Software · 2014-03-25
BTECH BF-F8HP Windows CPS (BaoFeng UV_5R_P3, 2014-03-25)
Recommended version Verified — manufacturer file
Download zip (2.5 MB) Manufacturer's page ↗
BaoFeng's UV_5R_P3 factory programming software (program dated 2014-03-25), the package BTECH offers as the 'BF-F8HP Windows CPS' for the original BF-F8HP. Programs channels and settings; the BF-F8HP has no updatable firmware.
Read before installing. Not for the BF-F8HP PRO (different software and firmware). Firmware: none exists for the original BF-F8HP; Miklor: 'The firmware in these radios cannot be updated. The microcontroller is an OTP type.' CHIRP is the common alternative.
Contents
| File | Size | SHA-256 |
|---|---|---|
| BF-F8HP_P3_CPS.zip | 2.5 MB | 5679b8dd78e5e3cb88b89f72b9cd143beb22476b64d7305d8af743d3c5b07343 |
| README.txt | These instructions | |
| SHA256SUMS | Checksums of the files above | |
Instructions
The complete README.txt included in the zip:
BTECH BF-F8HP Windows CPS (Baofeng UV_5R_P3 programming software, 2014)
========================================================================
WHAT THIS IS
------------
The Windows programming software (CPS) that BaoFeng Tech (BTECH), the US
distributor, offers for the original BaoFeng BF-F8HP. BTECH's download page
labels it "Download BF-F8HP Windows CPS" and adds: "This is the original
BF-F8HP software, not BF-F8HP PRO."
The package is a Visual Basic 6 setup (setup.exe + SETUP.LST +
UV_5R_P3.CAB). The program it installs is UV_5R_P3.exe, file version
1.0.0.0, dated 2014-03-25, made by "Quanzhou BaoFeng Electronic Co.,Ltd." (the
company string inside the program). It is the BaoFeng "P3" variant of the
UV-5R factory software (often called the BaoFeng "VIP" software). The zip
itself was uploaded to BTECH's site in October 2020 (its upload path is
/2020/10/); the folder inside is dated 2015-05-07.
It reads and writes the radio's memory channels and settings over the
programming cable. It does not update firmware: the BF-F8HP firmware cannot be
changed (see DOWNGRADING).
This is the only BTECH-published CPS for the original BF-F8HP that was found.
No other version is known.
APPLIES TO
----------
- BaoFeng BF-F8HP (the original 8 W tri-power model sold by BTECH).
Must NOT be used on: the BF-F8HP PRO. BTECH states that its "software and
firmware are different from the original BF-F8HP" and publishes a separate
CPS for it. Other UV-5R-family radios have their own BaoFeng software
versions; BTECH lists separate CPS packages for the UV-82HP and others.
BEFORE STARTING
---------------
- A Windows PC. The program is a 32-bit Visual Basic 6 application; BTECH does
not state which Windows versions it supports.
- A USB programming cable for the Kenwood-style two-pin (K1) speaker/mic jack.
BTECH's BF-F8HP page recommends its "PC03 FTDI Programming Cable". A cable
with a Prolific PL2303 or CH340 chip needs the matching driver; see the
Prolific driver entry in this archive and its README for the
counterfeit-chip problem.
- Know the cable's COM port number (Device Manager > Ports).
- A charged battery in the radio.
CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
--------------------
The zip published on fubsypoly.com contains the vendor file(s) byte-for-byte,
unmodified.
BF-F8HP_P3_CPS.zip
2,609,107 bytes
SHA-256 5679b8dd78e5e3cb88b89f72b9cd143beb22476b64d7305d8af743d3c5b07343
BTECH's package. Inside, folder BF-F8HP_P3_CPS/:
setup.exe Visual Basic 6 setup bootstrap
SETUP.LST setup script (installs to Program Files\UV_5R_P3)
UV_5R_P3.CAB the program UV_5R_P3.exe (1.0.0.0, 2014-03-25) plus
the VB6 runtime and MSCOMM32/MSCOMCTL/MSFLXGRD controls
README.txt
This file.
SHA256SUMS
SHA-256 checksums of the files above.
INSTALLATION
------------
1. Unzip BF-F8HP_P3_CPS.zip.
2. Run BF-F8HP_P3_CPS\setup.exe. The VB6 setup copies its files ("Copying
Files, please stand by."), then installs the program to
Program Files\UV_5R_P3 with a Start-menu group named UV_5R_P3. On current
Windows, run setup as administrator: it registers old ActiveX controls in
the system folder.
3. Install the programming cable's driver and note its COM port.
4. With the radio off, plug the cable firmly into the radio's speaker/mic
jack, then turn the radio on.
5. Start UV_5R_P3, choose the COM port, and read the radio first. The
program's menu text includes "Program" and "Read form radio" (sic); the
exact menu layout was not seen and could not be confirmed.
6. Save the read image to a file before changing anything; keep that file as
the radio's original backup.
7. Edit channels and settings, then write back to the radio. Do not unplug
the cable or turn the radio off during a write.
VERIFYING
---------
After writing, read the radio again and compare with the saved file, then
check a few channels on the radio itself.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
-----------------------
- "Fail connect with transceiver." (a message inside the program): wrong COM
port, cable not pushed fully into the jack, radio off, or no/incorrect cable
driver. Check Device Manager for a yellow warning mark on the cable.
- A Prolific-chip cable that shows a warning mark or a "phased out" message is
the counterfeit/obsolete-chip problem described in the Prolific driver entry.
- The software includes a password form (Form_Write_PassWord in the program);
its use could not be confirmed.
- Community programming references (Miklor) warn against loading a memory
image made on one UV-5R-family firmware family into a radio with a different
firmware family. Read from the radio and edit that image rather than writing
an image from another radio.
- CHIRP (also in this archive) supports the BF-F8HP and is the usual
alternative. BTECH lists "CHIRP-next" beside this CPS.
DOWNGRADING
-----------
Not applicable to firmware. Miklor's UV-5R/F8HP/UV-82 FAQ: "No. The firmware
in these radios cannot be updated. The microcontroller is an OTP type. (One
Time Programmable)". BTECH's BF-F8HP product page describes the radio as
having "the latest N5R-340A firmware"; no firmware file or updater for the
original BF-F8HP has ever been published. For the CPS itself, no other
version was found.
PROVENANCE
----------
- File: BF-F8HP_P3_CPS.zip
- Retrieved from:
https://baofengtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/BF-F8HP_P3_CPS.zip
- Official page: https://baofengtech.com/software/
- Date retrieved: 2026-09-18
- Status: verified (from the distributor's own site). No Wayback copy of the
file was found.
MORE INFORMATION
----------------
- https://radios.fubsypoly.com/baofeng-f8hp/vol-3/ (Programming)
- BTECH BF-F8HP product page: https://baofengtech.com/product/bf-f8hp/
- Miklor UV-5R / BF-F8HP FAQ: https://www.miklor.com/UV5R/UV5R-FAQ.php