Latest Blogs | BaoFeng and BTech Radios

New Release – BTECH FRS-B1

Wednesday, February 9, 2022 We are excited to announce the launch of the much-anticipated BTECH FRS-B1 two-way radios. The most versatile commercial FRS radios on the market * Gang charger allows for both radio and solo battery charging * Versatile Kenwood K1 accessory jack * NOAA weather radio and built-in flashlight * IP54 weather resistant * USB-C charging The FRS-B1 are pre-programmed with all 22 FRS channels and support 260 DCS and CTCSS privacy tones (for a total of 5720 channel combinations), making it compatible with all other brands of FRS...

Category: NewsComments: 8

Nagoya NA-701G and NA-771G on the GMRS-V1

New Release – Nagoya NA-771G and Nagoya NA-701G

Wednesday, January 12, 2022 BTECH has announced today the release of the Nagoya NA-771G and the Nagoya NA-701G. These Nagoya GMRS antennas are based on their amateur antenna counterparts (the NA-771 and NA-701), however they are specifically tuned to GMRS (462MHz). This allows for the lowest SWR and highest antenna gain for GMRS users. Which antenna is best for you? The Nagoya NA-701G is based on one of Nagoya’s most popular antennas and because of it’s length (5.5 inches) it is a convenient...

Category: NewsTags: antenna, gmrs, gmrs-v1, nagoyaComments: 1

Multiple ways to charge your BaoFeng & BTECH Radios

In our age of technology, we continue to produce more and more gadgets that just make our life, a little easier. This also brings new sources of power, or to be more precise, additional ways to convert energy to power all our devices, including your favorite BaoFeng or BTECH radio. Let’s look at a couple of our most popular power adapting cables, the BT1013 and the 10V USB Smart Cable. You’re probably aware of the BT1013’s use with connecting your BL‑5L...

Category: BlogComments: 4

BF-F8HP: The counterfeit problem on eBay, Alibaba, Wish, and other webstores.

BF-F8HP and Counterfeits: Their differences and how to spot a counterfeit BF-F8HP The BaoFeng BF-F8HP has been an extremely popular entry-level amateur radio ever since its debut. Unfortunately, due to their popularity; there has been a huge influx of counterfeits and knock-off BF-F8HPs. It is important to make an issue of these counterfeits as: they are not assembled by BaoFeng, they are not FCC certified, they are inferior in build and performance, and they carry no distributor warranty. How do you identify a counterfeit BF-F8HP? First...

Category: NewsComments: 3

New firmware adds analog APRS to the DMR-6X2 handheld radio

BTECH recently released version 2.0 firmware for the DMR-6X2 handheld, and the most exciting new feature is analog APRS support. Previously, the DMR-6X2 could send APRS packets via DMR, but now it can also do analog APRS, making it more versatile than ever. Here’s how to set up analog APRS on your DMR-6X2. First, you’ll have to upgrade the firmware. Go to the DMR-6X2 Software and Firmware Repository and download CPS & Firmware 2.01. This package contains new firmware for the...

Category: BlogComments: 2

Program your UV-5X3 with CHIRP

One of the most frequently asked questions that we get here at BTECH is, “How do I program the channel memories in my UV-5X3?” The answer is, “Get CHIRP!” CHIRP is a free, open-source application for programming many different radios from dozens of manufacturers. You can use CHIRP to program 11 different BTECH models, including our amateur radios and our GMRS and MURS radios. In this post, we’ll show you how to program a BTECH UV-5X3 with CHIRP. CHIRP runs on...

Category: BlogComments: 8

Why can’t I hit the repeater?

One of the first things that many new radio amateurs do is to purchase a handheld radio, like the BTECH UV-5X3 (right), to talk with their friends on a local repeater. After programming the radio, they're often able to hear the repeater, but not access it. When this happens, the first question out of their mouths is, “Why can't I hit the repeater?” This is such a frequent problem, that there's even a question (T2B04) on the Technician Class exam that...

Category: BlogComments: 3

Get your CTCSS tones right to access repeaters

One of the things that many newcomers to FM and repeater operation fail to do when programming a radio is to program the CTCSS tone properly. There's even a question on the Technician Class exam that addresses this issue, question T2B04: QUESTION: Which of the following could be the reason you are unable to access a repeater whose output you can hear? ANSWER: All of these choices are correct Improper transceiver offset The repeater may require a proper CTCSS tone from your...

Category: BlogComments: 1

Amp it up!

In some situations, the 5W output of a handheld transceiver just doesn't cut it. You may be too far away from a repeater to hit it consistently, or you may want more range for simplex operation. One solution to this problem is to get a mobile radio with more output power. Mobile radios, such as the BTECH UV-50X2, have an output power of up to 50 W. Some mobile radios are even higher-powered. A 50 W radio, especially when used with...

Category: BlogComments: 5

Using the DMR-6X2’s built-in GPS receiver

One of the cool features of BTECH's DMR-6X2 is the built-in GPS receiver. When enabled, it gives you your latitude and longitude, height above sea level, date, and time of day. And, if you're moving, it will even tell you how fast you're walking or driving. To enable the GPS receiver manually: Press (Menu) to enter the main Menu. Page down and select GPS. Select GPS On/Off. Select GPS On to turn the GPS receiver on. This can also be done using...

Category: BlogComments: 0

Blog