Quansheng UV-K5
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| Frequency | TX: 136-174 MHz (VHF), 400-470 MHz (UHF), RX (Egzumer firmware): 18-1300 MHz wideband (no band-pass filtering!), Stock RX: VHF + UHF + airband AM + FM broadcast + NOAA weather |
| TX power | 1 / 2 / 5 W (Rated 5W. Actual tested output: VHF 3.8W/2.8W/2.4W (H/M/L), UHF 4.2W/3.2W/2.7W. NOT 5W actual. Power spread between H/M/L is narrow.) |
| Modes | FM (wide/narrow), AM (receive, improved with Egzumer AM fix) |
| Battery | Li-ion 1600mAh / 7.4V |
| Weight | 210 g (7.4 oz) - Approximately ~210g with battery. Compact form factor. |
| Connector | SMA-Male on the radio body - takes SMA-Female antennas |
| Year | 2023 |
| antenna | SMA-Male on the radio body - takes SMA-Female antennas |
| speaker mic | Kenwood K1 style 2-pin |
| charging | USB-C (charging only - programming and flashing use the 2-pin jack) |
| power req | 1600 mAh 7.4V Li-ion battery (included). USB-C charging. Desktop charger cradle included. |
Estimated (unverified): AMATEUR (ham) radio - FCC Technician-class license required to transmit (2m/70cm); NOT GMRS, NOT license-free. Quansheng dual-band analog FM. Marketed 5W (measured ~3-5W; lower on 70cm). Stock RX 50-600 MHz (FM/AM); 200 ch; USB-C; SMA(male pin on radio); Kenwood 2-pin; ~1600 mAh. FAMOUS for open-source custom firmware (egzumer, F4HWN) adding spectrum analyzer, wide RX ~18MHz-1.3GHz, AM fix, and SSB RECEIVE (chip hack) - SSB is custom-firmware ONLY, not stock. No front-end filtering (overloads near strong signals). Introduced 2023; newer hardware rev needs matching firmware. Current.
A notable budget radio with an SDR architecture and an open-source firmware ecosystem, so it improves after purchase. Egzumer firmware adds a spectrum analyzer, AM fix, fast scanning, and a customizable UI, and a web-based configurator lets you build custom firmware in a browser. Wideband RX 18-1300 MHz is possible with firmware, USB-C handles charging, and flashing needs only a cheap Kenwood-style serial cable, and multiple forks suit different needs. The community (GitHub, Reddit) is active, all for pocket money. The UV-K5(8)/K5(99)/K6 are the same platform.
No band-pass filtering: the receiver is hardware-limited and wide open to all signals, which no firmware can fix. AM reception degrades in high-RF environments. Actual TX power is ~3.8-4.2 W (not 5 W). Newer hardware revisions may block firmware flashing. A small firmware-size limit constrains what Egzumer can include (some stock features are disabled). It is not a serious operating radio; the Egzumer developers themselves call these 'nice toys for the price.' Build quality reflects the rock-bottom price. No digital modes. Flashing firmware voids the warranty.
An inexpensive SDR-based HT with a large firmware community. The UV-K5 is bought less for what it is than for what the community makes it. Egzumer firmware adds a spectrum analyzer, AM fix, a web configurator, and wideband RX, turning a cheap radio into a learning and tinkering platform. For exploring SDR and radio frequencies on pocket money, it offers a lot. For serious communication, a better radio is the choice.
The Quansheng UV-K5 is the most interesting cheap radio in years, not because of what it is out of the box, but because of what the community made it. It is a budget dual-band analog handheld, and it is an amateur radio for the 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands requiring an FCC Technician-class license or higher to transmit; it is not a GMRS or license-free radio. What made it famous is that hams reverse-engineered its firmware and wrote open-source replacements that enable far more than Quansheng ever intended.
Out of the box it is an ordinary radio: analog FM, about 5 watts marketed (closer to 3 to 5 in testing), a wide 50-to-600 MHz receiver, FM broadcast and air band receive, USB-C charging, and 200 channels. The transformation comes from custom firmware, projects like egzumer and F4HWN, which add a spectrum analyzer, much wider receive (roughly 18 MHz to 1.3 GHz), improved AM, and even single-sideband receive, a genuine hack of the radio chip that the stock firmware cannot do. None of this is official, and flashing firmware carries a small risk of bricking the radio, especially on the newer hardware revisions.
Its receiver front end has no band-pass filtering, so it overloads in strong-signal areas, the trade for its wide-open flexibility. As a twenty-dollar experimenter's radio it has no competition. Its near-twin is the Quansheng UV-K6; for a plain analog Quansheng without the hacking scene, the UV-5R Plus.