[users] TYT TH9000D Plus support?

Will one of the TYT supported radios (TH9000_144, TH9000_220, TH9000_440) work with the TH9000D Plus? Apparently my friends have bad taste in radios and like to purchase units not supported in CHIRP :( In a related subject: Another popular TYT model (the TH8600, which is the only IP65 waterproof rated radio I know of) was being worked on about a year ago, but seems to have gone dead. Is there any plans to support that radio? It's a very popular model among those who use Ham comms in off-road vehicles that are exposed to the elements. I would be willing to send mine to anyone with the know-how to develop support for it. The factory programming software for it sucks!