Awesome radio. I just had to get another one.Range on simplex is really good, tone quality is excellent and it is extremely to program.

I had an F8HP but could not live with the fact it couldn’t be programmed on the fly. BTECH recommended the 5x3. I tried it alongside the F8HP. From a programming standpoint it was GREAT and did everything I needed. But it couldn’t receive anything. I put the radios side by side and while the F8HP was receiving everything I expected, the 5x3 was basically dead.BTECH had me return the radio so they could “warranty” it. And while the second 5x3 does perform better than the first one, it is far from acceptable. The receiver isn’t strong enough to break tone squelch on most of the local repeaters. I disabled tone squelch and I could at least hear the repeaters, albeit weakly. It doesn’t receive county emergency channels at all; the F8 absolutely did. I even tried a Nagoya antenna with no improvement.I can’t understand why BTECH would improve the software on a radio with an outdated chip set. I’ll throw it in the glove box or give it to the kids. Sad that we base everything on cost. I can’t recommend these for serious use, at least not where I live. I’d rather spend the money and get something I can trust.Update 2: I’ve tried a counterpoise ground plane, and even connected this radio to a portable j-pole antenna to help reception. What a joke! This radio must be popular with the urban cowboy and air-soft tin soldier crowd. It brings new meaning to the term “disposable” radio.

The 220 MHz band is an excellent addition. I have other radios but none with this band. The only problem with BTECH radios is programming. Especially the memory for repeaters. It is quite backward. Once you have the programming cable and a PC it is a breeze. You just must have a cheat sheet to do it in the field. Radio is excellent for first timers with a little outside help from and Elmer.

Have not used it a great deal but okay so far. Reports say BTech better than an BaeF.

This was a gift, and I haven't had any feed back as of now.

While some features that are new to the Ham Radio Community are not included, this radio is a real buy. Enough features are included so it is an economical way to get into the Amateur Community and a good travel radio thanks to its' size and function. The one 'significant' down side is the frustrating and complicated interface to program your local repeaters without the not included programming cable. You must buy the cable so factor in the extra $20 to acquire the cable to make the use of the radio easier for the novice.

For ham radio's at this cost you cant fault it for not being a 300$ radio, this thing delivers exactly what you expect and more. I got this for a EDC radio that I can toss around and if it gets destroyed I didn't bust my high dollar Yeasu. but it also preforms well I can get into my local repeaters.

As a cheap entry level radio it fits the need. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of some of the higher end radios, but it provides the newbie a chance to see if they even like Ham radio without breaking the bank. Do yourself a favor and order the Nagoya antenna for it. Though the factory antennas work, it is a pain in the ass to carry and change out the antenna based upon the band you want. Get the real programming cable and download CHIRP. CHIRP is the official form of programming software for this radio. Adjust your bandwidth, frequency step and the squelch settings. From the factory the squelch settings are worthless. All these things can be adjusted within CHIRP. Don't forget to save the factory program file and don't use it except to restore some setting you screwed up.As far as overall, I love the little radio, I can take it with me in environments that would make me nervous to take my Motorola (why abuse a $1000 radio?)

Had to do a little work to get better also out. Also fixed external mic issue. Watch videos on YouTube. Easy mods. Radio works great.

I've been very pleased with this radio. It's small and lightweight but the reception has been great. I did change out the rubber duck antenna for a whip that is a tri-band.