BTech GMRS-50PRO 50W Mobile

[OffRoaderX]

The Amazon man just delivered my BTech GMRS 50Pro - ask your questions now/post your concerns!  I will be uploading a video about it in the next day or two and looking for feedback/questions, even from "some people".

Update: Here is the video:

Edited 6 hours ago by OffRoaderX
added the video for your viewing enjoyment

[nokones]

I don't consider myself as "some people", at least I don't think so or willing to admit it, but I do consider myself as a "radio dork" and a Jeep Creep", and I will watch the video, but I'm curious if this BTech is similar or a copy-cat of the Midland MXT575 with a handheld controlhead/microphone and the transmitter/receiver unit gets put under the seat type configuration.

 

Oh by the way, I don't get any Amazon deliveries, but the Amazon driver in our area is a Cute-as-a-button lady and no way near looks like an Amazon, nor do we allow Amazon Men in Sun City West.

[WRUU653]

It seems to have some promising features. I guess I'd be interested in how well the programming app works, how you like the Bluetooth and it's multitude of options and do you find it to be an improvement in quality from it's BTech mobile predecessors? Looking forward to your video and thoughts. 

[blastco2]

Too bad that it doesn't come with a bluetooth mic with the display.  Wonder if such a mic will eventually be available.

[WRUU653]

I guess the gps would be something I’d be interested in hearing about also. I believe this would be the first we have seen this in a GMRS mobile. Does it rely on the phone app for this or does it operate on its own? 

[OffRoaderX]

1 hour ago, blastco2 said:

 

Edited yesterday at 04:58 AM by OffRoaderX
Nevermind ...

[PRadio]

Looks like a nice option for my vehicle. I have limited space, so a remote mount unit like this would work well for me. 

[TDM827]

17 hours ago, blastco2 said:

Too bad that it doesn't come with a bluetooth mic with the display.  Wonder if such a mic will eventually be available.

Of course they will "improve" this radio. Their business model demands it. Not saying this won't turn out to be a very nice radio at an affordable price, but.... 

In 12 months an updated version will be available with some of the features you want, but not all. In another 18 months a newer version with even more features and capability will be released. That hamster wheel of "improvement" and release of "updated" radios will continue to spin indefinitely. But manufacturers will always stop short of giving us exactly what we want.                              

I may be wrong. But I suspect it would not be too hard for BTech to build new radios with all the capability, bells, whistles and unicorn features we all crave right now.

But then how would they get us to repeatedly spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars every year on new radios when we could just get we wanted in the first place and use it for a decade. LOL

I'm sure it goes the same for all our other friends in China who manufacture radios. And, would probably hold true if an American company started manufacturing budget style GMRS radios. 

Kind of joking....But kind of not.

 

[Socalgmrs]

1 hour ago, TDM827 said:

Of course they will "improve" this radio. Their business model demands it. Not saying this won't turn out to be a very nice radio at an affordable price, but.... 

In 12 months an updated version will be available with some of the features you want, but not all. In another 18 months a newer version with even more features and capability will be released. That hamster wheel of "improvement" and release of "updated" radios will continue to spin indefinitely. But manufacturers will always stop short of giving us exactly what we want.                              

I may be wrong. But I suspect it would not be too hard for BTech to build new radios with all the capability, bells, whistles and unicorn features we all crave right now.

But then how would they get us to repeatedly spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars every year on new radios when we could just get we wanted in the first place and use it for a decade. LOL

I'm sure it goes the same for all our other friends in China who manufacture radios. And, would probably hold true if an American company started manufacturing budget style GMRS radios. 

Kind of joking....But kind of not.

 

You are very correct.  It’s literally done in purpose.   That why all I want in a radio is to RX and tx on the 22+ 8 gmrs “channels”, have a +5 off set and have dcs and cts tones.  And do that very well.  I Don’t need or want all the other hype.  Don’t need Bluetooth or gps in a radio.   Just need a radio to be a radio.  I’ve got other stuff tech for all the other stuff.  

[WRUE951]

2 hours ago, Socalgmrs said:

You are very correct.  It’s literally done in purpose.   That why all I want in a radio is to RX and tx on the 22+ 8 gmrs “channels”, have a +5 off set and have dcs and cts tones.  And do that very well.  I Don’t need or want all the other hype.  Don’t need Bluetooth or gps in a radio.   Just need a radio to be a radio.  I’ve got other stuff tech for all the other stuff.  

A Midland will fit your bill just fine..  No Bells and whistles, ho hype, just radio.  They just work.  You better get you a Midland  

[WRUE951]

Do they, Are they??    going to do a HAM ver of this radio?

[WRYZ926]

2 hours ago, WRUE951 said:

A Midland will fit your bill just fine..  No Bells and whistles, ho hype, just radio.  They just work.  You better get you a Midland  

He will only get a Midland if they make a pink Barbie or purple Barney version. Otherwise he will give use 1009+ reasons why one should just throw any Midland or Wouxun radio into the trash.

[Raybestos]

Does this model last longer than the 50V2 before crapping out?

[Socalgmrs]

4 hours ago, WRUE951 said:

A Midland will fit your bill just fine..  No Bells and whistles, ho hype, just radio.  They just work.  You better get you a Midland  

I need my radios to actually work. 

[Socalgmrs]

1 hour ago, WRYZ926 said:

He will only get a Midland if they make a pink Barbie or purple Barney version. Otherwise he will give use 1009+ reasons why one should just throw any Midland or Wouxun radio into the trash.

Ill leave that version to the guy/gal who calls himself a queen.   
 

 

[WRUE951]

7 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Ill leave that version to the guy/gal who calls himself a queen.   
 

 

Are you that guy that’s always hollering out “Breaker Breaker, Can You Give me a radio check”  all the time?    You need to lighten up and say something different,   You sound like a broken record. 

[WRUE951]

I like the stealth approach, perfect for Jeeps ets..  For the price,  hard to beat..  I like the Bluetooth programing,  wish more radio manufacturers would do this. 

[nokones]

Another gimmicky radio on the market. There is no real need for having the ability to monitor the Aviation Band, FM, etc on a two-way radio. I wonder how often people really need and listen to that stuff.

I'm not sure if the Queen stated if this radio was a hetrodyne or a SOC radio. Also, there was no mentioning of real radio features such as, talk around/simplex/direct, Monitor/PL Defeat, Radio Zone/Banks.

The only feature that I see being a benefit is the channel capacity.

Maybe this radio will motivate Midland to increase the channel capacity of the MXT575, and hopefully they don't follow suit and add any of the foo foo gimmicky features. It's best to keep it simple.

[OffRoaderX]

5 minutes ago, nokones said:

I'm not sure if the Queen stated if this radio was a hetrodyne or a SOC radio. Also, there was no mentioning of real radio features such as, talk around/simplex/direct, Monitor/PL Defeat, Radio Zone/Banks.

all things that normal people, aka the average GMRS user that this radio is marketed to, do not care about. This radio is marketed to normal people, not radio-dorks - It seems like you may be out of touch with what normal people want.

[PRadio]

18 hours ago, Socalgmrs said:

You are very correct.  It’s literally done in purpose.   That why all I want in a radio is to RX and tx on the 22+ 8 gmrs “channels”, have a +5 off set and have dcs and cts tones.  And do that very well.  I Don’t need or want all the other hype.  Don’t need Bluetooth or gps in a radio.   Just need a radio to be a radio.  I’ve got other stuff tech for all the other stuff.  

You aren't everyone. In some states you can no longer use a radio without a hands free setup, so this radio addresses that issue. The ability to use a phone app to program the radio via bluetooth is also a nice feature. You no longer have to hook the radio up to a computer to program advanced features. Not a bad thing. I have numerous computers, but hate Windows, so I generally run Linux, one programming application I need doesn't run under Linux...yet, I am still trying. As a result, I run Windows on a Mac under a virtual machine for that application. 

This radio will fill the need for many people, probably not you, but once again, contrary to unpopular belief, you aren't the only one buying radios. 

[PRadio]

3 hours ago, nokones said:

Another gimmicky radio on the market. There is no real need for having the ability to monitor the Aviation Band, FM, etc on a two-way radio. I wonder how often people really need and listen to that stuff.

I'm not sure if the Queen stated if this radio was a hetrodyne or a SOC radio. Also, there was no mentioning of real radio features such as, talk around/simplex/direct, Monitor/PL Defeat, Radio Zone/Banks.

The only feature that I see being a benefit is the channel capacity.

Maybe this radio will motivate Midland to increase the channel capacity of the MXT575, and hopefully they don't follow suit and add any of the foo foo gimmicky features. It's best to keep it simple.

I use a Tera GMRS/MURS radio to monitor the local police radio, so some will appreciate the ability. The main benefit I see is the ability to remote mount the unit in small vehicles like mine. The other is the bluetooth ability since in some states, mone included, the hands free laws apply to GMRS. The way my state wrote the newest regulations exempts licensed amateur radio users, but that related to HAM and not GMRS. It was badly written unfortunately, so GMRS requires hands free. 

[WRYZ926]

Missouri just enacted a hands free law at the beginning of the year. And they specifically state that amateur radio operators are exempt from the new law. Though no one should be driving distracted.

Radios with everything built into the hand mic do have their place and use. A lot of newer vehicles just don't have the room to mount a complete radio or even a good spot for a remote head unit. And there is the factor of wanting to stay discrete with one's radios.

These types of radios are not for everyone, but that is okay, variety is the spice of life.

[PRadio]

21 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

Missouri just enacted a hands free law at the beginning of the year. And they specifically state that amateur radio operators are exempt from the new law. Though no one should be driving distracted.

Radios with everything built into the hand mic do have their place and use. A lot of newer vehicles just don't have the room to mount a complete radio or even a good spot for a remote head unit. And there is the factor of wanting to stay discrete with one's radios.

These types of radios are not for everyone, but that is okay, variety is the spice of life

Pennsylvania also has an exception, unfortunately the way it is written, it applies to licensed Amateur Radio operators, which is by definition, according to the FCC, not GMRS, but HAM. People tried to get them to correct this, but they didn't. 

[RIPPER238]

Looks like an alternative to the Midland MXT575 but the same limitations with a better screen.  

[WRYZ926]

Here is an excerpt from the Missouri law. While they do not specifically mention GMRS, they do state that amateur radio and CB is exempt. One could argue that if CB and amateur radios are exempt then so is GMRS. Now I sure would not trie to program a radio while driving.

Quote

304.822.  Electronic communication device, use of while driving prohibited, when — citation of law — definitions — school bus operations, prohibited acts — inapplicability, when — penalties for violations — search of device, right to decline — preemption. — 1.  This section shall be known as the "Siddens Bening Hands Free Law".

  2.  As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:

  (1)  "Commercial motor vehicle", the same meaning as is ascribed to such term in section 302.700;

  (2)  "Electronic communication device", a portable device that is used to initiate, receive, store, or view communication, information, images, or data electronically.

  (a)  Such term shall include but not be limited to:  cellular telephones; portable telephones; text-messaging devices; personal digital assistants; pagers; broadband personal communication devices; electronic devices with mobile data access; computers, including but not limited to tablets, laptops, notebook computers, and electronic or video game systems; devices capable of transmitting, retrieving, or displaying a video, movie, broadcast television image, or visual image; and any substantially similar device that is used to initiate or receive communication or store and review information, videos, images, or data.

  (b)  Such term shall not include:  radios; citizens band radios; commercial two-way radio communication devices or their functional equivalent; subscription-based emergency communication devices; prescribed medical devices; amateur or ham radio devices; or global positioning system receivers, security, navigation, communication, or remote diagnostics systems permanently affixed to the vehicle;

Here is the link for the actual state statute: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=304.822