Open re-implementation of the Quansheng UV-K5/K6/5R v2.1.27 firmware

This repository is a fork of Armel custom firmware (F4HWN). Copy from repo on 13.10.2024.

This firmware will be created under the influence of IJV, but with some features from other firmware.

Caution

I recommend to backup your eeprom with k5prog before playing with alternative firmwares. It's a good reflex to have.

Table of Contents

• Main Features
• Changes
• Manual
• Radio Performance
• Compiler
• Building
• Credits
• Other sources of information
• License

Main features:

• See original repo

Changes

• Remove code for NOAA support
• Remove code for VOICE support
• Remove Beep function

Todo

• Extended memory
• Support si4732
• FF-ing memory

Manual

Radio performance

Please note that the Quansheng UV-Kx radios are not professional quality transceivers, their performance is strictly limited. The RX front end has no track-tuned band pass filtering at all, and so are wide band/wide open to any and all signals over a large frequency range.

Using the radio in high intensity RF environments will most likely make reception anything but easy (AM mode will suffer far more than FM ever will), the receiver simply doesn't have a great dynamic range, which results in distorted AM audio with stronger RX'ed signals. There is nothing more anyone can do in firmware/software to improve that, once the RX gain adjustment I do (AM fix) reaches the hardwares limit, your AM RX audio will be all but non-existent (just like Quansheng's firmware). On the other hand, FM RX audio will/should be fine.

But, they are nice toys for the price, fun to play with.

Building

Github Codespace build method

This is the least demanding option as you don't have to install enything on your computer. All you need is Github account.

1. Go to repo
2. Click green Code button
3. Change tab from Local to Codespace
4. Click green Create codespace on main button
5. Open Makefile
6. Edit build options, save Makefile changes
7. Run ./compile-with-docker.sh in terminal window
8. Open folder compiled-firmware
9. Right click firmware.packed.bin
10. Click Download, now you should have a firmware on your computer that you can proceed to flash on your radio. You can use online flasher

Docker build method

If you have docker installed you can use compile-with-docker.bat (Windows) or compile-with-docker.sh (Linux/Mac), the output files are created in compiled-firmware folder. This method gives significantly smaller binaries, I've seen differences up to 1kb, so it can fit more functionalities this way. The challenge can be (or not) installing docker itself.

Credits

Many thanks to various people:

• Egzumer
• OneOfEleven
• DualTachyon
• Mikhail
• Andrej
• Manuel
• @wagner
• @Lohtse Shar
• @Matoz
• @Davide
• @Ismo OH2FTG
• OneOfEleven
• @d1ced95
• and others I forget

Other sources of information

ludwich66 - Quansheng UV-K5 Wiki
amnemonic - tools and sources of information

License

Copyright 2023 Dual Tachyon https://github.com/DualTachyon

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.