First let me say thanks for letting me join this group. I have 2) UV-5R's and 1) BF-R3 (tri-band) and a couple of other Baofeng/BTECH mobiles. They all have their quirks, but for the most part operate VERY well! I bought the BF-R3 as it was CHEAP, especially for a Tri-Band (2mtrs, 1.25 mtrs, and 70 cm). So I went to program it using CHIRP (they don't make OEM software for this radio, so I had no choice), but I found out the the model BF-R3 doesn't exist in ANY of the 3 manufacturers that make/sell the Baofeng products! So then I went back to the CHIRP website and found a paragraph that says to use the "Radioddity" model "UV-5X3". It said UV-5xx, so I tried it and sure enough it read the radio. Then I put in several 2 mtr, 220 MHz, and 440 MHz repeater pairs and uploaded them to the radio. IT WORKED!! So I finished loading all the repeaters/frequencies I wanted, flashed them to the radio for the most part everything works fine. There are a number of 220 MHz repeaters listed for my area in Repeaterbook.com, but as this band isn't used much, a LOT of them are no longer on the air, so I have to continue to hunt for working ones, but that's neither here or there. I then took one of my UV-5R's and read it using that same set up and it read it just fine. It even took the same database. But when I tried to use the radio, 2mtrs and 70 cm worked just fine, but the 220 band wouldn't transmit. So I went back to the CHIRP site and found that you have to go in and change the radio's VHF frequency span to: VHF Lower Limit - 130 MHz VHF Upper Limit to 250 MHz The VHF Upper limit frequency defaults to 177 MHz, or something like that and it MUST be changed. It transmits/receives just fine. BUT, and this is a BIG BUT: You MUST switch to a TRI-BAND antenna!!! Do NOT use the antenna that Radioddity sells as it is NO GOOD!!! I know from personal experience that their antenna is BAD on both 2 mtrs and 220 MHz. It works great on the 70 cm Ham band!! It doesn't work well at all on GMRS frequencies either, just the 440 MHz band!! I inadvertently purchased one through Amazon. Whe I received it, I noticed that it said "Radioddity on the packing (not a company known for quality products). It was NOT what they advertised, so I read the reviews of it and there were NO good reviews. So I decided to put it on my work bench (I'm the Radio Tech for our County) BEFORE putting it on my radio. Sure enough, that antenna was CRAP! The reviews were 100% accurate!! I did some research and fount that Nagoya makes a tri-band antenna (NA-320A), which I purchased and they work GREAT!! I have the instructions on how to convert your UV-5R to a Tri-Band radio, if anyone would like. Just email me @: KC7CJO@... The more Hams we can get on 220 MHz, the more popular it will be come!! Let the FUN begin! 73's! Rod KC7CJO