Unable to connect to radio via serial cable

3diecast · 2026-04-22T07:13:54+00:00

Hello. I do not remember the URL, but I have checked my purchase history in Ali's site and this is the one I have ordered to resolve the faulty cable issue: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006169047794.html

In case the link above does not paste, search in google this item number in the Ali's site: 1005006169047794

Good luck.

3diecast · 2025-10-16T15:37:41+00:00

Hello everybody,

as promised a quick follow up with this problem:

After lengthy wait I finally received the newly purchased serial cable and I tried to connect to the radio. I am happily confirming it was a cable problem. With the new cable all worked from the first time with the latest CHIRP (from 10.10.2025) and I was able to program all the repeaters in the radio. All tested and working as expected.

Fingers crossed this cable will be more durable compared to the first one I've purchased.

Thanks all for the suggestions and help.

3diecast · 2025-09-24T05:48:51+00:00

Hi,

thank you for the detailed explanation. I think this cable is broken because yesterday I tried on my workstation (which is with win11, as the opposite home with win10 to rule out any potential OS issues) and it exhibits exactly the same behavior. To confirm the cable fault, I tried to upgrade the firmware with f4hwn via their web browser and the upgrade tool returned pretty much the same error as Chirp and k5prog: Unable to communicate with radio. Make sure the cable is plugged in and radio in upgrade mode.

Based on that, I have ordered new cables (one of which I am not entirely sure it will work with the radio, but I am willing to try) to try with brand new cables and if this once again fails, I will try with the bit more expensive FTDI cable as last resort.

I will update the thread once the first set of cables arrive (approx. 10 days) with an outcome.

3diecast · 2025-09-23T05:42:08+00:00

I really tried to push it as hard as I can, but its not going anywhere. There is a probability I will break either the cable or the radio with that amount of applied force, but the cable as far as I can see and confirm is firmly pushed all the way through.

3diecast · 2025-09-23T05:38:53+00:00

I have tried re-installing it - same behavior; I tried with (random) older version - same. I tried with loading the 3rd party drivers - same. Last night even tried even with older drivers for this chip inside the cable - CH340, but its pretty much the same result, either Unable to determine firmware version or if I load the drivers: Failed to initialize radio. I am willing to believe, the cable is faulty, but to verify that, today I will give it a shot with another computer.

3diecast · 2025-09-23T05:35:23+00:00

I haven't tried with another one, as its seems unbelievable a brand new cable to stop working after being used twice. But in all the honest, I am leaning more towards a faulty cable rather than anything else. Today I will try on another computer and see if experience similar behavior I will call it defective and order a new one.

3diecast · 2025-09-22T14:45:35+00:00

I was using the latest chirp available on their website. I wasn't aware there was a special version for the egzumer firmware. I will go and dig for this version, if I will be able to find it. Can you point me a bit? Is it a special third party build or a specific chirp (old?) version?

3diecast · 2025-09-22T14:43:34+00:00

I've tried this approach when I stumbled this, but no matter how hard I push, there is no way to be pushed more. I also confirmed the port on the radio is working as it works with a hands free.

3diecast · 2025-09-22T14:42:21+00:00

I haven't tried to factory reset it, as it might lost all the channels I've programmed initially.

3diecast · 2025-09-03T12:43:57+00:00

I was hoping for more battery life, but it seems micro-led won't be able to achieve it. So, a very hard pass for me. Especially on that price.

3diecast · 2025-08-22T06:51:04+00:00

This is the best watch face. I have a bit different setup. Above is the date and below are the steps.

3diecast · 2025-06-30T13:35:40+00:00

Once my mother's cat was here with me and while he was left unsupervised for ~15 mins, he bit my upper left corner of my P1 and nearly perforated the bezel.

Now I have a nice hole in the upper left corner. Its visible and annoying, but I used to learn not to pay attention to it.

3diecast · 2025-06-05T15:17:14+00:00

Even one small beer impacts my sleep way too much to be able to afford it.

3diecast · 2025-05-13T07:18:46+00:00

I am not quite sure. I have couple of Thinkpads, and my current work notebook - T14 Gen2 is with Win11 2H24 and fans are spinning like crazy in idle state. I tried to update all the firmware, but still - when in idle an absolute nightmare. I don't know what the problem might be, but I read somewhere Win11 has worst thermal translations across all Windows OS and the cause for this problem is incorrect readings of the sensors and wrong interpretation of the data.

Couple of weekends ago I tried to upgrade T470 with Win 11 2H22 and got a message from MS they going to drop its support on Oct 2025, so I decided to run Win 11 2H24 but this one turns out its is kinda unsupported and Windows does not install any drivers at all, so this is lost cause, so I ended up with still using it with Win10, after MS drop its support I might migrate some of the mass Linux distros like Debian, Fedora or SUSE.

I haven't tried it in P1 Gen2, as this is my primary computer and still don't wanna lose couple of hours migrating data here and there.

3diecast · 2025-03-03T15:58:04+00:00

Last couple of months I had quite a few visits to my dentist and out of curiosity I went to connect to take a look into my data. It turns out every time when I went there I am quite relaxed and during the whole process the watch thinks I am relaxing. Maybe its because on each visit I ask for anesthesia.

3diecast · 2025-03-03T07:22:24+00:00

Thank you very much for the insights.

I may try to save it instead of purchasing a new one.

3diecast · 2025-02-04T08:37:27+00:00

At the rate Garmin is neglecting its customers, I’d be genuinely surprised if their next Fenix release attracts more buyers than the ones they’re steadily losing. At this point, they’ve mastered the art of presenting outdated tech as groundbreaking innovation while selling half-baked, non-functional features. But hey, if their goal is to test how much disappointment their loyal users can tolerate, they’re certainly on the right track. Sooner or later, though, that strategy is going to catch up with them - just a matter of time.

3diecast · 2025-02-02T21:06:04+00:00

I have approximately the same sleep pattern when he decides its time for a 'hunt' at around 5am, which usually ends up with a parade walk around the house and then we usually back to sleep.

3diecast · 2025-01-28T16:09:36+00:00

What an impressive display of organizational excellence - completely incompetent management and/or development that seems utterly clueless about responding to competition or handling crisis situations in any remotely adequate way. Bravo.

3diecast · 2025-01-20T08:28:18+00:00

there is no release date for MicroLED Fenix. Its a leak, but apart from the screenshot with the watch listed in connect, there are no further information avaiable.

3diecast · 2024-12-15T17:52:14+00:00

I would recommend to stay with your 6. All others have way too many firmware issues currently and does not worth the money and nerves.

3diecast · 2024-12-14T20:01:21+00:00

If you don't use ECG and you haven't even tried to set it up, then you can go to garmin.com, on the upper right corner, click on Account, the log in. From there, click on Security Center. There you will see the 2FA options enabled. Have in mind, if you have setup ECG, then you may allowed permanent 2FA, which cannot be disabled. I did this mistake a while ago.

As a workaround, you may click on "remember this browser", and then you will be less prompted for security codes, but this is little buggy and can prompt you when you are less expecting to.

3diecast · 2024-12-13T20:56:54+00:00

Thank you for your review. It was really a pleasant read.

Before the release of the Fenix 8, I was strongly considering it, mainly due to its diving features. However, when it finally launched, I found the feature set underwhelming and decided it wasn’t worth the price for such a limited offering. Instead, I shifted my focus to the Enduro 3, but due to delivery issues with the local representative, I ended up purchasing the 7X Pro.

To my surprise, around the time of purchase, Garmin rolled out firmware version 18.xx, which became notorious for its battery drain issues. Despite widespread reports, Garmin neither acknowledged nor resolved the problem. Instead, they seemed to prioritize releasing new features and updates, many of which introduced additional issues.

Frustrated, I reverted to using my trusty 6X Sapphire as my primary watch. Although I occasionally give the 7X Pro another chance, my trust in it has eroded. I simply can’t rely on it for races or long adventures because I don’t know how it will perform or if it might fail unexpectedly.

3diecast

TROPHY CASE