TH-UV88 Firmware Update Instructions

How to Update Firmware

Before starting the process to update the firmware there are several items to note.

First, that the P1 button is not labeled as such in the English user manual.  For reference, the P1 button is the button immediately above the PTT button and the P2 button is the button immediately below the PTT button.

Second is that when it comes time to click the “UPDATA” button on the UpData firmware programmer window, the radio will receiving new firmware over the programming cable and will burn the new radio system firmware while the data are being received from the programming cable.  Do not do anything to interrupt this process.  If this process is interrupted and not allowed to continue to completion it’s very likely that the firmware program in the radio will be “scrambled” and the radio will not be capable of further operation.  So do not interrupt the programming process once it has started.  More information on this is detailed below.

Firmware Update Process

Connect the programming cable to a USB port on your computer.  Open device manager and note the COM port number.  You may need to disconnect and reconnect the programming cable to the computer USB port while watching the Device Manager to see which COM port is used for the programming cable.  Write down this COM port number.

With the radio off, press and hold the PTT button and the P1 button.  With both buttons held down, now turn on the radio.  Note that the green LED at the top of the radio is now ON.  This means that the radio is ready to receive new firmware.  You may now release both the PTT and P1 buttons.

Run the UpData firmware programmer (UV88_98_UpData.exe).  A convenient way to do this is by double-left-clicking on the file name from a file manager program.

Looking at the window of the UpData firmware programmer, make sure that the MODEL is UV88, that the PORT value matches the COM port number you recorded earlier and that BAUD RATE is 57600.  If the values are different you will need to change them to the values listed above.

Staying with the window for the UpData firmware programmer, click the OPEN button and browse to the folder that contains the firmware HEX file that you want to burn into your radio.  Click on the file name and then click on OPEN.

Now connect the programming cable to the speaker mic jack on the side of the radio.  Make sure that the plugs are fully inserted into the jacks.

You are ready to update the radio with new system firmware.  As noted above, once you start this process do not interrupt the process.  Let it run to completion.  If there is a glitch DO NOT TURN OFF THE RADIO.  LEAVE IT ON so that the green light stays on.  Details on how to restart the burn process are listed blow

So now it’s time to burn the new firmware into the radio.  On the UpData firmware programmer window click on UPDATA to start the process to burn new firmware into your radio.  You should see a fat green progress bar on the screen starting from the left and moving to right, as data are burned into the radio.  When the burning is complete and successful you will get a pop up window saying that the process is complete, the green LED on the top of the radio will go out, and the LCD screen on the radio will show your default frequencies.  Disconnect the programming cable.  You have successfully burned new firmware into the radio. You may turn the radio off, or use it as you normally would.

Restarting the Firmware Burn Process

If there was a glitch during the firmware burn process, DO NOT TURN OFF THE RADIO.  LEAVE IT ON.  Close the UpData firmware programmer program and reopen it.  Click the RESET button on the UpData firmware programmer window.  Open the HEX file again, double check all values on the UpData firmware programmer window, ensure that the green LED on top of the radio is still on, check all programming cable connections, check the COM port value.  If you are sure that everything is correct, then click UPDATA again and watch the progress bar and wait the the completion popup window on your computer.

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Firmware Update Versions

Firmware Dated 2021-01-04

Firmware file:UV88_Eng_BQ1_34_20210114.hex

Incorporates all earlier firmware changes, plus the following:

  1. Add the roger tone to RX radio when Roger is enabled
  2. Address the issue that CTCSS/DCS cannot be set from menu in CH and MR mode
  3. Add the changes in MR and CH mode be able to stored, in previous firmware. if you change some settings like S-D and Power and so on, when you change the channels or turn off the radio and turn on again, the setting will be back to old one, and now it is addressed

Firmware Dated 2020-11-18

Firmware file:  UV88_Eng_BQ1_32_20201118.hex

Incorporates all earlier firmware changes, plus the following:

  1. Update the radio to achieve Primary and Secondary frequency separately operation at VFO and memory mode switch.

Firmware Dated 2020-10-7

Firmware file:  UV88_Eng_BQ1_32_20201007.hex

Incorporates all earlier firmware changes, plus the following:

  1. After update the radio you can input 446.00625MHz by keypad directly.

Firmware Dated 2020-9-29

  1. Update the radio to make all changes in CH mode will be stored in radio memory for future use.  In previous version, under CH mode, all changes are made, but are not stored in radio memory.  When radio was turned off and back on, the changed values were not retained