BTECH UV-PRO IP67 Dual Band VHF/UHF Two-Way Radio - APRS, Bluetooth, GPS, Text Messaging, Aviation Band Scanner, NOAA Weather Alerts, USB-C Rechargeable Battery

A lot of complaints in the reviews about the programming because there’s no desktop programming or CHIRP. It took all of 5 minutes to share my channel list with AI, along with the link to BTECH’s blog post on programming for the .cvs file format, to get two perfectly set up channel groups which uploaded from the phone to the radio in 5 seconds each. Give it a shot, couldn’t be easier. Otherwise the Bluetooth implementation seems very solid and low latency, which other than the core radio functions is the main reason I selected it. The rest of the features are modern and “next gen”, which is awesome.

Unbelievable quality and specs for the price. With limited testing in UHF and VHF saw no spurious harmonics. Radio case is solid and passed a brief "dunk" test (fully submerged). GPS location was spot on. APRS appears to work as expected to APRS.fi. Menus are easy to follow. Phone app (I liked the iPhone version and wasn't too sure I liked the Android version) makes individual and bulk programming (via CSV files) a snap - no need for CHIRP. The adapter is M1 (Motorola) and not K1 (Kenwood) as most HTs. Adapters are available for about $20 - ordered one and while it works perfectly the adapter area doesn't seal so I think the IP67 waterproof reliability is gone with any adapter attached. Ordered separately and tested the Bluetooth speaker/mic and it was inconsistent in pairing and connection (returned it). There are so many features on this radio I still haven't tested, but I'm quite happy about quality, features and price! If you've been using the very inexpensive HTs, this is a very good investment and a logical "next step" radio!! (NO - I'm not an influencer - I'm a Ham/SAR guy who needed a radio I can take into the woods and be sure it works - this is a winner!)

The BTECH UV-PRO gave me a convenient way to explore the world of APRS. It monitors 144.390 MHz and hears blips of audio and displays on the screen who the station was. Message content is seen by pressing the left arrow button. The radio connects via Bluetooth to their app on my cell phone where more information is displayed. In addition, the radio includes a KISS TNC that is accessible on the cell phone via Bluetooth by APRSdroid, a very capable APRS app. Channel programing is conveniently done using their app on my cell phone. There are many other nice features.

FCC ID: 2AGND-UV-PRO An amateur or part 90 radio license is required to transmit with this radio. This radio is a dual band amateur radio. It receives and transmits on the 2 meter, and 70 cm bands. It also receives the civilian aircraft band. This radio has many unique features. It has send and receive APRS capability. It has transmit and receive I-gate capability. It has digipeater capability (which currently does not work). It has a relay (parrot) function that receives and retransmits the received audio. It has a nonstandard microphone connector. BTECH sells an adapter to allow K1 style accessories. A bluetooth microphone is available also. Transmit and received audio is great. The radio has a mic gain control. The radio is programmed via a smartphone application. Also, most radio functions can be set and adjusted from the app. The app does NOT need to be running for the APRS and other functions to work. The radio has a GPS system and can work autonomously. This radio is NOT CHIRP-Compatible. APRS is awesome, supporting send and receive. It supports all common APRS symbols and allows you to send and receive messages. The I-gate works well, sending received stations to APRS-IS and receiving the same. There is a digipeater function that you run from the app. This radio uses standard amateur AX.25 protocol for amateur use and a proprietary "BSS" protocol for business/Part 90 use. The radio uses AX.25/BSS to identify and indicate position for group use and can display onscreen the bearing of other UV PRO radios in the group. It can also display bearings of received APRS stations. A Bluetooth KISS TNC is now implemented! It works great! You connect it to your computer and run your packet program, directing it to one of the comm ports Bluetooth opens and you are running. This radio has more features than any other analog radio I've ever seen. It is firmware upgradeable, and the app is upgradeable. This future-proofs the radio and allows future development of the unit. I look forward to the future with this series. It is maturing fast! Firmware updates come often. It still has some development to go through yet, before it reaches its full potential; but it is darn close. The price is very attractive. You get a lot with what you pay for. I highly recommend this radio. Edited: Digipeater works, KISS capability, Added fifth star. UPDATE: Digipeater function only works with other UV-pros. I tried with my Yaesu and it didn't work. Also, another vehicle mobiling along wasn't picked up by the UV-PRO. Also, the radio is not a s sensitive as other radios I have. Very noticeable. So..... I'm taking a star back away.

Okay to start I currently own and have used nearly every low to high dollar HT radios. The Superhets are worth their weight in price. Their tuners and filtering are truly a cut above 99% of the pack. You will soon know why spending over $300 on an HT has peak coms both in and out. There are only 3 radios that I’ve had people just offer up a signal report right away that include “That radio you are on is Cristal Clear and just sounds amazing”. Followed by “What is it”??? Surprisingly the Uv5r-mini is one of them. It’s is showing up on the bench test to be a very clean radio for the it’s price. My belief is that radio is a trash in thrash out sort of world. Clean going out translates to clean going in. There are so many things that influence clear and notable differences in the way a radio sounds to others. Checking all the boxes. We form an opinion to what others sound like to us. Baofeng has landed a winner at a remarkable price point. However most of us will agree that 5w radios just fall short in being able to push through some obstacles. Many will agree a10w radio is going to fill the sweet spot for a walkabout better over all. B-tech has made its name in being considered an upscale division of Baofeng. Clearly a fact of the matter. The use of a BT Mic has a bad rep in radio. The delays and garbling Tx gives them away every time. They do work without a doubt but with a compromise in quality's in both in and out coms. Now my point here is finding that balanced combo that checks all the boxes while using A remote BT mic. This balance simply does not exist. UNTILL NOW! Both in and out with UV-Pro combo with the BS-22 BT mic. Has a sound apparently breaking the illusion we have had in the belief it can’t be done. I have not been able to actually hear this combo myself. But the reports I’m being offered out of the blue about how it sounds Screams A CLEAR WINNER. Over and over I’m getting this. Now comes the range between the two is not a game changer but nails down a new zero delay or lag aspect that blows away everything I’ve tried. And there are many. 10 out of 10 checking the box’s. Every time. Now comes the 3rd radio. The B-tech once again. The combo of the GMRS-50Pro and the BS-22 rules the roost. I never expected to ever get further away from a radio and maintain amazing reports of how it sounds. Normally any thing over 20ft away from the radio its over. Well not any more!!! How about over 100 ft.??? Or even out to 180 ft. Still working. You will not believe this combo. At 90ft. Penetrating 3 wire fence and 2 cinder block walls with tile. Also 2 slabs of dry wall. Then inside of a bathroom steal stall. NO WAY!! But it’s true. Still able to switch channels through all that. Now to be honest the garble comes on about the last drywall but still able to speak and hear with legible notes. What a pair. Hats off to B-Tech for setting the bar way up there for the rest. Now if we could just fill the gap in 70cm on the 50pro it will be in every house and car over the land. Lack of a MARS mod is the only short coming. Sorry about the short review. Now have 2 of each. And another pro50 for my shop on the way. Down sizing on my collection. Over 25 that can’t run with this combo. The IP64 rating is just a bonus in this pairing. Just get a pair and don’t look back friends. Out!!

I have had a great experience with this radio. The interface is modern, the screen is not exactly bright though. The APRS seems mostly operational, but really needs it to be clearly received to actually capture it. Pros: Programming with the Android App has been fine! The iOS app was functional, but once I updated to the beta firmware (using the iOS app!), it stopped working (and I haven't seen any big changes worth losing that.) The Android app still plays fine with the radio. It has APRS, which has been fun to play with. My major issues with it have been: It doesn't offer the ability to work with CHIRP or other programs that could make it easier to import over my channels. You have to hand type in every channel. You only get 30 channels per "group," so you have to instead work with the idea of a group for each (Example: I made different groups for each region near by for repeaters. Also made a group for just FRS/GMRS channels so I can monitor, etc) It doesn't seem to pick up signals as well as other cheaper radios I've used. Side by side, even with the SQL set to 1, it struggles to pick up repeaters that the other can. The GPS is not very good at picking up satellites. Once it locks in, it'll do an alright job, but it can take several minutes after turning on to really start tracking. The speed calculation is often wrong.

This radio is amazing. It works as advertised, has frequent firmware updates and is very well constructed. You really cannot beat the features for price. USB-C charging and the app is very intuitive. There is a learning curve as with all ham devices, but I figured most things out quickly. The NOAA weather alert I slowed and works as well as a standalone device. Thoroughly enjoying this radio.

I love these radios and would recommend them to anyone. I purchased this for my brother. My dad got one as well. I have the VGC model. The HT, and Btech apps work on all of them, including the GMRS pro, which I have 2 of. The Ham versions and GMRS versions share the same BSS signaling protocol, while the ham version further supports APRS and KISSTNC. There is a Windows app available for controlling the radio as well, I believe it's called HT commander. There are differences from the VGC model, that is in support for weather channels built in, and positioning being limited to GPS on the Btech model. The VGC supports both GPS and BDS, and supports tandem use. This means that GPS positioning is potentially more accurate or reliable on the VGC model. There are a lot of less documented features, like bridging internet channels with RF channels, allowing for a kind or internet relay or repeater function. The GMRS version does not support this. There is also the ability to signal location data on a different channel from voice, which again, the GMRS version does not support. This radio is great, and getting better with software updates all the time. VGC regularly pushes firmware updates that add meaningful functionality.