KB2GOM
Active Member
When using Chirp to program, is it possible to create "banks" for scanning purposes?
I am a total newb at chirp.
I am a total newb at chirp.
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Quansheng Quansheng UV-K5 (8) and chirp
- Thread starter KB2GOM
- Start date
nd5y
Member
Does a UV-K5 have memory banks? If it doesn't have memory banks then CHIRP can't magically create them.
KB2GOM
Active Member
If I am reading the manual correctly (it's not very good), there UV-K5 (8) has the ability to assign memory channels to SCAN LIST 1 or SCAN List 2.
Does anyone know if that can be done through Chirp, or does it have to be done manually on the radio?
nd5y
Member
Do you actually even have one of those radios?
Did you download the radio image with CHIRP?
Does CHIRP have a banks or scan list tab for that model?
Did you read all the documentation at Documentation - CHIRP?
Did you download the radio image with CHIRP?
Does CHIRP have a banks or scan list tab for that model?
Did you read all the documentation at Documentation - CHIRP?
JvdK
Member
Well, with the correct CHIRP version and programming cable you can indeed assign memory channels to SCAN LIST 1 and SCANLIST 2 to the Quangsheng UV-K5(8). The QS UV-K5(8) has 3 options to scan; SCAN LIST 1, SCAN LIST 2 and ALL. There are different firmware’s available on internet which replace the option for NOAA Channels scan with a good working spectrum analyzer. Some firmware’s even speed up the scan speed to approx 50 channels under a second.
This radio is working quite good on the 2m and 70cm HAM bands. If you wan’t to flash firmware so you can transmit, with FM, AM and USB modulation, from 18MHz to 1300MHz (except airbands) I have to warn you. Outside 2m and 70cm it creates a lot of harmonics ALSO ON CIVIL AIRBAND FREQUENCIES!!!
I disabled transmitting and use the QS UV-K5(8) as a cheap and reasonable good working scanner which also can recieve civil and military airband. I do not know about USA regulations/legislation but in the Netherlands only with a HAM license you are allowed to operate this radio, even if you only use it as a scanner. If you are not HAM licensed, you might get into trouble with your FCC.
You bought (want to buy) a cheap radio which can be programmed and upgraded with a computer. I take it for granted that you know about basic search on the internet and you have a HAM license. Don’t ask me which version of CHIRP or flashable Firmware is best and where to find it. If you can’t find them you’ll create a awfull lot of more questions here on RR because you most likely won’t find the Q&A’s or FB groups to help you.
This radio is working quite good on the 2m and 70cm HAM bands. If you wan’t to flash firmware so you can transmit, with FM, AM and USB modulation, from 18MHz to 1300MHz (except airbands) I have to warn you. Outside 2m and 70cm it creates a lot of harmonics ALSO ON CIVIL AIRBAND FREQUENCIES!!!
I disabled transmitting and use the QS UV-K5(8) as a cheap and reasonable good working scanner which also can recieve civil and military airband. I do not know about USA regulations/legislation but in the Netherlands only with a HAM license you are allowed to operate this radio, even if you only use it as a scanner. If you are not HAM licensed, you might get into trouble with your FCC.
You bought (want to buy) a cheap radio which can be programmed and upgraded with a computer. I take it for granted that you know about basic search on the internet and you have a HAM license. Don’t ask me which version of CHIRP or flashable Firmware is best and where to find it. If you can’t find them you’ll create a awfull lot of more questions here on RR because you most likely won’t find the Q&A’s or FB groups to help you.
KB2GOM
Active Member
Yes, I actually have the radio. I have not downloaded the image . . . the cable for doing so will arrive today. I have not yet spotted a banks or scan list tab for that model, I have not yet read all the documentation.
I was hoping to hear from someone who had actually programmed that particular radio with Chirp.
KB2GOM
Active Member
I downloaded the latest version of CHIRP from the CHIRP website. I've been a licensed ham since 1988 and don't plan to transmit outside of 2 meters and 440.
I'm curious: since you are using the UV-K5(8) as a scanner that can receive civil and military airband, did you change the firmware and did you program it manually or using a computer? If you used a computer for programming, which software did you use?
JvdK
Member
This is the part regarding the questions where I was referring to 😁
Since you are a HAM “oldtimer” (so you’ll understand the consequences of harmonics/interference 😉) I’ll help you on the way;
-yes I use the second last version of CHIRP with windows 10 and a Baofeng programming cable. It seems the latest update for CHIRP can cause some problems with an upgraded UV-K5(8) but I have not updated CHIRP yet.
-if you have the correct cable you can select the Quansheng UV-K5(8) in CHIRP. Sometimes you need an extra WIN10 or WIN11 driver. Normally you can find this driver with the UV-K5(8) custom firmware on github.
-Quangsheng says you can manually program the radio. Personally I think you need a computer to program it. Especially if you want to fill all 200 memory channels.
-you can find a lot of different custom firmware’s on github, just search for Quansheng UV-K5(8) or K6 (is the same as K5(8)).
-it seems that most users like Egzumer v0.22 (with spectrum analyzer), IJV v2.9r5 (no spectrum analyzer but more sensitive) or MOD UV kitchen (select your own fw items)
-I now use Kamilsss655 (NuNu) software based on Egzumer. Big advantage is that this fw is more dedicated to scanning then transmitting. As a result is has a high scan speed, you can change scan lists in the spectrum analyzer, when he hits a frequency in a scanlist it shows the programmed name.
Be advice; in most custom fw you will loose the possibility to scan the NOAA channels. So if you live in one of those “hurricane highway” states you might not want to loose this feature.
-receiving AM on a UV-K5(8), designed as a FM radio, is a compromise. The sound has a lot of static. To ”solve” this hissing sound and the “mumbling voice” most of these custom firmware’s have a AM-fix. This works reasonably well, however it will never sound like a Uniden UBC125AT scanner. If you have a strong AM signal it doesn’t sound to bad though. As you well know the stock rubberduck antenna is not really designed for AM Airbands. So it helps a lot if you have a better antenna like a Daimond RH771 with a SMA-female connection (or a adapter). The UV-K5(8) has a standard SMA-male transceiver connection.
The problem with Quangsheng UV-K5(8) and harmonics/interference is caused by it’s design. This radio only has a filter for 2m and 70cm. With custom firmware you will be able to transmit on other frequencies/bands. Problem is that this radio has no filters to produce a clean signal for the other frequencies/bands. Being a HAM for over 36 years I guess you know all about how you can solve this problem (if this is allowed in the USA). Don’t have high expectations regarding the output outside the 2m and 70cm bands though 😉
Since you are a HAM “oldtimer” (so you’ll understand the consequences of harmonics/interference 😉) I’ll help you on the way;
-yes I use the second last version of CHIRP with windows 10 and a Baofeng programming cable. It seems the latest update for CHIRP can cause some problems with an upgraded UV-K5(8) but I have not updated CHIRP yet.
-if you have the correct cable you can select the Quansheng UV-K5(8) in CHIRP. Sometimes you need an extra WIN10 or WIN11 driver. Normally you can find this driver with the UV-K5(8) custom firmware on github.
-Quangsheng says you can manually program the radio. Personally I think you need a computer to program it. Especially if you want to fill all 200 memory channels.
-you can find a lot of different custom firmware’s on github, just search for Quansheng UV-K5(8) or K6 (is the same as K5(8)).
-it seems that most users like Egzumer v0.22 (with spectrum analyzer), IJV v2.9r5 (no spectrum analyzer but more sensitive) or MOD UV kitchen (select your own fw items)
-I now use Kamilsss655 (NuNu) software based on Egzumer. Big advantage is that this fw is more dedicated to scanning then transmitting. As a result is has a high scan speed, you can change scan lists in the spectrum analyzer, when he hits a frequency in a scanlist it shows the programmed name.
Be advice; in most custom fw you will loose the possibility to scan the NOAA channels. So if you live in one of those “hurricane highway” states you might not want to loose this feature.
-receiving AM on a UV-K5(8), designed as a FM radio, is a compromise. The sound has a lot of static. To ”solve” this hissing sound and the “mumbling voice” most of these custom firmware’s have a AM-fix. This works reasonably well, however it will never sound like a Uniden UBC125AT scanner. If you have a strong AM signal it doesn’t sound to bad though. As you well know the stock rubberduck antenna is not really designed for AM Airbands. So it helps a lot if you have a better antenna like a Daimond RH771 with a SMA-female connection (or a adapter). The UV-K5(8) has a standard SMA-male transceiver connection.
The problem with Quangsheng UV-K5(8) and harmonics/interference is caused by it’s design. This radio only has a filter for 2m and 70cm. With custom firmware you will be able to transmit on other frequencies/bands. Problem is that this radio has no filters to produce a clean signal for the other frequencies/bands. Being a HAM for over 36 years I guess you know all about how you can solve this problem (if this is allowed in the USA). Don’t have high expectations regarding the output outside the 2m and 70cm bands though 😉
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JvdK
Member
Just a small remark; if you have installed a custom firmware on your Quansheng UV-K5(8) don’t use the original Quangsheng customer programming software. Changes made in this Quansheng software will overwrite the custom firmware and most likely brick your UV-K5(8)!! 🤯
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Tikibar4me
Member
wow.......
KB2GOM
Active Member
Since there is a warning as Chirp boots up that it may render your radio useless (I am paraphrasing here), I bought the RT systems software and cable, programmed my UV-K5(8) with it, and I now use the radio frequently as part of the Commuter Assistance Network -- Commuter Assistance Net
I believe I will avoid the custom firmware.
I know this thread is from March, but I had to comment/reply. Holy crap the "tone" of some of the replies you got from this question are crazy unfriendly. Is this the way it is here all the time?
I'm hoping you've got this figured out. I just figured this stuff out myself recently and happy to help.
dwh367
Amateur Radio Operator
Never had a problem with Chirp myself and I've used it with many different makes and models without any issues (including my UV-K6).
paulears
Member
I think that this is not specific to this forum, but to the entire 'clevernet' - people seem really worried about experimenting, and want others to guide them through what should be, to people who are not dim, quite obvious processes. I watched today a YouTube video showing how to plug a microphone into a preamplifier. Not how to set the various input controls, but how to connect the connector to the microphone and then the other end into the 'correct' socket. Nobody ever seems to look, think, do.
In the radio world, chirp is a simple way to program radios. I googled Jock and he's a licensed ham, so I was surprised he was asking questions that sort of showed a few gaps in things. I'm guessing that as he's been licensed a long time, the concept of VFOs and memories is something he's comfy with, so I was stuck why being a 'newb' at chirp was a problem. All the displays should make sense, they're titled and empty box content is pretty obvious. I just wondered why he wasn't just playing with it? Either with the radio or without it. I guess we're similar ages, and almost everyday I am using different programming software. I actually don't like chirp much, but it does the job. It's just a tool.
Sometimes posts come across a bit snarky, but if you read between the lines you hear frustration. That's just how things read?
In the radio world, chirp is a simple way to program radios. I googled Jock and he's a licensed ham, so I was surprised he was asking questions that sort of showed a few gaps in things. I'm guessing that as he's been licensed a long time, the concept of VFOs and memories is something he's comfy with, so I was stuck why being a 'newb' at chirp was a problem. All the displays should make sense, they're titled and empty box content is pretty obvious. I just wondered why he wasn't just playing with it? Either with the radio or without it. I guess we're similar ages, and almost everyday I am using different programming software. I actually don't like chirp much, but it does the job. It's just a tool.
Sometimes posts come across a bit snarky, but if you read between the lines you hear frustration. That's just how things read?
The K5 has two scan lists you can add frequency channels to. They are customizable so you can mix and match memory or frequency channels for scanning.
If Chirp wont program those. the K5 prog program will.
Out of the box it will receive 50 to 71 MHz and from 108 to 600 MHz.
Mine does very nicely with civil and mil-air.
I did load IJV firmware and it enables 6 meter, and 1.5 meter TX and those do better than I expected.
It compares to the yaesu FT-60 talking harmonics/birdies.
Upgrading firmware is computer only.
It can't be beat for a CCR less than $40.
I can't get Chirp to run on my PC so I just use the programming software from the Quansheng site.
Why not ? I have no issues after the IJV upgrade.
KB2GOM
Active Member
Actually, I found 99% of the folks here to be generous of their time and expertise, while a handful appear to be winners of the March Of Dimes Snark-a-thon. And folks like that are found many places. I placed a question on an HF utilities DXers forum, asking if folks had any favorite SSB voice frequencies, and, if so, what where they? One very helpful fellow sent some great stuff about US Navy frequencies he hears, while another said: "Are you asking us to curate a list of SSB frequencies for you?"
Nevertheless, I'll stick doggedly to my point: most of the folks here are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable (some astonishingly so). If find it a good place to hang out.
JvdK
Member
Yep, I’ve read that a few times. Sometimes followed by a “Well ****, that didn’t work” a little later.
Just read the available information at GITHUB.
The thing here is if you have no problems with one of the upgrades, there are rarely problems with programming software.
The upgrading part is the firmware flash and your programming is like your personality.
I haven't checked Chirp, as it won't run on my PC.
The upgrading part is the firmware flash and your programming is like your personality.
I haven't checked Chirp, as it won't run on my PC.
