BTECH GMRS-V1 Review

[Elkhunter521]

Hi Hans, No, I have the 2nd version. Channels line up correctly as do privacy codes. They were sold as 5 watt radios. The manual with radio said <5 watts. Hmm, not a lie i guess. [2.7 and 3.0 watts.] Everything else on radio rates a 10. Considering a 3800 mhw battery is available even the broadcast fm radio is ok. One BAD THING. two switches under dual push to talk buttons. Upper can set off a hi-lo alarm that is broadcast on the selected channel on the screen.

[Hans]

Alrighty. Thanks.

[WQOM707]

Hmm, I just received a pair of these today (23AUG18) from Amazon. Page 71 of the manual says:

RF power L/H        2/5

The copyright date on the manuals is 2017.

 

--Bill

[Jones]

Hmm, I just received a pair of these today (23AUG18) from Amazon. Page 71 of the manual says:

RF power L/H        2/5

The copyright date on the manuals is 2017.

 

--Bill

 

I think they may be stretching the truth a bit for marketing purposes. A.K.A. They LIE. 

...Just like my new car stereo amplifier is "1,000 WATTS!!" - That's what it says on the box.  It's also made in China.

[ULTRA2]

WILL A SRJ77CA DIAMOND ANTTENNA WORK WITH THIS RADIO IF SO A NEW RADIO IS ON ITS WAY TO ME.

[Elkhunter521]

Oh Good!

[RickW]

We wanted to add some HT's to our Midland MXT400's and the BTECH GMRS V1 seems like a reasonable choice considering the extra features it has, especially for the price. There were a few things I wanted to know but you can not contact the dealer by phone, only by email. I did not get a response via their website email, but I later sent the following to Baofengtech.com:

 

Questions on the BTECH GMRS V1 HT:

 

1. I am seeing comments on discussion groups that the HT no longer has the full 5 watt capability. Is this true?

 

2. If the power output has been reduced to only 2 watts (equal to the new standards for FRS) why was this done? 

 

3. Wouldn't it be true that the HT can not be used on FRS since it has a detachable antenna?

 

4. Is there any way to use AA cells rather than AAA since AA cells have around 3 times the power at the same price and for much longer operating time?

 

5. Any new HT's coming available with AA batteries?

 

6. Do you sell adapters or short coax jumpers with ability to connect from the SMC to a BNC or PL259 connector?

 

7. Are you anticipating an imminent price change due to the tariff issues?

 

This was their only response I received today:

 

"The power is 2W on all units; FCC regulations allow 30 channels for GMRS usage per 2017 revision

 

This is a GMRS only radio and is not sold or marketed as a FRA (sic) radio"

 

While they did not answer all of my questions, it does seem that this HT transmits on the 467 MHz interstitials, and so indicates on the specifications.Likely, the power has to drop to the 0.5 watt level for those channels.  I had thought that this could not be done with any radios having removeable antennas, but they imply that FCC does allow this. 

 

I still don't understand why they would reduce the power to a preexisting version unless they had found that using AAA cells under the higher power may have led to very short battery life. I wish they had made it possible to use AA cells and also avoid the need for the dummy cell if using higher voltage alkaline cells. But, I think we will purchase several and see how they work out. 

 

Does anyone have further thoughts on this?

 

Also, can you recommend a source for a jumper to go from the SMC connector to a PL259 that you have ordered from and had good luck?

 

Have any of you felt that just using an adapter is good enough or is that too much weight on the somewhat more fragile SMC (compared with BNC connectors we used to have on HT's)?

[Jones]

RickW, ...and other interested readers,

 

I personally have purchased 5 of these from rfconnectivity through eBay, and have been very happy with them.  These ARE from China, but I have had great results.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SMA-Female-to-UHF-SO-239-Female-RG316-Antenna-Cable-2m-for-Baofeng-UV-5R-UV-82/253459615241?hash=item3b035ece09:g:36QAAOSwcOlal5VZ

 

They are about 6 feet long, with a small lightweight coax (RG-316) that doesn't put a strain on your radio's antenna jack.  These are also available in BNC, and other connectors, as well as shorter lengths if you are overly concerned with loss.

[Elkhunter521]

Hi Rick, for adapters on Btech HT radios, go to Amazon and search for "SMA female to SO 239 adapter". Multiple combinations come up, with or without cable. Be careful, the further down you go, more "other" adapters show up. I mistakingly got a pair of SMA male to SO239 adapters.

Good Luck, Keith

[NorthwestNeil]

This is one of the things I signed in to ask about.  Thanks for the review!

[NJCoastal]

Received my GMRS-V1 on November 1st. Fully charged, so now it's ready for "go mode". I'm on the road for plenty of hours during the days (weekday work and weekend road rips). WROG839