Nearby DMR Repeaters - Tulsa-Broken Arrow

 

RadioID

What F4HWN Firmware Actually Is.

 

F4HWN firmware is a community‑developed custom firmware for the Quansheng UV‑K5/K6/K1 family.

It focuses on:

• Cleaner UI

• Better scanning behavior

• More usable features

• Bug fixes

• Extra tools (S‑meter, spectrum‑like display, etc.)

It’s not the most feature‑packed firmware—that title usually goes to EGZUMER—but F4HWN is known for being stable, polished, and practical.

Why You Should Use F4HWN Firmware

1. Much Better User Interface

• Cleaner menus

• More readable fonts

• Better layout

• More intuitive navigation

If you hate the stock UI, F4HWN feels like a breath of fresh air.

 2. Improved Scanning & Usability

• Faster scanning

• Better squelch behavior

• More predictable VFO operation

• Better memory handling

This is one of the biggest reasons people switch.

 3. Extra Tools Without the Bloat

F4HWN adds useful features like:

• Live S‑meter

• Waterfall‑style RSSI graph

• Better battery indicator

• Improved audio gain handling

But it avoids the “kitchen‑sink” overload of some other firmware.

4. Stable and Reliable

F4HWN is known for being rock‑solid. If you want a radio that “just works,” this firmware is one of the safest choices.

 Why You Might Not Want F4HWN Firmware!

1. Fewer Features Than EGZUMER

If you want:

• Full spectrum analyzer

• Expanded menus

• APRS‑like tools

• Advanced scanning modes

• Custom themes

• Experimental features

…then EGZUMER is the better choice.

F4HWN is more conservative.

2. Not the Best for Experimenters

If you like pushing the radio to its limits (TX unlocks, wideband RX hacks, etc.), F4HWN is not the most flexible firmware.

3. UV‑K1 Support Is More Limited

The UV‑K1 is a stripped‑down sibling of the K5. F4HWN works, but:

• Some features are missing

• Some menus behave differently

• The K5/K6 get the best experience

If you own both radios, the K5 benefits more from F4HWN.

Click HERE to visit Armel's GitHub!

HIS YOUTUBE...  

Use the FTDI USB Programming Cable ONLY!!!

An FTDI‑based programming cable is considered the best cable for ham radio because it is the only chipset that is consistently reliable, driver‑stable, universally compatible, and immune to the counterfeiting problems that plague cheaper cables. It simply works every time—especially on Windows—while Prolific‑chip cables often fail, disconnect, or refuse to install drivers.

Link to Amazon ^^^

 

1. Rock‑Solid Driver Stability

FTDI drivers are known for being extremely stable and widely supported across operating systems.

• Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux with no hacks or unsigned drivers.

• FTDI drivers are official, maintained, and not blocked by OS updates.

Prolific‑chip cables often break after Windows updates because the OS rejects counterfeit chips.

2. No Counterfeit Chip Problems

Prolific PL2303 chips are the most counterfeited USB‑serial chips in the world.

• Many cheap cables use fake Prolific chips, causing:

  • “This device cannot start (Code 10)” errors

  • Random disconnects

  • Failure to communicate with radios

• FTDI chips do not suffer from this widespread counterfeit issue.

This alone makes FTDI the go‑to choice for ham radio programming.

3. Plug‑and‑Play Reliability

FTDI cables are recognized instantly by most systems.

• No need to hunt for drivers

• No need to roll back Windows updates

• No need to disable driver signature enforcement

For hams who program multiple radios, this is a lifesaver.

4. Better Compatibility with Ham Radios

FTDI cables work reliably with:

• Baofeng

• Wouxun

• Kenwood

• BTECH

• Retevis

• Quansheng

• Icom CI‑V interfaces (via FTDI‑based hubs)

This is why many premium ham‑radio accessory makers (BTECH, Mirkit, VE2DX, etc.) use FTDI exclusively.

5. Cleaner, More Accurate Serial Communication

FTDI chips handle USB‑to‑serial conversion more accurately:

• Better timing

• Fewer dropped packets

• More reliable flashing

• Less chance of bricking a radio during firmware updates

This matters when programming DMR radios like the Anytone 878 or flashing firmware on Baofeng/Quansheng models.

Visit the official FTDI site for more information!

Why did I brick my UV-K5??? by: Kevin Omura

This post is mirrored from Facebook.  All credit goes to Kevin Omura

Kevin Omura | Facebook

Post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CxLS4ksT9/

 Why did I brick my UV-K5???

The simple answer is, because of not knowing which version of radio you have or ignoring all the warnings. Seems like a simple answer but is it really?

I own several UV-K5 radios as well as some UV-K1 radios and so it seems like a good idea to do a sort of guide as to how to identify them.

Perhaps the simplest way is to just take the battery off and look at the label on the back of the radio. On there you should find the model number and possibly a V2 or V3 designation. On the original V1 radios there is no version number.

Why this is important. Quansheng has changed the microprocessor on these radios at least three times during their production run.

The first radios have the DP32G030 a 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller running at up to 48MHz and with 64kb of internal flash memory. (this is important to note)

https://www.nationstech.com/uploads/packs/1662538843129211.pdf

Then around the end of 2025 it was reported that a UV-K5 V2 radio had shipped. It has a different microcontroller the PY32F030 32-bit ARM® Cortex® - M0+ CPU running at 48MHz and also with 64kb of internal flash memory. (I do not own one of these yet)

https://download.py32.org/Datasheet/en/PY32F030_Datasheet_V1.8.pdf

Finally at the beginning of 2026 Quansheng shipped yet another variation of the UV-K5. This time a V3 version which had a PY32F071 ARM® 32-bit Cortex®-M0+ CPU running at 72MHz and with up to 128kb of internal flash memory.

https://download.py32.org/Datasheet/en/PY32F071_Datasheet_Rev0.7_EN.pdf

So, what is the important thing to note here? It is how much internal flash memory these MCUs have and why some people have bricked their radios.

This relates specifically to the latest versions of Armel's really great F4HWN V4.3.2 Fusion firmware upgrade for the UV-K5 V3 and UV-K1. If you fail to heed his warnings on his page or any of the other warnings out there you WILL BRICK your UV-K5 V1/V2 radios.

Why? Because V4.3.2 Fusion firmware requires 79kb of flash memory and those earlier radios only have 64kb. The new V3 radios have the upgraded MCU which has 128kb of internal flash memory and so it is large enough to store his firmware as well as Ari's Fusion + firmware which can require even more memory approaching the 128kb limit of the latest chip.

So that brings us to the final problem and that is mainly with the UV-K5. It has been reported that some radios that have shipped that were supposed to be V3 radios actually have V2 boards in them. *Note that I do not own one of these radios yet. And this is a big problem since trying to flash one of these radios with Fusion will brick it since the flash memory is not large enough.

IMHO that means unless you are 100% certain that your radio really is a V3 I personally would not install any of the new firmware which requires the larger flash memory. Therefore, I think it is a lot safer to experiment with the UV-K1.

Is there another way to determine if you have a V3 UV-K5?

Maybe, I posted some photos of three of my UV-K5 radios with notes on each photo as to which version it was. There is a photo from the UV-K5 V1 which has no designation, a UV-K5 ( 8 ) and my UV-K5 V3 which I have tested with F4HWN V4.3.2 as well as Ari's Fusion + firmware. I can't 100% guarantee that your radio is or is not a V3 but if it has the version code R51-V2.1 it should be. This radio also had OEM firmware version 7.0.11.

If you did brick your radio, Armel has posted a very good tutorial on how to go about unbricking it. It does require some surgery and extra pieces of hardware.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cWtYH_bpro

QUESUM (Quansheng) M7 DMR / UV

STAY TUNED!!! 

Ok... I figured this WHOLE thing out! I will try to make some posts/videos in the next few days on my blog BUT I definitely have EVERYTHING working! Whew. It took about 40 hours of my time. www.bageyes.com The ONLY thing that is NOT going to change is this... when you see THIS screen, you are locked down to that ANALOG template. Example... If you add 462.xxx and then you want to add 146.xxx it is NOT happening. This setting is a GLOBAL template setting and if you set everything up THEN change it, you will lose ALL saved frequencies. ALSO... the ONLY cable that works with this radio HAS TO BE the FTDI cable. ALL others give you the "password" issue.

Free The Antenna!!!

Help Pass The HOA Legislation

To Eliminate HOA Prohibitions on Amateur Radio Antennas!!!

Free The Antenna!!!

HOW CAN I HELP?

By sending a letter to each of your Congressional Representatives and your Senators. Is my individual letter important? YES — Representatives and Senators rely on constituent input to decide which bills to support. Your voice counts.

BACKGROUND

The ARRL has secured Congressional support in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to introduce legislation that, if passed, would eliminate HOA/private land-use restrictions that prohibit Amateur Radio operators from installing antennas at their residences.

WHAT ARE THE BILLS?

U.S. House: H.R. 1094
Introduced by August Pfluger (R-TX) and Joe Courtney (D-CT)

U.S. Senate: S. 459
Introduced by Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Click HERE to sign the letter.

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