Good news for activators who do not require expensive equipment. Quansheng v5, after uploading the new software, transmits and receives on the 2m SSB and CW wave. It can be an additional attraction at the top,the price is suspiciously low.
sq9mdf
sq9mdf
7 Likes
Iād be fine with using this on 2m FM, as the 2nd harmonic is just within acceptable limits, at -40dB. However, any sideband transmission will be dual side band.
Thereās much in the way of inreresting firmware for these cheap little radios, including HF reception, SSTV modes etc. More of a fun toy than a serious radio for most of those.
6 Likes
Hi Leszek,
The Internet YouTube channels have been buzzing about this radio for some time. The new SDR chip in it has a wide frequency making it possible (with hacked firmware to receive AM/FM/SSB/CW from about 15MHz to 2GHz). Transmit however is only mW on HF as the transmit goes through the low-pass filters that are for VHF/UHF. That the hackers have managed to add SSB & CW to the 2m and 70cm bands on the radio is great news - as there I presume, you still get 5w output?
Which exact model have you got (there are a few versions of that radio).
73 Ed.
3 Likes
Probably saved on the components and design. Just not good enough LP filters for the suppression for the first harmonic like many reports have shown. I guess production quality is quite āunstableā. So depending on if you got a Monday device you might be good - or not.
And thatās why it is already banned in HB9.
But an interesting device with the custom firmware options for experimentation (Like HF reception, Spectrum scope, ā¦)
73 Joe
2 Likes
Iāve been quite impressed with my Ā£10 investment.
I worked @EA3ECK Manel in Tarragona from EA6/MA-010 using the stock antenna on 2m FM. Thatās about 120 miles/almost 200km which I thought was quite good - yes, itās over the sea, but even soā¦
It seems better on transmit than the Baofeng UV-82 I had (I guess the FCC approval has meant an improvement on TXād signals) and was less than a third of the price. It does struggle on RX with some stronger QRM like the old Baofeng though, so I guess the RX filtering circuitry is fairly limited still?
Ultimately if this little radio helps me qualify/activate summits alongside my HF kit, then Iāll stick it in the rucksack each time, until I can find another AliExpress special to play with. The next one will need to cost less than Ā£10 though! 
@OE5JFE Hi Joe, I canāt find the newer UV-K5(8) on the Swiss Ofcom site yet (NKG Datenbank), just the older UV-K5. I thought the K5(8) was the one with FCC approval, but it looks like the picture of the K5 on the Ofcom site has an FCC label too - maybe thatās like the CE labels we see on other apparently ātestedā radios and the labels are not necessarily accurateā¦
Anyway, thank you for the warning, as I probably wouldnāt have checked this before travelling to Switzerland later this year - Iād have just taken the radio with me, along with the FT-818 etc. Having been fined for speeding there last year, I donāt want to risk any bills for using banned radios!!! 
73, Simon
5 Likes
the home measurement showed 5W, with my activations being rather short in the 2m band, double transmission will not be a problem on the usually empty band sq9mdf
2 Likes
I have the k5(8) version and have tried the IJV mod and ezgumer 0.21 firmwares.
Other than a qso across town on 2m fm with the stock antenna ive not transmitted in anger.
In my opinion on receive, the ezgumer firmware is better on AM for airband but the IJV firmware is better on SSB (and i presume CW).
The lower the HF band the worse it gets (will go down to 18Mhz).
Useful DCS scan mode on both firmwares.
Utterly deaf in the presence of any other transmitters. This includes amateur HF with the handy nearby.
For the price though, great to play around with and if you lose it, it doesnt really matter.
I guess with a decent band pass filter it could be used as a 10m cw or fm tranceiver.
Ian
4 Likes
Sounds like a fun thing to experiment with. Just added it to my amazon cart. $30 US
Whatās the tx power on 10m?
I thought it was only a mW or so?
1 Like
Without any equipment to test it i dont know, but i seem to have read or heard that 250mW is possible.
1 Like
To get any usable RF out on HF, I would presume you would need to go into the radio and physically remove the VHF LPF out of the circuit and add one to suit the band you are working on. Even then, thereās a good chance that output would not be that high as the radio is designed for VHF/UHF.
73 Ed.
1 Like
I bought one of these (Ā£15) a few weeks ago after hearing it could operate at 23cm after modification. I subsequently realised although in theory it can receive at 23cm it canāt transmit beyond a few uW.
I was going to throw it out but if it can be modified for 2m SSB & CW I might have another look at it.
But I still think it is isnāt a serious radio. 
I had some hope for filter hardware mods (I asked on my blog) to expand the available bands, but it seems the hidden channels used for discussing the rig software mods havenāt net as much for hardware. Without the time or spec-an to verify 33/23 cm FM, Iām not too interested in blazing the way. Iād love to hear any success swapping front end components!
1 Like
Hi all,
I have one of these radios in " opened" form. I had hoped to be able to use it on 6 m FM. The output falls quickly on frequencies outside the 2 m band and is over 30 dB down at 50 MHz. So 5 W on 2 m and a few mW on 6 m. And itās even further down on 10 m.
It would struggle to get outside of the AZ with a pair on 6 m using the whip antenna
It looks more like a simple band pass rather than a low pass filter for the tx which I had hoped for.
As for the high end the power meter stops responding well short of 1 GHz.
There are two tx frequency limiting networks which have tiny components. I had hoped I could change a few components to make 6 m more viable but seeing the components is a challenge. Itās another backburner project.
It does receive AM in the aviation band.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
5 Likes
I also got one, now with the IJV FW.
I am planing to dedicate it for sota CW & SSB on 2m, and maybe on 70cm.
Outside these bands, I dont think it is much usable.
I will add an moxon antenna and a audio cw filter, as the narrowest filter is about 6KHz wide. Very portable!
Best 73,
Luis
CU2IJ
Hi Luis,
Iāll be interested to hear how well the SSB on 2m works. As you say this radio is mainly for 2m and 70cm as the output filters kill the RF for any lower frequencies. Can you post a link please for where the IJW firmware is downloaded from (or is this a browser-based install?).
73 Ed.
1 Like
from the egzumer firmware Wiki:
This option wonāt give you ability to transmit in any other modulation than FM, this is a hardware limitation. Switching to AM or SSB only switches AF audio output mode of a RF IC. It doesnāt switch the whole IC into AM/SSB mode
So did anyone actually transmit in SSB or CW ?
With what firmware ?
And where would you connect a CW key ?
Otherwise a great toy for a low price.
An interesting feature that I havent seen in any other rig so far : when using the spectrum scope, it will automatically pick the strongest signal (which is above the adjustable squelch line) AND instantly let you hear what is said on that frequency ! No tuning needed.
Luc ON7DQ
1 Like
I did some more reading ā¦ and found it.
It seems the IJV firmware supports SSB (DSB) and CW TX.
see :
Have to try it ! (when I find the time)
Luc ON7DQ
2 Likes
I got mine as well and am particularly interested in how well it does with the stock antenna.
In all seriousness, received mine but not used it yet. The unit looks good (it contains a hint of orange!).
Letās hope the performance can match its looks when I try to use it for its inaugural QSO from a summit.
5 Likes
Quansheng UV-K5, sales in Swirzerland are forbiden, as per OFCOM. Equipment not OK with regulations