Quansheng HF Modification Hardware Install

My experience of installing the Quansheng HF modification module into the UV-5R Plus using a SMD solder station.
Link to Paul OM0ET's video:
• VER.1 - HF FULL BAND M...
Link to AliExpress/modification module:
www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...

[@richardevans5921]

Unfortunately Ben the smaller the iron tip the less efficient it becomes. Hot air gun is a waste for replacing smd stuff, ok for re flow work and new work with solder paste. Removing SMDs I always ease a brand new craft knife under and cut them out so no heat involved. You did well for a first attempt at SMD, practice makes perfect mate.

[@m7frs272]

Cheers Richard 👍 Every days a school day!

[@michaelzborovan4362]

U can use the hot air easily if u use a little flux and keep the air on it as your pulling with tweezers... Or use the larger tip as suggested also w flux or actually add a touch of solder to your tip and it'll melt the joint on contact easier.... Last thing.... u HAVE TO tin your iron tip... helps transfer the heat and protects it.... tin your tip between every component as much as you can remember to do it....

[@stevehaynes2857]

I have just booked my first therapy session as a result of watching this.

[@m7frs272]

Sorry about that! Thanks for watching anyway!

[@stevehaynes2857]

@@m7frs272 no need to apologise, it was a very brave attempt and worked out in the end. I admire your patience greatly. Keep on trying new stuff, it makes life worth living.

[@KG-xf9ew]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH EXACTLY my thought. No thank you. But I mean if you brick a $30 radio it's no huge deal

[@hereward1971]

As someone who dose this kind of stuff for a living with medical equipment can I just say "flux is your friend" and it's not the soldering iorn that melts solder........by that I mean it's the solder on the soldering iorn that melts the solder on the board..........Ok now I've got that off my chest.......Well done for perserveiring and actualy having a go! Many would have thrown the towel in but you kept going and much deserved respect for that.

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for your comment and for taking time to watch my video. Hopefully I'm improving my soldering skills. I've recently released another video with the next generation of that modification: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZKZnqyYisaaaLssi=HSQYNECc7azUKfjR

[@ralphthebrick]

Well done mate 😂 You just convinced me that I should not be doing this mod. Bought the parts as well 😏

[@m7frs272]

Sorry if I've put you off! As long as you have a decent soldering iron, and a magnifier etc.... you should be fine. Good luck & thanks for watching 👍

[@PhilG8PJH]

God, that was a painful watch!

[@m7frs272]

It was more painful doing it! Never again lol. Thanks for watching

[@-x-macos1121]

This is a brave attempt and deserves respect ！！

[@m7frs272]

Thank you & thanks for watching 👍

[@ominkan3129]

Thanks for presenting this, you stayed cool as things heated up.

[@m7frs272]

Cheers, I knew it wasn't going to be easy with my limited skills and equipment 😉🤪

[@ominkan3129]

@@m7frs272 Well you also had the disadvantage of the camera needing to watch everything in the process.

[@m7frs272]

@@ominkan3129 Absolutely! The camera & tripod were directly in front of the desk, just where I needed to be!

[@gtretroworld]

Well that was a barrel of fun watching this over breakfast this morning young Ben 😂. Don’t be to afraid of using more heat from the iron as you’ll be in and out with less damage, also just add a bit of fresh solder to those caps and they will lift straight off and not that liquid rubbish. As for those solder stations i doubt the temperature is anywhere near true on the tip. Anyway at least you had a go so have a big thumbs up and don’t let it put you off.

[@m7frs272]

Cheers Neil! Glad it kept you entertaind 🤪 Yeah, your probably right about the solder station, the iron was on maximum temperature and just not man enough for the job. At least it was a successful mod though 👍

[@gtretroworld]

@@m7frs272 Yeah just watched the video of it up and running. Another brill video, keep up the good work.

[@philipwells2793]

Fantastic warts and all video. Well done Ben. I wont follow in your footsteps as I don't have your patience. Looking forward to seeing you test this mod out.

[@m7frs272]

Thanks and glad you enjoyed it. 👍The follow up video is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJXboHmBjMuAgMUsi=ygDVQkOPejUPRPl9

[@MrPhiliplock]

Did the mod on mine yesterday, that little cap was fun

[@Hantu-oi7tx]

Great inspirational Ben. Going for my mod soon. Cheers

[@m7frs272]

Thanks & good luck (hopefully your soldering skills are better than mine! ) Thanks for watching 👍

[@gardeningfromscratch.]

Was going to this mod, but I'm having second thoughts now, thanks for showing me how hard this is to do as I have no previous practise with smd comps, I've built many projects over the years including my first transmitter nearly 65 years ago. I still like valves, (73's G4LEN)

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for watching and commenting. Sorry if I've put you off attempting it. This was my first real attempted at working with tiny SMD components as well. I've certainly learnt a lot from it and there's a lot I'd do differently if I was to do it again! Thanks again, Ben de M7FRS

[@gardeningfromscratch.]

@@m7frs272 Well maybe I get a microscope and still give it a go, I generally don't give up so easily. Thanks for the QSO. 73's.

[@m7frs272]

@@gardeningfromscratch. Good luck and let us know how you get on if you do give it a go! 73

[@wcatfn7928]

Soldering advice (this works for me, take it or leave it!) - ! PRACTICE on scrap boards with similar components ! - keep the soldering iron BIT clean - wipe it on a damp sponge or cloth between each use. Heat does not transfer through the cruddy coating of oxide and/or burned flux. As soon as you have completed a joint, *clean it again* to get the flux off. Flux is very acidic and will dissolve and corrode even coated BITs... before you switch the iron off *clean it again!* ... do this obsessively. - Use a flux core solder (just easier and makes less mess) *beware* the smoke from any flux is acidic and can trigger an asthma attack if you breath it in. - Do NOT carry solder to your joint on the BIT - it is already contaminated with oxide, no longer properly mixed with fresh flux and will not make a good joint. - 'Tin' the bit (melt a little fresh solder on the cleaned bit and then shake/tap off the excess leaving just a silvery surface covering on the bit). - 'Tin' wires and component legs before trying to join them (if resistor legs are even slightly corroded ,clean them by scraping with a knife blade or sanding the surface down to bright metal - failing to do this can result in 'Dry Joints'). - press the clean, tinned bit onto the joint, making sure that clean solder on both surfaces makes contact (best heat transfer) and hold it steady until the the solder already on the joint melts and then immediately feed solder wire between the BIT and the joint allowing it to melt as it goes in ; this is quite a quick action preventing overheating of the joint, too much faffing will eventually melt the glue holding the track onto the board so best to get a good join quickly and first time. - The Soldering BIT on a good Iron will be coated with ceramic and have a magnetically controlled temperature, the back end of the bit is stamped with a numeral like '7' or '8' this is the temperature in 100's of Fahrenheit. - For fine work like this, a slim point BIT is a good choice, but you might want to select a hotter BIT but also work faster to avoid cooking the tracks off. - Use 'Helping Hands' adjustable crock clips to hold the board/part/wire in place while you use hands for the Iron and solder wire. - When soldering the wired resistor, for example, 'tack' both ends of the resistor, you can then re-melt and move one end or the other to reposition it without it falling off. - Use the full length of the resistor wire without cutting it until _after_ it is soldered into place - then snip the waste close to the solder; a good pair of fine-nosed side-cutters helps to keep the result tidy. - If you add too much solder, use a solder sucker bulb or pump to remove excess molten solder and try again. Some people use copper braid - I don't like that. Ironically a solder sucker works better when there is _too much_ solder on the part (so sometimes worth adding some to make it easier to remove it all). - Using the Hot Air Blower, use the smallest hot air tube for a single component like a surface-mount, don't go straight down, but angle the blower a little away from sensitive parts (ribbon cable) and also take care to not melt solder on other adjacent components by angling away where possible. - Using a HIGHER temperature for a shorter time is often more effective. - Pre-heat the tweezers... - Grip the surface-mount component with tweezers and heat both the part AND the tweezers until the solder melts and the part comes off easily (do not pull or lever, you will pull the tracks off), as soon as you remove the heat the solder will harden and it will be too late to remove the part as a separate action, additionally the cold tweezers will drain the heat out of the component and solidify the solder almost instantly. - To remove surface mount components with a soldering iron, place the iron BIT at a low angle along the side of the component and use it to melt additional solder onto both ends at once, then either slide the component off the pads with the iron and tidy the pads up later or lift it with the soldering BIT and a knife blade/point from the other side.

[@m7frs272]

Excellent advice! Thanks & Thanks for watching 👍

[@johnemmons9087]

Awesome stuff! Gonna do mine soon! Of course there are great tutorials on soldering micro parts for those that need them. Don’t sweat it…it’s not that hard!

[@RonanCantwell]

Fitted the mod board to mine yesterday. Bit of a faff! Initially there was no audio output when switching to the hf ranges. This turned out to be poor soldering on the supplied mod board. Two of the ic pins had no connection to the board! Once that was fixed, it worked. Very low audio levels on HF but good fun.

[@m7frs272]

Excellent 👍 well done, thanks for watching!

[@mattrox1221]

You've got to pre-tin your soldering iron tip. That would have helped a lot with this job. Also, sometimes hotter is better; higher temperature will allow you to get in and out quicker without enough time to heat up the surrounding components. I've had my fair share of melting wire insulation to learn lol. great job and thanks for the video.

[@m7frs272]

Thanks very much and thanks for watching 👍

[@jonedue4260]

This i Great Ban, for me it's make much more sense now and easy to understood what to do !. good that i have a good Reading Glasses. Cheers mate and 73's

[@m7frs272]

Glad you enjoyed it and found it useful. Good luck with yours, thanks for watching 👍

[@574rz460v3]

Hope to see a successful mod

[@ugsisr]

Ben, We have been following the same firmware mods with the Quansheng radio..... I am wondering if this mod was performed on a radio that had Egzumer Firmware Flashed? I have Egzumer V 0.22 flashed into one of my radios, another is still stock.. Amazing little radio.... Thank You

[@m7frs272]

This radio was fresh out of the box, so would have been on stock firmware until I flashed CEC_0.41HF It shouldn't matter what it was running, as it will be overwritten.

[@ugsisr]

@@m7frs272 A few folks I know who were using Egzumer had problems changing back to Quansheng firm or Other firmwares, this is why I ask... Thank You

[@robertroesing9682]

You definitely have Butterfingers when it comes to soldering small components cannot use a hot air gun it’s really easy to do just grab the component with your tweezers at one end and set it on the place where you want to solder it and touch the solder tip to the end easy I hope you get it installed correctly without burning traces The reason why the ground wasn’t sticking very good you burnt off all the trace material With hot air gun And the part where you were soldering a six positions, using that hot air gun, you were blowing melted, solder all over the board, and it was sticking to everything

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for your comment. Hopefully I've improved a little now... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZKZnqyYisaaaLs

[@trevorwoods3367]

I would have put a bit of solder on the tip of the iron when removing that small component. The melted solder on the tip will quickly melt the small amount on the component.

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for the info and thanks for watching 👍

[@richardingram3517]

Don't think you should pry on the top. Just pop bottom out and pull it out. Also soldering iron isn't hot enough and you should tin the tip so heat will transfer better. Using hot air where parts are so close is risk to mess up something.

[@m7frs272]

Yes thanks Richard, I quickly realised that I only needed to pry the bottom. I had the Soldering iron on maximum temp, but it's not the most expensive solder station so that was possibly part of the problem. Thanks for watching/commenting.

[@johnemmons9087]

@@m7frs272yep. He’s correct. Solder tip should look shiny with solder every time you touch the board. Ditch heat gun. Go in HOT and remove/ add components quickly. Solder should melt all most as fast as you touch it. We do not wanna heat nearby components. I had an electronic business for a time! 73 great stuff!

[@m7frs272]

@@johnemmons9087 Yeah I think I definitely need a better/hotter soldering iron! Thanks for watching 👍

[@johnemmons9087]

@@m7frs272 you got it! I started soldering boards back in 1974! And still making little boards! I actually soldered a board with a 1/4” solder tip for an attenuator cause I couldn’t find my fine tip! Worked fine. Once you get it you can solder anything with anything! Take care and keep the Quansheng vids coming!

[@m7frs272]

@@johnemmons9087 Thank you!

[@ohyou_6599]

solder paste is why, you should pick up some 0.6mm or even 0.3mm 60/40 rosin core, I think you will like it for small stuff. its a massive difference vs the 1.25mm stuff you used for the big resistor. Looks like a fun mod, I guess it makes the handheld only suitable for receive, and a weird assortment of bands. seems like 153-279khz, then 520-1170khz, then 2.3-26.1mhz I only just got a uv-k5 and now I may have to buy another one for this

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for the information, that's really helpful 👍 When it's in the HF mode it is RX only but the HT will still function just the same in VHF/UHF mode. Thanks for watching and commenting. Here is the follow up video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJXboHmBjMuAgMUsi=L_y2W3LDml0-a-An

[@Technician4444]

When you're desoldering and removing components you have to get used to using a Desoldering Pump. When you apply a Soldering Iron to a Component the solder just runs around the contacts and cools again, that's why it took so long. If you remove all the Solder first the Component will just fall away as there's nothing to hold it there. My approach would have been to use a larger Iron Tip, apply it right on the top of the SMD using a small pump at the same time. I know it's easy for me to say but then I've done it hundreds of times in my line of work, when you get the hang of using a Pump it really is a 5 second job.

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for the advice 👍 Yeah I've got a old standard desoldering pump, but been looking at the electronic desoldering iron (although probably too big for SMD work). Thanks for watching and appreciate your comments 👍

[@jansominka7053]

Well done but my blood pressure went through the roof watching your techniques. The soldering iron is not a spreader. Use decent flux, the type you get in a syringe. Re-flow the pads with tin lead solder if heat wont work. Use copper braid and flux to clean the pads after you removed the components so they are clean and flat for installing the new components. Hope it all works.

[@m7frs272]

Sorry about your blood pressure! (I have some tablets for that lol) Yes, fortunately it does work ok! Thanks for the advice and thanks for watching 👍

[@MrPhiliplock]

That SMD part is not fitted on mine as well

[@m7frs272]

Thanks & Thanks for watching and commenting 👍

[@daveharveys]

I've fitted a mod kit , the choke needs to be placed where the screw is removed or the display can't be re-fitted properly. It is wired between gnd and center pin of sma connector. Be careful using a hot air rework station at 450 degrees other small components are easily blown off the pcb , I would suggest 270 max or a 450 soldering iron. The replacement 0.1uf capacitor is a fiddle, but try solder braid to clean the pads and position replacement capacitor and tack side towards outside of pcb first.

[@luissousa9251]

You can repair the ribbon cable with a optic lenses or microscope camera and solder all the connections back together, and some cap tape

[@m7frs272]

Thanks, I replaced the screen in the end: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIPXinWlgNmsZ9Usi=1Xuwi8Ncv2L82eEQ Thanks for watching 👍

[@alexferm7042]

I'm kind of late to the game, but anyone looking to disassemble this radio should note that the gold nut/ring on the antenna connector is actually under the plastic shell and should not be removed first. You just have to loosen it if/when you remove the aluminum part of the body.

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for the info, I also discovered that afterwards. Thanks for your comment and for watching 👍

[@quentinbush]

I'm stuck at the first hurdle. I have 2 UK K5 radio's, the 2023 model the gold ring unscrews until it gets tight at the top of the thread. The 2024 model the gold ring unscrews very easily until it is flopping about but underneath it is another gold ring!. The top ring goes tight and won't remove. Both radio's are different. I'll keep trying.

[@m7frs272]

Apparently, (if you leave the ring screwd down tight) it's not necessary to remove them as the case should still come away from the housing.

[@gigifrana940]

Get yourself a proper soldering iron mate 😉 I don’t want to say anything about the air station 😂

[@m7frs272]

Definitely a future investment!

[@francescoanselmi8754]

hi, I installed everything, everything works but when I go into mod mode for si4732 it freezes, I checked the soldering several times and they are correct, what could it be?

[@m7frs272]

What Firmware are you using?

[@francescoanselmi8754]

@@m7frs272 I tried fadgi reborn the last one, and just now I put cec 05hf, same thing, everything works but when I try to go to mod it freezes

[@ominkan3129]

Isn't the volume knob underneath fashioned to remove the antenna lock nut?

[@m7frs272]

It doesn't appear to be on the Quanshengs.

[@ominkan3129]

@@m7frs272 oh ok thanks for clearing that up. I hope your mod is working.

[@m7frs272]

@@ominkan3129 Cheers. By some miracle it is! Follow up video coming soon!

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

I want to know how you got your 'ticket'.? While Not being able to identify circuits and components.

[@m7frs272]

Hello, thank for watching and commenting. As I mentioned in the video, I welcome constructive comments and I'm happy to be corrected if I've made a mistake. As you are aware, this hobby is all about experimenting and learning. This kit came with no instructions or identification of parts. You will also be aware that as I hold an 'M7' or UK foundation licence, (which I took during lockdown) there was no practical side to the course and/or assessments. That's (right or wrong) how I acquired my licence (or 'ticket' as you call it) This was never intended as a tutorial video, just a documentation of my own experience and learning. 73 Ben de M7FRS

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

Hmm . So you are happy to plead "ignorance" when the shit hits the fan. I would encourage you to find a local soldering class.

[@m7frs272]

@@snakezdewiggle6084 As I'm sure you are aware, with the newly updated licence conditions, us foundation licence holders are now permitted to build our own equipment, should we wish to. As I'm sure you are also aware, this modification is a 'receive only' mod. I appreciate that the HT is still capable of transmitting on VHF & UHF on 2m & 70cms following the modification, but yes I'm 'Happy' that it is still working within the specified parameters having tested it with the spectrum analyser so no need to 'plead ignorance' (another thing I wasn't taught on the foundation course) but fortunately, thanks to the more helpful of the KZbin community there is plenty of useful content and explanations available. I take on-board your more constructive comment, re a soldering class.

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

@m7frs272 Yes, cos ALL the experts are on the Internet.! Just ask them, they will not mind telling you... What about the emissions above the upper limit of your analyser. If you are a well studied, freshly minted Foundation Licensed operator, you'll have no trouble explaining how many RF paths there are between You and the air by your antenna. And, why adding that mod to your radio has a negative effect on sensitivity and selectivity The answere is not on the Internet, you will have to hit the books. Are you just another "mic jokey", or are you into the science.?

[@MsStevieWoo]

Magnifier, Smd station, clean tips ie angled wedge tips so they hold heat…. I work on my fpv flight controllers a lot, made many mistakes and practice makes perfect. Work quick and clean as possible. I keep my old broken electronic to scavenge from and practice with. I strongly recommend flux paste and solder paste along with iso to clean the flux off afterwards. Flowing a component it’s a tricky beast… best tip don’t wade in unless you can had practices or calmed your hands down 🙈😉 Copper wick was a game changer for my learning 🤙🏻 Kapton tape is a good aid for blanking non target surface mount components

[@m7frs272]

Great advice! Definitely could have done with a magnifier and a better SMD station. (Mine just won't run hot enough) Thanks for watching & commenting 👍

[@andrewmarshall8086]

You is as good as a chocolate poker mate

[@m7frs272]

🤪🤪🤣👍

[@kd5ozy]

your soldering skills gives me anxiety issues. just kidding. good video

[@m7frs272]

Ha ha, yeah me too lol, thanks for watching 👍

[@ominkan3129]

I think you need to use Flux to melt the solder.

[@andrewmarshall8086]

Don't give up your day job

[@m7frs272]

Definitely no chance of that! 🤪🤣👍Thanks for watching!

[@HamTechRadioScannerDrones]

Hi Ben

[@m7frs272]

Hi Andreas, thanks for watching 👍 Best of luck if you're doing yours. Don't be put off by my effort lol (thankfully the mod did work) 👍

[@irfan_adhitya]

Is this can tx??

[@m7frs272]

No, it's a RX only mod.

[@johnemmons9087]

I was considering doing a soldering video and upload it for the community. Is anyone interested? I started doing boards in 1974. Yeah I’m old but not that old!!!😅

[@m7frs272]

That would certainly help me out! I must admit there is room for improvement with my soldering 🤪👍 Thanks for watching 👍

[@johnemmons9087]

@@m7frs272 I’ll do it this weekend. Soldering is quite a skill. Didn’t me to make you feel inadequate or anything! It took me a while to get the hang of it!

[@sony6790]

Hola, cuanta gente habra estropeado el walki y cuanta lo va ha estropear

[@762slinky]

some of the comments are unhelpful, as an SMD operator and Rework Specialist, four things are a must, magnifying lens, flux, decent tweezers and hot air blower.... flux the component location warm it up to melting point, drop in the component (0402) cap and whilst still blowing orientate the component and itll align with the pads when the solder melts.. when working with smd stuff and a blower use kapton tape to protect ribon cables and the other components from heat.... job done. dont be put off by doing mods like this in the future, its a skill that takes time to master but well worth the time and patience.

[@ivanxdxd]

jesus christ what an absolute disaster.

[@m7frs272]

I would agree, but I'm pleased to say I was successful anyway 👍

[@johnwest7993]

When removing components you should actually add solder to the connections and the iron's tip first. That will then substantially improve the spread of heat from the iron tip. BTW, I'm a soldering instructor with NASA certification and 60 years experience, so I'm not just babbling.

[@pawezawadzki5913]

Masakra,ale działa to ok jednak lutowanie nie jest twoją mocną stroną faktycznie

[@YT7RR]

I ve appreciate your effort but i don't like your job so you need to have much more experience with ,, hot air,, solder station and dont forget flux and more flux . On fina lm glad of your success best 73 !!

[@m7frs272]

Thanks for your comment and for watching. Yes I'm still learning 👍 73

[@rosskelly8268]

Insanely fiddly. Like assembling a circuit with dandruff and dust.

[@m7frs272]

Great analysis 🤣 thanks for watching 👍

[@londo776]

why bother HF never works very well in a H/H

[@m7frs272]

I did ask myself that question! The answer is "for fun and experimentation" which is what amateur (Ham) radio is all about 😉 Thanks for watching and commenting 👍

[@londo776]

@@m7frs272 but still pointless

[@raulsecco4186]

🙊

[@miltonlai4850]

Hahahaha ... how could you survive for all these

[@m7frs272]

perseverance! got there in the end and it worked! Thanks for watching.

[@rogermarcoux4467]

Pay careful attention to the way this guy does everything, and don't do any of it the way he does it!

[@NineSeven8]

Without any disrespect but what we've seen here was a radio being butchered. It hurts

[@m7frs272]

Appreciate what you're saying but for me it's an experiment and learning opportunity on a very cheap (I paid £15 for the UV-5R+) radio, which fortunately was a successful mod. Thanks for watching 👍

[@colincolin30]

Why go to all this trouble. Buy a decent radio to start with. X6100 for HF for example works out of the box. No.mods.

[@m7frs272]

What fun would that be? I have HF radios that work out of the box including the Xiegu. Amateur Radio is all about experimenting and learning, this is both. Thanks for watching 👍

[@AnthonyWolffe]

Your soldering is poor 😢

[@cockneyb2k]

Anyone else had trouble with these firmware mods. I was on Egz 0.22 and flashed the ijv 3 but I’ve noticed it don’t pick up much signal. I could pick more up on the Egz. Don’t get me wrong the ijv is clear but even on airband I was picking up more on the Egz firmware.

[@cockneyb2k]

It’s probably lead free solder on the board might be better to add leaded to it then try take it off. Melts at a lower temp