BTech GMRS Pro location in-app

[Guest Bobbo929]

I just received a pair of BTech GMRS Pros and I really want to love them.  However, I can’t seem to figure out how to enable a key use case that really should work, so I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong.

The problem is that the iOS app (and maybe the Android app as well) doesn’t seem to update with all of the location info that the radio actually has.  As an example, I have both radios set to “Allow check”, so when I send a “Nearby People” request from one (from the built in display), I get back GPS coordinates from the other.  However, these responses don’t show up in the iOS app for a paired phone - this is true whether I send the request from the built-in display or in-app.  In-app I have the location and “Allow Position Check” options turned on.

In fact, the only way I have found to get the location for another radio to show up in-app is to pair both radios to phones and then send an text message in-app from one to the other.  Then I see a map-dot icon next to the received text message and the map updates to show the other radio’s location.  However, sending a text in-app is active, something that won’t work if the other person is injured, or even just not checking their phone very often to reply to messages.  This makes the “Allow Check” option way less useful.  Furthermore, it seems like the “Nearby People” command in-app doesn’t do anything useful since the responses don’t show up in-app.

This seems like a very simple and common task, so I suspect I’m just missing something.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[Socalgmrs]

Just get a good gps unit.  These radios are not good at radioing and they are not good at gpsing and they are not good at dataing.   These are the gimmicks that get people to buy them.  

[Guest Guest Bobbo929]

Unfortunately that is the conclusion that I am rapidly coming to as well.  But, as I mentioned, I really want to make the GMRS Pro work.  If it did, it would fill my needs perfectly.

I already have Garmin Rino radios, but I was hoping to upgrade to something where I could get maps on-the-fly (I currently need to know specifically where I will be way ahead of time in order to load maps from a PC at home).  As far as I can tell, there really aren’t many options out there to do what I mentioned, which is transmit location passively over relatively short distances while hiking without relying on external resources (other than GPS satellites) like cell towers or some datacenter server someplace.  I also have Motorola T800s, but they have different usability problems.

Basically, I just want a more modern Rino, although it is a much appreciated bonus for the GMRS Pro to have a vastly better and more powerful/flexible radio.  Soooo close to being a good solution for me!

[SteveShannon]

4 hours ago, Guest Guest Bobbo929 said:

I already have Garmin Rino radios, but I was hoping to upgrade to something where I could get maps on-the-fly (I currently need to know specifically where I will be way ahead of time in order to load maps from a PC at home).

I like the Garmin Rhino also. There’s no better gps/GMRS radio and the screen is so good in daylight. I just use the built in maps, but for a price you can get higher resolution maps on a card that you install in the radio.