80 ‐ Tips & Tricks and Known Issues - kamilsss655/uv-k5-firmware-custom GitHub Wiki

What if Spectrum Scan Freezes

This is caused by a strong signal. The only way to fix this is to lower your gain settings in spectrum (while antenna is disconnected).

  • Disconnect the antenna and check if the freezing will stop.
  • Press M twice
  • Then reduce the LNA$ and/or LNA parameter.
  • Connect the antenna again and see if the value can be slightly higher.

What if AM reception is distorted/overloaded

  • lower the gain in spectrum. Just like with Spectrum scan freeze?

Detect the tail tone of other radio with CTCSS scanner

  • the CTCSS scanner can be used to detect the tail tone other radios are using (it might take a while and take multiple transmissions as the tail transmission is very short)
    • once found set the SqTone to found value and enjoy no squelch sound 😄
  • SqTone sets the squelch tail tone used for RX/TX when no DCS/CTCSS is used to make radio compatible with more expensive radios
    • default value is 55Hz - compatible with other Quansheng and Baofeng radios
  • when CTCSS is used 180* phase shift tail is enabled for RX/TX to be compatible with more expensive radios

[!NOTE] Tail tones below 65Hz are not reliably detected by the CTCSS scanner - likely by the design of the chip and to be fair these are not standard CTCSS tones. they work perfectly when used as SqTone or TxCTCSS/RxCTCSS though

Menu - Recommended settings

Numbering of menu-items is based on release 20.5

  • 1 Step - step of the frequency. Set this to 12.50 kHz
  • 2 Bandw- bandwidth. Set this to 12.50 kHz
  • 14 Demodu - demodulator mode. Put it on FM
  • 22 F1Shrt - side button 1 short press function. Put it on MONITOR
  • 23 F1Long - side button 1 long press function. Put it on LONG SPECTRUM
  • 24 F2Shrt - side button 2 short press function. Put it on SPECTRUM
  • 25 F2Long - side button 2 long press function. Put it on SPECTRUM
  • 26 M Long - menu button long press function. Put it on SWITCH VFO
  • 30 Mic - microphone sensitivity. Set it +15.1dB
  • 31 CHDISP - Channel display style (name + frequency or number). Set this to Name + Freq
  • 32 POmMsg - power on message. Set this to Message
  • 33 BatTxt - Additional battery value. Set this to Voltage
  • 34 BackkLt - Backlight duration. Set this to 2 minutes
  • 46 RXMode - Set it to Main TX Dual RX - always transmits on the primary channel (marked ►), listens to both.

And as an option in the hidden menu

  • 60 BATCAL - Battery calibration. Measure the battery voltage with a voltmeter (on the metal loops on the back of the radio) and adjust the value in the menu accordingly.

           For my radios this value was 1889 to 1950 and 1896 -> 2021.

  • 61 Battyp - battery type. The UVK5 (8) is 1600 mAh and the UV5R-Plus often 2200 mAh.

Suggest to use an external antenna

Use an SMA-female to BNC-female connector/adapter

  • so you can easily connect the external antenna cable to the radio
  • extra option is to extend that to PL256 with is adapter

Converter cable

An other suggestion is this converter cable

Chirp incompatibility

[!NOTE] This project does NOT work with actual version CHIRP

There is a cause and reason for the Chirp-mismatch

But that's not up to this project

There are 2 workarounds