have to be entered manually.

This is not a function of the driver. If what you are saying is correct, it would be broken for all radios. You would have to open a separate ticket for this issue at which time you would provide an example that could be reproduced by a developer so that the RadioReference support could be looked.

The Info page won't let me scroll to see the full right side or the last row. The slider shows that there's more to see but it's grayed out.

This is not a function of the driver. The Info tab is a "tool" for developers that is not available to "regular" CHIRP users. This is a known issue for developers using Windows. The workaround is for the developer to maximize the window so the scroll bars aren't necessary.

If these items are already there or I'm misunderstanding a translation please forgive me.

Forgiven ;-)

But don't give up. This is the kind of thorough testing that I am looking for. It gives me a chance to double check things.

Jim KC9HI

Jim Unroe wrote in #note-15:

O L wrote in #note-14:

Jim,
I had a chance to try out the 2nd driver you posted and it worked.
I was able to get into the radio and read/program it.

Here are a few of the things I noticed.

Valid Modes Needs AM

Not needed. Just like with the factory software, there is no AM selection. This is because when you program a frequency in the range of 108-136 MHz, the Mode field is disregarded and the radio automatically selects AM .

Needs Top Button

The radio does not have a TOP KEY menu. Have you confirmed that programming the TOP KEY works? If you have and it does, what are the valid choices? I will definitely add support if it works.

Needs Tuning step in Memories Menu (01)

Tuning step is built in and is not needed for programming memories in CHIRP. The STEP menu is only required while the user is in VFO mode at which time the user would select the STEP value using the menu based on the current need (scanning or entering frequencies).

Needs VOICE PRIORITY (VOICEPRI 08)

This is a per-channel setting for scrambling and I have not decided if I am going to implement it yet.

Needs SFT-D (27)

SFT-D is a per-channel setting. As with all per-channel settings, it is supported by the the memory editor (the Duplex field in this case).

Needs CDCSS Save Mode (30)

CDCSS Save Mode is called QT Save Type in the RT-470 factory software so that is what it got named in CHIRP

Needs TDR (Dual Standby 46)

TDR is supported (after Alarm Sound and before FM Radio )

Importing from radio reference does not bring in all of the fields correctly when pasted.
Duplex & TX Freq have to be entered manually.

This is not a function of the driver. If what you are saying is correct, it would be broken for all radios. You would have to open a separate ticket for this issue at which time you would provide an example that could be reproduced by a developer so that the RadioReference support could be looked.

The Info page won't let me scroll to see the full right side or the last row. The slider shows that there's more to see but it's grayed out.

This is not a function of the driver. The Info tab is a "tool" for developers that is not available to "regular" CHIRP users. This is a known issue for developers using Windows. The workaround is for the developer to maximize the window so the scroll bars aren't necessary.

If these items are already there or I'm misunderstanding a translation please forgive me.

Forgiven ;-)

But don't give up. This is the kind of thorough testing that I am looking for. It gives me a chance to double check things.

Jim KC9HI

I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me.

When I tried to program in a frequency in the Aircraft range it gave me an error
"Invalid edit: Frequency 118.100000 is out of range." It wouldn't let me enter it. I thought maybe it was because there was no option for AM. It did this to me 3 times. I will have to go back and try it again and see if I can reproduce it. I can't remember if it was a paste from RR or I manually entered it.

The TOP KEY is programmable per menu item 24. (Included in my revised message #13) I have mine set to NOAA.

24 TOP KEY
TX POWER
SCAN*
SEARCH
NOAA
RADIO

As for the Radio Reference issue I was trying to describe, I believe it's a Chirp issue and not driver issue. When I copied a line from the query that has Duplex set to split and a frequency in the offset tab, then paste it into the radio memory row, the Duplex field populates with a + or - and the offset will change to the physical offset (ex. 1.6975) instead of the actual frequency. I don't know if its by design or not but if I manually change Duplex to split and manually enter the TX frequency in the pop-up, it will display the frequency instead of the numeric offset.

Also, the QueryResult tab will not allow me to save or save as. If any of the row numbers are red in color it won't let me export to .CSV and gives me an error on the line that's red. I've noticed that it will error out if there's a blank row somewhere in the query. Again I don't know if this is by design or not.

If I need to open up another trouble ticket I certainly will.
Thanks again for your help.

O L wrote in #note-16:

When I tried to program in a frequency in the Aircraft range it gave me an error
"Invalid edit: Frequency 118.100000 is out of range." It wouldn't let me enter it. I thought maybe it was because there was no option for AM. It did this to me 3 times. I will have to go back and try it again and see if I can reproduce it. I can't remember if it was a paste from RR or I manually entered it.

Hmmm. I can enter 118.100000 into CHIRP without any errors. And I went back through the previous drivers and they work, too. If it happens again try to capture all of the circumstances.

The TOP KEY is programmable per menu item 24. (Included in my revised message #13) I have mine set to NOAA.

24 TOP KEY
TX POWER
SCAN*
SEARCH
NOAA
RADIO

OK. You apparently have a different firmware version. I don't remember, do I have a menu list from you? If yes, what is the firmware version in your radio and the number of menu choices (0-?)?

As for the Radio Reference issue I was trying to describe, I believe it's a Chirp issue and not driver issue. When I copied a line from the query that has Duplex set to split and a frequency in the offset tab, then paste it into the radio memory row, the Duplex field populates with a + or - and the offset will change to the physical offset (ex. 1.6975) instead of the actual frequency. I don't know if its by design or not but if I manually change Duplex to split and manually enter the TX frequency in the pop-up, it will display the frequency instead of the numeric offset.

That is how CHIRP works. It converts split/TX frequency to shift-direction/offset. Some drivers are programmed so that when the RX frequency and TX frequency are in different bands the Duplex will be converted to "split". Old UV-5R radios has a maximum OFFSET of 70 MHz so that driver converts "split" to "+/-" for shifts less than 70 MHz and converts to "split" for shifts >= 70 MHz.

Also, the QueryResult tab will not allow me to save or save as. If any of the row numbers are red in color it won't let me export to .CSV and gives me an error on the line that's red. I've noticed that it will error out if there's a blank row somewhere in the query. Again I don't know if this is by design or not.

I don't have a RadioReference account so there is nothing I can to to validate your results. It doesn't matter since it is unrelated to this driver and will/should happen with any other radio being programmed.

If I need to open up another trouble ticket I certainly will.

For RadioReference issues, you will. That way someone that is able to work on RadioReference issues can assist you.

Jim KC9HI

Can confirm read and write works on radio firmware 1.24 received from amazon today.