A General Comparison of the AT-D868UV to the AT-D878UV
Firmware Update Instructions
DO I NEED TO UPDATE MY FIRMWARE?
NORMALLY you do NOT need to do any updates, but occasionally AnyTone releases a firmware update that is necessary. AnyTone radios generally ship with the latest firmware version installed. You can determine your current AT-D868UV firmware version by pressing the soft key (green) on your radio under the menu icon, then select Settings, then Device Info, and then scroll down to Firmware Ver. If the version displayed is less than 2.27, please continue with the firmware update instructions below.
BACKUP YOUR CURRENT CODEPLUG
Updating the firmware on your Anytone AT- D868UV will erase your radio's current programming. To create a backup using the programming software, read from your radio and then save this file to your desktop or temporary folder.
FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE
Install the latest AnyTone AT-D868UV Programming Software vX.XX if you have not already done so.
(Only do the next step if Windows has not automatically found and installed the driver- Also you do NOT need to update any working drivers)
Install the Anytone AT-D868UV USB cable driver if you have not already done so. Select x86 for 32-bit systems, select x64 for 64-bit systems.
Download the latest AnyTone AT-D868UV Firmware vX.XX. Extract the files located in this zip file to your desktop or a temporary folder.
The QX Code Pro Update program is now included in the CPS starting with version 1.21
BEFORE YOU DO A FIRMWARE UPDATE, READ AND SAVE YOUR CODE PLUG TO RELOAD TO THE RADIO ONCE THE UPDATE IS COMPLETE
Run the QX Code Pro Update program extracted from the firmware zip file. We suggest you check the option to create a desktop shortcut link.
To prepare your radio for the new firmware, first, turn the radio off. Hold down the PTT and top orange button and at the same time, turn the radio on. The red LED should blink and you may release all buttons.
Connect the Anytone USB programming cable to both your radio and computer
Run the previously installed QX Code Pro Update program from the desktop shortcut
Click Open Update File. Navigate to your extracted firmware zip temporary folder and locate the file 868UV_1G_VX.XX.spi.
Select your com port
Click Write to begin installing the latest firmware
Important: After the firmware is written successfully, you will need to initialize the radio.
Turn the radio off
Hold down the PTT and PF1 button and at the same time, turn the radio on.
The radio will display the message "Are you sure you want to Initialize radio?". Select Confirm (the green bar key). Please wait.
After the radio restarts, you will have the option to set the date and time. You may optionally set the date using the Up, Down and P1 keys.
UPDATE CODEPLUG FILES
To utilize the new features in the updated firmware, existing codeplug files should be updated as well. Open a saved codeplug file and write it to your radio. Next, read from the radio and save this updated file over the original. Repeat this step for any additional saved codeplug files.
WHAT DO THE SCREEN ICONS SHOW, WHAT ARE ALL THE INDICATORS?
Battery Packaging Info 3100mAh battery
Some of the D868UV foil box labels are showing a 3300mAh battery included with the D868UV radio. This is incorrect. The radio comes with the 3100mAh battery, and to our knowledge, there is no 3300mAh battery available. We have alerted the factory and would like to apologize for any confusion.
Q: I just received my radio and tried to load a codeplug I was given and I get "Band Error". How do I fix it?
A: All the new radios are coming in "MODE 0010" which is ham band tx only. This makes it so the keyboards do NOT have to be locked as soon as you receive them. The ones we have seen until recenly came over in "MODE 0000", which allowed 136-174 and 400-480 rx and tx. But by FCC rules they had to start being locked so non Ham customers had to have a two way shop program them, and general users could not make changes to the programming. The bad side is a MODE 0010 radio will not take a MODE 0000 codeplug. SO do the following to fix it:
1) turn off the radio, and turn back on while holding the PTT and Number 1 key on the Keypad (NOT the P1 button).
2) when the screen says "TEST MODE" release the buttons and then the screen will show "MODE 0010". Rotate the Channel Knob counter clockwise to set it to "MODE 0000".
3) reboot and you are done!
Q: HELP!! I updated my radio and now the keyboard is locked!!!
A: ALL new radios will have this as factory default. Somewhere along the process of releasing new firmware, AnyTone had it where it was automatically locked upon finishing the update. There are 2 things you need to do to fix this so it does not happen again:
1) Tap the green button then the * to unlock the keyboard.
2) Read the radio with you computer- then change the settings below:
STARTING WITH VERSION 2.33 FIRMWARE
The latest shipment with Version 2.33 are locked on the keypad from the factory. You MUST read the radio to unlock the keypad. Here is where it is located in the CPS...
Q: What are the band limits of the 868UV?
A: VHF is 136-174 MHz, UHF is 400-480 MHz.
Q: What are the Transmit Power Levels of the 868?
A: VHF 7W (Turbo), 5W (High), 2.5W (Medium), and 1W (Low)
UHF 6W (Turbo), 5W (High), 2.5W (Medium), 1w(Low)
Q: What are do the display icons mean?
Q: What does the GPS do on the 868? Will it do APRS?
A: The GPS does 2 functions in DMR.
1) it can show heading and distance to ANOTHER 868 when both have the "Ranging" mode enabled.
2) It is SUPPOSED to be able to take a GPS stream and place it on aprs.fi web page. BUT at this time, when going through a Motorola Repeater to Brandmesiter, it is not working (Sept 28, 2018). We have personally verified this with the admins at Brandmeister. Hotspots (ZUMSpot, DVMega, Shark) and MMDVM based systems work fine to aprs.fi.
No, the 868 will not do conventional APRS at this time (September 28, 2018).
Q: Does the 868 have a "promiscuous" mode?
A: Yes but it is called "Digital Monitor". When you assign a button on the radio to this function, one push will do "Single Slot" monitor. What this means is it will hear ALL traffic on THAT time slot you are programmed on.
A Second push of the button will place it in "Dual Slot" mode. and this will hear ALL traffic on BOTH times slots on a repeater. A third push of the button will turn this function off. When it is on, you will have a RED speaker at the top of the display with either one or two curved lines next to it, depending if you are in Single Slot, or Double Slot mode.
Q: Can the 868 do "Dual Watch", since it shows 2 bands on the display?
A: No. It does not have the required two receiver circuitry required for Dual Watch. It WILL move from main band to the sub band on activity, but that requires the main band to be not active.
Q: I have an existing DMR radio. Can I move the programming into the 868, or will I have to enter them all in by hand?
A: YES. you can import your programming (codeplug) from MOST radios (Motorola and Hytera excluded), using NØGSG Contact Manager. Tom's program can be found here:
NOTE: CONTACT MANAGER CANNOT WRITE THE CODEPLUG TO THE RADIO!!! IT IS USED ONLY TO WORK WITH THE CODEPLUG AND PREP IT FOR UPLOADING USING CPS.
Q: My radio beeps every time someone stops talking. How do I turn it off?
A:Go into the CPS and under Optional Setting-> Alert Tones you will find this window:
Set the "Idle Channel Tone" and "Digi Call Reset Tone" to Off.
Q: Can I change the DMR Number from the keypad?
A: Yes, under Menu, Settings, Channel Settings you can add or modify an existing ID from the keypad.
Q: Can I change the TX beep to one like Tytera, Connect Systems, or Motorola?
A: Yes, under Optional Settings-> Alert Tones, you will find a window like this on the lower left, and these are the tones I use for Motorola/Tytera sounds: