Radio operation
Radio display is split into upper VFO and lower VFO. You can change upper/lower selection by pressing F + 2 A/B (or by long press 2 A/B).
Each VFO can independently of each other function in either frequency or channel mode. To switch modes select the desired VFO and press F + 3 VFO/MR (or long press 3 VFO/MR).
In the frequency mode you manually type in the frequency with the keypad. You can also switch different options for that VFO in the menu (first 13 menu entries). If you setup the VFO, the settings can be saved to a memory channel by going into the menu ChSave and choosing the memory channel the VFO should be saved into.
In the channel mode you can switch between saved memory channels. Memory channels can be added manually as mentioned before or with a computer software. You can use either Quansheng Portable Radio CPS or the recommended open source software called Chirp.
Use a Baofeng/Kenwood-like USB-2-Serial-cable with CH340-chip inside.
Press the programming cable firmly into the radio and check that a blue LED lights up near the antenna.
Initially, Chirp comes with popup. Configure that something like this.
In addition to memory channels, you can also adjust various Settings, such as the power-on screen and more...
Just keep in mind that this firmware's options are expanded in many cases. Some functions or settings may not be available in the computer software, e.g. backlight timeout will have different settings, backlight brightness or MENU button long press function won't be available at all, etc. Those can be changed only in the radio menu.
To start a frequency scan switch the VFO to frequency mode. Set the start frequency. Set the frequency step (menu Step). Start scanning with custom button scan function or by long pressing * Scan button.
To scan channels saved in the radio memory switch the VFO to Memory mode.
The radio has 2 scanning lists. Each memory-channel can belong to 0, 1 or 2 lists. To add/delete a channel to/from a list switch current VFO to desired channel and go to a menu ScAdd1 or ScAdd2, alternatively you can long press 5 NOAA button, you will see icons I and II toggling on and off on the right side of the channel label.
If you set up the scanning lists you can start scanning by using custom button scan function or by long pressing * Scan button. If you press the function button or long press * Scan while scanning, the scanning list will be switched, you will see corresponding icon on the top left of the screen: 1, 2 or * (star means: All memory channels). Active scanning list can also be changed with menu SList. You can view scan lists and its channels by going to menu: SList1 or SList2.
Editing of memory- and scan-list is much easier on an PC with Chirp.
You can change the scan direction while scanning with UP/DOWN buttons.
The scan can be stopped with the EXIT button, the search result will be ignored and frequency/channel will return to the one that was set before scan begun. Alternatively you can stop the scan with PTT or MENU button in which case the frequency/channel will be set to the last channel where transmission was found.
This function will allow you to find out and copy frequency and coding settings. The frequency search will only work for strong signals. The transmitting radio has to be close. To start a frequency copy (FC) function use 4 FC function button. Scanner screen will open. Push and hold a PTT button on the other radio. Wait couple of seconds until frequency and code (if used) appears on the screen. The settings can be saved with the MENU button. The settings will be save either to a channel or the main VFO, depending in which mode you started the scan.
You can also search only the DCS/CTCSS code for a frequency set on the main VFO. Choose desired frequency or channel and press F + * SCAN. The same screen will appear, but the frequency search will be omitted, instead the frequency of the main VFO will be used. Wait for a signal to appear or press the PTT on the other radio. It takes 1-2sec for the code to be found. The save procedure is the same as above.
There is another option of DCS/CTCSS code scanning. Choose desired frequency or a channel. Go to the menu RxDCS or RxCTCS. Enter the menu option and press * SCAN button. A SCAN label will appear. Wait for a radio signal or press the PTT button on the other radio. When code is found the SCAN label will disappear, to save confirm the option with the MENU button. It doesn't matter on which of the two menu items you start the scan. Both DCS and CTCSS will always be found, and the menu entry will be changed to the correct one.
When the PTT is pressed, the 1750 Hz can be activated by pressing Function-button-II (side key 2, bottom)
DTMF calling can be turned on in the menu D Decd (DTMF Decoding). You need a computer and programming cable to setup the whole system. You need to change ANI ID (programmable from the computer) of each radio to be unique in your network. It is also a good idea to program the list of contacts, their IDs and names.
The basic idea is to be able to dial a one particular person (or a group) among many on the same frequency. If you turn on the DTMF calling on a given channel your radio will be silent on that channel until an incoming call arrives with the destination ID matching ANI ID of your radio. If you receive the call a time window opens up in which the speaker activates and a person on the other side can talk to you. The time window expires after a delay set in D Hold menu entry from the time when incoming signal disappears.
The call pattern is recipient*sender where recipient is the ANI ID of a radio to which the call is being sent to, and sender is ANI ID of a radio that transmits the call (e.g. 102*103). In QS radio you only need to enter the recipient ID, the rest is appended automatically. You can send the call in two ways. One is, you go to the menu D list and choose a contact from the list and hit MENU button, its ID will be copied to the DTMF input box. You can transmit the call with PTT button. You can also open the DTMF input box by short press * SCAN button, and enter 3 digit recipient ID and hit PTT to send.
You can use # wildcard in place of any of the ID digits to make a group calls where every radio matching the pattern will activate. In particular you can call ### to call everyone.
Menu items for DTMF calling:
-
ANI ID- ID of your radio. -
D ST- DTMF site tone, whether you want to hear the tones in your speaker while they are being sent -
D Resp-
DO NOTHING- does nothing -
RING- radio beeps while the receiving time window is active -
REPLAY- sends a DTMF call back to the caller -
BOTH- both REPLAY and RING
-
-
D Hold- length of a receiving time window -
D Prel- DTMF call preload, time from the RF path activation to when the DTMF codes start being sent, higher value gives the receiving radio time to detect the signal and open squelch on time so it will not loose the codes -
D Decd- turns on the DTMF decoding -
D List- list of DTMF contacts
Because the size of the firmware is limited (60kB), not all functionalities may be available in the firmware. That is why a choice was made so that other functionality could be realized in the radio. The menu has also been adjusted as a result. See Menu for a current description.
The most important differences compared to the original firmware are:
ENABLE_AIRCOPY := 0
ENABLE_NOAA := 0
ENABLE_VOICE := 0
ENABLE_ALARM := 0
ENABLE_TX1750 := 0
ENABLE_PWRON_PASSWORD := 0
If you want to change something here, read the README.md under User customization.