Btech GMRS 50v2

[wayoverthere]

54 minutes ago, WRPL700 said:

I just viewed Randy's review and all I can say is: "40 watts"???  It's a redesigned product and you couldn't give us 45 watts?  I do wish Randy would have tested the Low and Medium power levels.... but at this point I think it is a pass for me.

I mean...if they can make it last by dialing it down, it some kind of progress, right?

[WRPL700]

Miklor did a review and their test was 48.2 watts:  Review BTech GMRS-50V2 Mobile - Miklor  It seems like Miklor tests are generally higher than others.

[marcspaz]

1 hour ago, WRPL700 said:

I just viewed Randy's review and all I can say is: "40 watts"???  It's a redesigned product and you couldn't give us 45 watts?  I do wish Randy would have tested the Low and Medium power levels.... but at this point I think it is a pass for me.

 

Honestly... that is very normal.  Radio manufactures advertise "up to" a specific wattage.  They don't guaranty a certain wattage.  They radio may make 45w to 48w under specific conditions on a specific frequency, which may not be easily reproduced.  The manufactures have to keep the power low enough below the 50w legal limit, because is a random radio gets tested and FCC finds that it exceeds the limit, the company can have the certification pulled.

 

Also, a good portion of 50w radios I test, typically have a max power of 34w-38w... depending on the frequency used compared to the frequency tested by the manufacturer.  That is just the way it is most of the time.  Worth mentioning, there is a reason why other radios cost twice as much, if not more.  Sometimes that few extra watts is part of it.

[WRPL700]

I get it Marc, that makes sense. But, it would seem to me that it would be wiser to call it a 45 watt radio (like Rugged Radios does) and if you go over a few watts no harm done.

Anyhow, I am back and forth on this one (50v2).  It fits the budget, but I would really like to know the Low and Mid power level performance.  Otherwise I may just have go Wouxun KG-XS-20G plus and forget the higher watts.

 

[WRUA262]

4 hours ago, WRPL700 said:

I just viewed Randy's review and all I can say is: "40 watts"???  It's a redesigned product and you couldn't give us 45 watts?  I do wish Randy would have tested the Low and Medium power levels.... but at this point I think it is a pass for me.

I would venture to say that very few radios actually push a full 50 watts on the high setting. 

[WRUE915]

I played with the UV 50x2 (2nd gen) on HAM bands (yes I have a HAM license). This is supposedly the same radio as the GMRS 50v2. It was pushing 45 watts on UHF and 60 watts on VHF... and 40 watts for those higher UHF frequencies into a dummy load.

So this makes sense. I'm not sure Btech did in fact "redesign" this radio for GMRS. Just took their UV model and locked it at GMRS frequencies.

Either way, it got returned. But more so for the bad speaker mine came with. The front end is also not as sensitive. My 779UV is much more sensitive on receive.

Overall quality of the radio seemed cheap and clunky. My experience has turned me off Btech, at least for their mobiles.

It is a good price for 50 watts (or really 40). It works. But I feel there are better options in this price range... the Wouxun KG-XS20-G comes to mind. Many of which have been tested above 20 watts.

I really wanted to like it... maybe I will give the GMRS 50v2 a look... for science. Nice to have a dedicated GMRS radio.

But as always... YMMV

[cseven]

Hmmmm..... Don't know what what I'm doing wrong..... I'm hitting 46.4 to 50.8 watts on all  high channels.... on a ground plane.... in the attic..... with LMR400 coax....  able to talk good and clear on all high channels and repeaters..... Checked two of the three GMRS-50-V2 units I have, and both get the same watts, etc! I guess I'll have to check the third mobile unit when it gets back, just to be sure..... But, so far, I think they're great.

I also have two GMRS-V2 units, and have checked them both for wattage out...... Hmmmm... both doing about  4.3 to 4.9 watts out...... Maybe...... I don't know for sure....just maybe..... all five units that I'm running are great radios that do what they say they'll do........ I'm happy with BTech GMRS-50V2  50 watt units (I have 3 units in use) and the handhelds GMRS-V2 (I have 2 units in sporatic... sometimes use).  Anyway, TMO.

[WRQK522]

It’s on BTech’s website now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WRWL705]

Has anyone had any problems with BTECH GMRS 50V2 ?

I bought a BTECH GMRS 50V2 about a month ago. I checked it out in the house first, every thing was good. So then, I installed it in my 1998 Jeep Wrangler TJ.

Turned it on and every thing was working great. It would transmit, receive, change channels; everything was great until I hung up the microphone onto the dash clip. In which, is screwed onto my dash thru the plastic into the metal that is grounded. Then, the LCD display went blank. The radio was still working just fine, just a blank LCD.

So I bought another radio and it had the same issue. 

Does anyone know anything about this issue? Looking for suggestions, help, or advice as to this issue. I really like the radio otherwise, so I am trying to get to the reason as to why this happens. 

I have contacted BTECH with this issue with no results. They just want to send me a new radio, in which I have already done with purchasing the 2nd radio.

[KAF6045]

Take a DVM between the microphone hanger (is it a loop or button, and what is is made of) and the screws on the clip itself. If it shows voltage/current (depending on mode) check the direction (if black is on clip and red on loop/button, a negative voltage says the clip is NOT grounded, but is into a 12V wire; positive indicates you have a hot microphone and need to isolate it from ground -- through-hole plastic insulation washer might help).

I've not found any images showing back of microphone nor the dash clip.

[wayoverthere]

24 minutes ago, KAF6045 said:

I've not found any images showing back of microphone nor the dash clip.

My 50x1 has a metal button and metal hanger. This screenshot from the vid in the Amazon listing for the 50v2 shows the metal button and looks to be the same mic as mine.

[WRVB889]

So I just tested the Betec 50v2 power and SWR with a Surecom SW-102 meter and 2' RG 8x patch cable and connected to LMR 400 to my j-pole antenna. Here are my results across several channels: 

Low Power 6.4 watts

Medium Power 24.6 watts

High Power 55.7 Watts

My first test was with a 12' rg8x patch cable and the numbers were considerably lower (eg 38.4 watts high power) then I used a 2' patch cable and got the higher above numbers.

[Lscott]

4 hours ago, WRVB889 said:

My first test was with a 12' rg8x patch cable and the numbers were considerably lower (eg 38.4 watts high power) then I used a 2' patch cable and got the higher above numbers.

You had your first practical experience with the losses in coax cable verses length. Some new radio users don’t have a good feel for it, or even know it exists.

[WRXW653]

Any updates on performance? I’m thinking of getting this unit myself. 

[WRXH658]

has anyone ever had a btech gmrs 50 v2 white screen and powered off. now it will not power on. fuses are good. nothing lights up on the radio. has anyone had this happen and did you figure anything thing out. I'm waiting to hear back from btech but I'm pretty sure its out of warranty.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, WRXH658 said:

has anyone ever had a btech gmrs 50 v2 white screen and powered off. now it will not power on. fuses are good. nothing lights up on the radio. has anyone had this happen and did you figure anything thing out. I'm waiting to hear back from btech but I'm pretty sure its out of warranty.

Did you check the voltage on the power supply?

[WRXH658]

yes voltage was 13.8 at 30 amps. I got it to come back on after setting for a week with no mic and no power but something isn't right. it keeps keying up for 1 or 2 seconds over and over with nothing hooked up to it. vox is off. idk I think I need to call btech. I noticed the radio says its a GMRS 50v2 on the housing but on power up it says its a GMRS 50x1 on the screen. so, I think I got got. the 50x1 has all sorts of issues. and its cheaper.

[WRXB215]

On 1/2/2024 at 7:32 AM, WRXH658 said:

I'm waiting to hear back from btech but I'm pretty sure its out of warranty.

 

56 minutes ago, WRXH658 said:

I noticed the radio says its a GMRS 50v2 on the housing but on power up it says its a GMRS 50x1 on the screen. so, I think I got got.

Man, that really sucks.  I hope you can get this all sorted out. If I were the judge, I'd tell Btech to replace the radio warranty or not since it's not what you actually ordered.

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, WRXH658 said:

yes voltage was 13.8 at 30 amps. I got it to come back on after setting for a week with no mic and no power but something isn't right. it keeps keying up for 1 or 2 seconds over and over with nothing hooked up to it. vox is off. idk I think I need to call btech. I noticed the radio says its a GMRS 50v2 on the housing but on power up it says its a GMRS 50x1 on the screen. so, I think I got got. the 50x1 has all sorts of issues. and its cheaper.

Although your power supply might be rated to provide up to 30 amps, it had better not be using that much. When transmitting at a full 50 watts you should see somewhere around 12 amps max. When in standby it should only read an amp or so. I would hook up a separate voltmeter and watch what happens to the voltage measured right at the power input on the back panel of the radio. If it sags under 12 volts you have a problem with your power.

If it’s not in warranty then I would look for poor connections to the power supply.  I had a radio that was constantly resetting and I eventually discovered that there was a bad connection on the power cable.

I would agree that it sounds like there’s an internal problem of some kind.  I don’t know if you could load the 50v2 firmware.  I agree with @WRXB215 that BTech should just replace it.

[WRXB215]

42 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

look for poor connections to the power supply

True, I have a tendency to overlook connections on power and coax. 

[Skunkworks]

Looking for some direction:

Reading through the thread and I'm trying to decide on the BTECH GMRS 50V2 or the Wouxun KG100G Plus.  Is the KG100G Plus worth nearly double the cost?  I know it is a super-heterodyne radio, but is it worth it?  I'm willing to wait and save a couple weeks if it really is worth it.  I plan to put a radio in my truck for off roading and for general use.  The closest repeater is about 40 miles away from home, but I was able to hit it with my BTech GMRS Pro handi-talkie with a Nagoya 771G under good conditions.  I'll be closer to other repeaters when I travel and I'm hoping that I might do better with one of these radios and a Retevis MR300 mounted on my steel bumper.  So, go with a more sensitive and feature-rich radio, or save some cash?  What would you choose and why?

[SteveShannon]

3 minutes ago, Skunkworks said:

Reading through the thread and I'm trying to decide on the BTECH GMRS 50V2 or the Wouxun KG100G Plus.  Is the KG100G Plus worth nearly double the cost?

One thing I have noticed is that there are a few different threads asking about the issues they have with their GMRS 50V2 radios, including one where the radio said 50V2 on the case but the boot screen said 50x1.  
But I don’t recall seeing any complaints about the KG1000G or plus model. People who have them seem to be happier.

The difference wouldn’t be noticeable in range as much as ease of use, quality of build, etc.  

 

[Skunkworks]

Thank you.  That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for.  I have watched Randy's videos on all of them and was leaning toward the KG1000G Plus, but I am not wanting to throw cash away either.

[WRWE456]

One thing to keep in mind with the KG-1000G is that being a 50 watt radio it has a fan to cool it. A fan draws air into the radio and in dusty conditions like off roading can pull dust into the radio and that kind of dust has minerals that can possibly cause corrosion. The KG-XS20G may be a better choice for off road use. It is 20 watts and is the mobile version of the KG-935G plus. It is passively cooled with heat sinks instead of a fan. It's an excellent radio as well.

Less expensive as well.

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-xs20g.html?___SID=U

[WRYZ926]

I run a KG-XS20G in my SXS because it is dust and water resistant. The KG-XS20G is IP65 rated. And it works just as well as my KG1000G in my car to access the repeater 21 miles away when parked in my driveway.