Download and Flash¶
Not sure which radio you have? Check the radio identification guide first.
Danger
Make sure you know which radio model you have, and use the correct firmware family for that radio.
- You must use the correct firmware for the radio model.
- You must use the correct flashing tool or mode for that model.
It's very easy to flash the wrong firmware onto a radio or use the wrong tool/mode, and very hard to fix when that happens.
Get the firmware¶
Download a ready-to-flash binary from the releases page of the firmware repo for your radio. You don't need to compile anything yourself — the releases page has prebuilt binaries you can flash directly. If you'd rather build from source, the same repos support that too.
UV-K5 v1 original downloads¶
uv-k5-firmware-custom releases
Latest binary for K5 original: nr7y_1.2.packed.bin
UV-K5 v3 / UV-K1 downloads¶
uv-k1-k5v3-firmware-custom releases
Latest binary for K5v3 / K1: nr7y.cw.v1.2.3.bin
Flash it¶
Tip
If you've never backed up your radio's calibration data, now is the time. Boot into normal firmware mode, and use the appropriate web tool below to dump the calibration data. Store it somewhere safe, consider naming it after your radio's serial number.
Flash tools and firmware all try hard not to corrupt the factory calibration data, but it could happen. A backup is a great safety net.
Success
To enter flashing mode, power on the radio while holding PTT. The flashlight LED will light, the screen will stay blank and unlit.
When the tool starts the firmware update, the LED will flash. Because it's flashing the firmware, get it?
UV-K5 v1 original flash tools¶
- egzumer's UVTools
- n7six Multi-firmware tool in K5/K5 version 1 mode
- K5TOOL if you'd rather flash from the command line. Run using:
k5tool -wrflash <firmwarename.packed.bin>
n7six tool and K5TOOl can dump or restore calibration data.
UV-K5 v3 / UV-K1 flash tools¶
- Armel's UVTools2
- n7six Multi-firmware tool in K1/K5 version 2 mode
Both these tools can dump or restore calibration data.
Note
The web-based tools talk to the radio over WebSerial, which only works in Chrome/Chromium-based browsers.