On Wed, 2014-09-17 at 17:54 -0400, Jim Unroe wrote:
What Marco describes is very common with the UV-5R series of radios and the 2-pin Kenwood "style" programming cable. Sometimes the shell of the plug needs to be trimmed to allow the plug to fully seat in the socket. Sometimes it requires some wiggling of the plug and a firm push to get the plug fully seated. I've never been in possession of a UV-3R, and don't follow any UV-3R groups, so I don't know if the UV-3R even has this issue. I assume that both of your UV-3R radios use the 2-pin plug. Or are they both the single pin version?
Yes, both new and existing radio are the same Kenwood style 2 prong plug.
The new radio is cosmetically identical to the one I own, the program cable has plugs that are quite proud of the moulding so I doubt it is a connection problem (with the plug anyway). It looks and feels properly seated, I also tried giving it "an extra push and wiggle" (tm).
With both handsets side by side one programs, one does not - same CHIRP/cable setup - both handsets look identical, I can only tell them apart because I left the LCD protector on the new one.
Another possibility is that Baofeng (or should I say Pofung) changed the "string" (aka "ident") that triggers the cloning process. They did this for the UV-5R about a year ago when they introduced the BFB291 firmware. This same thing just happened recently with the UV-6.
Unlikely the manufacture date is 2010 best I can tell? Just in case anyone else ends up with it.
Radio is marked UV3R+ CMIT ID: 2010FP6535 NO: 3120479219
Unfortunately, if this is what happened, CHIRP can't be updated until the new "ident" is known. This is don't by "sniffing" the serial communications between the OEM software and the radio during a download. So until/unless you can find OEM software that works with the radio, there is nothing CHIRPwise that can be done.
Ok, the "latest" software for the radio (as pointed to by the seller) fails to work - yet same cable and software works with the old handset. Doubt it is a changed ident string, looks very much like a faulty radio to me. It could be fussy about cables, but I only have one cable so cant investigate further.
I am willing to bet cash that each time a faulty handset is returned to one of these sellers they simply send it out again in the hope the next sucker does not notice - or am I just old and cynical ;-)
I give up on this radio, I have packaged it up for return.
Thanks everyone for the help/comments :-)
Jon