Had no problems so far... this is basically a UV-5R with the added 1.25 meter 220 band.I use it primarily for 2m and 70cm work.
21/05/2018
Great price point! I have four different models. Some folks sneer at me but then I drop it on the grass or on my foot and explain "if" it breaks I can replace a 30 dollar HT vs a 200-600 HT. Batteries are cheaper and last longer. A channel can be programed in less than thirty seconds so dont listen to the naysayers. Why I only gave it a four and not a five is when using CHIRP to load frequencies it seems to be hit and miss if it works or once loaded the settings though look correct are not. Manually programing everything works as expected and again it only takes thirty seconds to program a freq.I know folks with HTs that cost hundreds of dollars and can not do anything with the HT except turn it on. You get your monies worth out of these HTs and they are easily replaceable not to mention you can get an 8Watt version for just a bit more. Lastly they are easy to program.
18/05/2018
This radio corrects major deficiencies in previous Baofeng models. Properly programmed and set up it is now suitable for a new, inexperienced operator. The display confusion of previous models can be avoided by implementing the SYNC feature Receiver performance is still typical of inexpensive radios: very sensitive to interference from nearby transmitters. You can't build a good receiver for little money. The 222 MHz band is a real plus and will stimulate more activity on this band. An antenna to cover all three bands would be nice instead of the antenna change for 222.In all, it's finally a low-price radio I can recommend to my newly licensed students.
09/05/2018
It's a decent 'expendable' radio to bring everywhere. Works fine for me. I just wish it came with a 3 bands antenna already but other than that, no complaints here.
30/04/2018
Programming is a bear manually, but Chirp to the rescue. Getting good reports on sound quality.
29/04/2018
The BTech UV-5X3 has much better firmware than it's sibling Baofeng UV-5R (I have both). My favorite features are the improved frequency scanning and the ability to add/delete channels from the channel scan. The signal strength indicator seems to work, and you can check the battery voltage. There are currently no 1.25 M repeaters in my area, so that wasn't a big draw. Manual programming is still a pain, but CHIRP works great. Battery life is outstanding.Not saying this is as good as a $300-500 radio, but as a basic grab & go tri-bander it is fine.In my opinion the UV-5X3 is worth the extra money over the UV-5R
26/04/2018
I wanted a low-cost way to try 220 and this was the answer. It works as expected. Programming is still interesting. Chirp is fine, but I have to be able to program "on the fly" for community events. No complaints beyond that.
23/04/2018
Great first HT! As someone who was just starting out in amateur radio, this was the perfect entry point. It lets me talk locally on all the repeaters and is perfect for my go bag.
22/04/2018
I found it nice to be able to add one more band, and though I have not had a QSO on the 220 band, I have heard some local traffic on the band.
17/04/2018
Can't say anything negative about it. I'm a new ham so I can't really get too technical. But for the money this radio met all my expectations. Very affordable and the radiodity tri band antenna I'm really enjoying it. Long lasting battery and good range.
12/04/2018