The Quansheng UV K5, a very popular radio these days. Available in quite a few different variants which are all basically the same. The new green model with a 512KB memory upgrade is a bit of an exception and one of the latest out right now. Quansheng radios tick many boxes. They are capable, well-made, cheap to buy, and highly modifiable. The stock software is good, but lets be honest, most people who buy a K5 want to modify it with custom firmware. There are many to choose from. IJV mod firmware is great and very popular. But if I had to recommend one firmware to install, which is the easiest to install for a beginner, it would have to be Egzumer.

The main reasons for this is that once installed it is so easy to use. The makers have pretty much covered all the features and settings a user would really need. Scanning is easy, saving channels is easy, and even changing modes or disabling the squelch is all done within a few clicks. The other reason why I recommend it for beginners, and maybe the main reason, is that Egzumer can be installed free online using your web browser.

Egzumer’s flash from browser option is a quick and convenient way to update your radios firmware. You will need the programming cable. But once you connect the cable to your radio and then to your computer / browser, it’s as easy as putting the radio into flash mode [plug in the cable + connect to computer, hold in the PTT button on the side and turn the radio on] and you are ready to install / download Egzumer into the radio via the flash from browser option. Takes less than 20 seconds to install.

Once completed the radio is much better. Better frequency range [transmit and receive], USB mode / SSB, improved airband / aviation reception [AM fix], spectrum analyzer and much more. Works great as a cheap scanner. And with a better antenna to go along with the new firmware it can pick up lots of signals that the original software could not reach, including the CB bands.