Tokeloshe

Tokeloshe / vuurwerk-firmware

Public

Custom firmware for the Quansheng UV-K5. Adaptive squelch, TX compressor, voice-seeking spectrum analyzer, and 27 original features built on Egzumer.

47
1
100% credibility
Found Feb 22, 2026 at 21 stars 2x -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
C
AI Summary

Custom firmware for the Quansheng UV-K5(8) handheld radio that adds advanced features like live bandscope, adaptive squelch, signal classification, and TX improvements while preserving channels and settings.

How It Works

1
📻 Discover VUURWERK

A ham radio friend tells you about this custom firmware that makes your $30 Quansheng UV-K5 radio perform like a $300 powerhouse with live bandscope and smart signal detection.

2
📥 Download firmware

Grab the ready-to-use firmware file from the project page—no building or tools needed.

3
🔌 Boot radio into update mode

Hold the PTT button while powering on your radio until the flashlight LED lights up, confirming it's ready for update.

4
âš¡ Flash with web tool

Connect your programming cable, open the simple web flasher in Chrome, pick the file, and click flash—it takes just 10 seconds.

5
🔄 Restart radio

Unplug the cable, power cycle, and watch the VUURWERK boot screen appear with live bandscope showing nearby signals.

🎉 Enjoy pro features

Tune clearer signals with adaptive squelch, spot activity instantly with bandscope, and transmit cleanly—your radio now lights up conversations like fireworks.

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AI-Generated Review

What is vuurwerk-firmware?

Vuurwerk-firmware is custom firmware (cfw) for the $30 Quansheng UV-K5 handheld radio, transforming its basic hardware into an adaptive receiver and transmitter. It adds real-time FM gain staging to pull weak signals from noise, voice-detecting squelch that ignores interference, and a live bandscope plus voice-seeking spectrum analyzer for spotting activity fast. Written in C and built atop Egzumer, it packs 27 original features into the stock 60KB flash limit.

Why is it gaining traction?

Unlike stock firmware's fixed settings, vuurwerk-firmware runs closed-loop algorithms that measure noise floors, signal types, and audio levels to auto-adjust—making RX cleaner on pagers or weak repeaters, and TX punchier with compression and CTCSS lead-in. Shortcuts like F+9 for band calling frequencies and categorized menus cut navigation time, while innovations like squelch tail elimination feel like upgrades from $300 radios. Developers tweaking radios dig the zero-warnings build and Docker compile script.

Who should use this?

Ham radio ops with UV-K5 V1 hardware monitoring events, repeaters, or airband who hate false squelch opens or lost first syllables on TX. Spectrum hunters scanning for voice activity without a PC SDR. Avoid if you have V2/V3 boards—strict compatibility.

Verdict

Flash it if you own compatible UV-K5 hardware; the adaptive smarts deliver real field gains despite 18 stars and 1.0% credibility signaling early maturity. Docs are thorough (algorithms, flashing guide), but test recovery tools ready. Solid for tinkerers, skip for production-critical use.

(198 words)

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