Thanks for your review - I am also considering this for use in SAR - have you been able to play with anyone else and this radio? Curious how the GPS location sharing works and if the firmware update mentioned below solved your digital noise issue?
This was just fixed in todays beta firmware. They are really good about responding to emails. They fixed a NOAA scanning issue in the firmware for me and fixed a bug in the app where I couldn't edit the channel group names. This radio has a lot of potential and I like the responsiveness of BTech.
Thank you for your honest review. I've gotten a bit weary of the channels that almost function like commercials to sell every new radio that comes out. I don't wish to be critical of them but the reviews that show pro's and cons are much more valuable to me. The channels I like the best are the ones that critically test the features, talk about whether the audio and reception are good, and especially ones (like TheSmokinApe and Ham Radio DX) that break out the test equipment and show me whether there are spurious emissions to look for and other technical quality aspects. I'm especially appreciative when a channel gets out the tone generator and show me the receiver's sensitivity. I love to hear when it's explained that a particular radio has much better airband reception that others. I realize that not every channel an be great in every area, so when they give me the pros and cons honestly, I don't take it as a negative thing. It also great when they show me how they throw their antenna up in a tree for POTA. (Ham Radio Tube). I don't completely understand the problems you're having with APRS because I don't know enough about it. However I do appreciate the fact that you are trying to help improve this radio for the community and explain to others like me who don't know what we don't know. One of the channels I really like (I think it was Ham Radio Crash Course) explained that using the APRS-DROID app helped bridge the gap because when you were tying to send an SMS message, APRS-DROID would try multiple times, rather than just once. Perhaps you can explain in a follow-up video if using APRS-DROID (expecially now that this radio has KISS-TNC that apparently works with it) addresses the problems you see with the radio. Personally, I really like features of the UV-Pro/VGC N-76. The top one for me are IP-67, the larger battery with USB-C charging, and other features. I would rather not be completely restrained to programming only through the UV-Pro phione app. I think at least one other radio with bluetooth, such as the Radtel 470X allows you to program via a bluetooth APP and by Chirp. At this point I want any future radio purchases to have at least USB charging (even if it's an older USB connector) and the ability to program via my laptop. I'm leaning toward adding full Bluetooth capabilities to the mandatory list, as well given the outstanding utility this brings. Already having purchased top-tier Motorola, Hytera and Kenwood radios I don't mind spending $160. Then again, seeing the cool things being done with the Radtels, the Tid H-3 and Quansheng K-5 (thanks to Marcus, OMOET, MOXFB Heavy Metal Horizons and Ringway Manchester) keep sme interested in the less-expensive radios as well.
Thanks, Rahn. I have been eyeballing this radio for a while. I may just get one and wait for the dev team to fix the bug. With Red down probably for the rest of winter, testing APRS in this area may be a challenge. Sometimes I can get into CHill and I would have to be over the pass to get into your digipeater.
Thanks Gene, I really want this radio to work. The BTech development team has been actively working on this. But it seems that when they get one problem fixed it breaks something else. Currently, I have been having trouble with sending messages from the radio and them being sent on the wrong channel. I think overall, the radio is a pretty cool radio. It's disappointing that the APRS is so broken, since that is one of the big reasons I wanted the radio. The multiple audio Bluetooth connections certainly makes it very useful. But if I have to use the Bluetooth for a KISS TNC connection to make APRS work well, then the audio BT is useless. So I guess pick one.
Thank for your review. I too find it extremely deaf. Just monitoring the APRS frequency to hear the APRS burps, I believe SQL was at the lowest setting before it being off, all of the other radios, in the same weight class, heard it just fine but this radio never open SQL. If I turned off SQL, then it heard everything just like everything else. I think SQL is very aggressive, and maybe this is something they can fix in the firmware. I really want this radio to work well. It was not inexpensive for its "weight class". 73, KN4VA
Good video, thanks for sharing the truth about this radio. All these capabilities the radio has are cancelled out by a poor receive problem that is probably hardware, low price for a reason. These Chinese radios are more difficult to program for sure. I have a Anytone 878+ that is a major PITA to use with most of the changes have to be done by software. How do hams put up with a manufacturer having the user doing the debugging, imagine if auto makers did this. Oh, wait they do also😂.
I don't mind troubleshooting at a price point. If I were to buy one of the big three for $500 to $700 I would expect the APRS to work flawlessly. However, at $160 I am willing to work around a few issues. But when the flaws have a very real possibility of making me accidentally transmit out of band, then that is a huge problem.
Thanks for your review - I am also considering this for use in SAR - have you been able to play with anyone else and this radio? Curious how the GPS location sharing works and if the firmware update mentioned below solved your digital noise issue?
This was just fixed in todays beta firmware. They are really good about responding to emails. They fixed a NOAA scanning issue in the firmware for me and fixed a bug in the app where I couldn't edit the channel group names. This radio has a lot of potential and I like the responsiveness of BTech.
Thank you for your honest review. I've gotten a bit weary of the channels that almost function like commercials to sell every new radio that comes out. I don't wish to be critical of them but the reviews that show pro's and cons are much more valuable to me. The channels I like the best are the ones that critically test the features, talk about whether the audio and reception are good, and especially ones (like TheSmokinApe and Ham Radio DX) that break out the test equipment and show me whether there are spurious emissions to look for and other technical quality aspects. I'm especially appreciative when a channel gets out the tone generator and show me the receiver's sensitivity. I love to hear when it's explained that a particular radio has much better airband reception that others. I realize that not every channel an be great in every area, so when they give me the pros and cons honestly, I don't take it as a negative thing. It also great when they show me how they throw their antenna up in a tree for POTA. (Ham Radio Tube).
I don't completely understand the problems you're having with APRS because I don't know enough about it. However I do appreciate the fact that you are trying to help improve this radio for the community and explain to others like me who don't know what we don't know. One of the channels I really like (I think it was Ham Radio Crash Course) explained that using the APRS-DROID app helped bridge the gap because when you were tying to send an SMS message, APRS-DROID would try multiple times, rather than just once. Perhaps you can explain in a follow-up video if using APRS-DROID (expecially now that this radio has KISS-TNC that apparently works with it) addresses the problems you see with the radio.
Personally, I really like features of the UV-Pro/VGC N-76. The top one for me are IP-67, the larger battery with USB-C charging, and other features. I would rather not be completely restrained to programming only through the UV-Pro phione app. I think at least one other radio with bluetooth, such as the Radtel 470X allows you to program via a bluetooth APP and by Chirp. At this point I want any future radio purchases to have at least USB charging (even if it's an older USB connector) and the ability to program via my laptop. I'm leaning toward adding full Bluetooth capabilities to the mandatory list, as well given the outstanding utility this brings. Already having purchased top-tier Motorola, Hytera and Kenwood radios I don't mind spending $160. Then again, seeing the cool things being done with the Radtels, the Tid H-3 and Quansheng K-5 (thanks to Marcus, OMOET, MOXFB Heavy Metal Horizons and Ringway Manchester) keep sme interested in the less-expensive radios as well.
Thanks, Rahn. I have been eyeballing this radio for a while. I may just get one and wait for the dev team to fix the bug. With Red down probably for the rest of winter, testing APRS in this area may be a challenge. Sometimes I can get into CHill and I would have to be over the pass to get into your digipeater.
I'd say get it now and email them about your issues as they seem very active right now trying to get this sorted out.
Thanks Gene, I really want this radio to work. The BTech development team has been actively working on this. But it seems that when they get one problem fixed it breaks something else. Currently, I have been having trouble with sending messages from the radio and them being sent on the wrong channel.
I think overall, the radio is a pretty cool radio. It's disappointing that the APRS is so broken, since that is one of the big reasons I wanted the radio. The multiple audio Bluetooth connections certainly makes it very useful. But if I have to use the Bluetooth for a KISS TNC connection to make APRS work well, then the audio BT is useless. So I guess pick one.
@@W7DOAatHamRadio APRS is working on the latest beta fw.
Thank for your review. I too find it extremely deaf. Just monitoring the APRS frequency to hear the APRS burps, I believe SQL was at the lowest setting before it being off, all of the other radios, in the same weight class, heard it just fine but this radio never open SQL. If I turned off SQL, then it heard everything just like everything else. I think SQL is very aggressive, and maybe this is something they can fix in the firmware. I really want this radio to work well. It was not inexpensive for its "weight class". 73, KN4VA
Good video, thanks for sharing the truth about this radio. All these capabilities the radio has are cancelled out by a poor receive problem that is probably hardware, low price for a reason. These Chinese radios are more difficult to program for sure. I have a Anytone 878+ that is a major PITA to use with most of the changes have to be done by software. How do hams put up with a manufacturer having the user doing the debugging, imagine if auto makers did this. Oh, wait they do also😂.
I don't mind troubleshooting at a price point. If I were to buy one of the big three for $500 to $700 I would expect the APRS to work flawlessly. However, at $160 I am willing to work around a few issues. But when the flaws have a very real possibility of making me accidentally transmit out of band, then that is a huge problem.