A few years ago, I was programming some Wouxun UVD1P radios using either the factory software, or UVD Commander. Not paying attention, I inadvertently connected my VHF only Wouxun KG-816 and programmed it with the wrong software that contained UHF frequencies. When it rebooted, it only spoke chinese, and would only display 400mHz. I treid to recover it using factory reset, the out of band hack, and the OEM software, to no avail. So I put it in a drawer to be used for parts.
Today I was programming another KG-816, so for the heck of it, I connected the bricked unit to see what would happen if I tried CHIRP. When it rebooted, it was back to speaking English, with all the VHF channels restored.
I recall there seems to be a problem with US Versions of the UVD-1P. As that problem has not been seen in International Versions, I've always suspected it's due to the out of band hack. Anyway, whether CHIRP can help with that or not, it certainly seemed to achieve the ability to unbrick my 816, so maybe it can help with other bricked models as well.
Regards, John