BTECH GMRS-50X1 50W...

[WRVG593]

Has anyone here ever bought the BTECH GMRS-50X1 50W GMRS mobile/base radio? Is it worth it? What are the pros? The cons? I know Randy's already done a video on it, but I need more than just one opinion (even if his means the most lol). Some people have great luck with these Chinese radios. Some people hate them. How's the 200+ channels? Can I TX on them? They say I can't but the radiodity UV5G said the same thing and we got it figured out. Can i really only transmit on i repeaters pre-saved? Thanks for all answers. Don't be a turd burglar, if you have nothing to add other than "CCR" no need to respond lol. 

From what I can tell (which I'm a simpleton so stand by) the pros are as follows (in my eyes) - WB/NB switch, FM Radio 65mhz-108, decent looking display with customizable colors, 4 channel Standby, 200+ programmable channels.

Cons from what I can tell (unless I'm being dumb, very possible) - Only 8 channels you can program as repeaters that you can't make additional channels repeaters to TX on? Possibly not able to transmit out 462.xxx-467.xxx for 'emergency use'. Cheap plug for power and microphone. Plastic looking mic. 

Let me know your experience with it!

[wayoverthere]

The not being able to add any tx channels is, imo, the biggest con. You get the preprogrammed 30, and that's it, currently. That said, they made changes to allow a few additional tx channels with the Gmrsv2 handheld (which used to be similarly locked down) and i stumbled across grant docs for a gmrs 50v2 in the FCC database, so that may be changing.

Mine also didn't hold up well; minimal transmit time in the 2 years I've had it (maybe an hour or two total) and power on high drops almost immediately, from 48 watts and not stabilizing til 25 watts. I've also found no way to unlock it, regardless the "emergency". If I remember right, @marcspazhad a couple acting up on him as well.

The decently wide receive across 136-174 and 400-512 is a nice plus, as is the quad watch if you want to use it for scanning duty. The display is also a big jump ahead of the 4 lines of the 25x2 and 50x2 ham radios. It's also chirp programmable.

If you can live with the restrictions, it's not a horrible radio to live with. Longevity is kind of a crapshoot though. At this point, it wouldn't be my first choice. I'd either go the anytone/radioddity/retevis triplets if I didn't need a full 50 watts, or save my pennies for the wouxun kg1000g if I did.

Edit: found a blip of old thread. Marc has a couple other threads on theb50x1, initial impressions and features.

https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/3528-got-my-new-mxt500-not-impressed/?do=findComment&comment=34743&_rid=2738

Edited January 17, 2023 by wayoverthere
added link

[marcspaz]

9 hours ago, wayoverthere said:

If I remember right, @marcspazhad a couple acting up on him as well.

 

Yes, Sir... I had a few 50x1 and a couple of 50x2.  They were all trash.  The one that lasted the longest only had a few hours on it... died in less than 14 calendar days.  The one that broke the quickest only ran for exactly 1 transmission and then smoked on the second key-up.  Basically DOA.

 

The crazy part is, their handhelds are pretty awesome.  Especially their amateur radios, like the UV5 and the F8HP.  I know many people have good luck with the mobiles, but there would have to be a massive improvement before I ever consider buying another one.

 

My personal opinion, the two best new over the counter radios are the Wouxun KG-1000g the Midland MXT500.  I have owned both and they are both rock stars.  Very durable and plenty of power.  Audio is fantastic on both, too.  It comes down to if you are a 'bells and whistles' kind of person and you are technical, Go with the KG-1000g.   If you just want simple and works out of the box with minimal knowledge/work, the MXT500 is the way to go.  Also, the MXT500 is dust and water proof.

 

Buy once, cry one... don't let the price scare you.  Having to buy 2 or 3 radios due to buying junk is way more expensive and time consuming.

[TXFitz]

I had one along with a Wouxoun KG1000 and the receiver on the BTECH was pretty poor.  Side by side direct comparison using the same antenna.  I would not recommend that BTECH model.

[U625]

Glad you started this post. I have 4 hand-held BTech's and they have been solid so I was considering their mobile/base. I'll look elsewhere....

[WRVG593]

13 hours ago, U625 said:

Glad you started this post. I have 4 hand-held BTech's and they have been solid so I was considering their mobile/base. I'll look elsewhere....

What models? I've looked for a couple. Mostly the gmrs pro dmr

[U625]

6 hours ago, WRVG593 said:

What models? I've looked for a couple. Mostly the gmrs pro dmr

The V-2 and GMRS Pro, both perform well and have been reliable 

[WRVG593]

12 hours ago, U625 said:

The V-2 and GMRS Pro, both perform well and have been reliable 

I haven't done too much research on the GMRS Pro... does it decode digital radio that yoy otherwise wouldn't hear on an analog? Is it Dual Band Recieve? 

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, WRVG593 said:

I haven't done too much research on the GMRS Pro... does it decode digital radio that yoy otherwise wouldn't hear on an analog? Is it Dual Band Recieve? 

The GMRS Pro supports sending texts using simplex from radio to radio, but not through a repeater. It does not support digital voice in any format, either transmit or receive. 
It has a single receiver. It does receive VHF and UHF, but only transmits on the GMRS channels.