OpenGD77 / OpenGD77S / OpenDM1801* /

OpenDM1801A* / OpenRD5R / MD-9600

(RT-90) / MD-UV380 (RT-3S)

User Guide
For the latest information and discussions, please refer to the development and community
forum at https://opengd77.com

VERY IMPORTANT. The firmware is NOT

compatible with the new 2022 version of the
Baofeng DM-1801, or the new DM-1801A

Table of Contents
OpenGD77 / OpenGD77S / OpenDM1801* / OpenDM1801A* / OpenRD5R / MD-9600
(RT-90) / MD-UV380 (RT-3S) User Guide
Introduction
Download links and other resources
Installation
Transferring data to Radio
Codeplug compatibility
Variations between different supported radios
Main screens (VFO and Channel screens)
Changing between VFO and Channel
Changing Timeslot in DMR mode
Changing bandwidth in FM mode
Controlling Tx power
Signal strength bar graph
Channel screen specific functionality
 Changing channels within the current zone
Changing zones
Displaying the channel Frequency
Displaying FM specific channel information
Listening on a repeater input
Channel Quick Menu
Copying a channel to VFO
Read the VFO into the current channel
Filter
VFO Quick Menu
VFO selection A or B
Exchange the TX and RX frequencies
Copy the RX frequency to the TX frequency
Copy TX frequency to the RX frequency
Filter
VFO to New Channel
Tone Scan for CTCSS or DCS tone in FM
DMR specific functionality (VFO and Channel screens)
Timeslot selection
DMR ID callsign and name display
Talker Alias display
Talkgroup selection from the Rx Group list
Assignment of Timeslot to Digital Contact TalkGroup
TalkGroup displayed in inverse video
Manual TalkGroup number entry
Private Call number entry
Digital Contact selection
Station DMR ID number entry
FM specific functionality (VFO and Channel screens)
FM and FM Narrow
CTCSS Tone or DCS Code
Squelch
1750Hz Tone for repeater operation
DTMF tone transmission
DTMF sequence entry and transmission
VFO specific functionality
Frequency change up/down step
Numerical frequency entry
 To adjust the TX frequency, independent of the RX frequency
Spectrum sweep scan
VFO Dual Watch
Monitor mode
Transmitting
Timeout warning beep
TOT
Scanning
Channel scanning
VFO scanning
Other screens
Lock screen
Text entry
The control keys and buttons
The Menu System
QuickKeys
Main Menu
Zone
RSSI
Radio info
Battery voltage and percentage
Time clock
Date screen
Location screen
CPU Temperature
Battery voltage history
Contacts
DMR Contacts
FM DTMF Contacts
New Contact
Last Heard
Firmware Info and credits
Options - contains the 4 following options screens
General Options
Key long
Key rpt
Hotspot
Temp Cal
 Batt Cal
Time Cal
Eco Level
Suspend
Safe Pwr-On
Auto Pwr-Off
APO with RF
Satellite follow mode
Radio Options
Band Limits
Filter time
Scan delay
Scan dwell
Scan mode
Scan on Boot
Squelch UHF
Squelch 220
Squelch VHF
PTT Latch
TA Tx
Allow PC
User Power
DMR crc
Display Options
Brightness
Min Bright
Contrast
Display mode
Timeout
Colour mode
Order
Contact
Battery units
Info
LEDs
Timezone
Time
 Sound Options
Timeout beep
Beep volume
DMR Beep
RX Beep
Talker
DMR mic
FM mic
VOX threshold
VOX Tail
Prompt
DMR Rx AGC
Channel Details
Channel name
RX
TX
Mode
DMR ID
Color Code
Timeslot
Tx/RX Grp
Tx CTCSS or DCS
Rx CTCSS or DCS
Bandwidth
Step
TOT
Rx Only
Zone Skip
All Skip
VOX
Channel Power
Channel squelch
Channel beep
Channel Eco mode
Accepting and saving the changes to the channel
Language Screen
Satellite Screen
 Making and receiving DMR Private Calls
To make a Private Call
To Receive a Private Call
Hotspot mode
Resetting the Settings
GD-77S operation
GD77S Channel / TG mode
GD77S Scan mode
GD77S Timeslot mode
GD77S Color Code mode
GD77S DMR Filter mode
GD77S Zone mode
GD77S Power mode
CPS software
Overview
New Driver Installation
OpenGD77 Menu
IMPORTANT FIRST STEP: Backup First
Reading and Writing Your Codeplug
Writing DMR IDs -- the User Database
Boot Tune
Boot Tune in Morse code
Melodies and Notes
Boot Image

Introduction
This user guide is a work in progress as is the OpenGD77, OpenGD77S, OpenDM1801 -
VERSION 1 HARDWARE ONLY, OpenDM1801A - VERSION 1 HARDWARE ONLY and
OpenRD5R firmware.

Due to the rapid pace of development some photos of screens are now out of date and not
completely accurate.

The photos will be updated when the firmware in a particular area stabilises.
The intention of the project is to create a fully featured non-commercial firmware that
entirely replaces the factory firmware.
This firmware is specifically designed for Amateur
Radio use, and has features not available in the official firmware.

Note:

The firmware is still under development and there are some key areas of functionality
which are supported in the official firmware but not in this firmware
SMS message Tx and Rx are not currently supported, but may be supported in the
future.
Scan Lists are not supported because Channel or Zone scan feature provides almost
identical functionality.
Privacy and Encryption will not be supported, as its illegal for Amateur Radio use,
developers in some countries (e.g. Australia) are now legally required to put a back door
access into any encryption systems at the request of the government, hence effectively
making it illegal or impossible to develop systems that contain encryption.

Download links and other resources

Firmware binaries:

Latest version:
https://www.opengd77.com/downloads/releases

OpenGD77 CPS
https://www.opengd77.com/downloads/CPS

OpenGD77 Forum:
https://www.opengd77.com/

Installation
The firmware can be installed onto the following radios

Radioddity GD-77 (also known as TYT MD-760)

Radioddity GD-77S
Baofeng DM-1801 - VERSION 1 HARDWARE ONLY (also known as Baofeng DM-860)
Baofeng DM-1801A - VERSION 1 HARDWARE ONLY
Baofeng RD-5R (also known as Baofeng DM-5R Tier 2)

The firmware must be installed using the 'Extras/Firmware Loader' menu in the OpenGD77
CPS. The original Manufacturers firmware loader cannot be used to load the OpenGD77
firmware.

Installation of the firmware is undertaken at the owners own risk, but the official firmware
can usually be reloaded onto the radio if the user has problems with the firmware, as long
as the operator takes a full backup of their radio using the OpenGD77 CPS immediately
after the firmware has been installed (see backup section)
Note:

The firmware is not compatible with the new 2022 version of the Baofeng DM-1801 or
DM-1801A which now uses completely different internal hardware and electronics
The official Radioddity CPS PC software is not compatible with the firmware, and the
OpenGD77 CPS must be used instead. This can be downloaded from the link show in
section 1.1 of this guide. This CPS must also be used for the Baofeng , TYT, Retevis and
all other supported radios

Transferring data to Radio

There are two mechanisms that can be used when connecting your computer to the radio.

1. Firmware upgrade.

Get the radio into firmware update mode by:

Holding down the two buttons indicated below (S1,Fn) and turning the radio on.
Radioddity GD-77 or GD-77s or the TYT MD-760 or MD-730:
Hold down the two small buttons next to the PTT button.
Baofeng DM-1801 Version 1 or DM-1801A - Version 1 only or DM-860:
Hold down the two small buttons under the PTT button.
Baofeng RD-5R or DM-5R Tier2:
The Orange S1 (Call) and Black Fn (Moni or S2) buttons (either side of the
PTT).

The LCD screen will be blank.

Connection will use the HID codes and a driver is not required to be installed.
The Firmware is easily installed from the Extras menu in the CPS.

Choose your radio model.

For Software licensing reasons the first time that you use the firmware loader you
must click 'Firmware Installation Instructions' and follow the procedure described.

It is only necessary to do this once. If you do not do this then it is only possible to
use the radio in FM mode.

Note! Do not attempt to download the Manufacturer's firmware v4.3.6 to the

radio, it is only needed by the CPS for patching purposes.

Once you have successfully completed this procedure the Title bar of the Firmware
Loader will display [+DMR]

Click 'Select a file & Update'

 Select a previously downloaded .bin firmware file. (The most recent file can be
found at the download location given in section 1.1)
The Selected Firmware file will
be patched with data from the official firmware and then downloaded to the radio.

When the download is complete cycle the radio Off and On to reset it.

2. Updating the codeplug using OpenGD77 CPS.

This mechanism uses serial communication while the radio is normally on with the LCD
active.
If you have been updating the firmware then turn the radio off and turn it on
normally.
It uses serial ports so the OpenGD77 driver must be installed. This happens as part
of the installation of the CPS software.
Specific Detail in CPS section

Codeplug compatibility
The official firmware for each of these radios use slightly different codeplug formats.

Users of radios other than the GD-77 will need to convert their codeplug using the tools
written by Colin G4EML (see http://www.gb3gf.co.uk/downloads.html).

Specifically export their existing codeplug to CSV format, and then import those CSV files
into the OpenGD77 version of Colin's tools.

The codeplug can only be uploaded to the firmware using the OpenGD77CPS.

It's also recommended that you restructure your codeplug to remove any duplicate channels
which are the same frequency but use different TalkGroup. See the section about
Programming Channels and Talkgroups for use with the firmware at the end of this User
Guide.

Variations between different supported radios

Not all the supported radios have the same number of buttons, or the same screen size,
hence there are some differences when operating radios other than the Radioddity GD-77.

Also, not all radios support all the functionalities.

The Radioddity GD-77 (aka TYT MD-760), has 2 buttons below the PTT. The black
button is technically known as SK1, and the blue button is known as SK2 and is also
referred to, in this manual, as the Function button. This radio also has an Orange
button at the top.
 The Baofeng RD-5R / DM-5R USB hardware will not support USB connections while the
radio is transmitting, so it is not possible to use Hotspot mode on this radio.
The Baofeng RD-5R / DM-5R does not have left or right arrow buttons, so the A/B
button is used to replace the left arrow and the Band button is used to replace the right
arrow.
The Baofeng RD-5R / DM-5R does not have the Orange button, and its functionality has
been simulated by using a Long press on the orange coloured MR/VFO button.
The Baofeng RD-5R / DM-5R has 2 buttons on the side, but their position is different
from the GD-77 and DM-1801. The button above the PTT is used as the Black button on
the side of the GD-77, also known as button SK1. The button below the PTT is used as
the Function button, also known as SK2.
The Radioddity GD-77S does not have a keypad or screen, hence its operation is
completely different from the other supported radios that have a screen (see the
appendix on GD-77S operation).
The Baofeng DM-1801 / DM-860 has a dedicated MR/VFO button, which is used to
change between Channel and VFO mode, in place of pressing the Red menu key.
The Baofeng DM-1801 / DM-860 has a dedicated A/B button, which is used to change
between VFO A and B, in place of pressing the quick menu via the Orange button on
the top of the radio.

Main screens (VFO and Channel modes)

The firmware has 2 main screens, the VFO screen and the Channel screen. These are similar
to the Channel and VFO screens in the official firmware, except having additional
functionalities.

Initially after the firmware is installed, the VFO screen will be displayed.

The frequency used in the VFO for both Tx and Rx will be read from the VFO A settings of
the codeplug.

On both the VFO and Channel screens, the mode (DMR or FM) is shown in the top left of
the display, and the battery voltage or percentage is shown in the top right of the display.
In DMR mode, the current TimeSlot is shown to the right of the DMR text, e.g. TS2 for
TimeSlot 2, and the Color Code, e.g. C1 for Color Code 1, is shown to the left of the battery
voltage / percentage. When TimeSlot filtering is turned off, the TS1 or TS2 indicator is in
inverse colour.

The current Tx power is shown in the middle of the top of the screen (e.g. 750mW).

On the VFO screen, the TX and RX frequency are shown, as well as the TalkGroup when in
DMR mode.

The arrow to the left of the R (receive frequency) indicates that the keypad up and down
arrows and number entry keys will control the RX frequency.

The channel screen displays the same information in the top row, but displays the Channel
name (in this example Lee Hill) as well as the Zone (Home DMR).

In DMR mode the TalkGroup (in this case ColoradoHD), will also be displayed.

On both the VFO and Channel screens:

Press the Red menu button to toggle between the VFO and Channel screens (Note: on
radios like the Baofeng DM-1801 and RD-5R, press the MR/VFO button to toggle
between Channel and VFO mode).
Press the Green menu key to enter the menu system.
Press Function + Green for quick access to the Channel details screen, which can also
be accessed via the menu system.

Note:

The VFO is actually a special type of Channel; hence the Channel Details screen also
works for the VFO.

Changing between FM mode and DMR mode

Press the Function + Star keys to toggle between FM and DMR mode, on either the
VFO or Channel screens.

Changing Timeslot in DMR mode

 In DMR mode, pressing the Star key toggles between TimeSlot 1 and TimeSlot 2 and
sets this as the Timeslot override.

To clear a Timeslot override, press and hold the Star key.

Changing bandwidth in FM mode

In FM mode, pressing the Star key toggles between 25kHz and 12.5kHz bandwidth.

Controlling Tx power
The firmware has two main ways to control the output power:

1. The Master power control, which controls the power to both VFOs, and also all
channels.
2. Channel specific power.

By default, all Channels are set to use the Master power, however this setting can be
changed in the CPS (and also in the Channel Details screen), so that individual channels
have their own custom power setting.

When a Channel has a custom power setting, the power will be displayed in a Bold font.

Increasing and decreasing the power on a Channel with a custom power setting will
temporarily override the power on the Channel, but this change is not saved to the
codeplug. So, changing channels will result in the temporary override being lost.

To make a permanent change to a Channel custom power value, you must open the
Channel Details screen, and then exit by pressing Function + Green.

Increasing or decreasing the power level on a Channel which uses the Master power control,
will change the Master power level for all other channels which use the Master power and
also both VFOs.

Changing the power on either VFO also changes the Master power setting.

Press Function + Right to increase the power.

Press Function + Left to decrease the power.

Power can be set to 50mW, 250mW, 500mW, 750mW, 1W, 2W, 3W, 4W, 5W and +W-.

The +W- power setting configures the PA drive to the value specified by the User Power
value in the Options menu.
By default, this is set to the maximum value which will result in
the radio producing more than 5W.
Power settings resulting in the radio producing more
than 5W are designed for emergency use only, and results in around 5.5W being
produced on 70cm and 7W on 2m.
If the User power setting is configured to a lower value, it can also be used for very low
power output, for example less than 50mW.
See the User power setting menu for more
information.

To access this power setting, select the 5W power setting, then press and hold Function +
Right

Notes:

The power output will only be correct after the operator has calibrated their own radio,
as these radios do not seem to have very accurate power calibration applied in the
factory.
Power output on settings below 1W is not very accurate, because the calibration only
holds data points for the 1W and 5W power values.
Between 1W and 5W, the PA FET output power is approximately directly proportional to
the PA drive level, hence the interpolated drive levels result in reasonably accurate
power levels for 2W, 3W and 4W.
However, below 1W the PA FET output power is not directly proportional to the PA
drive level, and considerably varies between different radios. Hence, the power
accuracy below 1W is at best around 80% accurate.
Also, the PA FET minimum operational power threshold is very close to (or sometimes
even above) 50mW, so operating at this power level can produce unwanted spurious
emissions.
Please confirm your power output and spectral emissions before using the 50mW
setting anywhere it may cause interference.

Signal strength bar graph

In both FM and DMR mode, the signal strength of the received signal is shown as a bar
graph across the width of the screen.

100% bar graph is approximately S9 +40dB.

In DMR mode the signal meter will only be active when the DMR hardware detects a DMR
signal.

In FM mode the signal meter should operate all the time.

Note:
 Currently, the S meter reading is not very accurate because the radio hardware Rx
sensitivity is not calibrated at the factor.
Hence, the value displayed is based on a radio with average sensitivity, individual radios
may be more or less sensitive than average, therefore the S meter will read higher or
lower than is absolutely correct.

Channel screen specific functionality

The Channel screen displays the current Channel number as well as the current zone.

Changing channels within the current zone

Pressing the Up or Down arrow keys changes the Channel in the current zone, and the
Channel number in the zone will be displayed beside the zone name.

Changing zones

Pressing Function + Up arrow or Function + Down arrow changes to the next or

previous Zone, respectively.

Displaying the channel Frequency

Press and hold the SK1 button to display the Rx and Tx frequency in both DMR and FM
mode.

Displaying FM specific channel information

Press and hold the SK1 button to display FM specific information: CTCSS / DCS and
squelch setting.

Listening on a repeater input

 Pressing the SK1 button and Function button enables the radio to receive on the input
to a repeater.

This works on both DMR and FM repeaters.

This also shows the channel information as described above.

Channel Quick Menu

Pressing the Orange button on the top of the radio in Channel mode displays the Quick
Menu for the Channel screen. Note that in Quick Menu, the Orange button has the
same function as the Green key, which confirms your current selection.

Note:

The Baofeng RD-5R does not have an Orange button. On this radio press and hold the
orange coloured MR/VFO button to enter the Quick menu.

Copying a channel to VFO

Press the Orange button or Green key to copy the content of the current channel to the
VFO.

Read the VFO into the current channel

Press the Orange button or Green key to confirm and save the updated channel to the
codeplug memory. Red key to cancel.

Filter

Filter in FM Mode

Use the Right or Left arrows to enable or disable CTCSS / DCS filtering.

Filter in DMR mode

Use the Right or Left arrows to select:

None: for no filtering, i.e. promiscuous mode.

TG: to filter by the selected Talkgroup.
Ct: to filter by Private Call Contacts in the codeplug.
RxG: to filter by Talkgroups in the TG list / Rx Group list.
 When this filter is enabled, the DMR mode indication at the top of the screen is
displayed in inverse video.

CC Scan (DMR mode only) (formerly known as CC Filter)

This setting allows the radio to receive DMR signals even if the Colour Code is not
known.
But the setting does not actually disable the CC requirement, because the
hardware, HR-C6000 chip, does not support reception of DMR signals without a Colour
Code being specified.

The functionality of the CC scanning being enabled, is performed by a software

algorithm, written by Colin G4EML, where the CC value set in the HR-C6000 is changed
for every DMR TS frame that is received, until the HR-C6000 reports that the CC of the
Rx DMR signal is the same as the CC which has been set in the HR-C6000.

This feature should NOT be used for normal operation, the CC match detection is slow,
and can cause the DMR signals to not be received correctly until the CC is found by the
algorithm.

Use the Right or Left arrows to enable or disable.

When Color Code scanning is enabled, the Color Code number is displayed in inverse
video.

TS Filter (DMR mode only)

Controls whether the radio filters by Timeslot.

Use the Right or Left arrows to enable or disable.

When Timeslot filtering is disabled the Timeslot number is displayed in inverse video.

Note:

This feature does not actually disable a filter, because the DMR hardware chip, HR-
C6000, does not fully support reception of signals on both timeslots at the same time.
This feature uses a software algorithm written by Daniel F1RMB, which initially listens
for caller ID data on both timeslots, and when valid data occurs on a timeslot, the
firmware just listens on that timeslot.
If caller ID is not present on the received timeslot
for a timeout period of approximately 2.5 seconds, the algorithm checks on the other
timeslot and switches to that if caller ID data is on that timeslot.

VFO Quick Menu

Pressing the Orange button on the top of the radio in VFO mode displays the Quick
menu for the VFO screen. Currently, this has five options.
Note:

The Baofeng RD-5R does not have an Orange button. On this radio press and hold the
orange coloured MR/VFO button to enter the Quick menu

VFO selection A or B

Pressing the Orange button twice while in VFO mode quickly toggles between VFO A
and VFO B.
On the Baofeng DM-1801 / DM-860, this function is controlled using the A/B button.
Long Press of the Red button also changes from VFO A to VFO B, or vice versa.

Exchange the TX and RX frequencies

This function essentially reverses the TX and RX frequencies.

Press Green key or Orange button to confirm.

Copy the RX frequency to the TX frequency

Copies the Rx frequency to the Tx frequency.

Press Green key or Orange button to confirm.

Copy Tx frequency to the Rx frequency

Copies the Tx frequency to the Rx frequency.

Press Green key or Orange button to confirm.

Filter (DMR mode only)

This function is identical to the Filter described for Channel mode operation (above)

VFO to New Channel

The VFO --> New Chan option, creates a new channel using the current VFO settings.

The name of the new channel uses the format "New channel NNN", where NNN is the next
available number in the All Channels zone.
The Channel will also be added to the currently active Zone in the Channel screen. If the
Channel screen is set to the All Channels zone, the channel will be added to that zone.

Tone Scan for CTCSS or DCS tone in FM

This scans for any CTCSS or DCS tones, and sets the VFO to these parameters.

The default is to scan All tones (CTCSS and DCS). To scan for CTCSS or DCS only, press the
Right or Left arrow keys to select CTCSS or DCS.

Press the Orange button or Green key to confirm the copy, or Red key to cancel.

Cancelling the scan restores the Rx CTCSS / DCS to its value prior to the scan being started.

If a tone is detected; both the Rx and Tx CTCSS / DCS values are set to the tone which was
detected by the scan.

DMR specific functionality (VFO and Channel screens)

Timeslot selection

The Star key toggles between TimeSlot 1 and TimeSlot 2.

DMR ID callsign and name display

When a DMR signal is received which uses the same Color Code as selected for the VFO or
Channel, the radio display will show the station’s Talkgroup and DMR ID.

If the DMR ID is in the DMR ID database, previously loaded into the radio, the callsign and
name will be displayed.

Talker Alias display

If receiving a signal from the Brandmeister network, and if the station’s DMR ID is not in the
radio's DMR ID database, the display will show the Talker Alias information sent by
Brandmeister.

The callsign will be displayed in the centre of the screen, and additional information will be
displayed at the bottom of the screen. The additional information will default to the text
"DMR ID:" followed by the station's DMR ID number.

If the station has entered any data into the APRS section of their Brandmeister “Self care”
page, that text will be displayed in place of the DMR ID number.

Note:

As the Talker Alias data is sent slowly as it is embedded inside the DMR audio data
frames, the callsign will appear first and about half a second later the DMR ID or other
text will arrive via the DMR data and be displayed.

Talkgroup selection from the Rx Group list

Press the Left or Right arrow keys to cycle through the TalkGroups in the TG List assigned to
the VFO or Channel in the CPS.

This TalkGroup will apply to both RX and TX.

If a Channel does not have a TG List assigned, then the Contact assigned to the Channel
will be used, and the Left and Right arrows will have no effect.
If a Channel does not have TG List assigned, and the Contact is also assigned to None
or N/A, the radio will default to using TG 9.

Note:

The Baofeng RD-5R does not have Right and Left arrow keys. Use the A/B button as the
left arrow and the Band button as the right arrow.
Assignment of Timeslot to Digital Contact TalkGroup

A new feature introduced to the CPS allows a default TimeSlot to be applied to each Digital
Contact or TalkGroup.

By default, the Channel TS override is disabled. This means that if the Left or Right arrows
are pressed to select this TG within the Rx Group list, the Timeslot assigned to the Channel
(in the CPS) or manually changed using the Star key will not change.

However, if the Digital Contact has an override TS assigned (e.g. TS 1), when this Digital
Contact TG is selected by pressing the Right or Left arrows, the Timeslot will be set to the
Timeslot assigned to the Digital Contact TG.

In this case, the Timeslot is displayed as cSx on the Channel/VFO screens (cS1 in this
example).

TalkGroup displayed in inverse video

If a Talkgroup is displayed in inverse video during reception of a DMR signal, this indicates
that the current TX TalkGroup does not match the received TalkGroup, hence pressing the
PTT would not transmit back to the station on the same TalkGroup.

If you want to transmit on the same TalkGroup as the currently received signal, press the
Function button on the side of the radio while the TalkGroup is being displayed in inverse.
The TX TalkGroup will now be set to the RX TalkGroup.

Manual TalkGroup number entry

Press the Hash (#) key to enter an ad hoc TalkGroup number, followed by the Green key
to confirm.
If the entered TG is in the Digital Contacts, the name of the TG Contact will be displayed,
otherwise the number will be displayed e.g. TG 98977.

To return to the previous TG prior to manually entering the TG, press either the Left or
Right arrows keys.

When a TG has been manually entered, the display shows a 1 pixel box around the TG
display area to indicate that this TG has been manually entered, even if the Contact / TG
name is displayed rather than the TG number.

Private Call number entry

Press the Hash (#) two times to enter a Private Call DMR ID number.

In all numeric entry screens, pressing the Red menu key exits back to the previous screen,
either the VFO or Channel screen.

Digital Contact selection

Press the Hash (#) three times to access the Digital contacts defined in the CPS.
The contact name is shown in the middle of the screen, e.g. “TG 505 TS2” and the TalkGroup
or PC number is shown in smaller text at the bottom of the screen.

Press the Up or Down arrows to cycle through the list of Digital Contacts.
Press Green to select or Red to cancel.

Private calls can also be selected in this manner.

Station DMR ID number entry

In Contact selection mode, press Function + Hash (#) key, and an alternative DMR ID
can be entered for the radio (for test purposes) to temporarily override your normal
DMR ID number which was loaded from the codeplug.

This DMR ID will be used for transmission until the radio is rebooted or you enter another
DMR ID via the same screen.

To make the change permanent, so that it’s written back to the codeplug Press Function +
Green instead of Green to confirm the number.

FM specific functionality (VFO and Channel screens)

FM and FM Narrow

For FM with 25kHz bandwidth with the text “FM” is displayed in the top left of the screen.
For narrow band 12.5kHz bandwidth the text “FMN” is displayed.

CTCSS Tone or DCS Code

These can be set for the Channel or VFO. The letters C or D and T, R, or TR will be displayed
next to the FM indicator at the top of the screen.
C means CTCSS and D means DCS code. T means Tx tone or code only. R means RX tone or
code only. TR means both Tx and Rx tones or codes are configured.

It is possible to configure Tx and Rx tones or codes independently.

Squelch

Pressing Left or Right keys, controls the FM squelch.

Once in squelch control mode, pressing Right tightens the squelch incrementally, Left opens
up the squelch incrementally. The VFO and each channel have individual squelch settings
that can be set in this manner.

The variable squelch can be set to different values for each Channel and for the VFO using a
new feature in the CPS, where the squelch can be set anywhere between Open and Closed
in 5% steps.

In this example the squelch in the VFO is set to 20%.

If the squelch is changed in the VFO the value will be remembered even if the radio is power
cycled. However, if the squelch on a channel is changed, the value is only a temporary
override.

To make the squelch change permanent to a Channel, press Function + Green to enter the
Channel Details screen, and then press Function + Green again to save the channel data to
the codeplug.

Note:

If Rx CTCSS is enabled, this has priority over the squelch control, and lowering the
squelch threshold will not cause the squelch to be opened.

1750Hz Tone for repeater operation

 Pressing the Function button during FM transmission, sends the 1750Hz tone required
for some repeater operation.

DTMF tone transmission

Pressing any key (except the Green and Red menu keys) on the keypad during
transmission will transmit the DTMF tones for that key.

The tone will also be audible through the speaker.

DTMF sequence entry and transmission

Press the Hash (#) key to enter a DTMF sequence (pressing SK2 + Left, deletes a
character)

Press the SK2 + Hash (#) toggles between DTMF Entry and DTMF contact list screens.

Press Green key to transmit that sequence.

Any key press will stop the current sequence transmission.

VFO specific functionality

The VFO displays both the TX and RX frequency at all times.

When the currently selected frequency is the RX frequency, an arrow (>) is displayed to the
left of the “R”, changes to the frequency will adjust both the TX and RX frequencies.
Frequency change up/down step

Pressing the Up or Down arrows will change frequency by the frequency step value
defined for the VFO in the CPS.

The step can be adjusted by pressing Function + Green to enter the Channel Details mode,
and then adjusting the “Step” setting

Numerical frequency entry

Pressing any of the number keys allows the direct entry of the frequency.

When all digits have been entered, the accept beep tones are played, and the display returns
to the VFO screen.

If an invalid frequency is entered the error beep tones are played.

When entering a frequency:

Pressing the Red key cancels the entry.

Pressing the Left arrow deletes the digits one by one.

To adjust the TX frequency, independent of the RX frequency

Press and hold Function button on the side of the radio, and then the Down arrow.

This will change the currently selected frequency to the TX frequency, and the arrow will
move to the left of the “T” instead of the “R”

To change the RX frequency again, press Function + Up arrow.

When the TX frequency is changed, the RX frequency will not be changed.

Use this method to set different TX and RX frequencies. For example, this can be useful for
satellite operation as it allows Cross Band operation as well as Split frequency simplex
operation on the same band.

Note:

If different TX and RX frequencies are set, and the currently selected input is set to RX,
changing the RX frequency will also change the TX frequency, and the difference
between the RX and TX frequency will be maintained if possible.
The only case where the frequency difference will not be maintained is if the TX frequency
goes outside the range of frequencies supported by the radio hardware.

Spectrum sweep scan

Press and hold the Hash # key to enter Spectrum sweep scan mode.

The radio then starts scanning a band of frequencies centered on the current Rx frequency,
and displays the signal strength in the forum of a spectrum amplitude graph.
The bandwidth
of the scan is shown in the top left corner of the display e.g. +/- 800kHz

Left / Right : Step down or up central frequency of sweep

SK2 + Left / SK2 + Right: Change overall sweep bandwidth aka zoom
Down / Up: Decrease / increase virtual gain
SK2 + Down / SK2 + Up: Decrease / Increase virtual noise floor
SK1 + Up or SK1 +Down: Resets the gains/floor to default

Monitor mode (long press on SK2) suspends the scan and open the receiver to the central
frequency.

VFO Dual Watch

In the VFO Quick Menu, select Dual Watch

In this mode, the radio will scan the VFO A and VFO B frequencies.
In this mode rather than
displaying the Rx and Tx frequency of an individual VFO, the Rx frequency of VFO A and VFO
B is displayed.
While scanning in this mode, the FM/DMR mode area of the screen, flashes
the [DW]
To exit Dual Watch press any key.

Note:

VFO Dual Watch, functions in the same way as the Zone scan in Channel mode.
Both VFO A
and VFO B have equal priority. Once the scan has stopped on one VFO, because there is a
signal, the scan does not sample the other VFO to determine if it also has a signal.
VFO A
and B do not need to both be FM or both be DMR. Either VFO A or B can be either FM, FM
Narrow or DMR mode.

Easily changing from VFO A to VFO B, and vice versa

An alternative method to change the current VFO, is to Long Press on the Red key.
Monitor mode
Monitor mode enables the operator to listen to a signal even if it is currently being filtered
by either the DMR TG, TS or CC filters or the FM CTCSS / DCS filter or FM squelch level
setting.

To enable Monitor mode press and hold button Function button (which is the SK2
button on the GD-77).

After 2 seconds the radio will enter monitor mode, and stay in this mode until the Function
is released.

When Monitor mode is active:

In FM mode: any Rx CTCSS / DCS filter is disabled, and the squelch is changed to be
fully open.
In DMR mode: the TG, TS and CC filters are disabled, and if no DMR signal is detected
within 250mS the radio is switched to FM mode with the CTCSS / DCS and squelch
disabled.

Releasing the Function button returns the radio back into the mode and filter configuration
prior to it being pressed.

Transmitting
During transmission the Talk Timer either counts up or down, depending on whether the
channel has a timeout defined.

If a timeout is defined in the CPS, or adjusted in the Channel Details screen, the Talk Timer
will count down and when the timeout period is reached a beep will play and the TX will
stop.

In DMR Tier2 the timer will not start counting until the repeater becomes active.

During FM and DMR Tx, a VU meter is displayed showing the input microphone level, in the
form of a bar graph across the top of the screen.

Timeout warning beep

A timeout warning can be configured in the Sound Options menu. The radio will beep every
5 seconds when the remaining call time is less than the timeout.

TOT
If TOT is set up for the current Channel or VFO, when the timer counts down to zero, a
warning beep will be played and the radio will stop transmitting.

Scanning
Both the Channel and VFO screens support scanning, but their operation is slightly different.

Channel scanning
Press and hold (Long press) the Up arrow to start scanning the channels in the zone.
Press the Left arrow to reverse the direction of scan.
Press the Right arrow to mark the channel as a nuisance channel which will be removed
from the current scan.
Press the Up arrow to skip over the current channel, and continue the scan.

Pressing any other button stops the scan.

Whilst scanning, the mode indicator DMR or FM will flash.

VFO scanning
The VFO screen has a special scanning mode, which is entered by performing a Long Press
on the Up arrow button.

When scan mode is enabled, the display changes to show the lower and upper scan limit
frequencies, instead of showing the Tx frequency.

Initially the scan limits will be set to the current VFO Rx frequency, minus 1Mhz to plus
1Mhz.

Scan limits can be changed by manually entering both frequencies e.g.

144000148000
 To start the scan, use Long press on the Up arrow, until the radio beeps.

When not actively scanning, pressing the Up or Down arrows performs the normal function
in the VFO of increasing or decreasing the frequency.

Press the Left arrow key to reverse the scan direction.

Press the Up arrow to skip over the current frequency and continue the scan.
Press the Right arrow to mark the current frequency as a nuisance frequency, which will
be omitted by the scan.

Pressing any other button will stop the scan

Long press on the Down arrow arrow exits from scan mode.

Other screens

Lock screen
To lock the keypad.

On either the VFO or the Channel screen, press the Green menu key to display the Main
menu, then press the Star key. Pressing the Star key from any top-level item within the Main
menu locks the keypad.

To unlock the keypad, press and hold the Function button and press the Star key.

You can also lock the PTT button by pressing the Green menu key to display the Main menu
and then pressing the Hash (#) key. The keypad and the PTT can both be locked at the same
time by first locking the PTT and then the keypad.

Text entry
The firmware now supports alphanumeric text entry while creating a new contact or editing
an existing one.

Press Left and Right to move the cursor.

Press Function + Left to backspace, and Function + Right to insert a space.

The keypad entry follows the same functionality as stock GD77 firmware.

The control keys and buttons

BaoFeng DM-1801 Quick Menu
OpenGD77 Cheatsheet
- FM = VFO <-> Ch
- DMR = Filter (TS, CC, CTSS)
- VFO -> new channel
On/OFF - BACK to exit
Volume - MENU selects
ON + Fn = Reset Radio
ON + Fn + S1 = Firmware mode

Channel / Contact
PTT + S1 = Show Last heard list
Editing
PTT + Fn = (FM) 1750Hz tone
PTT + numeric = (FM) DTMF tone - Fn + = bs, Fn + = space
- alphanumeric keypad
- MENU saves
PTT - Fn + MENU saves permanently
S1 = Backlight on (if Manual
set in Display options)

S1 Locks
Fn + = Power
MENU , # = Lock PTT
Fn + * = DMR <-> FM on current freq
Fn + MENU = Ch details
Fn MENU , * = Lock keypad
Fn + * = Unlock PTT, keypad
Fn + S1 = RX <-> TX (repeater input)

MENU = Menu / Item Selection Back / Cancel / Exit

BACK
Toggle frequencies and Ch data Swap from VFO A to VFO B
VFO/MR A/B

1 2 3 * * = Toggle TS1, TS2 (DMR)

DMR FM
TG up/dn Squelch
4 5 6 0
# = Enter DMR TG ID
Chan up/dn Freq up/dn 7 8 9 #
Fn+ Zone up/dn VFO Rx/Tx focus MENU to confirm
S1 Show Freq Show offsets, sq% = return to prev TG

Scanning DMR Talkgroups Private Call

(long) = Scan / exit Inverted display indicates receiving # # = start Private Call
While scanning: on different TG to current Tx. (Enter DMR ID and MENU )
= reverse scan direction - Click Fn to set Tx to received TG . Fn + Back to exit.
= skip nuisance channel
# # # = select Digital Contact
= skip once
Use to scroll. MENU to call.
Back to exit.
Shortcuts (Override DMR id with Fn + #
until reboot or
Fn + numeric = useful shortcut Fn + MENU = permanent)
The Menu System
The firmware has its own menu system, which is completely different from the official
firmware.

Targeted at amateur use, this focuses on being more straightforward, with highlight on
commonly-used features.

Please refer to the menu map below.

 Pressing the Green key enters the menu system, press again to enter a menu subsection
or to exit the menu.
Press the Red key to step back one level or to exit the menu system.
The Up and Down arrow keys step up and down through the various pages of the
menu system.
The Left and Right arrow keys will change the individual items in the menu system
where they are changeable.
The Blue button on the side of the radio, known as SK2, is used as a Function key.
Various features are accessed by holding the Function key when pressing a button on
the keypad.
Press the Orange button to access the quick menu from the standby screen.

QuickKeys
Individual menu screens scan be accessed quickly using the QuickKeys system.

Menus are assigned a QuickKey number, by entering the menu in question and pressing
button SK2 and any number key at the same time.

On the VFO or Channel screen pressing the same key e.g. SK2 and "2" will open the same
menu again.
QuickKeys can also be used to set individual settings in menus. Pressing SK2 and any
number key, on an individual setting, will display arrows to the left and right and the text
"OK"

Pressing "OK" using the Green button, would create a QuickKey to an individual setting, but
would not change it.

Pressing the Left or Right arrow keys, store a QuickKey which will decrease or increase the
setting in question.

Using a QuickKey which decreases or increases a setting, shows special screen displaying the
setting that has been changed and its new value.

To reassign a QuickKey to a different menu, it must first be cleared. On either the VFO or
Channel screen, press and hold SK2 and the number key in question, and wait for the beep
sequence to play, to indicate the QuickKey has been cleared.

Note:

QuickKeys can't be activated inside a menu, they can only be used on the VFO or Channel
screen, and can only be assigned to menus or menu items.

Main Menu

Zone
This menu is used to select which groups of Channels, called a Zone, is used in the Channel
screen, and operates in the same way as the official Radioddity firmware, except with one
addition.

In addition to the Zones that are defined in the CPS and uploaded to the radio using the
CPS, the firmware creates a special Zone called All Channels.

When the All Channels zone is selected, the Channel screen displays All Channels and the
channel number instead of the Zone name and Channel number.

Pressing the Up and Down arrows will cycle through all channels in the zone.
Pressing any of the number keys on the keypad, enters Goto channel number mode.

In this mode, you can enter multiple digits and then press the Green key to confirm, or the
Red key to cancel.

Note that you can quickly cycle through zones by holding the Blue button and pressing Up
or Down in Channel mode.

RSSI
Displays a signal strength indicator showing the numerical RSSI value in dBm, along with an
S-Unit bar graph.

Notes:

Both RSSI and S-meter are not calibrated and will vary somewhat between different
radios in their accuracy.

DMR signals by their nature, because they are pulse transmissions, will not give accurate
RSSI values.

The number in the top right of the display is for debugging purposes and is the number
reported by the receiver hardware.

Radio info
Displays various information about the status of the radio.

Battery voltage and percentage

This shows battery voltage and percentage.

Press the Down key to display the next page.

Time clock
Displays the time in either UTC or Local time, depending on the Display Options Time:
setting.
To set the clock enter the full time in 24 hour time including all hours minutes and
seconds, and press the Green menu key.

If using Local time. You MUST set the Timezone before setting the time

Notes:

The clock only keeps time when the radio is turned on, or in Suspend Mode.
The time
accuracy varies from radio to radio, but can be accurate to approximately 5 second per day.
Problems with time accuracy can be partially corrected by using the Time Cal: setting in the
Options menu

Press the Down key to display the next page.

Date screen

This displays and allows the entry of the date in either UTC or Local time, depending on the
Display Options Time: setting.
To set the date enter the full date in format YYYY MM DD
(Year Month Day), and press the Green menu key.

If using Local date / time. **You MUST set the Timezone before setting the date **

Press the Down key to display the next page.

Location screen

This displays and allows the entry of the location in Latitude / Longitude

This screen is currently only used for the Satellite functionality.

But may be used in the future
to send APRS data.

Enter the full Latitude / Longitude in DD.DDD DDD.DDD format (D degrees)

To change southern / northern hemisphere, press Down / Up
To change western / eastern
hemisphere, press SK2 + Down / Up

Before the location is set, this screen will display the message "NOT SET" and show question
marks in place of the Lat / Long value

CPU temperature

This displays the CPU temperature in Celsius.

Press the Down key to display the next page.

Battery voltage history

This shows the history of battery voltage on an hourly basis.

Press the Down key to display the next page.

Contacts

DMR Contacts

Allows selection, Editing or Deletion of DMR Contacts

FM DMTF Contacts

Allows selection, Editing or Deletion of FM DTMF Contacts

New Contact

Allows a new DMR Contact to be created

Last Heard
Displays a record of the last 32 DMR stations that the radio has received.

Pressing the Up or Down arrows cycles through the list to show stations which have
been heard.
Pressing the Green key will set the selected station DMR ID as the new PC / TG contact.
Hold Blue button to view details like TalkGroup and time elapsed.
Long press the Hash (#) key clears the list.

Firmware Info and credits

Displays the date and time the firmware was built, and also the GitHub commit code in
brackets on the first page

To view details on GitHub, append the code to

https://github.com/rogerclarkmelbourne/OpenGD77/commit/

e.g. https://github.com/rogerclarkmelbourne/OpenGD77/commit/a0ebbc7

Press Down to access the multiple credits pages

Details of the creators of firmware, current and past developers who have made major
contributions to the firmware.

Note:

It's not practical to list every person who has helped with the development of the firmware.
General Options
This menu controls various settings specific to the firmware

Key long

This setting controls the time (in seconds) after which a key is considered to be a
long/repetitive press.

Key rpt

This setting controls the speed of key repetitions when a key is held.

Hotspot

Hotspot mode is not supported on the Baofeng RD-5R / DM-5R because the
hardware does not support reliable USB communications while the radio is
transmitting

This option controls whether the firmware will enter hotspot mode when connected to
MMDVMHost, including Pi-Star, or to BlueDV.

Options are

Off
MMDVM: for use with Pi-Star or any other system using MMDVMHost.
BlueDV: for use with BlueDV.

On the GD-77S. To enable hotspot mode, Press and hold the SK1 (Black) button while
turning on the radio. This will toggle hotspot mode between MMDVM and BlueDV mode.

Temp Cal

This setting allows the internal CPU temperature sensor to be calibrated by the operator.
The range is +/- 10 deg C in 0.5 deg C steps.

Note:

The temperature value is the value measured by the CPU its self. It's not the temperature of
the PA or the radio as a whole.

Batt Cal

This setting allows value of the voltage display to be calibrated.

The range is +/- 0.5V.

Note:
The battery voltage measurement is taken by the CPU from the internal battery voltage rail,
and can differ from the value measured on the external charging terminals of the battery,
especially when the radio is transmitting.
Changing this calibration will affect both the
voltage and percentage display.

Time Cal

This setting allows some calibration of the time clock which is maintained while the radio is
turned on.
The range is +/- 7, the units are x / 10000, so a value of 1 results in a change of 1
second in 10,000 seconds.

The clock is currently an experimental feature and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Eco Level

This setting controls the Economy or Rx Power Saving, operation of the radio.
The range is 0
to 5.
Rx power saving is achieved by pulsing the Rx and other parts of the internal
electronics of the radio Off for small amount of time, to reduce current consumption and
hence increase battery life.
The minimum setting is 0, which disables the Rx power saving
and results in the Rx and all other electronics in the radio being powered on continuously.
The default setting is 1, which uses a 1:1 duty cycle. With an overall duty period of 240
milliseconds. 120 milliseconds On, 120 milliseconds off. In this Eco Level, power saving does
not start until the radio had been idle for 10 seconds.

This table shows the values for all Eco Levels

Entry delay Max Average current Approximate battery life

Level
(seconds) latency / mA (hours)

0 N/A N/A 62 32

1 10 240 41 49

2 8 330 33 60

3 6 500 28 72

4 4 810 24 84

5 4 1360 22 93

Higher values of Eco level reduce the current consumption and increase the battery life,
when the radio is idle and not receiving.
As soon as the radio receives a signal it immediately
turns on all necessary hardware, and is no longer in power saving mode.

Higher values may cause the radio to not hear signals that are shorter than the overall duty
cycle, so the operator needs to balance their individual need to extend the battery life with
the ability to detect the signal the want to receive.
The amount of current consumption does not decrease linearly with the Eco Level value,
because the radio has some core components like the CPU and voltage regulators, which
always consume the same amount of current, regardless of the Eco Level.

Although the default value is 1, which results in approximately 30% less current
consumption with minimal loss ability to detect a signal, values of 2, 3 work well for most
people, with no noticeable loss in radio functionality.
Levels 4 and 5 may result in some
degradation in the ability to detect a signal, but can be used to extend the battery life.

Suspend

This setting controls what happens when the power / volume control on the radio is turned
off.
In order to maintain a realtime clock, the radio now has a "Suspend" mode which keeps
the CPU running at low speed with all other radio systems turned off

If suspend mode is enabled, turning off the power / volume control puts the radio into
suspend mode.
Turning on the power / volume control wakes the radio from suspend mode.

If button SK2 is held in while the power / volume control is turned off, and with suspend
mode enabled, the radio will do a full power off, and the realtime clock will not be
maintained.
If suspend mode is not enabled, holding SK2 while the power / volume control
is turned off, will enter suspend mode.

Note:

Suspend mode consumes about 20mA from the battery, and will flatten the battery in
around 3 or 4 days, for a brand-new battery that is fully charged.
This mode is primarily
intended for use with Satellite mode, which requires the exact time and date to be known, in
order to predict satellite passes and calculate satellite Doppler corrected frequencies.

Safe Power On

This setting requires SK1 to be pressed when powering up the transceiver, preventing
unwanted power-ups, such as when the radio is in a backpack, which can drain the battery.
This parameter is also operational when suspend mode is enabled.

Note:

This setting is also available on the RD-5R, even if suspend mode isn't.
Auto Power Off

This setting (APO) enables the transceiver to switch off, if the radio is not used in the
selected amount of time (30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 minutes); i.e. No keys or buttons, including
PTT no keys are pressed.

One minute before the transceiver switches off, an "Auto Pwr-Off" message is displayed and
notification beep tones are played.

Note:

The Auto Pwr-Off function does not work:

if the transceiver is scanning.
if a Satellite alarm is set.
while in hotspot mode.
If Auto Pwr-Off function is enabled, the battery information (percentage or voltage) will
be displayed in bold font.
If APO with RF is enabled, the timer will also get reset if a valid signal is received.
Technically; the APO function uses the same low power functionality as Suspend mode,
so the radio will continue to consume about 16mA when in Auto Power Off, we are
currently trying to reduce this current, but because the firmware can't completely cut off
power to all the radio hardware, it will never be possible to completely turn off the radio
in the same way as the volumne / power knob does.

APO with RF

If Auto Pwr-Off is enabled, the APO timer will also be reset when receiving a valid signal.

Satellite follow mode

This setting is used to control whether in satellite mode, on the Polar or Live screens,
whether the radio automatically changes to the next available satellite after the current
satellite has passed over and gone below the horizon.

Default is Manual, and the currently selected satellite does not change. "Auto" automatically
switches to the next available satellite.

Radio Options
This menu controls various settings specific to the radio / RF functionality

Band Limits

This setting controls the frequency band ranges inside which the radio can transmit.

Options are

OFF: where transmission is not limited to band ranges.

ON: where the band limits for the USA are applied (this is the Default setting):
144MHz - 148MHz,
222MHz - 225MHz,
420MHz - 450MHz.
CPS: where the VHF and UHF limits set in the CPS are used. If the CPS band limits do
not contain valid values, for example the UHF frequency band range is less than or
intersects with the VHF band range, the radio will use the Default settings (as above)

The CPS band limits do not affect the overall hardware band limits, hence it is not possible
to extend the hardware limits by using values for the CPS band limits which extend outside
the hardware limits.

The hardware band limits are:

127MHz - 178MHz,
190MHz - 282MHz,
380MHz - 564MHz.

These limits are because the AT1846S RF chip will not operate reliably outside this range,
and this range is actually beyond the published specification of the AT1846S, which is
technically 134MHz - 174MHz, 200MHz - 260MHz, 400MHz - 520MHz.

It should also be noted that the radio does not have a PA or Rx section for the 200MHz
band, so operating in this range has high spurious emissions, usually on the 1st harmonic
of the frequency in use.

Filter time

This feature works when TimeSlot filtering is turned off (Filter: Off in the Quick Menu).
It sets the duration the radio listens in to one particular TimeSlot before resuming listening
to the other TimeSlot for traffic.

This prevents the radio from switching to the other TimeSlot in the event that there is a long
pause or transmission gap in the current TimeSlot being heard.

When TimeSlot filtering is turned on (Filter: TS in Quick Menu), this does not have any
effect.

Scan delay

During scan mode, this controls the duration that the radio tunes in to a channel before
resuming scan.

This works when Pause is selected as the scan mode.

Scan dwell

During scan mode, this controls the duration that the receiver listens (dwells) on each
frequency and listens for a signal.
The default is 30 milliseconds.
On DMR if the value is less
than 60 milliseconds, the value of 60 milliseconds is used, because this is the minimum time
for one complete DMR frame of 2 timeslots.

Longer values can help when scanning for weak signals or signals which fade in and out, but
will reduce the number of frequencies or channels scanned per second

Scan mode

This setting controls how the receiver stops when there is a signal during scan mode.

Hold: continuously tunes in to a channel when a signal is received.

Pause: tunes in to that signal for a specified duration (Scan Delay) and then resumes
scan.
Stop: the scan mode will exit on the first valid received signal.

Scan on Boot

This setting controls whether the radio automatically starts scanning when it's turned on
(booted up).
The default for this setting is Off.

Squelch UHF

This setting controls the squelch level for 70cm UHF when using an analog Channel or
during analog mode in VFO. Default is 45%.

Squelch 220
This setting controls the squelch level for 220MHz when using an analog channel or during
analog mode in VFO. Default is 45%.

Squelch VHF

This setting controls the squelch level for 2m VHF when using an analog channel or during
analog mode in VFO. Default is 45%.

PTT Latch

When PTT latch is enabled, the PTT switch toggles the radio to transmit or receive. In this
mode the PTT does not need to be pressed continuously during an over.

Note:

The PTT latch function only works if a timeout has been defined for the Channel or
VFO, to prevent constant accidental transmission.

TA Tx

Enables transmission of Talker Alias data.

Note:

Talker Alias reception is always operational. Do not enable this feature because you are
not receiving TA data, as it does not control TA Rx.

The text of Line1 and Line2 from the "Boot Item" CPS screen is used for this transmission,
with no space between the Line1 and Line2 data.

Note:

Use of this feature will cause problems on Motorola based repeaters and networks,
and should only be used for simplex and possibly on Brandmeister and other networks
which correctly support Talker Alias.

Allow PC

Allows Private Calls to be received.

User Power

This setting controls the PA power level when the power setting of +W- is enabled.
The
value of this setting is the internal numerical value sent to the digital to analogue converter
connected to the PA drive circuit.
The default value is 4100 which is the maximum possible
value. Hence, by default the +W- power setting will result in the radio transmitting the
maximum power it can.
The power output is normally greater than 5W, which is the official
maximum power output.
On UHF (70 cm band), using a GD-77, with a fully charged battery, the power output is
usually around 5.5W to 6W.
On VHF (2m band), using a GD-77, with a fully charged battery,
the power output is usually somewhere between 7W and 8W.

The purpose of this setting is to give the operator the ability to not only transmit more
power than the official maximum power, for example for emergency operation.
But it also
allows the radio to transmit very low power levels, if low values of PA drive are used.
A value
of 0 would result in no drive to the PA at all, but there will still be RF generated by the main
RF / transceiver chip in the radio.
Some signal from the RF chip is likely to leak into the
antenna output of the radio, and it definitely leaks through the plastic case of the radio.
So a
value of 0 does not stop the radio completely from generating RF.

This setting can also be used to configure the radio to produce low levels of power e.g.
below 50mW which can be useful when only transmitting to a local hotspot.

The power level for a given user setting value, varies considerably from radio to radio and
will vary depending on battery voltage and transmit frequency.
The power level will also vary
depending on model of radio e.g. GD-77, DM-1801 or RD-5R etc. With the RD-5R power
levels being considerably different from the GD-77 and DMR-1801 because the RF and PA
hardware is completely different.

A power meter is the only way to know what power output each individual radio will
produce on a specific frequency, for a specific user power setting, at a specific battery
voltage.

DMR crc

This settings disables the DMR CRC checking, which could be helpful in some cases while
listening some specific networks.

Display Options

Brightness

The firmware allows the display backlight brightness to be controlled from 100% to 0%, in
10% steps between 10% and 100%, and below 10% the brightness is controlled in 1% steps.

Use the Right and Left arrow keys to adjust the brightness.

The default backlight brightness (default 100%).

Min Bright

Controls the display backlight brightness in its "Off" state.

The default value is 0%, so that when the display is in its Off state, there will be no backlight.

Contrast

The firmware allows the display contrast to be set.

Lower values result in dark text, higher values result in darker text, but the background also
starts to become dark at higher settings.

Display mode

Controls the display backlight operation

Auto Display backlight will turn on automatically when triggered by various events e.g.
Rx of signal, or pressing a key or button.
Squelch Display backlight remains illuminated while the FM squelch is open or there is
a valid DMR signal, and also remains illuminated for the specified backlight timeout
after the squelch has closed. The minimum timeout period in this mode is 5 seconds.
Manual Display backlight is toggled on and off by pressing the Black button (SK1).
None Display backlight will not illuminate under any condition.

Timeout

Sets the time before the display backlight is extinguished (default No timeout).

Setting this value to "No" prevents the backlight from turning off at all.

Colour mode

This option allows for Normal or inverse colour display.

Normal is white background with black pixels

Inverse is black background with white pixels.

Note:

This does not completely replicate the GD-77 “Black” display hardware version, because
that radio uses a different LCD panel which physically has a black background, whereas
the normal GD-77 has an LCD panel with a white background.

Order

Controls where the DMR Contact display data is sourced from:

 Ct: Digital Contacts (in the codeplug).
Db: DMR ID database.
TA: Talker Alias.

The default is Ct/Db/TA, which means the received DMR ID is first checked in the Digital
Contacts, and if not found the internal DMR ID database is searched, and if not found and
the DMR transmission includes Talker Alias, then Talker Alias will be used.

Contact

Controls the position on the screen where the DMR Callsign and Name etc., is displayed.

Options are

1 Line: This only uses the middle line of the display to show the callsign and name.
When using Talker Alias which contains more characters than the 16 character width of
the screen, the text will be cropped, so you will not see the end of the TA text.
2 Lines: The Callsign is displayed on the middle line of the display, and the name and
other information will be displayed on the bottom line of the display. i.e. the firmware
automatically breaks up the "CALLSIGN NAME" format text at the space separating the
CALLSIGN from the NAME.
Auto: When the Callsign and Name will fit on the middle line of the display, only the
middle line will be used (this is equivalent to the "1 Line" option.). If the caller
information, e.g. from TA, is longer than 16 characters and won't fit on the middle line,
the display will be split onto both lines and is equivalent to the "2 Lines" option.

The default is 1 Line.

Battery units

Controls whether the battery is show as a percentage or as voltage.

Options are

%: Shows the battery percentage e.g. 0% to 100%.

V: Shows the battery voltage e.g. 8.1V.

Info

This setting controls whether the radio displays additional information on the VFO of
Channel screen, by making the DMR Timeslot, or the Power level text bold, or both bold.

If TS or Both setting is selected, the TS value will be shown in bold if an override is applied to
the TS, from a Contact TS override.
If Pwr or Both setting is selected the power value will be
shown in bold if a channel specific power override is being applied to the normal power
setting.
The default setting is Off, and no overrides will be shown.

LEDs

This setting controls whether the green / red LED on the top of the radio illuminates.
The
default setting is On, so that both the LED on the top of the radio will illuminate green on Rx
and red on Tx
If this setting is set to off, the LED will not illuminate either on Rx or Tx.

Timezone

This displays and allows the entry of the local timezone

Press the Right arrow to increase the
value in steps of 1 hour

Press the Left arrow to increase the value in steps of 1 hour

If your timezone is not on a 1-hour boundary, press SK2 and Right or LEFT to adjust the
timezone in 15 minute increments

Time display format

This setting controls whether the value of time and date that is entered and displayed is
"UTC" or "Local"

When this is set to Local, it uses the value set in Radio Information Timezone to calculate the
date and time for the clock date and satellite passes

If "UTC" is selected, all dates and times displayed will have UTC after the value to indicate
that UTC is being used.
If "Local" is selected, dates and times do not show any text to
indicate that Local time is use

Sound Options

Timeout beep
This setting controls whether the radio emits timeout warning beeps during transmission
when the timeout is about to expire and transmission will be terminated.

Beep volume

This controls the volume of the beep and other tones, and can be set from 100% to 10% in
these increments: (-24dB, -21dB, -18dB, -15dB, -12dB, -9dB, -6dB, -3dB, 0dB, 3dB, 6dB).

DMR Beep

This setting controls the beeps which are played at the start or end, or both start and end of
DMR transmissions.

The beep at the start of transmissions is used to confirm connection to a repeater, because it
is only played when the radio enters the main transmission phase to a repeater, and not
when its 'waking' the repeater.

These beeps are only played through the radio's speaker, they are not transmitted via the
DMR audio signal.

Options are:

None
Start
Stop
Both

RX Beep

This controls the emission of specific beeps when receiving a signal (FM and DMR), based on
the presence of an RF carrier and/or a talker (DMR only).

Options are:

None
Carrier
Talker (see Talker option below)
Both

Note: If Talker is selected, in FM the beeps tones will be the identical as DMR's Talker ones
instead of regular Carrier ones.

Talker
This controls the RX Beep Talker option. It could limit the beep to the talker's transmission
ending when End only is selected, or enable beeps on talker's transmission
beginning/ending when selecting Both.

Options are:

End only
Both

DMR mic

This controls the audio gain of the DMR microphone input system, relative to the default
value.

This only adjusts the gain on DMR, and does not affect the FM mic gain.

Settings are in 3dB steps, with 0dB being the normal default setting, which is the same as
the official firmware.

FM mic

This controls the audio gain of the FM microphone input system, relative to the default
value.

Positive values result in more gain than default,

Negative values result in less gain than default.

The units of this control in the baseband IC (AT1846S) are not known.

VOX threshold

Threshold value which controls the mic level which triggers the radio to transmit when VOX
is enabled.

VOX Tail

Controls the length of time after the operator stops speaking, before the transmission is
ended.

Prompt

This setting controls the audible feedback to button and key presses etc. and has the
following options:

Silent: The radio does not provide any audio feedback to button

Beep: The radio emits a beep when keys or buttons are pressed. There are 2 different
pitches of beep.
When navigating through Channels or Talkgroups or menu items, when the first item in
the list is reached the higher pitch beep is emitted.

Also, when switching between Timeslots, the higher pitch beep is emitted on TS1.

When switching between FM and DMR mode the higher pitch beep is emitted when
the mode is DMR.

When changing power, the higher pitch beep is emitted when the lowest power level is
selected.

In addition to the beep, the firmware also supports voice prompts if a voice prompt file
is loaded via the CPS.
There are 3 levels of voice prompt,

"Voice",
"Voice L2" and
"Voice L3", in the latter two cases the L indicates the "Level"

The voice level is used to control whether the voice prompt is played immediately, or
whether the operator needs to press button SK1 to play the which describes the last
change made to the radio.

For example. On Voice mode, which is level 1, the things which are voiced immediately
voiced are:

Number key, and # key buttons being pressed.

Changes to squelch level.
Menu options are announced as you arrow through the menu system, as well as
the "Quick" menus accessed via the Orange button on the top of the radio.
Option values are announced as you change menu settings.

Voice level 2 has almost identical operation to Voice level 1, except that if a key or
button is pressed while a prompt is already being played, there will be a slight
reduction in the verbosity of the next response.

Voice level 3, all items voice immediately, including:

Channel names are announced as you arrow through channels in channel mode;
Talkgroup names are announced as you arrow through them in DMR mode;

Voice prompts can be re-announced by pressing the SK1 button.

For example, if the last voice prompt was the Talkgroup name, then pressing SK1 will
play the Talkgroup name again.

Pressing SK1 whilst a voice prompt is playing, terminates the voice prompt playback.
DMR Rx AGC

This setting controls the DMR audio levelling function.

When this function is enabled, the firmware monitors the peak amplitude of the DMR Rx
audio, and adjusts the audio output gain so that the audio amplitude from the speaker
remains more constantly.
By default this is disabled. Set to Off.

Setting this to 0dB (gain boost) enables this function.

Increasing the AGC value, increases
the additional audio gain which is applied. Hence increasing the value will increase the
overall volume of the audio.
Operators in high noise environments can increase this value to
make the radio speaker level louder that has previously been possible, however if the AGC
value is increased too much, it will result in clipping of the audio signal and result in
distortion when receiving from some stations.

Like most AGC systems, the audio levelling uses a sample window period and also a level
control low pass filter, so that normal changes to voice audio amplitude are not levelled out.
Hence it takes approximately 1 second for the AGC to adjust to each new DMR signal which
is received.
However the AGC control level for each DMR station which is received, is stored
as part of the Last Heard data, so that if the same station is heard again, the last known AGC
value for that station is applied immediately, hence the audio level is changed immediately
and does not take 1 second to adjust to the level of that station.

It should be noted that this system is not perfect and some variation in audio level will be
observed.
During testing, it was noted that signals received via gateways from other
networks or people using phone Apps etc; often have much higher audio levels, and
sometimes that output gain control hardware in the radio is not able to attenuate the signal
enough to ensure the audio is at the same level as DMR signals from DMR networks.

Channel Details

Channel name

Displays the channel name, and also allows the name to be changed.
A flashing underline is
shown at the current text insertion position, which will initially be after the last text character
of the name.
Pressing the appropriate button on the numerical keypad, enters numbers and
letters. e.g. The "2" button, initially enters 2, but immediately pressing "2" again enters the
letter "A"
Pressing SK2 + Left, deletes a character.
RX

Rx frequency.

Enter the frequency via the keypad.

TX

Tx frequency.

Enter the frequency via the keypad.

Mode

FM or DMR.

DMR ID

If the channel mode is DMR, a channel specific DMR ID number can be entered via the
keypad.

Color Code

Sets the Color Code when the VFO / Channel is set to DMR.

Timeslot

Selects DMR Timeslot 1 or 2 when the VFO / Channel is set to DMR.

Tx/RX Grp

Selects which Tx / Rx group is assigned to the current channel (DMR only).

Tx CTCSS or DCS

Sets the transmit CTCSS tone or DCS code when the VFO / Channel is set to FM.

Rx CTCSS or DCS

Sets the receive CTCSS tone or DCS code when the VFO / Channel is set to FM.

For both Tx and Rx CTCSS / DCS.

Long press, Right or Left arrows, skips forward, or back by 5 entries in the list of
possible CTCSS / DCS settings.
Pressing Function + Right or Function + Left skips to the end or beginning of the
current CTCSS / DCS items.

Bandwidth
Sets the Rx and Tx bandwidth in FM mode to either 25Khz or 12.5Khz*.

Step

Selects the VFO / Channel frequency step size.

TOT

Sets the time-out timer to OFF or ON.

Rx Only

Set the channel to receive only is this value is ON.

When the channel is set to receive only,
pressing the PTT results in the "ERROR Rx Only" message and the radio will not transmit.

Zone Skip

Set to skip the Channel when scanning within the zone.

All Skip

Set to skip the channel when scanning within the All Channels zone.

VOX

Controls whether VOX (Voice Operated Switch) is enabled or disabled.

Ch Power

Controls the custom / individual power assigned to the channel.

See also the section in about controlling power.

By default, all channels will use the Master power setting, and this option allows a custom
power setting to be set on a channel, or for the channel set to use the Master power setting.

Ch Squelch

Controls the custom / individual squelch assigned to the channel.

See also the section in about controlling power.

By default, all channels will use the Master squelch setting. This is the squelch value defined
in the Options squelch setting for the band of the channel.
A custom squelch setting can be
applied to the channel by pressing the right and left arrow keys. Custom squelch settings are
in 5% steps.

Ch Beep
Controls whether beeps are played on the channel.
By default beeps are enabled on all
channels, but beeps can be disabled on individual channels by setting this option to No.

Ch Eco

Controls whether Eco modes function on this channel.

By default Eco modes are enabled on
all channels, but Eco mode can be disabled on individual by setting this option to No.

Accepting and saving the changes to the channel

Pressing the Green menu key confirms the changes.

Pressing Function + Green saves the settings to the codeplug, or in the case of the VFO
the changes are saved to the non-volatile settings.
Pressing the Red menu key closes the menu without making any changes to the
channel.

Language Screen
This screen allows the language of the on-screen texts to be selected.

Notes:

1. This does not change the language of the Voice Prompts, because the voice prompts
are not part of the main firmware file and must be loaded separately using the
OpenGD77 CPS.
2. Not all languages are actively maintained by the original native translator, so the
translations of some languages are not perfect.
If you noticed a problem with a
language translation, please post to the https://www.opengd77.com forum, providing a
better translation.

Satellite Screen
This screen predicts when Amateur Radio satellites will pass overhead the current location,
for the next 24 hours using the location, date and time entered by the operator.
It also
automatically corrects for Doppler shift on both the Tx and Rx frequencies, as well as
displaying the azimuth and elevation of the satellite in a variety of ways, including numerical
and polar plot.

Before this screen can be used, the operator MUST enter their location, as well as the
current time / date into the Radio Info screen.
Also, the satellite orbital data Keps' MUST be
uploaded using the CPS.

If the operator has not entered the date / time or location, they will be prompted to do this.

For example, after power cycling the radio, the date and time will be cleared, and they need
to be re-entered
Uploading the latest Keps' from the CPS also sets the date and time, so in practice it's often
easier to upload the Keps' than to set the date / time manually

When using the satellite functionality the operator does not need to set the satellite
frequency or CTCSS, as these values are upload from the CPS as part of the Kep's data and
date / time upload
To change the satellite frequencies or upload different satellites, the
satellites.txt installed as part of the CPS can be modified.

For satellites like SO-50, which have an "Arming" CTCSS tone. Press SK1 during transmission
to transmit the "Arm" CTCSS tone.

The first screen displayed is the master predictions list. This lists the prediction of all passes
for all satellites in the next 24 hours, displayed chronologically.

Because of the number of calculations that need to be performed, the predictions take a few
seconds to be calculated. While this is happening a progress bar is shown.

Once the list appears, it shows the satellite name as well as the time that the satellite will
appear above the horizon (known as Acquisition of Satellite - AOS), and the maximum
elevation in degrees
If a satellite is currently above the horizon, this is show by a black bar
on the right side of the screen next to that satellite / pass.

Use the Down / Up arrows to scroll down / up though the list.

Note:

Some satellites, e.g. SO-86 are on an equatorial orbit and only pass over equatorial
locations, hence passes for that satellite will not appear in the predictions list for locations
outside this geographic area.

Pressing Green to select a specific satellite / pass displays the predicted Polar view for that
satellite / pass.

Polar view
The polar view graphic shows the path of the satellite shown as a plan view from vertically
above the location of the radio, with the outside circle being the horizon, and the two inner
circles being 30 deg and 60 deg and the centre being directly overhead the location.
When
the satellite is currently below the horizon, a large dot is show where the satellite will appear
on the horizon.
If the satellite is above the horizon, the dot shows the current position of the
satellite.

When the satellite is below the horizon, the time to the next pass is shown in the top left of
the screen in either HH:MM:SS or MM:SS or SS s depending on how long it is until the pass
When the satellite is below the horizon, the maximum elevation is shown in the bottom left
of the screen.

When the satellite is above the horizon, the current Azimuth is shown the top left corner of
the screen, the current elevation is shown in the bottom left of the screen, and the satellite
position is shown on the polar plot.

Further, in the same pass, the display changes, every second, to show the movement of the
satellite as well as changes in azimuth and elevation

The current RSSI signal strength is shown at all times as a vertical bar, so that operators can
adjust their antennas for maximum signal.

On this screen, the squelch and power can be adjusted using the same keys as on the
Channel and VFO screens.
Press down to enter the individual satellite predictions screen, or Up to enter the satellite
live data screen

Satellite individual predictions screen

This screen allows the predictions for individual satellites to be viewed, including the time
and maximum elevation of the pass and the duration of the pass.

Press Right / Left to step though the pass predictions for the currently selected satellite

Press down to enter the satellite live data screen or Up to enter the Polar view.

Satellite live data screen

This screen shows the current Azimuth and Elevation of the selected satellite, regardless of
which pass has been selected.
It also shows the current Transmit and Receive, the power
level, and the battery voltage.

Negative elevation values indicate that the current satellite is below the horizon

The screen updates once a second to continuously update.

On the Polar, Live and Individual satellite predictions screens. Press SK2 + Up / Down to
change to a different satellite.

Note:

If a satellite has no passes over the current location, the radio will display "Pass: None" or
"Empty List" depending on the screen currently selected.
e.g. IO-86 only passes over
equatorial locations.

Satellite alarm

To be alerted about a specific satellite pass.

Press SK2 + Green on any of the satellite screens, before 1 minute prior to that pass, and
leave the radio in Satellite mode.

Then 1 minute before the satellite is predicted to appear above the horizon, the radio will
beep.
Press Green to cancel the alarm once it has started or turn the radio on / off or into
and out of suspend mode to remove an existing alarm
If the alarm is not cancelled after 1
minute it will automatically stop.

CPS Integration

The CPS has an extra feature added to download the Kep's data and upload this to the
radio, as well as setting the date / time of the radio.
In the Extras -> OpenGD77 support
screen of the CPS. Connect the USB cable to the radio, make sure the radio is turned on, and
press the "Install satellite Keps" button.
The CPS defaults to downloading the Keps from a
specific web URL, however if the operator prefers to use a different source of Kep's data,
they can change the URL.

The satellites which are imported and uploaded to the radio are defined in the file
satellites.txt which is installed with the CPS into its installation directory.
This file is a
standard format CSV file, and contains the satellite catalog number, as well as the display
name in the radio, and the Tx, Rx frequencies and Tx CTCSS as well as the "Arming" CTCSS
for satellites which use an "Arming" tone.
The operator can edit this file to add or remove
satellites as required.
The maximum number of satellites which can be loaded into the radio
is 15, but currently there are 8 AMSAT satellites in this data

Catalogue # Display name Rx Tx CTCSS ArmCTCSS

 Catalogue # Display name Rx Tx CTCSS ArmCTCSS

22825U AO27 436795000 145850000 0 0

43017U AO91 145960000 435250000 670 0

43137U AO92 145880000 435350000 670 0

40908U CAS3H 437200000 144350000 0 0

40931U IO86 435880000 145880000 885 0

43678U PO101 145900000 437500000 1413 0

25544U ISS 437800000 145990000 670 0

27607U SO50 436795000 145850000 670 744

CTCSS and ArmCTCSS values are the tone frequency time 10 e.g. 67Hz = 670

Technical notes

The satellite position and prediction calculations are generated in real time by the firmware
in the radio, and the currently selected satellite data is updated once per second.

The predictions are usually accurate to around +/- 5 seconds of AOS time, LOS time and
duration, compared with other satellite prediction software including AMSAT's online
prediction page and other PC applications like GPredict
Prediction programs like GPredict
usually don't show exactly same values for start, or end, to the online AMSAT predictions
either.

Predictions will not be completely accurate unless the satellite Kep's data is updated
frequently. If practical the keps should be uploaded on a daily basis, though normally the
satellites don't move too far from their predicted path for several days, or even a week.

The prediction calculation is a custom implementation, written for the OpenGD77, using the
methodology from the original AMSAT prediction calculation called PLAN13 written in the
1983.
See https://www.amsat.org/amsat/articles/g3ruh/111.html

Making and receiving DMR Private Calls

To make a Private Call

In DMR mode, either in the VFO or the Channel screen:

Press the # key twice to enter the Private Call DMR ID

The top of the screen will now show “PC entry”
Enter the station’s DMR ID e.g. 5053238
 Press the Green menu key to confirm, or the Red menu key to exit.

Note:

If you make a mistake when entering the number, press the Left arrow key to erase the
digits one by one.
If the PC ID you entered is in the DMR ID database you had previously uploaded to the
radio, the station Callsign and name will now be displayed on the screen.
If the ID is not in the DMR ID database, the text, “ID:“ followed by the number, will be
displayed

The radio is now in Private call mode.

To return to normal Talkgroup operation, there are 3 methods:

1. Press Function + Red menu key.

2. Press the Left or Right arrow key which will load the next TG in the Rx Group list
assigned to the VFO or the Channel.
3. Press the Hash (#) key, then enter a TG number and press the Green menu key.

Note:

When in Private Call mode, changing between VFO mode and Channel mode or vice
versa, via the Red menu key will not change back to TalkGroup mode.

To Receive a Private Call

On receipt of a Private Call, the radio will display this screen:

With the callers Callsign and Name (or ID) displayed.

To accept the call, and configure the radio to return the Private call back to the calling
station:

Press the Green menu key, for YES.

Otherwise, either press the Red menu key for No, or ignore the prompt and continue
using the radio as normal.

If you accept the Private Call, the radio will be switched into Private Call mode, ready for
transmission.
The callers' ID or Name is shown e.g.:

Once the Private Call is complete, you can return to the Talkgroup you were on prior to
accepting the Private Call, by pressing Function + Red menu key. (or by any of the methods
described in the section on making a Private Call).

Hotspot mode
IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Hotspot mode is not supported on the Baofeng RD-5R / DM-5R because the hardware
does not support reliable USB communications while the radio is transmitting

The USB connection between the radio and the host system e.g. Pi-Star needs to be
protected from RF injection, otherwise the USB connection will occasionally be reset
when the radio is transmitting, which will cause the hotspot to stop working.
Do not use the antenna on top of the radio when in hotspot mode, this usually causes
RF injection problems which can't be resolved by screening or ferrite chokes.
Connect the radio to an external antenna.
Use ferrite RFI protection on the USB cable.
When using a Raspberry Pi as the host system, use a metal enclosure for the Raspberry
Pi.

The firmware can operate as a DMR (voice only) hotspot when connected via its USB
programming cable to a Raspberry Pi running Pi-Star, or any other device that is running
MMDVMHost.

Note:

Hotspot mode may be compatible with software like BlueDV, but your mileage may
vary.

First, connect the radio to a Raspberry Pi via its programming cable.

Hotspot mode works with the Raspberry Pi Zero, but an adaptor cable is needed to convert
from the micro USB port on the RPi Zero to the full size USB plug on the radio's
programming cable.

In the Pi-Star Configuration screen, select “OpenGD77 DMR hotspot (USB)” as the modem
type.

If your version of Pi-Star does not contain the OpenGD77 DMR Hotspot as an option, please
update your version of Pi-Star.
Assuming the modem type has been set properly in Pi-Star, the display will change on the
radio to show it is in Hotspot Mode, and will show the Color Code, Receive frequency and
approximate TX power in mW.

If the radio still fails to enter hotspot mode, check your USB connections.

Note:

By default, Pi-Star configures the “modem” to have a power setting of “100” in the
Expert -> MMDVMHost settings.

This is 100% of the maximum power of the modem, and in the case of the radio the
maximum power output is 5W, but the radio is not designed to operate as a hotspot, where
it may be continuously transmitting.

The maximum power setting that the radio can support for continuous transmission will vary
depending on the operating environment, including the ambient temperature and antenna
SWR, etc.

It is the responsibility of the user to set an appropriate power level that will not overheat
and damage the PA.

In Hotspot mode, if Pi-Star (MMDVMHost) sends a power setting of 100%, the assumption is
that Pi-Star has not been correctly configured for the OpenGD77 and this value is
disregarded.

Instead, the firmware will use the current (Channel or VFO) power setting, which will default
to 1W.

If the power setting in the Pi-Star MMDVMHost Expert settings is any other value e.g. 50%,
the hotspot will use that power setting closest to the chosen value.
So 50% of 5W is 2.5W,
and the closest power setting to this is 2W.

Power Pi-Star RFLevel

50mW 1

250mW 5

500mW 10
 Power Pi-Star RFLevel

750mW 15

1W 20

2W 40

4W 80

5W 99

+W- N/A

The receive frequency specified by Pi-Star will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Note:

Offsets should not be applied to the TX or RX frequencies in Pi-Star, because the radio
should not need any offsets, and any offset will be reflected in the frequency displayed
on the radio, because Pi-Star actually sends the master frequency +/- the offset to the
hotspot.

When the radio receives an RF DMR signal, the green LED on the top of the radio will
illuminate as normal, and the name and callsign are displayed if the DMR ID database
contains that ID. If the ID is not in the DMR ID database, the ID number will be shown.

When Pi-Star receives traffic from the Internet and sends it to the hotspot for transmission,
the hotspot displays the Callsign and name or the DMR ID, and the TX frequency is shown.

The LED on the top of the radio also turns red to indicate the radio is transmitting.

Resetting the Settings

The radio can also be set to the default settings by holding the Blue (SK2) key while turning
on the radio.

Additionally, holding the Blue (SK2) button as well as the Up AND Down arrow keys, resets
any custom boot melody and custom boot image that has been uploaded using the
OpenGD77 CPS.
On the GD-77S, which does not have a keypad, holding Blue (SK2) AND Orange resets any
custom boot melody.

GD-77S operation
To use the firmware with the GD-77S you must load voice prompt files using the OpenGD77
CPS. If you do not load voice files the radio will not announce anything, and it will be
virtually unusable.

See the section relating to voice prompts and how to install them.

The GD-77S has a 16 positions rotary switch on the top of the radio, next to the volume
control.

This control is used to select the Channel in the current Zone.

Note:

Although the OpenGD77 CPS and codeplug format allows up to 80 channels per Zone,
the GD-77S can only access the first 16 channels in each Zone, so codeplugs designed
for the GD-77 containing more than 16 channels will need to be modified so that each
zone only contains a maximum of 16 channels.

The GD-77S has 2 buttons on the side of the radio below the PTT button. A Black button
known as SK1 and a Function button known as SK2. It also has an Orange coloured button
at the top, next to the channel selector switch.

The firmware uses the concepts of different Control modes.

In each mode, buttons SK1 and SK2 perform a different function, the operator cycles
through the Control modes by pressing the Orange button.

The Control modes, and the function of buttons SK1 and SK2 in each mode is as follows:

GD77S Channel / TG mode

This mode is announced as "Channel mode".
In this mode, button SK1 and SK2 are used to
cycle through the Talkgroups / Contacts assigned to the current channels

GD77S Scan mode

This mode is similar to the Channel scan mode in the normal firmware.

Pressing SK1 toggles scanning to start or stop, in the same way that holding the Up and
Down arrows controls the Zone scan function in the normal firmware.

GD77S Timeslot mode

In this mode, pressing either button SK1 or SK2 toggles from Timeslot 1 to Timeslot 2.

GD77S Color Code mode

In this mode, pressing SK1 increases the Color Code number, and pressing SK2 decreases the
Color Code number.

GD77S DMR Filter mode

In this mode, pressing SK1 increases the DMR filter level and pressing SK2 reduces the filter
level.

See information in the normal firmware, in the VFO or Channel screen quick menu, for
details for DMR filter levels.

GD77S Zone mode

In this mode pressing SK1 or SK2 cycles through the Zones, pressing SK1 selects the next
Zone and pressing SK2 selects the previous Zone.

Zone selection wraps around, so pressing SK2 on the first Zone, selects the last Zone, and
pressing SK1 on the last Zone selects the 8first zone*.

GD77S Power mode

In this mode, pressing SK1 increases the power by one step, and pressing SK2 decreases the
power by one step.

See details of available power step levels in the normal firmware.

Note:

Like in the normal firmware, the power output will only be accurate if the operator has
calibrated the power of the radio, as the factory power level calibration is likely to be
highly inaccurate.

CPS software
Note:

You cannot use the standard Radioddity CPS, or Baofeng CPS, to write to a radio
flashed with the firmware.
If you wish to use the Radioddity CPS the radio will need to
run the official Radioddity firmware. Once the codeplug has been written to the radio
with your ID and callsign, you can then flash the firmware to the radio, and it will then
read and operate with the code plug written to it with the standard firmware and CPS
software.
Please download the latest OpenGD77 CPS from the location given in section 1.1)

Please see the next section for information specific to the OpenGD77 CPS. The information
in the rest of this section is applicable to both the standard Radioddity CPS and the
OpenGD77 CPS.

Overview
The firmware simplifies the concept of TalkGroups, for maximum convenience for radio
amateurs. Unlike most commercial DMR radios it is not necessary to create multiple
channels to use the same frequency with many different transmit TalkGroups. Changing is as
simple as scrolling Left and Right across your TalkGroup list or entering an ad hoc TalkGroup
by pressing the hash key.

In DMR mode when using either the VFO or the Zones and Channels, you can use the
LEFT/RIGHT arrow keys to scroll through and select any of the TalkGroups in the Rx Group
list assigned to the current channel, or to VFO A.

When programming the radio using the CPS, first add all the TalkGroups that you think you
may wish to use into the Digital Contacts list.

Next create one or more “TG Lists” and populate each with the sets of the Talkgroups that
you will want to use with different channels. You can have the same Talkgroups in many TG
Lists.
Now set up the Channels. Enter the frequencies, slot and color code as normal for a DMR
channel.

Next select the TG List that you wish to use for the channel.

The firmware can use the TG list to filter the incoming DMR signal, or it can operate in
“Digital Monitor Mode” (aka promiscuous mode) all the time. This can be set in the radio
quick menu setting for Filter and DMR filter.

Note:

You must use the TG list to define the TG’s you want to use with each Channel. Hence,
you must have at least 1 TG list and it must contain at least 1 Digital Contact which is a
TalkGroup.

Finally, save your codeplug to your computer before writing the code plug to the radio
using either the standard Radioddity CPS to program the radio before flashing it to
OpenGD77, or, if you are using the special OpenGD77 compatible version of the CPS, (as
detailed in the next section) you can write the codeplug directly to an already flashed
OpenGD77 radio.

New Driver Installation

The CPS installer now also installs the comm port driver, however the comm port driver can
be installed manually by downloading the files from the location given in section 1.1)
To install the driver, download and unzip the zip file, and run the .bat file

Once the driver is installed, the Windows device manager should show the “OpenGD77” in
the “ports” section of the Windows device manager

OpenGD77 Menu

In the CPS, there is a new menu item under the Extras menu, for OpenGD77 Support, which
opens this window.
From here you can backup the internal 64k EEPROM and the 1 megabyte Flash chip, as well
as Reading and Writing the codeplug.

The calibration data stored in the Flash chip (At address 0x8f000) can be backed up and
restored without backing up the whole of the Flash.

Note:

If you restore the Flash you will also overwrite the calibration data as it’s stored in the
1Mb Flash chip.

You can also use this window to grab a screenshot from the radio's current display.
Screenshots are saved in PNG format.

Backup Before You Do Anything Else

Before writing a codeplug to the radio the first time, you should backup both the EEPROM
and Flash chip, and save the files in a safe place, in case something goes wrong in the future
and you need to restore the data.
Backup the EEPROM, Flash memory, Calibration data, MCU ROM and the Codeplug.

Reading and Writing Your Codeplug

To read the codeplug, press the “Read codeplug” button, wait for all 3 data sections to
download, and then close the OpenGD77 Support window. To write a codeplug press the
“Write codeplug” button.
Writing DMR IDs -- the User Database

The firmware supports extended DMR ID information, with up to 50 characters, for Callsign,
Name, City, etc.

Please change the Number of characters menu to the desired DMR callsign and name
length.

Then, you can add in DMR IDs into the database by selecting an ID prefix. You can continue
adding DMR IDs based on your commonly heard prefixes until you fill up the allocation.

Note:

Because the memory size used for the DMR ID is limited, you can store more DMR IDs if
you assign fewer characters per ID. Depending on actual information, the firmware can
store approximately 13,800 to 69,600 IDs in its user database.

As the firmware supports Talker Alias, you might find this sufficient. The firmware will display
Callsign and Name data retrieved from the DMR stream, for user IDs not stored in your
radio's User Database.

Boot tune

The tones are in pitch, delay pairs. So 38,6 means play tone 38 (932Hz F#) for 6 time
periods.
Boot Tune in Morse code

You can create your callsign in Morse code when turning on the radio. ITU Morse standards
have the following ratios:

38,6: dash
0,2: internal pause
38,2: dot
0,6: interchar pause
0,7: interword pause (unused in a Callsign)

Or perhaps more usefully:

Dah: 38,6,0,2,

Dit: 38,2,0,2,

and change the terminating "2" to a 6 between letters. (No comma on the very end).

So KI4 (for example) would become:

38,6,0,2, 38,2,0,2, 38,6,0,6,

38,2,0,2, 38,2,0,6,
38,2,0,2, 38,2,0,2, 38,2,0,2, 38,2,0,2, 38,6,0,6

Remove the spaces and carriage returns once you've got it all worked out and paste
into the Boot Tune section under Extras/OpenGD77 support

Melodies and Notes

For reference, the tone values in OpenGD77 are:

Value Note Freq (info) (Hz)

1 A 110 (A2) 13 A 220 25 A 440

2 A# 116.5 14 A# 223 26 A# 466

3 B 123.5 15 B 247 27 B 494

(C4
4 C 130.8 (C3) 16 C 261 mid 28 C 587.3 (
c)

5 C# 138.5 17 C# 277 29 C# 554.3

6 D 146.8 18 D 294 30 D 587.3

7 D# 155.5 19 D# 311 31 D# 622.3

 8 E 164.8 20 E 329.6 32 E 659.3
Value Note Freq (info) (Hz)
9 F 174.6 21 F 349 33 F 698.5

10 F# 185 22 F# 370 34 F# 740

11 G 196 23 G 392 35 G 784

12 G# 207.6 24 G# 415.3 36 G# 830.6

Boot Image

The Boot image needs to be 128 wide x 64 pixels high. It needs to be in 1-bit PNG format.
(An indexed image format that is not supported by some modern paint programs).