You’ve saved me the time and effort of doing my own receive measurements. I have checked transmit and I was gobsmacked at how clean the output is on 2m and 70cm. Above 500MHz and VHF Low-Band and below it’s as dirty as a two bit whore, which is to be expected. Airband receive with the stock firmware is a non-starter, but some of the custom firmware options have addressed this.
Interesting video and you make a good point. There is a bit more to performance testing than a signal to noise test, it's fine when a tech is aligning a known receiver, but then again a receiver with no front end would give you the same results or better results. Adjacent channel rejection is a big factor of over all performance especially with VHF / UHF as the front end filtering is generally so wide. You would need two signal generators, it would be interesting to see how well the Chinese radio stacks up.
I flashed mine with UVMODS firmware and am impressed with what this little radio can do. In this case the Chinese have a winner, most of my equipment is US or Japanese, but I have bought a couple of Baofeng's to give away to scouts, and for prepping, now this Quansheng to play with.
The main thing that sets apart the big brand radios from the budget minded radios is very basic. It is the price. Most use the same final amplifiers, batteries, and components. A really good example I noted recently for repairs are the Yaesu FT-8900 and the TYT TH-9800D. I had to replace the final amplifiers on both. Both had the same Toshiba 2SC5375 amplifiers. When I set them up, both had the exact same setup menu. Same final RD70HVF1 for VHF in both. Do yourself a favour and just buy 10 budget minded radios for the price of one big brand radio and pass them out to people in an emergency, or give one to someone to start a hobby for them.
Problem is cutting corners in the design, for example in the 9800 and 7800 from TYT they have two ICs that must operate between 3.3 and 3.6v, max rating with risk of damage and no guarantees on specs is 4.5v, the genius behind the TYT designs is feeding them almost 5v, but the worst part is that it seems they did this to "improve" sensitivity, cheaper than designing a better front end, compare the Yaesu front end with the TYT, TYT should have done it SDR receiver if the weren't gonna copy the receiver in a good and funnctional way. If you dont modify the TYTs they are a time bomb, mine is modified and sensitivity has come down.
Selectivity, IMD, etc are more useful measurements. But no one on RU-vid does the measurements that actually matter. I'm still curious about a head to head comparison between this radio and the original version of the radio. Are they electronically different, or are the changes merely cosmetic?
Thank you for the thorough review of the UV-K5(8) aka UV-K6 handheld. I have been playing with mine for about a week now and and have found its performance to be pleasantly astonishing. I could not help myself and ordered another one so I would have a matched set! 73, W1AEX
@@g4wwk-k2f I have been looking to see if Quansheng will offer the UV5R+ battery as a separate purchase. Hopefully they will at some point but if not I will probably take your advice. Thanks!
The new firmware is totally amazing. It allows receiving from 18mhz, with am/fm/ssb modes. As you said, it also allows transmission on some additional bands such as air band! So this is a "dangerous boy" 😂 (albeit with very limited power, fortunately) Well worth the money!
This thing is a real killer: Professional, sturdy look&feel, USB-C-charging, modifiable firmware, backlit keys, excellent B/W display (non reverse!), FM-radio, sold for almost nothing.
I have both radios. Up on a hill top the quensheng was swamped and overloaded with a nearby transmitter. The FT70D however was ok. I was calling and calling on 2m using the quensheng and wasn't hearing any replies yet I was told several people were calling me back. When I tried the FT70 I was able to work those stations no problem.
Interesting video, thank you for sharing Paul.. How do you find the receiver on the AM air band? I highly recommend Paul's Sinad meter mine is brilliant money well spent👍
Been meaning to pick up one of these radios for a long time, good demonstration of the radio as stock, I also ordered one of your sinad meters before they all sold out, been meaning to buy one for radio repairs and tuneups for a long time
£25? Thye are around £15 (€18) on Ali..... With the new firmware the AM reception is way better then it is out of the box. Super radios. Can you do this again after installing the newest firmware? Nice informative video.
Excellent video!! Very well done on the testing and analysis! can you please give more information on the Sinadalizer. I realize you are in the UK and I am in the USA but could you provide schematic information or a website where more detail about the circuit can be found. cheers and 73 (Edit: I just found your other videos on the Sinadalizer and am watching them now)
I like the AnyTone HT's. Big battery and speaker are important for me. I once bought a Icom 2820 and id51. But the quality was really bad. The price was huge for that. Now i'm using a Chinese FT2980 and a Anytone. Ive had more fun with the uv5r and AnyTone, then with those overpriced Icoms. And they ship it with extra's. Something those big brands can learn from.
I use the baofeng for monitoring and occasionally TX on marine band I've recently bought a couple of these k5 and they're great little radios. I've just also got hold of a couple of uv17 and theres nothing in it. New generation Chinese radios are the way forward
The UV17 Pro V2 are higher power, at least 6 watts, Baofeng are now using V2 in the name to signify the high power versions of all the new handys (V1 standard 4 to 5 watts, V2 6 Watts plus)
The Quanshang UV5Rplus is the Baofeng UV5R killer, its a K5 made to look more like a UV5R with a bigger battery that can be made to fit the K5 but without the USB C socket. and cheaper than the K5, its worth getting for its Larger Battery alone
Just ordered a second one, paid under £11 for the first one, second one was a hefty £17.... well worth the change of firmware. HF SSB receive is quite a novelty from a handy, albeit with poor sensitivity. No idea what the dynamic range is like, not intensively tested it yet, hopefully better than the UV5R...
The radio comes stock with a multi band antenna, switch to an antenna better suited for the frequency. The stock compromise antenna is a jack of all trades, master of none.
@@juanbait9670 I have not tried a "suitable" antenna for HF receive, the stock antenna does a fair job on 2m/70cm, there really is little need to compromise on these bands. I may try it on one of my HF antennas, certainly the actual receiver sensitivity is not great at HF frequencies irrespective of the antenna.
Yes they are not perfect and you get what you pay for but for the money they are amazing if your just a regular person just slightly interested in radio go for it they are cheaper than a take away meal !
Excellent discussion on the Quansheng, really appreciate your work in putting this together. Overall performance is quite good and I'm very satisfied with my UV-K6. Do you think these Chinese radios are spying on us?
Hello Paul Nice video and locations. Banbury way. I got a Yaesu FT70D (some YT videos I did) and an old school 2nd hand Baofeng I think is nicer. They ok in really early days I was told, 2013 model or so radio but guess not that old, still can buy, ok could when looked 10 months ago when bought it for £5. UV-B5. Done tests to myself on SDR as you or a local play along and listen, talk to me when cranking power up and down and changing radios and antennas, He is patient!. Baofeng chuck out spurious emissions, maybe not as an old model when think they where better. Cant test, no idea but tend to use that one out and about as the digital a complete waste of time back home. works in a few high locations a walk or bike ride away locations the digital to Fusion access points if on the longer antenna. Got genuine longer ones for both radios as opposite connection, one to other. Nice video. FD70D a disappointment but as in a comment, if out and about in RF noisy place bet I know what would work better and not chuck out nasties everywhere, Still a test at home, Cheap chinese was better but in reality, guess not. Right by some radio station, mobile phone mast, Big transmitter. Any good then, who knows.
Cant get the battery out. Pack up with things in the battery slots, it was loose. Pain to take off, Cant to to info sticker under it. forgot that. Is a nice radio. Yaesu one tends to stay at home if going for a walk, no point taking digital one as only 2 places that work if lucky when get some height. Digital a bit of a non thing in the way of repapers where we live.
One thing that bothers me a little (they all have the same problem) is that you can't use an external microphone for repeater use. When receiving the repeater it won't go in TX. No problem when pressing the PTT on the hanheld itself. Seems a weird bug somehow. But I can live with that for the price of it 🙂
Yes, but you need to check local regulations to see if that is allowed, and on what frequencies. Licensed radio amateurs can use it within the bands assigned to them, sometimes other bands are assigned to license-free usage (PMR), but it differs per country what is assigned and whether you can use these generic radios or need to use a specific type-approved model for that country.
@@g4wwk-k2f Again, you need to check local regulations. It depends on where you live. In some countries there may be no radio regulations or supervision at all.
Dont be fooled by the cheapy Chinese Radio....They are as wide as a barn door and not very selective in noisy environments. The Spectrum on transmit is also a mess with lots of Spikes out of band. Yaesu have filters and are spotlessly clean. You pay a lot more but thats the reason. Also if you read the instructions DO NOT CHARGE BATTERY VIA USB
Remember we’re talking about VHF/UHF, for most uses RX will be functionally the same; most people aren’t doing weak signal work with these anyways. Of course this is anecdotal, but I don’t have much performance difference between my Yaesu and Quansheng
I hear you, but don't waste money dragging quality items through the mud, either. It pains me to say it, but these things are as disposable as a carton of beer. Who cares until next Friday.
@@14KiloWhisky I love "nice things". I really do. And it goes against my grain to call something "disposable". Damaging or losing an ID52 is going to spoil your month, not just your weekend. With one of these things, you're probably not going to draw breath to say "whoops", if you cook it. And as much as I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I'm getting older and good enough is something that I value more, now. These things have their place.
What a nice review! Thanks for your time mate! I am subscribing right away ; i ordered one of these a couple days ago from AliExpress and I'll see what I get ;) 73 de va3kwx from canada
