GMRS-PRO

I don't see many radios there HAM enthusiasts all just rave about it. There never seems to be a radio that makes everyone happy and does everything they want. This radio isn't that either, but it IS a great radio for beginner to moderate users. I love the Bluetooth options, and the painting/programming you can do using the app. Additionally, I like that the firmware can be updated regularly and that the company supports updates. Not just updates that happen every few years like other radio manufacturers, but actual updates that happen frequently and expand on or improve the radio and functionality. My first radio had bugs that were never fixed over the several years I owned and used them. This radio had a bug and it was fixed in a month. I love that. Battery life is pretty good, the radio looks clean and professional, you can adjust the sounds and noise the radio makes. Audio is clear and crisp for me in the conditions I was using it, the range and power are also on the higher end of performance and distance and quality based on the conditions I was testing. And for what you get, the value in what you pay is there too. No one wants to buy a super expensive radio as their first radio as they step into the nature radio genre. They also don't want a cheap radio that won't perform and is low quality. This radio hits the mark ... That sweet spot between quality, affordability and performance. I hope this helps.

First off, the cons: Build quality is nowhere near as good as high-end several $100's radios. The OS seems a little slow, changing channels takes a half second or so before you can go to the next one, the volume knob goes about 1/4 turn before actually changing the volume. Little things like that. But those are (probably) firmware issues, and update-able in the future. So, if you're expecting a super awesome radio you can hammer nails in, while deep sea diving, this isn't it. The middle-of-the-road stuff: Buttons and case/antenna are decently good quality, feels like a good bubble-pack GMRS radio. The Good: Nice decently-sized screen, readable from off-center angles. Built-in compass and GPS. Can text from the radio, although kinda slow, it is usable. The Awesome: Waterproof and USB-C charging. That alone make this a good radio. Add in Bluetooth tethering to phone/mic and that's pretty sweet. The App is very functional, easy to add/edit channels, the texting/talking from the phone app seems to work pretty good. I only have the 1 unit, and don't know of anybody near me with one, so am unable to fully test out all functions. The bluetooth range is pretty good. I can have the radio sitting on a windowsill on the 2nd floor, and still use the app PTT from the other side of the house. Nitpicky things: Don't see any way of saving/importing an external list of channels. Don't see a way for the app to change groups, have to do that from the radio. Scan function is kinda slow, and seems to get stuck on channels alot. Also, can start scanning from phone app, but can't stop scanning from phone app. The Memory groups are setup to be totally separate from each other. 6 groups of 30 channels. Has Dual-Watch function, but only on a single memory group at a time. So for example, I have all my stock GMRS channels on group 1, and some local repeaters (recv only) on Group 2. Would be nice to be able to listen to both at once. This is only down here instead of a Con, because you can just put your most-used channels into their own group, and just go with that. All in all, it's a very nice little radio. If it has the feature you want, its totally worth the price. My use-case: tinkering with a data-capable GMRS radio, and trail comms/location sharing while offroading once I convince some of my buddies to get one. And for that use case, I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Edit to add: I was also able to connect to my Quest2, so I can GMRS chat in virtual space.

Hands down the best GMRS radio for someone who needs a serious reliable radio and values a very user friendly way to manage programming it (compared to anything else on the market). Also best GMRS radio for enthusiasts given it’s full feature set for those who want to tinker. It not the smallest or lightest GMRS radio but it’s not too heavy or bulky either. This isn’t your typical camping radio (a smaller much more simple unit would be better) it’s built for business or enthusiasts or those who have a specific want/need to communicate using Bluetooth accessories (motorcyclists for example). It’s waterproof features make it extremely durable. Throw it around, leave it outside and it’ll keep working. You’re paying for that durability. Range test in a dense suburban area yielded 1.5 miles on high power between two of these units. The text and GPS features are not worth the price alone. The app doesn’t alert you via iOS notifications if you get a text - you have to check the radio or the app proactively. In addition you can only text with someone who has the same radio. The location feature is nice though. This all said these features are a nice bonus if everyone in your party has this same radio. All in all, even without the text and GPS features this radio is all one could desire at this time, given what else is on the market. I only wish they made a HAM version of this radio because, we’ll, why not. They just need to unlock the frequencies and if they did it would be one of the best HAM radios in the price range for sure.

This solid well built dedicated GMRS hand held is loaded with features with wide band receive. Water proof to a point. Remember to blow the water out of the tiny microphone hole. The Btech app is great. Works without internet. With internet I get frequent firmware updates

So far so good! I haven’t had a chance to talk to anyone on it. It’s definitely best to use the app to set it up and that’s what I did. Was easy to do and looks and feels well made! I like that it has GPS and elevation along with compass.