See my response to Ed below:
John-
I am confused, you say that there are no upgrades for the UV-5R firmware, but I have asked this before and someone said they're working on it. We need to be able to upgrade the Ver. 251 that is very buggy to Version 291. I'm uncertain if this group will be able to do this, or not. I was just seeking clarification, from the group. I am seeking this ability to flash the firmware to 291 through other sources if possible too. I have too many friends with the old version of 251 that need to upgrade.
Thanks
73's
Ed
Ed, there are reasons that a manufacturer may have a Firmware change... and it may be due to a change in the hardware. Firmware is tailored to the radio (or other device) for good reason. It is not something that you should or need to "upgrade" on a regular basis or without very good reason.
I have had no "buggy" operation from the Ver. 231 or Ver. 251 radios I have been working with here.
In fact, I thought it was Ver. 291 that CHIRP was having problems with.
My motto is, if it is working, don't change it!
73, Paul - AE5JU