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UV Studio

UV Studio is the browser-based companion for compatible F4HWN firmware on the UV-K1 and UV-K5 V3. It combines live display and remote keypad functions, firmware installation, radio maintenance, Multiboot management, and Labs app management in one interface.

Open it here:

https://armel.github.io/uvstudio/

UV Studio communicates directly with the radio through the Web Serial API. Radio data is handled locally in the browser; no application installation, server account, or cloud upload is required.

[!IMPORTANT] UV Studio is not limited to the Fusion edition. Its general tools work with compatible F4HWN editions, while some views require a specific firmware capability. In particular, overlay-app management and the external-Flash tools are for Labs.

Version status

UV Studio v1.6.0 accompanies the stable firmware v6.1.0. In addition to the v6 firmware catalog, Multiboot slot management, and versioned official overlay-app catalog, it adds:

Requirements

You need:

A downloaded copy of the complete UV Studio source tree can also be opened locally. It is a static HTML/CSS/JavaScript application and does not require a build step or local web server.

Feature and radio-mode summary

Tool Required radio state Firmware requirement
Live Viewer and live RF Log normal startup compatible Viewer/RF Log support
Flash Firmware DFU / flash mode UV-K1 or UV-K5 V3 bootloader
Calibration, Boot Logo, RF Log export normal startup compatible F4HWN firmware
Firmware Slots normal startup Multiboot-capable v6.0.0 or newer
Apps normal startup Labs with overlay-app support
External Flash backup/restore normal startup v6.1.0 Labs with external-Flash access
Factory software restoration normal Labs startup, then DFU when prompted v6.1.0 Labs for the first stage

To enter DFU mode, switch the radio off, hold PTT, and switch it on while continuing to hold PTT. Release PTT, then connect or reconnect the data cable. No side key is required.

What UV Studio can do

UV Studio provides:

UV Studio owns the serial connection globally. It prevents two operations from using the port at the same time and keeps or re-establishes the connection when switching between compatible normal-mode tools.

Live Viewer

The Live Viewer mirrors the radio display and provides matching UV-K1 and UV-K5 virtual keypads.

  1. Start the radio normally.
  2. Connect the radio to the computer.
  3. Open Live Viewer, select the appropriate keypad, and click Connect.
  4. Choose the radio serial port.
  5. Use the virtual keypad or computer keyboard.
  6. Click Disconnect before unplugging the cable.

The toolbar can restart the connected radio, capture a screenshot, change the simulated LCD appearance, and detach the keypad into a floating window. The built-in Help panel lists all keyboard shortcuts; common controls include arrow keys for navigation, digits for short presses, Shift plus a key for a long press, Enter or M for Menu, Esc for Exit, and F1 / F2 for the side buttons.

[!IMPORTANT] Viewer control cannot start a transmission. The displayed PTT is unavailable and UV Studio is not a remote-TX tool.

RF Log

When the running firmware supports RF Log and the Viewer bridge, UV Studio displays live RX and TX sessions with:

The separate Export RF Log tool reads up to the latest 512 stored activities and power-on markers and creates rf-log.csv. Keep the radio in normal mode. If channel names or configuration-bank information are wrong, update to a firmware containing the latest v6 RF Log fixes.

Flash Firmware

[!WARNING] Flashing an incompatible or corrupted image can leave the radio unusable. Confirm the model and bootloader compatibility, make a calibration backup, and keep the cable connected until the operation finishes.

The firmware catalog groups current stable F4HWN builds by edition, includes the rolling Fusion development build, and can also offer compatible stock images. A local .bin file remains available when the catalog cannot be loaded or when using a custom build.

  1. Start the radio in DFU mode.
  2. Open Flash Firmware.
  3. Select the correct catalog entry or choose a compatible local .bin file.
  4. Click Flash firmware and select the serial port.
  5. Wait for the progress operation to finish and for the radio to restart.

When a stable versioned F4HWN build is selected, UV Studio offers the shared CHIRP driver published for that firmware version. The rolling development and stock builds do not use that automatic driver link.

Firmware Slots

All four official v6.0.0 editions support Multiboot. UV Studio manages user slots 1 to 4 in external Flash. The protected Main backup is maintained by the firmware and is intentionally not exposed as a writable slot.

To install another edition:

  1. Start a Multiboot-capable radio normally.
  2. Open Firmware Slots and refresh the table.
  3. Select a compatible stable v6.x F4HWN image from the catalog or load a local .bin file.
  4. Choose slot 1 to 4 and optionally enter a display name of up to 15 characters.
  5. Select Write to slot, confirm, and wait for erase, write, and full CRC verification.

The slot catalog intentionally excludes stock firmware, v5 firmware, and the rolling development image because those entries are not guaranteed to return to the Multiboot selector.

Each populated slot has two independent maintenance actions:

See Multiboot and Multiconfig for Main, slot selection, configuration banks, SetCfg, and recovery behavior.

Apps (Labs)

The Apps view manages the eight experimental overlay-app slots in the Labs edition.

  1. Start Labs normally and open Apps.
  2. Refresh the app-slot table.
  3. Select the firmware version, then an official app from its versioned catalog; alternatively, load a local .app file.
  4. Select the target slot and choose Install app.
  5. On the radio, use F + 7, select the app, and press M.

UV Studio shows the app name, version, size, and validation status. Deleting an app erases only that app slot.

[!IMPORTANT] Overlay apps are tied to the firmware ABI, API level, RAM address, and capabilities. Select the app catalog version matching the installed firmware. Reinstall compatible apps after a firmware update when required.

See Overlay apps for loader compatibility and Overlay applications for each app’s purpose and controls.

Choosing the right backup or copy

These operations protect or copy different parts of the radio and are not interchangeable:

Operation What it contains Best use Calibration behavior
UV Studio Calibration device-specific RF and hardware calibration essential safety backup for one radio explicitly reads or restores calibration; use only with the same radio
CHIRP radio image channels plus settings understood by that driver version editing and migrating memories/settings not a replacement for a calibration backup
UV Studio External Flash raw 2 MiB external-Flash image, including configurations, slots, apps, logs, logo, and calibration data in the backup file complete file backup and recovery restoration deliberately preserves the calibration already present on the target radio
AirCopy memory or Settings selected memory banks and/or compatible radio settings synchronizing selected data between two radios does not copy hardware calibration
AirCopy Flash 2M external Flash cloned directly over a cable making another radio’s shared external-Flash state match the source excludes and preserves the target radio’s calibration sector

For routine upgrades, make at least a calibration backup and a CHIRP image. Use the full external-Flash backup before experimenting with Multiboot, app slots, factory recovery, or low-level storage.

External Flash backup and restore (v1.6.0)

This tool requires the external-Flash commands provided by v6.1.0 Labs. It is not available in v6.0.0.

The External Flash view reads or restores the complete 2 MiB PY25Q16 external SPI Flash by physical address. This includes configuration banks, firmware slots, app slots, the RF log, Multiboot state, boot logo, and other shared data.

Back up

  1. Start a compatible Labs build normally.
  2. Open External Flash and select Back up.
  3. Click Read external flash and choose the serial port.
  4. Wait for the complete chip to be read; this can take several minutes.
  5. Download external-flash.bin.

The backup is exactly 2 MiB. Store it safely: it contains radio configuration and device-specific calibration data.

Restore

  1. Start a compatible Labs build normally.
  2. Open External Flash and select Restore.
  3. Choose a complete 2 MiB backup created by this tool.
  4. Click Restore external flash and confirm the destructive operation.
  5. Keep the radio powered and connected until verification completes and the radio reboots.

UV Studio refuses files that are not exactly 2 MiB. It works sector by sector in 4 KiB units and never erases or writes the device-specific calibration sector. With current firmware it compares CRC32 values, skips sectors that are already identical, writes only the remaining sectors, and verifies each one. It falls back to a direct byte comparison when the CRC command is unavailable.

[!WARNING] Restoration replaces almost all external-Flash content, including settings, logs, logo, apps, firmware slots, and Multiboot state. The calibration sector of the receiving radio is preserved, so a full backup from one radio is not a method for copying that radio’s calibration to another.

For a direct radio-to-radio copy of external Flash, see the separate cable-only Flash 2M function in AirCopy.

Factory software restoration (v1.6.0)

The Factory reset view is a guided two-stage recovery for returning a UV-K1 or UV-K5 V3 to matching Quansheng software:

  1. Start v6.1.0 Labs normally.
  2. Open Factory reset and select the exact model: UV-K1 or UV-K5 V3.
  3. Confirm the warning. UV Studio loads the matching reconstructed factory external-Flash image and stock firmware, then verifies their size and SHA-256 before writing anything.
  4. UV Studio restores and verifies the external Flash while preserving the device-specific calibration sector.
  5. When prompted, switch the radio off and enter DFU mode. Do not start it normally between the two stages.
  6. Select Continue in DFU; UV Studio installs the matching stock firmware automatically.

The bundled stock targets are UV-K1 v7.03.01 and UV-K5 V3 v7.00.11.

[!WARNING] This is a destructive software restoration. It removes F4HWN settings, Multiboot state, firmware slots, overlay apps, RF logs, and the custom logo. The external image is a reconstructed factory state, not an untouched physical dump. Select the correct model and do not interrupt either stage.

Calibration

Calibration is device-specific. Create a backup before firmware experiments or low-level maintenance, and name the file with the radio model or serial number so backups are not mixed between devices.

To back it up:

  1. Start the radio normally.
  2. Open Calibration and select Back up.
  3. Click Read calibration data.
  4. Download calibration.dat.

To restore it:

  1. Start the same radio normally.
  2. Open Calibration and select Restore.
  3. Choose its calibration.dat file.
  4. Click Restore calibration data and wait for completion.

[!WARNING] Restore only the calibration belonging to that radio unless you fully understand the consequences.

Compatible builds can use a custom 128x64 monochrome image at startup or as a screen saver.

To upload a logo:

  1. Start the radio normally.
  2. Open Boot Logo and select Upload.
  3. Choose an image in a common format such as PNG, JPEG, or BMP.
  4. Adjust Threshold and Invert colors while checking the preview.
  5. Select Upload logo to radio.
  6. Choose LOGO in POnMsg, or a compatible logo mode in SetSav.

The Download tab reads the current image, previews it, and saves it as logo.png.

Troubleshooting

If UV Studio cannot communicate with the radio:

The expandable Console records protocol and operation details that can help identify an unsupported command, timeout, validation failure, or wrong file.