BTECH GMRS-20V2 20W Compact Mobile GMRS Radio, IP67 Waterproof Control Mic, 200 Customizable Channels, Repeater Ready, Clean Vehicle or Base Install, VHF/UHF Scanner, NOAA Weather & FM Receiver

So far this radio is working great. I really like how easy it is to read the screen on the handset, with the text being large enough for old eyes as well as the ability to control some of the color on some of the text to make it even more clear. The benefit of having the controls on the handset is great so I could mount the main body of the radio below my seat and still have all the controls visible and available from the driver's position. Make sure you also order a programing cable for this radio since it doesn't come with one, if you are going to try to hit repeaters that use CTCSS tones (PL codes); while you can program it all from the handset, it sure makes it easier to be able to program repeaters using Chirp (and a programming cable). While it is rated as a 20 watt radio, I was getting about 17 watts on my SWR meter, which is certainly good enough for the purpose.

BTech's sleek and very compact GMRS 20V2 mobile radio is an awesome radio. This radio is super compact, easy to install, portable, and most of all, it is very easy to program and use. Make sure and purchase the programming cable when you order it. Included instructions are very straightforward and easy to understand. I have several radios, and these are the best instructions I have received with a GMRS radio. Download the latest software download of "Chirp", and you can program it. I have been an avid offroader , kayaker, backpacker, etc, and wish I had a radio like this years ago. The Btech 20V2 can be used out of a back pack with a power source and antenna as well. So many uses due to it being easy, compact, and especially it's 20 watt output. Will mount in any vehicle it is so compact. I use mine in my Jeep Wrangler. Absolutely love the radio! Nice job BTech!!

I bought the 20V2 to install in a Ford Explorer because of its compact form factor and good programability compared to a more basic radio such as the similar options from Midland. I also was not sure how much I would use a vehicle mounted unit, so was not interested in investing a large amount of money in it. Form factor was critical because my Explorer does not have any practical or convenient place to cleanly mount a traditional mobile two-way radio. I will admit that I was not as enthused with this radio initially, because the speaker/mic is extremely light and hollow feeling, it could use a little extra heft and I was a little skeptical about its performance early on. When I first installed the unit, the main chassis seemed to be running extremely hot at idle, almost burn your fingers if you touched it for too long kind of hot and there seemed to be a lot of bleed over or interference in reception on some of the repeater channels I use. I almost removed it and was going to try finding another option but chose to leave it for a while and then it really grew on me and whatever was causing the chassis to run really hot or the interference in those first couple of days is no longer there, because it is working perfectly and running at a very normal, just slightly warm temperature with no noticeable bleed over or interference. My problems early on may have been something I did myself and did not realize, but I have been very happy with the radio ever since. My only gripe is the awkward hook type hanger for the speaker mic. It should have had a standard speaker mic hanging knob instead, there is even a circle in the molding of the plastic exactly where it should have gone. That problem I resolved by simply installing an aluminum speaker mic knob that I got on Amazon. In summary, is this a high end, high performing radio? No, but at this price point, that should not be expected. In my opinion, the 20V2 is a pretty good value radio for someone needing a very minimal install. The form factor and CHIRP compatibility means that it can be up and running in record time and easily moved between vehicles if needed. I am glad I did not return it after my initial impressions because I have really grown to enjoy using it and it is the perfect combination of form factor and function for my use case.

Update: August, 2025 The third radio ( second replacement unit) is holding up so far. It sees occasional use, and so far it's working fine. The warranty on the original unit purchased is now over, so it it dies, it's going into the trash. We'll see. Updates as needed, but the bottom line is you didn't want to trust your life to one of these things. Update: April 2025 After roughly 7 months of ownership, the radio lost its ability to transmit. There was no warning, and it still received fine. But a test with my SWR meter confirmed it: there was no output to the antenna on transmit. Since it was still within the first year, it was under warranty. I went through the process on BTECH's website to obtain an RMA. I had to supply them with my original Amazon invoice. After about a day, the RMA came back with authorization to ship. I boxed it up, sending only the main unit and microphone per their instructions, then sent it in via USPS Priority Flat Rate. It arrived at their location in South Dakota after 3 days. I then received word that the replacement was being sent out. I think it took about a week to arrive via UPS. I reinstalled the radio in my new vehicle, which replaced the one I was originally using it in when I wrote the review below. It took me about half an hour to pull the center console out of my new Ram and get everything connected back up. Got good transmit reports on a couple of different repeaters with the replacement radio, and I thought I had put this all behind me. Until I powered the radio down. With the replacement radio supposedly "off", the speaker emits static constantly. Not just a little soft static; more like the static you get when you turn on an old TV and get the white noise if there isn't a station broadcasting on that channel. I'm too late for a refund, so I'm now going through the RMA process again. I will likely have to pay -- again -- to ship the defective unit to South Dakota. I will likely be without my radio for more than a week as they go through the process. And I don't know what I'm going to get when I get it back. Maybe it will be perfect for the next 10 years. Maybe it will last 10 months, 10 days, or 10 minutes like this replacement did. I don't know. This same radio unit is available under different "brands" if you can call them that. More cheaply than through BTECH. I'm cool with paying a little more for the BTECH unit if it means they'll stand behind it. But if this is what standing behind it consists of, well, I'm not so sure it's worth it. If the next replacement flops, I'll probably buy a Midland, although their feature set stinks and the cost is stupid high. Having a "one hander" with a remote main box really happens to work well for me, so I want to stay with that form factor. More updates as they become possible. Original review is below. ***** I bought this after being disappointed by a Radioddity RA-86, which had very poor receiver performance. This radio is not perfect: adjusting the volume is too fiddly, the user interface is needlessly complex because it supports triple-watch, and the volume is not loud enough for some people using them in side-by-sides or in open Jeeps. (The volume is fine in a regular, enclosed vehicle.) This is why I've labeled this radio as 'quirky' in the review title. Installation? You don't really need to install it. I stuffed it into a center console map pocket in my Ram 1500, plugged it into the cigarette lighter socket, and ran the antenna cable out a door opening. Total time invested, about 5 minutes. The main unit is not super small like the RA-86, but it is still very compact and it will fit in a lot of places without drilling holes and mounting it. I did mount the microphone to the dash once I decided that I was keeping the unit, but that was a couple of self-tapping screws. The included adhesive mounting tape did not last a week.. Use? It's very much like a Baofeng GMRS walkie talkie. The firmware is a little different because it supports triple-watch, which I don't use, but it will seem very familiar otherwise. There are a lot of needless color configurations you can change for the display if you wish. The unit is computer programmable, which I recommend you take advantage of. At the time I got the radio the CHIRP people hadn't come up with a profile for it; that may have changed by now. (Update: it is now CHIRP programmable.) The microphone, which is how you control the radio, as there are no controls on the main unit, is somewhat larger than the usual radio mike, but not unwieldy. It does have a non-standard mounting that uses a hook rather than the usual button, which is weird but it works. I've coupled my radio with a Nagoya mag-mount antenna and am getting good signal reports. Audio through the microphone speaker is adequate but the unit would benefit from an external speaker. You will want to study the user manual to figure out what all of the buttons do. Like I say, the mike is quirky and overly complex, but usable. For what I paid, this radio is worthwhile. It has traveled with me for less than 10,000 miles, however, and vibration can kill inexpensive mobile units. We'll see how this one holds up. In the meantime, it's a better unit than the ultra-cheap Radioddity, and it works for what I need it to do.

Installed this in a side by side. So far I have not had any issues. Device does appear to work as indicated. Also seems to be pretty water resistant as well as it had been rained on, splashed and no issues. Pretty clear audio and pretty good reception. Would like to have some more features on the radio itself.

The radio is what I expected after reading and watching various reviews on Amazon and YouTube. The menus are very similiar to the Boafeng/Btech handhelds. Programing is easy if you use CHIRP. You can copy and past frequencies from your other radios in the 20V2 img file. The only issue I seem to have discovered is the kill function. I was going through the settings for the radio in CHIRP and disabled all DTMF transmit and receive. When I upload the new settings back to the radio, it is killed or locked. The easy but annoying fix is to image your radio as soon as you get it out of the box and save the original image as a separate file. I can reload the original settings back via CHIRP and then update the channel line up. All is well as long as I dont tweak with the DTMF settings in CHIRP and upload the changes to the radio. CHIRP has updated twice since I first received the radio. I suspect the kill issue could be a bug in the CHIRP software with one of the recent updates. Time will tell.

Pros: Small and compact for cars with limited space. Using straight out of the box perfect. Cons: The minute you try to set custom offsets from +/- 5 IT WILL NO EXCEPT IT. When you have an issue with manual programming they suggest to BUY the cable. If this a common complaint, as a company I would've included it with the radio. All in I'm at $135 USD for this radio and wire. There are far better radios for that price range that are 1: easier to program manually and 2: usually come with a programming cable. Awesome size and compact design but with expensive accessories that should be added and being locked out from custom offsets so I could use this radio on the transmit frequencies it has available "allegedly" is a no go for me. Being returned as soon as I'm back in town.

Good: - The display is housed in the microphone, so I don’t have to look down at a separate display. - 20 watt, which means it can be plugged into a 12V lighter jack and doesn’t have to be hardwired to the battery. - Sound quality is surprisingly clear and crisp, despite its small form factor. - PTT button has a firm click (doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy). - CHIRP programmable. - Allows scanner radio scanning on freqs some other radios don’t allow….482MHZ for LASD in SoCal. Bad: - Font on display is a bit small even with ability to bring it up to your face. - No separate volume control!!!! Almost a dealbreaker! - Very easy to erase all your settings while trying to find the volume menu. - Despite the high $150 price tag, it does not come with a programming cable or antenna. - Cannot hack the firmware to allow for transmitting on 2M/440 ham bands (can only receive). For the price, I might forgo the scanning capability and trade this in for a Midland MXT275, which often goes on sale for $150.