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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

All releases: uv-k1-k5v3-firmware-custom releases

Latest binary for K5v3 / K1: nr7y.k1-k5v3.v1.4.bin

Chirp Module: nr7y.k1-k5v3.chirp.v1.4a.py

The chirp module was updated to 1.4a on 10/15 to fix an issue with action selections.

Note

Use the CHIRP module from the same release as your firmware. Newer modules check the radio before uploading and refuse to write to one running older firmware, since that would scramble its CW and USB channel settings. If CHIRP says the radio's firmware is too old, flash the new firmware first, then upload. A saved image from older firmware still opens, and is converted when you load it.

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

n7six tool and K5TOOl can dump or restore calibration data.

UV-K5 v3 / UV-K1 flash tools

Both these tools can dump or restore calibration data.

Note

The web-based tools talk to the radio over WebSerial, which only works in a selection of modern browsers.

Program the radio with CHIRP

The CHIRP module lets you edit channels, CW messages, side key actions and other settings from your computer. It's for the UV-K5 v3 / UV-K1 firmware only. Download the module from the UV-K5 v3 / UV-K1 downloads above.

CHIRP doesn't ship with this module, so you load it yourself from the file you downloaded. That needs CHIRP's developer mode, which is off by default.

  1. Install a recent CHIRP-next build if you don't already have one.
  2. Turn on developer mode: Help → Developer Mode. CHIRP asks to restart; let it. You only need to do this once.
  3. Load the module: File → Load Module, then pick the .py file you downloaded. CHIRP warns that modules can run code on your computer; accept to continue.
  4. Read from the radio: Radio → Download from radio. Choose vendor Quansheng and the model UV-K1 & UV-K5 V3 (F4HWN Fusion) with the NR7Y variant, then your serial port.
  5. Make your changes, then Radio → Upload to radio.

Warning

A loaded module only lasts until you close CHIRP. Each time you start CHIRP, repeat File → Load Module before you download from or upload to the radio. If you skip it, the NR7Y model won't be in the list. Don't substitute one of CHIRP's built-in Quansheng models; they don't know about the CW settings.

Tip

If CHIRP can't talk to the radio, make sure the radio isn't in CW mode with a port-based paddle input. See CHIRP programming and the paddle port.