BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radio

If you are outdoors in any environment, having a portable handheld HAM radio can be lifesaver. Equipping yourself with a radio like the BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radio may well be one of the best investments you can make for a variety of reasons.

I recently bought a pair of BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radios as a replacement for my set of WalyMart walkie talkies. I wanted something with greater range, more power, and much more flexibility with channels. The walkie talkies were great if you wanted to chat with someone say.., on the opposite side of a football field. But in the Arizona outdoors, you need the right tool for the job. I need the ability to not only communicate with a partner, but also Law Enforcement, Emergency Services like S.A.R. (search and rescue), Border Patrol, etc. I chose the hand held HAM radio option as my tool of choice.

Why this kind of communication needs? Arizona has a lot of great outdoor activities, but there are some hazards you may come across. Things like fall injuries or rattlesnake bites. Believe it or not, the occasion bear or cougar attack. This stuff really happens. Plus, being as close to the Mexican border as we are, Arizona has plenty of hazards

If you are hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, or off-roading close to the Arizona/Mexican border, there is a high probability you may encounter border crossers. These can range from cartel drug smugglers to lost or abandoned border crossers. The reality is, a quick fishing trip to one of our southern border lakes like Pena Blanca for example could very well turn into a humanitarian rescue mission.

Being prepared and equipped with a portable HAM radio like the BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radio could be a life saver out in the boonies. It’s not always about communicating with your geo cacheing group or staying on top of the changing weather conditions.

BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radio

I ordered two of these BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radios from Amazon. Please note that the above image also includes some of the accessories I purchased along with my radios. The radios cost me $69.89 each. As these are HAM radios, I chose this model as my entry level radio into the HAM world. As you may or may not know, to transmit you need a license from the FCC. You do not need a license to listen. You can look here at the FCC site for licensing requirements. A local HAM radio club is also a great way to help you get your license.

BTECH UV-5X3 Accessories

So here is what came in the box with my BTECH UV-5X3 Tri-bander (VHF/1.25M/UHF) Analog Portable Radio.

1. UV-5X3 Radio
2. 1500mAh Battery
3. V-85 Dual Band Antenna
4. 220MHz Single Band Antenna
5. CH-5 Charger
6. CH-5 110V Adapter
7. Earpiece Kit
8. Wrist Strap
9. Belt Clip
10. User Manual

Here are some of the BTECH UV-5X3 Radio features:

I’ll be honest here. Other than programming this thing, all I need to really know about the radios features is how to press the button to talk and how to switch or scan channels. A lot of the radio’s features are technical things I could care less about. If I need to know about all the other options and features, I can always get a hold of one of my HAM radio buddies to show me right?

• Tri-band Frequency Range.
• Display Sync.
• DTMF Remote Decode (Receive Remote Commands).
• Incoming ANI Display.
• Remote: Stun, Kill, Revive, Inspect, and Monitoring.
• On-the-Go Selectable Frequency Range Scanning.
• Remove and Add Channels from Scanning Right in Menu.
• Full Backward Accessory Compatibility with ALL UV-5R and BF-F8HP accessories.

Programming your BTECH UV-5X3

BTECH PC03 FTDI Genuine USB Programming Cable for BTECH

I ordered the PC03 FTDI USB Programming Cable to program my radios. If you want a easy and simple method for programming your BTECH UV-5X3 you are going to need this programming cable. I want to add that be careful when you order your data cable. MAKE SURE it is the correct data cable and compatible with your radio. Before purchasing mine, I read several reviews where they said their cable did not work with their device.

The next thing you will need is the programming software to edit the radio’s data. I use a application called CHIRP. It’s available for Windows, Linux or Mac OS. Download the CHIRP app at: https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

Install the software, plug in your PC03 FTDI USB Programming Cable, turn on the radio, then select your radio model from the list of available radio’s. Now you may get an COM error when downloading the image. In that case go to https://ftdichip.com/drivers/vcp-drivers and download the vcp driver and install that in your PC. Reload CHIRP and you should be able to download the radio data image.

chirp radio programming software

The first thing your going to want to do is save your base data image. This was you can always restore the original file if you need to. Now you can save the file again and this will be the edited image. (you can see my saved file name has -configured.img in the file name.) To edit a channel, just click in the appropriate box and type in your data for that channel. I programmed mine with a few general chat channels, and then I added all the local Arizona National Weather, County Search and Rescue, Repeater and County Sheriff channels. Keep in mind your up to 128 programmable channels my friend. When your done. Save the file, then upload it to the radio. It’s pretty easy.

Radio Accessories:

So.. you want to sexy up your BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radio? Well look no further my friend. Here are some options to accessorize your radio. As you can see in my picture above I have all these accessories except the extended batteries and USB Smart Charger.

• Tactical Radio Molle Pouch.
• BTECH QHM22 Rainproof Shoulder Speaker Mic $24.89 ea.
• StickyDeal 42.5″ Tactical Foldable Antenna $17.99 ea (increase range).
• PC03 FTDI USB Programming Cable $22.49 ea.
• BTECH BL-5L Extended Battery $18.49 ea.
• BTECH USB Smart Charger $12.49 ea (you will also need a car charger adapter with this cable to charge your radio in a vehicle).

I’m pretty happy with this radio. I feel I got a great bargain for my needs… Anyone else have a BTECH UV-5X3 Portable Radio? If so let me know in the comments.