OpenGD77

After install, I backed up the various memory segments. When the transmitter failed to work, I started to do some research and found and article "Radioddity GD-77 Tuning & Alignment Project" that stated clearly that certain data had to be left alone. My installation had different data.

The transmitter control data located at 8F000 in the flash memory should be A0 0F C0 12, instead it is A0 0F 50 14. The article was written for a GD-77 but is the same for an RD-5R. I cannot find where the CPS installer program gets the data that is written into the flash during the install procedure so I am at a loss for how to fix this problem. I found no such data in the OpenRD5R.bin. It stands to reason that this data is read from the factory flash and is moved to the 8f000 address in the new install.

One more bit of info, I found the correct data in the restore flash.bin in: www.opengd77.com/downloads/flash_and_ee ... ckups/RD5R directory. I can only assume that this version of flash data came from a Baofeng RD-5R that was in proper working order.

Any ideas or suggestions are always appreciated.

WA5JDM

Hi,

You didn't mentionned what is your transceiver model (is it a RD-5R).
The calibation markers are not the same on all models, and the length of the checked byte neither.
Plus, the location of the calibration data aren't at the same location, and a copy is used instead.
About alignments, I strongly suggest you to use the OpenGD77 CPS for this, there is a dedicated menu entry for this, in the extra menu.
And finally, the calibration data is not part of the codeplug (can't you imagine the mess that would introduce if you flash the codeplug of someone else ?.


Cheers.
---
Daniel

Daniel,

I did an edit and said that the data must come from the factory flash data. That aside, the parameters in the OpenRD5R install, (perhaps that give you a clue as to which radio I am talking about) build is incorrect in the critical area I mentioned. That data is not the same as is in the factory RD-5R (and of course it is not in the same location in flash). It is somehow different than the parameters in the original radio.

I don't know what else I can say to make it more clear.

WA5JDM

Daniel,

You are correct, I could simply edit the flash.bin downloaded from the install, correct the critical data and write it back using CPS extra. Problem is, what else is not correct. I am simply shooting in the dark expect for what was talked about in the Paper mentioned in the original report.

Thank you,
John
WA5JDM

WA5JDM wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 02, 2021 6:41 pm

Daniel,

You are correct, I could simply edit the flash.bin downloaded from the install, correct the critical data and write it back using CPS extra. Problem is, what else is not correct. I am simply shooting in the dark expect for what was talked about in the Paper mentioned in the original report.

Thank you,
John
WA5JDM

Did I miss something , or did you still not tell us the model of radio you are using. Also is it a brand new radio or an old one.

The more I think about it, I no longer think this is a bug report. I think it is simply a screw up from the start. I will try again one day with a new radio.

Sorry for the bother, WA5JDM

Daniel,

The radio is a new RD-5R, hardware version 1.0.3.

Having done more examination of all available flash files, I cannot find where the corrupted configuration data originated. If I overwrote the flash before I backed up the calibration data, would not an artifact from the source flash file be present in the calibration data? I cannot find it in the flash files I have downloaded, so I am unable to answer the question of where the erroneous data originated. One thing is clear, I no longer have the original calibration data so the matter is settled. This radio is "toast."

I am debating about which radio to get for the next install attempt. The com ports on my notebook PC, bought specifically for programming radios, do not appear to exist. After installing CPS, the "Ports" does not appear in Device Manager. This fact may eliminate radios that use com ports for programming or that would be my assumption.

Knowing what I think I understand about the process of installing the firmware, I can only hope to avoid what ever it was that sent things off track.

Thank you for your kind attention,
John

Hi John,

I think you lost us now.
For last time, the calibration data aren't part of the codeplug.

It would be more helpful that you describe the problem you're experiencing with your transceiver.
Messing around the bytes of the calibration is not really a good idea.

So please, if you want us be able to help you, describe the problems


Cheers.
---
Daniel

Where did I suggest that the calibration is part of the Codeplug? I have never thought that to be the case.

As for what happened during the upgrade, my recollections are foggy at best. What I do know is spelled out in the apparently misunderstood initial report. The radio would not transmit on DMR, I backed up the calibration data and found that it was not correct.

New info, the radio will xmit analog, but not DMR.

I am totally in the dark as to how that happened and I doubt that you or anyone else will figure it out. I have gone back and forth from the baofeng firmware, the radio works, to OpenRD5R, the radio does not transmit on DMR, about 5 times. By the way, just as a test to see what data would persist at 8f000, I put a copy of calibration data there from another RD-5R. That calibration data has persisted. The original pattern from the first calibration backup, the one with the un-explainable errors, is replaced by the data from my other RD-5R. The erroneous first 8 bytes are gone.

I'm considering getting a frequency counter to check the transmit accuracy of the radio after restoring it to "original" so many times. If good, there must be a copy of the factory calibration data laying around in that radio somewhere. If you know the answer to that riddle, I would like to hear it.

I hope this post has improved the level of understanding.

Thanks again, you are a trooper,
John

Hi!
I read this thread several times and it seems that there is a lot of misunderstandings in it. Let's try to clarify it .
So, John, the problem appeared after flashing the firmware of your Baofeng RD-5R with OpenRD5R binary image. Is it right ?
In one of your posts you write, that the radio transmits in FM but not in DMR. Is it right ?
So, these two symptoms together obviously indicate, that this is not a problem with calibration data but with the firmware itself.
To operate on DMR, you have to download the official firmware file, put it somewhere on your computer and inform the CPS, where it resides. The CPS will then link the OpenRD5R image with parts of the original firmware (especially, the AMBE codec) and flash it to your radio.
Unfortunately, having only Radioddity GD-77s, I don't know exactly, which version of official firmware you need, especially if it's possible to use the recommended Radioddity GD-77 firmware for Baofeng radio (because the AMBE codec is just a set of mathematical subroutines, it's possible that it's system independent and will work as well)...
I believe that we can find a solution, it's just neccessary to read carefully the firmware install instructions (the NEW ones, valid for current CPS/firmware versions) and follow them.
WIth regards / 73,
Pavel