Baofeng UV-5R - can't save channel to memory

[SCPD]

and then my over 4 year old UV-5R.

Jim KC9HI

Maybe that's the difference, they may have broke something in a later firmware as more than one poster has experienced this issue.
My UV82 keeps "forgetting" a particular channel, putting in random frequencies. It may be caused by letting the battery go dead while tuned to that channel, which it almost always is.

 

[KC9HI]

Maybe that's the difference, they may have broke something in a later firmware as more than one poster has experienced this issue.
My UV82 keeps "forgetting" a particular channel, putting in random frequencies. It may be caused by letting the battery go dead while tuned to that channel, which it almost always is.

Yep. I just grabbed one of my latest UV-82HP radios. When trying to store a frequency in the VFO that is busy, an error beep is heard.

Jim KC9HI

 

[DickH]

Example: right now I can't save 161.7725 to channel 13 or any free channel. However I have saved 132.800 to channel 12 just 10 min. ago...

Where is the STEP SIZE set? It's menu item 1. Try setting it to 2.5k and see if that freq. can be entered.

 

[KB0VWG]

THIS! I actually created this account just to reply to this, because I've been banging my head against the wall all morning before I figured it out, so I figured I should pass on what I discovered.

Here's the issue: for some reason, YOU CAN'T SAVE A CHANNEL TO MEMORY IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY RECEIVING ON THAT FREQUENCY! I don't know why this would be the case, but there it is. I ran into the issue because I was attempting to save a NOAA weather alert station, but I couldn't get the stupid thing to save. Just on a whim, I typed in a different freq (with no one transmitting on it) and it saved just fine. The issue, it turns out, is that because the frequency in question has a weather broadcast station operating on it, my radio was always receiving on that freq, and for some reason Beofengs won't let you save it into your channel memory if that is the case.

So here's the solution: if the frequency is a repeater or some other popular freq, just wait until no one is using it before trying to save. The little green light on your radio indicates you are receiving, so you have to wait until it turns off before you will be able to save. If the frequency is something like a weather broadcast, you will have to get more creative. Go into your basement, or maybe program it inside the trunk of your car. Hold the phone in your microwave while you're saving (I shouldn't have to say this, but please don't turn it on). Basically, find somewhere where your reception is terrible. Alternately, do what I did: unplug your antenna. Obviously you don't want to transmit without an antenna, but if you unscrew it just enough to make you lose reception, you should be able to save the station with no issues. If you're concerned, maybe hook it up to a dummy load, but I don't think you should have any issues as long as you're not transmitting.

TLR Baofengs can't save a frequency while they're receiving on it, so either wait for everyone to shut up or figure out a way to block your reception.

I just picked up uv5r the other day and it was used and I had the same issue until I read your notes and removed the antenna and then programmed the freqs and they all save. I did the same thing and was able to save 50 freqs with no problem. I could only program a few before.
kb0vwg
wqoi992

 

[k6cpo]

Buy a Yaesu...

 

[K5MPH]

Are you clearing out the memory channel out before saving to it,the memory channel you want to save to has to be clear before you can save to it.....

 

[tallcircuit]

Confirmed: Can't Save a Busy Frequency

The problem described by Kipfy and others is exhibited by a UV-82 that I just purchased. That is, a busy frequency cannot be saved as a channel. I independently diagnosed this condition and then, while seeking to confirm that my diagnosis is a normal condition rather than a sign of a defective unit, found this thread.

In addition to the trick of removing the antenna, raising the squelch setting will sometimes do the trick. Point being, if the green light is lit the save won't succeed. So, the user must find some way to get that light turned off before trying to save to a channel.

I can confirm that the VFO step size had no effect. And I can confirm that I was NOT saving into an occupied channel. The symptom is quite definitive and clearly not the result of failure to follow instructions. That is, experiencing failure and then changing exactly one thing (namely, removing the antenna) before experiencing success pretty clearly nails down the cause-effect relationship.

At the risk of feeding a troll, I will offer that I don't find "get a Yaesu" to be a helpful response. I have several Yaesu transceivers and find that they, too, exhibit their quirks. No software is exempt from defects. And so a certain element of skill is necessary in using modern electronic equipment, no matter the country of origin. My $35 Baofeng is, for me, a much better value than my $350 Yaesu. It easily provides much more than 10% of the functionality provided by the Yaesu. And there are certain uses to which I will readily put the Baofeng for which I wouldn't consider the Yaesu, such as those involving risk of loss. The Baofeng has an important place in my equipment portfolio.

 

[dhumphus]

Saving channels to memory locate issue

I can confirm this users fix. By going off the freq, I'm able to save to memory. Bug.

THIS! I actually created this account just to reply to this, because I've been banging my head against the wall all morning before I figured it out, so I figured I should pass on what I discovered.

Here's the issue: for some reason, YOU CAN'T SAVE A CHANNEL TO MEMORY IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY RECEIVING ON THAT FREQUENCY! I don't know why this would be the case, but there it is. I ran into the issue because I was attempting to save a NOAA weather alert station, but I couldn't get the stupid thing to save. Just on a whim, I typed in a different freq (with no one transmitting on it) and it saved just fine. The issue, it turns out, is that because the frequency in question has a weather broadcast station operating on it, my radio was always receiving on that freq, and for some reason Beofengs won't let you save it into your channel memory if that is the case.

So here's the solution: if the frequency is a repeater or some other popular freq, just wait until no one is using it before trying to save. The little green light on your radio indicates you are receiving, so you have to wait until it turns off before you will be able to save. If the frequency is something like a weather broadcast, you will have to get more creative. Go into your basement, or maybe program it inside the trunk of your car. Hold the phone in your microwave while you're saving (I shouldn't have to say this, but please don't turn it on). Basically, find somewhere where your reception is terrible. Alternately, do what I did: unplug your antenna. Obviously you don't want to transmit without an antenna, but if you unscrew it just enough to make you lose reception, you should be able to save the station with no issues. If you're concerned, maybe hook it up to a dummy load, but I don't think you should have any issues as long as you're not transmitting.

TLR Baofengs can't save a frequency while they're receiving on it, so either wait for everyone to shut up or figure out a way to block your reception.

 

[BoxCarBill]

the link KC9HI provided was excellent and the manual programing tutorial worked great for my UV-5R