01/22/2019
Baofeng UV-5RE Dual-Band to Tri-Band... (UPDATED 1/22/2019) & (1/23/2019)
I just found out, that the Baofeng UV-5RE (Dual Band Handheld) will actually work on the 1.25 Meter Band.
My testing was done with Chirp Software by changing the "VHF Upper Limit" within the Software and manually Programming in a 223.5 Mhz Frequency into the Radio. I set the VHF Upper Limit in the software to 225 Mhz (Although you can set it to 260 Mhz also). Be sure to set the "VHF Upper Limit" to 225 Mhz in Chirp, then transfer the data to the radio before Manually programming any 1.25 Meter Frequencies.
Using a spare RD-301 Tri-Band Antenna, I was able to communicate rather well with my Baofeng UV-5RX3 and the same in reverse on simplex.
Since I cannot reach any 220 Repeaters where I live, I have not been able to try in Full-Duplex.
Also Note, using the Radioddity UV-5RX3 setting in Chirp, you can actually Program the UV-5RE with repeaters in the 1.25 Meter Band like you would any other Baofeng Radio, but the Extra Settings tab in Chirp will not Write to the radio, causing loss of Memory Saves for LED Backlight Functions, Personal Power On Messages, etc... I also noticed that it causes the Chirp Program to Hang or Freeze at the point it attempts to Write the Settings.
I have not attempted, at this time, to manually program 1.25 Meter Repeater Frequencies into the radio (Only Simplex). Update on this attempt will come later... (UPDATE Below 1/22/2019)
After restarting the Chirp Program after the Software Freeze, I was able to revert the UV-5RE back to normal using the standard protocol for programming.
Therefore, I was able to do this programming in a limited fashion without "Bricking" the radio! However, the software did Freeze!
Do this at your own Risk! Your radio may be slightly different without my knowledge, therefore, I take no responsibility in your attempt to proceed any further.
I changed the color so that my Display turns "Purple" at "TX" and "Blue" for "RX" then "Amber" for "Standby". As you can see in the Pictures below, the Radio does Transmit and Receive, Audio works in both directions with no issues! The pictures show the Frequency of 224.160 and the Radio functioned perfectly at this frequency. I have also tried TX and RX at 224.995 with the same results!
UPDATE: 1/22/2019
Manually Programming a 1.25 Meter Repeater Frequency can be done!
REMEMBER: Set that "VHF Upper Limit" to at least 225 Mhz for this to work.
Use the following Example to Program!
Scrolling is done by using the Up/Down arrow buttons.
1.Enter VFO Mode
2.Type in the desired RX Frequency
3.Press "Menu"
4.Type in or Scroll to Option 11 (CTCSS RX) if needed. Press "Menu", Scroll to desired CTCSS and then press "Menu" to save.
5.Type in or Scroll to Option 13 (CTCSS TX) if needed. Press "Menu", Scroll to desired CTCSS and then press "Menu" to save.
6.Type in or Scroll to Option 25 (+/- Shift). Press "Menu", Scroll to desired + or - and then press "Menu" to save.
7.Type in or Scroll to Option 26 (Offset Frequency), Usually 1.600 Mhz for 1.25 Meter Repeaters. Press "Menu", type in the desired Offset Frequency and then press "Menu" to save.
8.*Type in or Scroll to Option 27 (Memory Channel Save). Press "Menu", Scroll to an available open channel slot and press "Menu" to save.
9.Press "Exit" to Exit the "Menu" Option.
10. **Press "VFO/MR" to enter Channel Mode. Scroll to the channel you just programmed your new Repeater to. Verify that your new Channel works as programmed!
*The available channel slot will not have the "CH" in front of it. If the Channel has a frequency stored into it already, "CH" will appear before it.
**If your stored channel does not work as programmed, go back into "VFO" Mode and double check your settings! You may also try to save to the channel again and then verify. I did not have this issue.
BE ADVISED: Even though you can Manually Program a 1.25 Meter Repeater into this radio successfully, you may erase all of your work if you use the Chirp Software to edit any Changes. I recommend Writing all of your 1.25 Meter Repeaters and Settings down to paper, Perform any alterations via Chirp first and then Re-Enter your 1.25 Meter Repeaters Manually.
OPTIONS: (This applies to all "Menu Options") When in "Menu" Mode, you can type the option number directly into the keypad to go directly to that specific option. Once you get to the option, press "Menu" again to enter the programming of that feature. Once the feature or option is set, press "Menu" to save. Scroll or type in the next option number you wish to change. The option Numbers will be displayed in the top right corner of the display with smaller text. Be sure to press "Exit" to exit the "Menu" mode.
UPDATE: 1/23/2019
As you all know, the Baofeng UV-5RE cannot be programmed with 1.25 Meter Repeaters using Chirp. BUT! If you Manually Program the radio with 1.25 Meter Repeaters, Chirp will Download from the radio and save your memories to the standard type configuration file, including the 1.25 Meter Repeaters you had programmed. Once the file is saved from the radio to your computer, you can then use that same file to upload to the radio without errors and still retain all of your 1.25 Meter Repeaters! Just don't edit your 1.25 Meter Repeater frequencies within chirp, it will not work...
While this does throw Harmonics to the 70 cm band, I was able to access 1.25 Meter Repeaters with no problem! Just be aware of this.
