The K6 in mid-scan. I love the orange display
My experience has been a mostly positive one. I only bought this radio to receive, not transmit, so I have not tested the transmit features at all. I only wanted it to use as a cheap scanner that could cover a fairly wide range. And for that it has been pretty good.
There is now a newer model of this radio available. It's called the Quansheng UV-K5 (99). The frequency range out the box is impressive @ 20MHz - 1000MHz. Looks like a nice little radio, and I'll no doubt be buying one soon. View it here.
RX [Receiving / Scanning]
Even when it was in its original state [not modded with any firmware / software] it picked up signals really well. I put it up against my GRE PSR 255 scanner, and for the most part they were very evenly matched. Both had stock antennas and were picking up the same frequencies.
Once the Quansheng was upgraded to egzumer it opened up the bandwidth from 18Mhz - 1300Mhz. It was great scanning around seeing what I could find, although there wasn't really that much to listen to. I did have a listen to some of the AM band frequencies that so many people buy and mod the Quansheng radios for, but to be honest I haven't really got much interest in that. But here's a quick video test anyway.
Anyway, once my batteries were recharged for both the Quansheng and the GRE PSR 255, I thought I'd put them head to head on some of the lower frequencies, more specifically, the CB bands. I'd been listen to the CB bands [27Mhz] on the GRE 255 for quite some time and thought the Quansheng, being the much newer, egzumer'd device would have a better signal than the GRE scanner, and would quite possibly pick up things the GRE couldn't. But it turned out to be the total opposite. I have written about this in another post, so I don't want to talk much about it here.
But in a nutshell, the Quansheng was totally dead at 27Mhz. Could not pick up a thing. Even though there were people chatting away and I was listening to them on my GRE 255. This has made me lose some confidence in the Quansheng. But other than that it picks up other stuff well.
Egzumer
The egzumer software is really good. I suspect that the lower frequency issues could be down to this software though, and would like to try and install something else in the near future.
But in terms of ease of use, it is very easy to use and has some great features / options. The amount of different Khz steps that can be chosen is crazy. From 0.01Khz all the way to 500Khz. One thing I couldn't figure out how to do, though, is make the squelch silent. The radio seems to constantly hiss.
I could not find anything in the options that could disable the squelch noise when it stops on a transmission. Not sure if this is just normal for these types of devices, or if I should set the squelch level really high [tried, didn't work]. if someone knows how to disable that sound without setting the squelch so high that I miss what I'm actually searching for let me know below in the comments. I should note that the squelch is high enough to scan perfectly fine.
The monitor option also seems a bit hit and miss. Works most of the time. But sometimes I'll hit on a channel I want to listen to, press monitor, but the radio just continues to scan once the transmission ends. This has been quite annoying.
Speaker
This model, K5 8, or K6 has an improved loud speaker over the earlier model. I can't compare it personally as I don't own the earlier model. But I have watched a few video comparisons, and all the people couldn't really hear much difference. If anything the K5 8 was just a little better. It is a good speaker. FM radio stations can be turned up quite loud and still remain clear.
Headphone jack
There are two jack ports on the side. One I believe is for the microphone, and the other is what looks like a 2.5mm headphone jack. I was a bit disappointed with this. I would have preferred a normal 3.5mm jack for convenience. But Its not much to buy a little 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter. The two jack ports are also used to update the firmware / add new software, such as egzumer.
Volume knob
Many think its too big and a bit of a design flaw, but I actually like it. Works really well. It also works to turn the device on and off. It has a nice smooth click for on / off.
Torch light
There is an LED torch light at the top. It has a solid light and flash option. Could be of some use, but I haven't really used it yet other than a quick test. Seems OK.
Battery
I've seen some mixed reviews on the battery for the K5 8. Some say its great, while others say it just won't charge or won't hold a charge for very long. I think this is due to what I said earlier about some sellers selling refurbished / used / returned radios as brand new. Luckily for me, my battery has fell into the "great" category. Mine has only been charged a few times so far, but I've been very impressed. It has been holding a charge extremely well.
Charging
The desktop charger works well. Slot the Quansheng in on an empty battery and its fully charged in 2 - 3 hours. There is also a USB-C connection on the side of the Quansheng K6 that can be used for charging the battery, but its not recommended as a regular charging option by Quansheng. They advise to use the desktop charger, and only use USB-C now and again. Please Note: the K6 does not come with the usb-c cable.
Hidden menu
There's also a hidden menu on the Quansheng UV K5 8 [K6] that gives access to even more features. Some of those include more transmit [TX] options, including enable / disable TX on all bands [HAM / CB etc], and also the ability to change the battery from 1600mAh to 2200mAh.
Activate hidden menu
Hidden menu is activated by holding PTT [talk / transmit button] along with side button 1 [the one below PTT / transmit] while at the same time turning on the radio [turn the volume button clockwise]. Once the radio comes on, release all the pressed buttons and you will be in the hidden menu.
My conclusion
For the price you really can't go far wrong with the Quansheng UV K5 8 [K6]. It's an excellent radio for what it costs. The built quality is really good and it feels like a more expensive device than what it really is. Once the firmware is updated its mostly great to scan / receive with. Of course, with the CB band problems I'd have to try different software to see if that fixes the issue. Hopefully it does. If it does I'll give you an update on this blog. And for people into Air Band, it's definitely a great little radio once modified. Lot's of features to play with, and great potential through all the bands really. Works well even with the stock antenna, and with the stock software.
As well as Quansheng there is BAOFENG and BTECH [BAOFENG BF-F8HP and BTECH UV-5X3 Tri-Band are very highly rated, but both cost more]. Those brands appear to be the closest competitors to the Quansheng's. But as far as I'm aware, they can't be modified like the Quansheng's can. And by most accounts I've read online, for radios in the same price bracket between the brands mentioned, the build quality and performance is better with Quansheng.
More information on egzumer
Menu Operation and Hidden menu
https://github.com/egzumer/uv-k5-firmware-custom/wiki/Menu
How To Operate the radio basics [very useful for newbies]
https://github.com/egzumer/uv-k5-firmware-custom/wiki/Radio-operation
Install egzumer [flash from browser]. All versions available.
https://github.com/egzumer/uv-k5-firmware-custom/releases
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