How to Upgrade Firmware for the Gd-77

Update 10/3/2021

The firmware and related files are dorsum online and can exist accessed at

https://www.opengd77.com/downloads/. I volition work to get all the links updated in this article.

The Radioditty GD-77 is a popular entry level DMR capable radio with a reasonable cost point. Nevertheless the default firmware/software is not really geared towards amateurs, especially if you have a ton of repeaters you want to load onto the radio.

Enter the OpenGD77
firmware
and
CPS
written by Roger Clark. Information technology’s a complete overhaul of the firmware and offers a agglomeration of features not found in the original firmware while removing the unnecessary ones (similar encryption). If y’all are going to exist using a GD-77 as a ham you need to apply this firmware.

The
User Guide
for OpenGD77 is fantabulous and I would recommend giving it a read but I wanted to make a mail specifically about upgrading the firmware on the radio and so one doesn’t have to go hunting through the user guide.

Prerequisites

• A Radioditty GD-77 running the latest official firmware
• The Radioditty programming cable
• A Windows computer
  • Verified working on Windows 10
• An Apprentice radio license and DMR Radio ID

Before getting into the nitty gritty of everything allow’due south get-go brand sure that everything we need is downloaded onto the calculator. This includes both the official firmware as well as the OpenGD77 Firmware and CPS.

Official Firmware:
https://www.radioddity.com/pages/radioddity-download

OpenGD77 Firmware:
https://opengd77.com/downloads/releases/
(Navigate to binder with latest date -> Firmware -> OpenGD77.bin)

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

OpenGD77 FirmwareLoader:
https://opengd77.com/downloads/releases/
(Navigate to folder with latest date -> sources_and_tools -> OpenGD77_FirmwareLoaders.goose egg)

I’d recommend not installing the pre-release/evolution versions until you’re comfortable with the installation and utilize of the CPS and firmware. I never really ran into whatsoever issues with the stable releases.

CPS Installation

Commencement we’re going to get the OpenGD77 CPS installed which will also install the necessary drivers. You may get a Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warning which tin be safely ignored. To get past it click More Info and choose Run Anyhow.

Click through the pop-upwardly and continue with the installation. You can choose to install it in whatever folder you want just make sure when you get to the end of the installation to choose
Install OpenGD77 Comm port driver.
You lot don’t have to launch the CPS at this time but if y’all want to you tin.

Updating Official Firmware

As of the time of this post the latest official firmware is v4.3.6. You lot tin check this on your radio by going into the carte du jour (green button) and so
Prepare -> Radio Info -> Dev. Info
and then scroll downwardly to
Soft-Version. If the latest official firmware you can download and the version on your radio match and then you’re good to skip this section. Otherwise read on.

First plug in your radio and get information technology into DFU mode by pressing the S1 and Fn buttons down and turning the radio on. Those are the two buttons below the PTT button. If you did this correctly the screen will be blank and the LED will exist lit up green.

Unzip the file you lot downloaded from Radioditty, open information technology in Explorer and follow this folder navigation:
$Date GD-77 CPS and Firmware Changelog -> Firmware Software $version -> Update Software -> Eng $version
and you should see something like this.

Run the Update.exe program
as an Administrator.
I don’t know why but I ran into a lot of bug updating firmware if I didn’t run the updater as an admin. It should choose the correct COM port for you lot simply if you lot have multiple devices using COM ports yous’ll need to select the right one. For me information technology’s COM1.

Click the Browse button and navigate to the sgl file, it should be ii directories up. Then press the Download button which will ship the file to your radio. Information technology should look something like this.

Wait until you lot encounter the Update Success popup and so you can close out of the application. Power bike your radio and verify that the firmware has been updated.

Upgrading to OpenGD77 Firmware

Now that yous’re on the latest official firmware yous tin can upgrade to the OpenGD77 firmware. You can utilize either the FirmwareLoader.exe standalone programme or the CPS to update the firmware. I’ll run through each below.

Much like earlier plug in your radio and get it into DFU mode by pressing the S1 and Fn buttons down and turning the radio on. Those are the 2 buttons below the PTT push. If you did this correctly the screen will be blank and the LED will be lit up green.

Run FirmwareLoader.exe
as an Administrator.
Choose your radio type (GD-77) and select either
Download & Update
or
Select a File & Update.
If you lot cull the Download option information technology volition automatically download the latest stable version and install it for you. Otherwise navigate to the firmware file you lot downloaded.

This process should only take a minute or two and when information technology’s finished power bike the radio. Verify the firmware version by going into the menu (green button) and navigating to Firmware Info in the menu.

The procedure using the CPS is like. After getting the radio into DFU style run the OpenGD77 CPS
as an Administrator.
It will either open a bare codeplug or whatsoever codeplug you final had open.

Navigate to Extras -> Firmware Loader and cull your radio version. In this instance select
Download & Update.
Navigate to the latest
Stable
version and choose
Select and Continue.

Like before this procedure should only have a minute or two and when information technology’s finished power bike the radio. Verify the firmware version by going into the bill of fare (green button) and navigating to
Firmware Info
in the menu.

Next up is an extremely important part that yous must not skip.

Bankroll Upward The Of import Bits

Before doing anything else y’all need to support the “important bits” of your radio and put them somewhere condom. This includes the EEPROM, the Flash and the MCU ROM. If you don’t back these up yous may not exist able to go back to the “stock” firmware.

Plug in your radio, plough it on and change to a aqueduct that isn’t in use. Open upwardly the OpenGD77 CPS and navigate to
Extras -> OpenGD77 Support. It should await something like this.

Select Backup EEPROM and when it finishes select a location for the saved file. Give it unique name with the date y’all backed information technology up. Do the same thing with the Flash and MCU ROM.

Put these files somewhere prophylactic like on a network drive or Google Bulldoze or OneDrive or something similar. You lot don’t want to lose them in case you need them.

Downloading a Clean Codeplug

Before making any changes to the radio with either a codeplug you downloaded from the internet or building your own I would recommend downloading the data from the radio and creating a “clean” codeplug. Sometimes things can go weird with a codeplug and having a make clean one you can load to reset things tin be helpful.

Thankfully the process is pretty simple. Plug in your radio, turn information technology on and switch to a channel that isn’t in use. Navigate to
Program -> Read
or press
Ctrl-R. This will read the data from the radio into the CPS. Yous can then save this codeplug out somewhere safe if you need it later.

Next Steps

From here you lot tin starting time edifice your own codeplug based off the “clean” i or you can load a codeplug you’ve downloaded. I created a variation on the codeplug that K1ST created and it tin can exist found
hither. His original version can exist constitute
hither
equally well.

Mine contains the NEDECN DMR repeaters and some analog repeaters in the expanse. The zones are separate up past state and include all possible talkgroups for each state. Refer to published TG lists for your repeaters. Experience complimentary to modify this codeplug likewise!

If you are using an external codeplug brand certain y’all change the
Callsign
and
Radio ID
from whatsoever it is in the codeplug. Yous should as well make sure you set these values if you are building your ain.

If y’all don’t have a Radio ID please sign up at
https://www.radioid.net/#! and become your ain before continuing. This requires a valid amateur radio license.

For help with programming and using the radio delight refer to the official User Guide linked above.

Going Back To The Original Firmware

If you ever find yourself wanting to go back to the original firmware the process is relatively piece of cake assuming yous backed upward the EEPROM and Flash before you programmed the radio.

Like before plug in your radio, turn it on and modify to a channel that isn’t in employ. Open up the OpenGD77 CPS and navigate to Extras -> OpenGD77 Support. Information technology should await something like this.

However instead of Fill-in EEPROM/Flash we’re choosing Restore EEPROM/Wink. Start with EEPROM and navigate to where y’all restored the file and cull Open up. Make sure you’re selecting the EEPROM file and not the Wink file as they’re both .bin files.

Repeat the process with the Flash file. This process will accept slightly longer than the EEPROM restore.

Your radio should now be back to the country information technology was in before y’all loaded any Codeplugs onto information technology. You lot can now install the original firmware onto the radio following the steps from

Updating Official Firmware

above.

If you have whatever questions shoot me an e-mail (kc1oip AT arrl DOT net) or discover me on the NEDECN DMR network with callsign KC1OIP.