BTECH UV-50X2 (Second Gen.) Mobile 50 Watt Dual Band Base, Mobile Radio: VHF, UHF Amateur (Ham)

This is a very good radio, coming from only using handheld radio’s to this was a game changer. There was a big difference in microphone sound clarity compared to the basic uv5r handheld. So your voice comes out very clear over the radio. The other thing I appreciated with this radio was the power output, I have very good range with this system it’s kinda like If you can see it, you can talk to it. The speaker built into the radio can be turned up pretty loud, but it may not be quite enough for some off-road uses. The only real thing I worry about with this radio is the microphone connector, it’s a little In the way of the volume knob and I can see it getting damaged if the cord gets pulled on. But it Hasn’t happened yet. Anyhow, I’d definitely recommend this unit for anyone who wants a decent mobile unit for there cars, trucks and off roaders. Just be careful with water/ moisture as I don’t think it’s waterproof.

I've had this radio for a few weeks in my shack. Wired to a Tram 1480 mounted 35' above the ground. It receives all of my local repeaters just as well as my FT-991a AND it picks up 4 at a time. I have been using the K1 adapter that comes in the box and transmitting with a btech mic (qhm22). By all reports the audio is very good. The speaker on the radio body itself is not very loud (though it is pretty clear), if I had this mounted in my diesel truck I would need an external speaker. Programming is easy, either through the front panel or with chirp. I think the pc04 cable was less than $12 and made setting up the radio a breeze. On high power with 13.8v supplied I'm registering 85-88watts vhf, and just a few watts less in uhf. Pretty good for a 50w radio! Overall I'm very happy with this radio. It doesn't have a ton of features or memory slots. It doesn't have a removable front face. But, for $200 it's really difficult for me to imagine getting a better overall radio than what Btech put together in the uv-50x2.

September 2 update: While using this radio on a local repeater (70cm) smoke started coming out of the radio and it stopped transmitting on the high power level. September 3 update. Radio has stopped transmitting on the low power setting. I can no longer endorse this radio as it went from a great radio to a piece of trash! After talking around on different repeaters, I found that this radio is plagued with issues, that I had escaped until this weekend.... ARG!!!! Oh well, this was my first entry-level radio and as I stated, "was" a great radio while it lasted. Again, I can not recommend this radio to anyone that is looking for a radio that is reliable, even for the cost, it should have lasted more than three months. I decided to bite the bullet and get a radio that was/is built to last and does much more. Again, this was a "learning curve" for me and looking back, I'm glad I started out with a "cheap" (price and quality) radio first to see if I was ready for the big leagues. I am hooked on "HAM radio" and am studying for my general and extra license(s). The radio I ordered to replace this one is an ICOM 7100. Yes, about 5x the price of this unit but has rave reviews and is bulletproof from everyone I've talked to. 73 and don't make the same mistake I did and try a different brand for an entry level radio. KN4EIA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 4 update: This radio has outperformed all my expectations. reaches out and has no issues when used with a good antenna. remember guys, you can have the best radio ever made on the planet but if you pair it with a really cheap antenna, well, expect failure. This radio actually shows more wattage than it is rated at. KN4EIA ---- First update: I had a friend with licenses give it a test while I listened in on an HT and all I can say is that it was "very" impressive. Modulation was very clear and it was comparable to the ICOM. Everyone on the repeater was impressed with it. Also, the test was done on low power. As things develop, I will be leaving more updates. ----------------------------------------------------------------- But so far it works well. When I first got it, I had no clue how to program/work it. I've been studying for my ham license and hope to take my first test soon. So, I use it just for listening. I have it in my house, using a power supply and a magnetic mount antenna. I can pick up repeaters over fifty miles away and this is a feat as I live sort of in a hole. Once I get my licenses I will install an outside base antenna and see just how far it can reach out. I use it daily to "listen" and am learning a lot just by listening. One other "major" thing I learned from purchasing this product; There is some printing on the box that really impressed me! I will not state that here as I feel Amazon will probably delete it but if you really want to know, leave a comment.

For amateur radio operators, with good eyes, this is a very good value. Strengths: Sound quality is good on reception and I've gotten "loud and clear" reports on transmissions on both power settings, easily reaching repeaters more than 40 miles from me. High and low power settings are easily changed on front panel and microphone button. Unit is built solid, all buttons work well, and feel like they'll hold up over time. Case has deep fins in back for heat sinking, but there's also a small fan at the back. I haven't heard it at all yet, but it's working. SO-239 connector on back is slightly protected by those fins, but it's still easy to connect antenna cable to the socket and tighten. Speaker out socket is also on back of unit. Programming cable socket (3.5mm TRRS plug) is on front panel. Everything is well spaced EXCEPT for the push on/off volume control above the microphone input socket. Strain relief sleeve on the included mic's cable needs to be pulled back or rotated from its installed position to prevent interfering with turning the volume control knob. Power cables are overall less than 2 meters long, have individual fuses, and comes with tinned cut ends. I haven't tried to install this in my car yet, so I don't know if that length is okay or not. After cutting away the tinned part, I easily installed instead Anderson PowerPole connectors on the ends to give me more flexibility with power connections when used as portable and base station. So far, they've worked well with both a battery box and a desktop power supply. (The powerpoles allow me to easily connect banana plugs for use with my cheap power supply.) You can monitor four different frequencies at once, and even set your transmission frequency to always one or any of the four that is active. The most useful for me is the ability to pair up two of the lines on the screen to the same memory location, with one line showing the frequency, and the other showing the stored name (which can show up to 8 characters, in upper and lower case - yay!) The microphone has easy to use, responsive buttons that are lit, and accessing the menu items is easy. Changing menu items is straightforward, once you learn the way it's done. It's of a good size, not heavy, with a firm spring on the PTT. It feels like it will hold up to normal (ab)use. [I'll add to this later if iI find out t doesn't like the heat in my car] The microphone does not have its own internal speaker. Sound from the top mounted speaker in the unit itself is nice and loud, and clear. I imagine certain mounting methods may muffle the speaker if that speaker is not given a lot of air. A label on the top of the unit warns that the top surface gets hot, too, so that's another reason to let the top of the unit be mounted toward the open air. Challenges: The mounting holes don't align perfectly with the included mounting bracket. Three worked fine, but trying to install the last screw in any configuration is not possible without re-drilling the rack. Using other unconnected mountts instead of the included mounting bracket is probably going to be the easiest work around, though. The worst "feature": The screen is TINY, not much bigger than on some HTs, and it displays four lines all the time. If there is a way to display fewer, I haven't found it yet. You can adjust the color combinations to your liking among 7 colors plus black and white, but the print size looks tiny on the tiny screen. I have not permanently mounted this in my car yet, and as I'm getting used to it over these past few weeks, I'm really tending to think I never will. Not mounting it means I can pick it up and look at it closely to see the names or frequencies more easily. There is NO voice assist on this unit, so if you need visual aids, this may not be the unit for you. For one thing, I don't think it will be safe to have to bend down or over to read the screen while driving. Admittedly, my eyes are old and very near-sighted. If yours aren't, you may not have an issue with this unit. As for me, because of the size of the screen, this is going to be used either in a go-box, or exclusively as a base station. And for those purposes, I think it will end up being a very good value. On the other hand, if you have sharp eyes that can read serial numbers on a dollar bill at arm's length (that's kinda what it feels like), you may not have the same concerns in your car that I do.

I purchased one of these back in February of 2025 with intention of putting it in my car, but it got diverted to Base Station duty with an Opek 300 base antenna. Long story short, in spite of many suggestions for other brands, I like this radio so much I ordered a second one and the first one will continue to be my base station. They are easy to program and have more features than I currently use or plan to use in the foreseeable future other than dual purpose as a repeater, but that feature is only available in much more expensive models.

First impression: Fits the BTech radio mold - first class rig! Many color options for display are nice and can customize for your eyes. I like the dark screen with lighter text. Just easier to see. Just got it programmed with CHIRP and discovered a few things you will need to know. First, the power supply connection is not labeled. The red wire goes to the positive terminal while the black wire goes to the ground terminal. Next no where in manual does it indicate when or how to utilize the PC-04 programming cable. I have several BTech UV-82HP HTs. On these you turn radio off, connect via program cable, then turn radio on. I contacted BTech and they advise can plug in program cable to UV-50X2 at any time, radio on or off. I tried and works. In CHIRP on 'Settings Tab' there are many options. It took me quite a while to figure out which options correspond to the menu items on the radio. But once found and options selected, radio is programmed and works great. Menu system very similar to that of UV-82HP so if familiar with most Baofeng HTs will have no problem with this Baofeng mobile. Internal speaker sounds nice and Tx/Rx reports indicate full quieting. I will update this review after a few weeks use. Update 24 April: Still impressed with this rig. Read reviews on BTech UV-25X2 for some tips on CHIRP and Menu programming that work on the UV-50X2 as well. I continue to tweak settings like squelch to fit my taste. No problems found with radio. Fan kicks in when long Tx but reasonable decibel level and goes off quick. If you are in Channel mode and wish to change to a different channel you can of course turn the lower left dial. However, a much quicker way if you know the channel number is to enter the number on the mic keypad. The rig will move to that channel. Remember all channels are two digits so channel 6 would be keyed in as '06.' I keep a list of programmed channels near my rig so finding the channel number is easy.

I purchased this radio for use as a base station. I received the radio in a timely manner, packaged well. Other than the 'learning curve' (took a couple of tries) to program manually, it set up 25 or so channels fairly quickly. Not sure about CHIRP, but I have a buddy that said he'd try to program via computer in the near future. My local radio group has a weekly check-in and TX was 'loud & clear'. I am studying for my Tech license, which is the reason I purchased this radio in the first place. RX of ham was good, can't wait to check those stations. Actually had a couple of them ask for the make & model so they could research on their own. Pros:/Cons: I really like the option to customize the screen colors, love the look & compact size, and other than that, the mic/controller seems a little 'flimsy'. Only time will tell. Will update when I get my HAM license or a problem arises.

About 10months after buying this I had a issue with it which was possibly my fault. Btech absolutely stood by their product and took great care of me. I came back to edit my review to say they earned a customer! I'm new to all this! I have this 50w at the house, their 25w in the car. This radio works great and I did a half a** job setting it up. I literally bought a magnetic car antenna then stuck it to my garage vent. No doubt that can be done alot better but I can talk house to car everywhere I've gone around the city I live in and that's exactly what I wanted it to do so I'm very happy with both. Chirp program was easy after I got the single plug cord ugh. Options through chirp were great. Programming without free chirp software wasn't fun but you can do it. Hope my Newby review helps someone out there in the Amazon. Also free advice I bet you could do what I set out to do with two 25w radios and save $100 but hey whatever