IJV offers a series of very interesting features, especially regarding signal reception, a more advanced interface in the main menu and submenus, and the management of up to 999 channels through the replacement of the EEPROM memory.

The main advantages that IJV offers over the stock firmware are:

• Better interface with stacked windows, similar to contextual menus.
• Allows the input of frequencies above GHz in single-channel display mode.
• AGC: Adjustment of the incoming signal gain. Manual for FM, automatic for AM and SSB.
• DSB transmission emulation (Double SSB).
• Possibility of using an external Upconverter to expand the supported frequency range (reception only).
• Rit & Xit.
• Stable reception on SSB.
• SATCOM circuit activation with reception boost > +9dB.
• QRA (ID in CW mode).
• Adjustment of the 3 transmission power levels.
• Adjustment of the 9 Squelch levels: RSSI, NOISE, GLITCH.
• Compander.
• Extended reception frequency range: 15 - 1300MHz, with a gap from 620 - 840MHz.
• Quick frequency/tone search: FC (Frequency Copy).
• Quick tone search.
• Channel list, band or frequency range scanning.
• SMETER indicator.
• Modulation indicator during transmission.
• DTMF, ZVEI, CCIR tone support.
• CW (Continuous Wave) modulation, morse.

On the other hand, some concessions had to be made since space is limited:

• Spectrum analyzer.
• Power on password.
• NOAA support.
• VOICE: The annoying menu voices have been removed.
• ALARM: The alarm functionality has been removed.
• Battery percentage indicator.
• Blinking LED.
• USB charging information.
• AirCopy.
• Remote kill functionality

If you are new to the world of amateur radio, I recommend this previous article where the basics are explained.

The article is composed of the following sections:

• 999 channels
• Reflash
• Functions
• Buttons and functions
• Screen indicators
• Scan function
• DTMF calls
• Frequency scanner
• Frequencies above 1000 MHz (GHz)
• Rit/Xit
• Scrambling
• CHIRP
• Bugs

999 channels:

By replacing the 8K EEPROM (24C64) with a 128K EEPROM (24M01) and loading the correct IJV image, we can increase the capacity of stored channels in the radio from 200 to 999.

We can see the location of the EEPROM in the following images:

Board location	24C64	24M01

The firmware version depends on whether we have made the hardware modification:

firmware_IJV_V3.bin  ⇒ 200 channels.
firmware_IJV_VX3.bin ⇒ 999 channels.

If we load the firmware version firmware_IJV_V3 on a radio with the hardware modification, it will still show 200 channels.
However, if we load the firmware version firmware_IJV_VX3 on an unmodified radio, it won’t detect any saved channels; it can only operate in VFO mode.

Reflash:

Before we begin, we need to install Mono on Wine-Linux, and then proceed to make a backup of the configuration and calibration files as indicated in this previous article.

It’s also advisable to save the current radio configuration. This will be useful later for loading the channels into the new firmware.
To perform the backup, simply follow these steps in CHIRP :

• Radio -> Download from radio
• File -> Save As ...

Now we can proceed with the re-flashing. First, we download k5prog as indicated on the IJV website. There’s also the option of using the web flasher , but in my case, it doesn’t work under FreeBSD, so I prefer the VM-Wine-Linux option.

Depending on whether we have made the hardware modification to have 999 channels, we will download one version or the other of K5prog:

mkdir IJV
cd IJV
wget https://www.universirius.com/SirioArchive/Materiel_pr_site/Firmware-IJV/K5prog_IJV_V3.zip
unzip K5prog_IJV_V3.zip

mkdir IJV
cd IJV
wget https://www.universirius.com/SirioArchive/Materiel_pr_site/Firmware-IJV/K5prog_IJV_VX3.zip
unzip K5prog_IJV_VX3.zip

We download the firmware; the compressed file is generic regardless of whether we have made the hardware modification, as it contains both images:

In this compressed file, we will find:

  changelog.txt                         Changes between versions.
  firmware.IJV_V3.18.bin                Non modified hardware firmware image.
  firmware.IJV_VX3.18.bin               Modified hardware firmware image.
  installazione modulo per chirp.pdf    Instructions in Italian on how to load the module in CHIRP.
  useful links.txt                      Some useful links related to IJV.
  uvk5_IJV_v3_43.py                     CHIRP module for the version without hardware modification.
  uvk5_IJV_vX3_43.py                    CHIRP module for the version with hardware modification.

We start the walkie in reflashing mode:

PTT button + switch on the radio.

Start k5prog:

Before reflashing, we make sure to have enough battery in the walkie.

We specify the serial port and the firmware image.	We select the correct image.

Once reflashed, we’ll need to perform a Reset ALL. This step is required regardless of whether we’ve switched from a different firmware to IJV or if we’ve updated between IJV versions or from IJV-V3 to IJV-VX3. It’s always required.

We start the walkie in extended menu mode:

PTT button + SideKey1 + switch on the radio.
RESET menu entry: ALL

We can see the exact procedure in the following video:

To avoid losing channels during a firmware migration or an update within IJV, we must have backed up the channels as indicated at the beginning of this section of the article and follow the following steps from CHIRP to restore them:

• Open a backup file from any firmware.
• Copy the channels from the Memories tab.
• Read the data from the radio: Radio -> Download from radio.
• Paste the copied channels from the backup.
• Upload the configuration: Radio -> Upload to radio.

NOTE: This procedure seems to have issues. When pasting, it appears as if nothing has been done. However, if we upload the configuration to the radio and then download it, we’ll see that the channels appear pasted but in the incorrect order, the scan lists don’t appear in the dropdown, all channels have a squelch of 0. It seems that migrating the channel memories is not a good idea, at least in IJV.

For greater convenience, I have configured an alias to run the software more easily:

alias quanshengK5prog='ssh -vYC ubuntu@192.168.69.5 "WINEARCH=win32 WINEPREFIX=~/.local/share/wineprefixes/wineprefix32 wine ~/K5prog_IJV_V3.exe"'

Functions:

If we enter the extended menu, we can see the extra configuration parameters. To do this, we start by pressing:

SideKey1 + PTT + Power On

Buttons and functions:

All keypad buttons have a special function that is activated by pressing the F key in combination or by holding down the button for a few seconds:

Screen indicators:

IJV allows you to view two channels simultaneously or dedicate the entire display to show information for just one:

Dual visualization	Single visualization

NOTE: In the VFO indicator, VA3 in the screenshot indicates VFO mode, line A of the display in the third band: F3 136∽173.9975 MHz.

Additional information can appear at the top of the screen or below the frequency:

At the top of the screen.	Below the frequency.

Meaning of the symbols:

Symbol	Meaning
	Monitor: The monitor mode has been enabled, the Squelch is open.
	DualRX(56): Dual reception on both channels has been enabled.
	Keylock: The walkie has the keypad locked.
	SatCom(52): Satellite reception mode has been enabled.
	BatSav(49): Indicates that power saving mode has been enabled.
	Skip Scan: Indicates that this channel will be skipped during a scan.
	Scramb(28): Indicates that scrambling has been enabled.
	Write Protect: The channel is protected against overwriting. This option is only configurable via CHIRP . Note: It is bugged and overwriting is allowed.

Scan function:

IJV allows for three different types of scans.

Channel List:

• Assign channels to the list by pressing and holding 7(VOX).
• Select the list using F+*(Scan).
• Start the scan by pressing and holding *Scan. Sm (Memory Scan) will appear at the top of the screen. When it reaches the last channel in the list, it will continue scanning from the beginning.

Frequency Band:

• Choose the band to scan by setting a frequency within the range or by selecting a Preset(54).
• Start the scan by pressing and holding *Scan. SG (General Scan) will appear at the top of the screen. When it reaches the end of the band, it will continue scanning from the beginning.

Frequency Range:

• Set the starting frequency and press F+Down Arrow.
• Set the ending frequency and press F+Up Arrow.
• Start the scan by pressing and holding *Scan. Sp (Partial Scan) will appear at the top of the screen. When it reaches the end of the range, it will continue scanning from the beginning.

In all three cases, keep in mind that if you press:

• EXIT(D) while scanning, it will stop the scan and return to the initial frequency.
• EXIT(D) just as a signal is found, it will stop the scan and stay on that frequency.
• PTT will stop the scan at the last scanned frequency, not where it detected a signal.
• *Scan will add the frequency to the blacklist. It will appear with an * in the list of frequencies detected during the scan SCList(51).
• Using the arrows, you can change the scan direction.

The SCList(51) is bugged. If the list of detected frequencies isn’t long enough to require scrolling, the last frequency won’t appear even though it’s saved. However, if you press the down arrow, you can see that it can be selected.

DTMF calls:

The basic idea is to have a set of walkie-talkies on the same frequency and be able to call one of them or a group of them using DTMF codes. Each walkie-talkie must have a unique identifier called Own ID(34) and have the D Call(41) + PTT ID(44): DTMF CALL ID enabled.

If we transmit on the channel without dialing the Own ID(34), nobody who has activated the D Call(41) + PTT ID(44): DTMF CALL ID will hear us. The green light will illuminate indicating radio signal reception, but no sound will be heard. However, if we mark an Own ID(34) that matches one of the walkie-talkies, it will directly hear the audio without having to “pick up”.

The configuration parameter D RSP(38) only apply to the receiving walkie-talkie:

• DO NOTHING: If the receiving walkie-talkie receives its Own ID(34), the audio will come out of the speaker. We could say it’s like a phone with automatic pick-up.
• RING: Behaves exactly like DO NOTHING but also emits a ringing tone that only stops when the receiver makes a transmission. I don’t see any usefulness in this.
• REPLY: Behaves exactly like DO NOTHING but the receiving walkie-talkie also replies. This way, the transmitting walkie-talkie knows that the other side is active and has heard the audio.
• BOTH: Enables both RING and REPLY.

If there is no longer transmission on the channel, the call will remain auto-picked up for the time configured in D Hold(39). If we want to delete a character in DTMF dial mode, we must press SideKey1.

There are several ways to make a call:

• Manually: Holding PTT, Destination Own ID * Origin Own ID. For example, if our ID is 111 and we want to call 222, it would be: 222 * 111.
• Semi-automatically: Pressing *Scan, Destination Own ID, PTT. In this mode, our Own ID is also sent automatically.
• Using UpCode(35): Configure the destination of the call in UpCode(35), whether it’s a walkie-talkie or a group ID.

To call a group, you need to define from CHIRP the parameter Settings -> DTMF/Selcall Settings -> DTMF Group Call Code, assuming it is #, calling 12# would be calling 120-129, with 1## to 100-199, ### 000-999 all possible users.

We must bear in mind that this is still an open channel; anyone can receive, and anyone can transmit on our frequency once a call is auto-accepted. That is, if a colleague calls a walkie-talkie, it opens communications, and if a third party unrelated to the group transmits on that frequency at that moment, the two “friendly” walkie-talkies will hear the third party, and of course, this third party has always been able to hear the audio from the “friendly” walkie-talkies.

I’ll leave a demonstrative video with configured DTMF contacts (equivalent to semi-automatic calling) and the D RSP(38) set to REPLY. We can see that IJV works without problems (unlike EGZUMMER ) with the factory firmware.

Frequency scanner:

This walkie-talkie has a very interesting function called Frequency Scanner F Copy(45). This allows us to determine the frequency and the tone/code being used by another walkie-talkie. All we need to do is activate this function and wait for the other walkie-talkie to emit a signal. Finally, we can save the configuration by pressing M(A). This feature is very useful when working with inexperienced people in the radio world who may not know what parameters are configured.

Another functionality related to the Frequency Scanner is the Tone/Code scanner CtScan(46). If we know the frequency at which the counterpart is transmitting but we don’t know its tone/code , we can use this functionality, and it will automatically detect the tone/code . Again, we can save the configuration by pressing M(A).

NOTE: The walkies shown in the videos have been configured with a tone as an example, but with digital codes, it would be exactly the same.

This firmware has a little-known option to start scanning for tones/codes from the menu itself: RxCTCS(8), Rx DCS(10). Just like before, we can save the configuration by pressing M(A). However, if it hasn’t detected the correct tones/codes , we can press the Up/Down arrow to continue scanning.

Frequencies above 1000 MHz (GHz):

To input frequencies higher than 1000 MHz, follow these steps:

• Switch to single-channel mode: F+2(A/B).
• Input the desired frequency by entering all 8 digits.

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Rit/Xit:

The Rit (Receiver Incremental Tuning) / Xit (Transmitter Incremental Tuning) allows for temporarily configuring a reception frequency different from the transmission frequency and vice versa. It essentially achieves the same outcome as setting an offset but in a quicker and more agile manner.

This functionality is particularly useful when communicating with equipment that isn’t perfectly aligned to the indicated frequency, emitting or receiving on frequencies slightly off from what their display shows. Some reasons for this could be the equipment’s poor precision or overheating due to excessive transmission time (Tx TOT).

Suppose we are communicating on the frequency 145.000 MHz, but the counterpart’s radio experiences a drift of +100 Hz on transmission and +200 Hz on reception.

In such a case, we need to configure our walkie-talkie with a reception frequency of 145.00010 MHz and a transmission frequency of 145.00020 MHz:

• Switch to single-channel mode: F+2(A/B).
• Input the desired frequency: 145.000 MHz.
• Set a Step(2) of 100Hz.
• Configure the Rit: Press and hold 8(R) and adjust using the arrows: 145.00010 MHz. You will see an ‘F’ at the top of the screen.
• Configure the Xit: Press and hold 8(R) and adjust using the arrows: 145.00020 MHz. You will see an ‘F’ at the top of the screen.
• After a while (8s) or upon transmitting, the ‘F’ at the top of the screen will disappear, and you will be able to receive with a 100Hz offset and transmit with a 200Hz offset.
• If the drift changes again, press the arrows to adjust both the reception and transmission frequencies simultaneously.
• Press Exit(D) to realign both frequencies to the starting point.

NOTE: To readjust the Rit/Xit, press ‘F’ to re-enable the function mode.

In the following videos, the configuration is performed using both the offset and the Rit/Xit, starting from single-channel mode, the initially configured frequency, and a 100Hz step. We can observe that using the offset required a total of 10 keystrokes, whereas using Rit/Xit only required 5:

Scrambling:

The conversations can be “encrypted” using scrambling Scramb(28), which is essentially a code used to encrypt the signal. The walkie-talkie that does not have it configured will hear a distorted version of the audio. We must remember that encrypting any communication is illegal in Spain.

We can observe its effect in this video:

CHIRP:

CHIRP is a widely used configuration software that supports a large number of devices.

To manage the IJV firmware, we need to enable developer mode and load the Python module that came in the compressed file along with the firmware image.

Help ->  'Developer Mode

Enable developer mode	Confirm

It will ask us to restart CHIRP to apply the changes.

After restarting, load the module:

File -> Load Module...

Load the module	Confirm

Depending on whether we have made the hardware modification to have 999 channels, we load one version or another:

uvk5_IJV_v3_36.py

uvk5_IJV_vX3_36.py

We will see that now the background of CHIRP has changed to red:

NOTE: CHIRP is a rather cumbersome software. For example, if we select a value from a dropdown menu but don’t remove the focus from the parameter, it will NOT be applied. This means that if we upload the configuration to the radio, it won’t have been applied.

To connect to the radio:

Radio -> Download from radio

Connect to the radio.	Select the model/firmware

Channel list:
It will show us the channels. In my opinion, the interface leaves much to be desired as it is very complicated to understand what each field is for. It would have been much simpler to map one column for each option in the walkie-talkie menu as CPS does. Despite its lack of intuitiveness, I will try to explain what each parameter does:

NOTE: The Skip column seems to be a bug because to ignore a channel in a scan, we only need to avoid it being part of a scanlist. To define the scanlists, we must do it from Settings -> Memory Group, and to make the channel part of one list or another, we must show the extra fields (explained below) and select the correct list in the column Group.

The DTCS Polarity option specifies the polarity of the tone/code for output/input. Tones only allow positive polarity (N), while digital codes allow positive (N) and negative (R) polarity:

The Tone Mode option can take one of the following values:

NOTE: Cross, this mode should be assigned when we want to make mixed configurations, meaning not having only codes or only tones, but being able to choose for the input whether we will use codes or tones, and similarly for the output. This field depends on another column: Cross Mode.

The Cross Mode column determines whether codes or tones will be used. The first field indicates transmission and the second reception:

NOTE: For some reason, the option Tone -> is missing. This is a CHIRP issue, and I suppose they will fix these kinds of bugs over time. Remember that support for Quansheng is still experimental.

Some modes are more restrictive than others. For example, if we configure only digital code as output, it doesn’t make sense to have an input tone configured. CHIRP detects these restrictions but doesn’t do it very well. We have to click on other fields, even if we’re not changing anything, to apply these restrictions.

Settings:
In the Settings tab, we can find the bulk of the configuration options.

Basic Settings:

VFO/Channel Mode:

RF Gain Settings:
This section only allows us to read the gain applied in reception on each band.

Programmable keys:
This section allows configuring the function of the side keys.

DTMF/Selcall Settings:

DTMF Contacts:
Editing DTMF contacts.

Memory Group:
Configuration of the active scan list and editing of the list names.

Preset list:
In this section, we can edit the frequency range that each band covers and the default parameters for each one. This is what IJV calls a preset: PrSave(19)/Preset(54).

Expert Settings:

Driver information:
In this section, we can view the firmware version and disable the default limits imposed by CHIRP. Disabling these limits is necessary when using IJV.

Browser:
This section appears to be a raw configuration parameter explorer. Normally, there is no need to modify anything from this section.

Info:
This tab is purely informational, displaying different types of information in each section.

Features:
It shows the radio’s capabilities:

Image Metadata:
It seems like it’s bugged or this radio doesn’t provide that information.

Driver:
It shows information about the radio model and the module loaded in CHIRP.

Extra fields:
In the “Memories” section, additional parameters can be displayed if we enable them.

View -> Show extra fields

NOTE: The “Write Protect” option is bugged; it still allows overwriting protected channels.

Actually, these parameters can also be accessed without enabling the mentioned menu. You just need to click on:

Right click over the channel -> Properties -> Extra Tab

It seems that CHIRP is quite buggy at the moment, at least with this walkie model. For example, we can see on channel 1 that it doesn’t have any tone/code assigned. But in the Properties section, it shows digital tones and other settings.

BUGS:

• The SCList(51) list is bugged, as demonstrated in the video of the scan function section.
• Write Protect option in CHIRP : The channel protected against overwriting can indeed be overwritten.