There has been quite a bit of experimentation with Quansheng handhelds, from using them for CW to loading alternative firmware to unlock extra features. I discovered that the IJV firmware supports 2m double sideband, which prompted me to have a play with it. The first hurdle, however, was flashing the radio.
A critical step is backing up the radio’s calibration file before installing any new firmware. Several tools can do this, but most are Windows-only. As a Mac user, I could flash firmware using a web-based tool in Chrome, but I had no way to download the calibration file beforehand—or restore it afterwards.
The good news is that a new browser-based tool now handles everything in one place: it backs up the EEPROM, uploads the firmware, and flashes the radio. This makes the whole process much simpler and far more accessible.