BTECH GMRS PRO

[WQAI363]

Man,I feel like a little boy enjoying what I got in the mail yesterday. I am really impressed with the radio. It's whole lot simpler than a Rubic cube, If there's anyone out there that remembers that crazy puzzle. The only thing I wish the radio was capable of doing, was monitor the digital formats, such DMR and IDAS/NXDN. This way I could monitor AAR channels on Class 1 railroads. Sure would useful Amtrak Silver Meteor and the Silver Star. I could monitor while riding the rails.

73s Happy  2023!

[MichaelLAX]

24 minutes ago, Adamdaj said:

It's whole lot simpler than a Rubic cube, If there's anyone out there that remembers that crazy puzzle. 

My 11 year old grandson and his friends are all about Rubik's cubes again!!!

[fe2o3]

MichaelLAX,

     You should give him a 1x1x1 to solve!
https://www.thecubicle.com/products/1x1-cube-19mm

[WQAI363]

1 hour ago, MichaelLAX said:

My 11 year old grandson and his friends are all about Rubik's cubes again!!!

Apologize for spell! I grew in Philadelphia that's I can thank the Philadelphia School District for. Just Kidding, but I wish this technology was around back the 90s, of course, my generation is one of the last to remember Telephone Booths and Arcades. I sort of trading stamps not S&H, but some other stamps that I'm pretty sure IGA use to give out maybe A&P stores did too. Well Happy New Year!

[WRVR429]

I would have returned my v2 but the pro doesnt have a removable antenna.

[WQAI363]

On 1/1/2023 at 1:46 PM, WRVR429 said:

I would have returned my v2 but the pro doesnt have a removable antenna.

My GMRS PRO has removeable antenna and yes it does transmit and receive on all 22 simplex channels. I wasn't lucky. My radio only transmits on FRS/GMRS frequencies. It is a scanner to monitor AAR Channels and some Amateur Radio frequencies plus MURS.  I like get another one to keep my Father's vehicle, because he doesn't have a Cell Phone and he doesn't has an amateur radio license. My Father will not install GMRS mobile, but I guess he'll allow me to keep an HT in the Glove Box

[WRQS631]

Posting my thoughts on the GMRS-PRO after little over 2 weeks of using it.

Overall is not a bad handheld however if your group does not have the same device then text and location features won’t be useful, and without those features there’s plenty of better options from competitors at similar or lesser price point. This really feels like a half baked release priced too close to other well developed and reliable options.

Pros:

• Programming from smartphone is very easy and convenient.
• The radio feels well built and durable.
• Included manual is surprisingly well written and useful to get started.
• Can be used as simplex repeater, compatible with any GMRS radio.
• The antenna is removable so it can be easily upgraded, they claim is glued in place but a simple twist and it came off.

Cons:

• At this price point the K1 adapter ($22.49) should be included in the box, especially considering that cheaper radios come with more accessories and the connector was changed for no apparent reason other than to sell different accessories.
• Compass looses calibration constantly even when the radio is just sitting on a desk or flat surface.
• There should be an option to see both the channel name and frequency on the radio screen.
• App keeps constantly trying to pair with any Bluetooth device around even when already paired to a radio, making it hard to use.
• Battery life could use some improvement, about 10 hours with little/moderate use.
• BAOFENGTECH does not allow reviews that offer honest product feedback, instead of encouraging real reviews regardless of whether they're positive or negative they only seem to approve positive reviews that do not criticize their product. 

[WRVU381]

Bought one of these sometime in December. Really wanted to like it, but not very impressed, so far. Haven't done a lot of real-world testing, but I monitor a lot at home with this and the Boofwang UV-5G. I've found the Boofwang UV-5G gets much better reception (oftentimes, I get pretty clear chatter on the UV5G and absolutely nothing from the GMRSPRO -- squelch on UV5g is set to 5 and on the GMRSPRO at 1). Both using the included rubber ducky antenna.

I do like the texting feature and one of my hunting buddies got one, as well (that's primarily my real-world application for GMRS -- hunting), but haven't had the chance to test it.

Would getting a better attenna (like the Nagoya) help with this reception problem? I'm sure it would, but $150 radio ought to perform better than a $30 one, IMHO. I guess the price is based more on the bright, shiny features rather than radio capability. 

I agree with @WRQS631 that the cord should have been included. I've learned to use the app, so I'm not real inclined to spend the extra $20-30 for the cord, at this time.

[SteveShannon]

9 minutes ago, WRVU381 said:

I agree with @WRQS631 that the cord should have been included. I've learned to use the app, so I'm not real inclined to spend the extra $20-30 for the cord, at this time.

Perhaps only people who buy a single radio feel that way. People who buy four or five don’t want to pay extra for three or four unused cables. 

[WRVU381]

7 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

Perhaps only people who buy a single radio feel that way. People who buy four or five don’t want to pay extra for three or four unused cables. 

I wouldn't mind if it were the same cable as for all my other radios, but it's completely different cable that requires an adapter cable to program it. Same for all the accessories that I have for other BTECH/Baofeng radios -- have to use the adapter cable with GMRSPRO

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, WRVU381 said:

I wouldn't mind if it were the same cable as for all my other radios, but it's completely different cable that requires an adapter cable to program it. Same for all the accessories that I have for other BTECH/Baofeng radios -- have to use the adapter cable with GMRSPRO

So really, BTech should have designed all their radios to use the same cable. I’m in agreement with you there. 

[Lscott]

Even one cable likely isn't enough. I just purchased another cable for some of my radios. I keep a set at home, at work and some to take along on road trips. Then I a have a few spare cables put away. Yes I've had programming cables fail. Oh well,you spend a bunch of money buying radios a few extra for a cable or two, or three...

[WRVY822]

Any recommendations for an upgraded antenna? Will a different antenna really make much of a difference?

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, WRVY822 said:

Any recommendations for an upgraded antenna? Will a different antenna really make much of a difference?

An upgraded antenna, especially if mounted high, can make a significant difference. 

[WRVY822]

Steve, I was thinking just upgrading the antenna for my HT. I don't have a base station radio or anything. Could I mount an antenna that I would then attach to my HT when I want more range?

[MichaelLAX]

Yes, before I obtained my GMRS base station, connecting my HT to my Comet CX-333 on my roof dramatically increased my range.

[SteveShannon]

50 minutes ago, WRVY822 said:

Steve, I was thinking just upgrading the antenna for my HT. I don't have a base station radio or anything. Could I mount an antenna that I would then attach to my HT when I want more range?

Yes, many people remove their stock antenna and attach a cable leading to an external antenna. That would make more difference than having a higher powered transmitter. Comet, like @MichaelLAX mentioned would be nice. 
There are also longer antennas for handheld use. Probably the most well known is the Nagoya 771G (tuned to GMRS frequencies), but there are others also. Just make sure you match the gender of the integral connector.