I totally agree with using a magnetic mount. I used to work in the mining industry which has the worse dirt road conditions and vibrations you will find. Because of the constant 24 hour, 7 day a week use of the radios, the older fork style, slide in, type mount became sharpened by the handset being slid in and out over time. After a couple of people ended up with very nasty cuts (it ends up sharpened like a cheese slicer) the mounts were changed in about 200 vehicles to magnetic mounts. I was very skeptical at first. However, they never dismounted and they were far easier to use than the fork style as you don't have to look at the handset to pick up and replace. I will in the future be looking at a new UHF, I have in the past always use Uniden, I will now give the GME a look. Obviously, from what you have shown, technology has come a long way since I bought my last radio. Like you, I like the display on the main set with knobs, rather than on the handset, but I can see the advantages of having everything on the handset deepening on the vehicles layout. Great review Stefan, thank you...
yes, matt 100% agree, in my new play truck is no good space for a display unit so the concealed unit will work better but all depends on the layout and vehicle I guess.
Damn - we still got fork style mounts at our mine. Always annoys tf out of me cause in my personal car I got the magnetic but then when I’m in an LV still got the old school style. Magnetic is just so good haha - ah well
I’m in the market for a new GME UHF Radio and your comments were, in particular, spot on about customer service. I always pay particular attention to customer service. GME has always been “excellent” in this aspect of their business, as is the high quality, of all their products. I will be buying one of their 5W UHF Radios, next time l’m in the “big smoke”.😊👍
I'm a big fan of Uniden myself . Owned (still do actually) a Sundowner UH 077 that's 30 years old , She's been in four different vehicles and spends the majority of time turned on . Only component failing was the power feed connector which cost me about $10 to buy . Also have a much newer compact Uniden and that's fine too .. I bought a base Oricom unit and a twin pack handheld set . No real issues and they work well but the backlight in the car unit will flicker intermittently which is a bit annoying .I avoid the junk radios like Traxlar etc ...They do not last . Glad you are enjoying the GME . They look great .
Good review Stephan, Keep up the good work. I'm getting more and more frustrated with TH-cam influencers who are pretty biased, From what I have seen of yours you don't seem to be so can be trusted, where 99% of what's on You Tube can't be relied on. I've had about 20 different UHF radios in several vehicles, including work vehicles over the years. Icom, Uniden, Sirocco, GME and a couple of others. The GME XRS I have is hands down the best radio of the common 4x4 Radios. I've been frustrated with the disintegrating Microphone cables on the Icom and Uniden's, they just are not designed to last in Northern Australia. I suspect the GME might also have disintegrating Mic cables but I've only had it a couple of years so far. Also I've had really good results with the GME Antennas. Many of the others just snap on corrigated roads (just at the worst time in your trip). In my main 4x4 I currently run both the Icom IC-400pro and the GME XRS. Especially when the GME is the most Australian of the UHF's its definately currently the market leader and the one to buy in the sub $500 price range.
thanks mate, so far have not had a disintegrated cable on any of my UHF's longest was probably 6 years in my iCom but given it was secondary UHF for most of the time it also was way less used than my GME
@@AlloffroadAu Yes rubber and plastics disintergrate within a few years in Tropical climates like Darwin, Cairns, Broome and basically north of the tropic of capricorn. Manufacturers don't seem to realise this so don't always use materials that can minimse this problem.
I have a GME antenna that I made resonant to the 70cm amateur radio and I get comments about it :) but honestly, I didn't know you guys where able to use repeaters on your CB UHF band plan. I also subscribed because I'm also a off road enthusiast! Cheers from the states and 73!
Your review is spot on. You have always been open and honest with disclosures. You have lots of followers like me. Only thing I'd suggest is that please update if you come to know new info about your reviews. I know it is very difficult. Thanks
I appreciate that! Yes mate I will definitely update if there are any changes I have the radio in two vehicles and soon in a 3rd and still love it. Best UHF in my opinion.
That’s going to be a hard ask mate :) , it would depend on use and application , personal preference , antenna placement ect ect ....up here in the mines we use Motorola in vehicles and hand held units , in my cruiser at home I use GME with two spare hand held units and no complaints on this thus far after 5 yrs or more . Both brands have been very reliable . I guess it’s like any equipment it will boil down to cost and necessity of the item . Kim.
Commercial radios are much better but cost many times more. Even then, when I was fixing radios in the mines and oilfields, if there was a way to break them they would would find it. Hosing the mud out the cab and getting water in the radio, smashing the mic in the door and jumping the truck with a D8 Cat at 24 volts, to name a few. Also, when you have a microphone with half the radios brains in it, care must be taken. While the bull bar is great for HF and 27Mhz CB, UHF is pure line of sight. If you can see a mountain with a repeater 200Km away, you can use it. Its not so much about how much gain the antenna has but how high it is. Also, low gain antenna on the bull bar cannot radiate thru the metal truck. All it does in that direction is warm you and your passenger. A half meter metal gain antenna up on the headache (rollover) bar works out well even in tree country.
yes same here, but have to say iCom warranty and customer service is not to compare with GME and the usability is so much better with the XRS series. One thing I forgot to mention is that it would be great if you could also change the watt on the XRS I like that I can put my iCom down to 2w which can be handy sometimes.
I got a xrs as well and love it but only downfall is the bluetooth module fails on them just had mine sent back to gme today to get fixed under warranty
Another great review. I do agree with you regarding GME after sales service. They are brilliant. It would be good if you could do an in depth “how to” of the XRS as they have so many features it’s hard to keep track.
Thanks, great suggestion though I have to admit I hardly use any of the features beside the firmware updated and setting change via app. I think it makes sense if you have a whol convoy having the same UHF and you can realy utilise all features.
Ive got the xrs330 and while I havent used it all that much I found that the small body size made it easy to install in a modern vehicle. With everything on the mic I have easy vision to all controls. My only issue is that i find the tiny speaker in the mic isnt all that great. And being able to get to all setting via the app is brilliant. But you get what you pay for. the radio isnt cheap but you have plenty of great features for the money
I heard that from another guy as well that the speaker is not loud enough, I wonder if there is something wrong as even with only the mic speaker if found it quite good, but I have both speakers enabled so the mic speak and a rear speaker in the overhead console which is perfect.
@@AlloffroadAu yer i also have both speakers enabled. I think its just the fact that the speaker is so small that you cant really expect to much from it. I also have a cheaper oricom radio installed and that also has a pretty ordinary speaker mike. Its to old size does matter. Tschüssi
I could not test it as you need a second vehicle with the same unit, however leaving for the Desert next week hopefully someone has an XRS. I don't think it would be a Spot replacement though. It would not replace a Spot 3 or Garmin InReach which are very different products.
warranties dont mean shit under the consumer law. if that product didnt last a reasonable time like 4-6 years they should replace it regardless of what their warranty says
@@AlloffroadAu g'day, appreciate the quick response 👍 that's good to hear that it's still going good. I'll more than likely get 1 or 2 for my new Navara. Cheers for the info 🍻
AllOffroad 4x4 Adventures TV so you have to manually turn it on and off and it’s not on with the ignition is that right? Also which ICOM unit did you have before ? Was it ic-450 which broke off? How do you compare the functionality performance of ICOM vs gme?
Yes IC-450 to be honest no older UHF even old GME's can compare in user friendliness to the XRS series most user friendly radio on the market. In my book you need a degree to change anything but the main settings in an iCom with the XRS it's all super easy via the handset or the iPhone app in a logical menu structure.
VHF is great if you in to it, world wide coverage (if you lucky) needs VHF license, more knowledge and membership it's quite a bit more expensive. UHF is for short range VHF long range
I dont like the GME antenna mount. imo they dont provide enough flex. I'm still using an old Mobileone antenna which has a more flexible base. it's almost 8 years old now, with over 100k and many trips up north and out west
yes I agree it could be a little more flexible but in saying that I had the short AE4704B antenna also on Tiny for 3 years well above roof heights and it also took some serious pounding. The GME AE4018W is on my vehicles for a combined 170.000km I think I replaced one because the Bundutec awning took the top part off over time.
A damn pity GME do not rein in its 'authorised' distributors who engage in unconscionable and anticompetitive conduct in the marketplace. Disgraceful behaviour, probably driven by an American parent, which no doubt harms our Aussie brand. The game's up as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if GME is complicit in this or not, but I have enough damning evidence to seek ACCC intervention. There will be a cost. I have spoken with a representative of GME, but it appears that indifference is the norm. There was a time when I wouldn't buy anything but this Aussie product . . . now . . . .
I am not aware of whether your company is engaging in the anticompetitive behaviour that others are @@AlloffroadAu If you are, it will come out in time. There is something very sick in this industry and I have recently been on the 'short' end of that. Where apathy reigns on the part of many who have been adversely affected, it is not the case with me. I've been caught and I mean to and am doing something about it. My comment is designed to 'wave a flag' at consumers and at those entities who will engage in the malpractices. I'll look at your website and see if you are able to meet my needs in respect of GME product. P.S. (edit): At first glance of this TH-cam video, I thought you were 'selling' the GME product - clearly you are not. Apologies for that. Just the same, my comment/s are still relevant - people need to be aware and not accept the bad behaviours of some players in the industry.
Not pointing the finger at you mate . . .@@AlloffroadAu I did apologise. Just throwing a warning out there to those who might be contemplating a GME product . . . there's some nasty hi-jinx going on out there.
Hello, I do need to call you on a point here. You used a second hand, hand unit in your icom uhf and when it didn't work you called expecting icom to fix or replace. This is wrong and inconsiderate of the manufacturer. This video seems nothing more to me than you pushing the gimmicky GME XRS 370 UHF Radio which you can control via your mobile phone. Don't get me wrong this would be a great feature if you had phone coverage all round this great country of ours. I think that because icom haven't come to your youtube party and helped sponsor your channel, you have just jumped on the next "greatest thing" to offer you some sort of deal, and neglected the fact that icom have delivered a functional and capable UHF.
It was not a second-hand unit, it was second older mic I had from a unit I bought some time earlier (which failed) so it's first hand for me. The Mic did work until it disintegrated in my hand on Fraser earlier this year, the shell just cracked when talking to my mate. Yes, it did not fall under the warranty as it was too old which is fine but I was told that in general any physical damage is not covered by iCom. If you think the iCom or any of the other older UHF before the XRS is user-friendly then you are much smarter then me, I find them quite user-unfriendly. If you watch my video, I didn't go any further in the APRS feature because as you pointed out you need mobile reception so that's no selling point for me however to connect your mobile phone to the XRS to change settings etc you don't need mobile reception it does work everywhere. Seems like if someone has a different experience to you (you seem to favour iCom) he jumps on someone else bandwaggon. I run what I think suits me best and as mentioned in the review I prefer the GME due to the user-friendliness, features, upgradeability and the excellent customer service experience I had with GME. You prefer iCom that's fine it's not a bad unit as well mate. FYI. I don't have sponsors my Chanell is entirely self-funded but I do sometimes receive gear without charge to test and review. In most cases, it's gear I would purchase anyway and usually, I contact the manufacturer after doing my research first.
Is there any better UHF on the market? Let me know why in the comment section
Is the Mike cord a rj45?
Been looking at getting this kit, great to see someone has reviewed it! Definitley gonna get it
I totally agree with using a magnetic mount. I used to work in the mining industry which has the worse dirt road conditions and vibrations you will find. Because of the constant 24 hour, 7 day a week use of the radios, the older fork style, slide in, type mount became sharpened by the handset being slid in and out over time. After a couple of people ended up with very nasty cuts (it ends up sharpened like a cheese slicer) the mounts were changed in about 200 vehicles to magnetic mounts. I was very skeptical at first. However, they never dismounted and they were far easier to use than the fork style as you don't have to look at the handset to pick up and replace. I will in the future be looking at a new UHF, I have in the past always use Uniden, I will now give the GME a look. Obviously, from what you have shown, technology has come a long way since I bought my last radio. Like you, I like the display on the main set with knobs, rather than on the handset, but I can see the advantages of having everything on the handset deepening on the vehicles layout. Great review Stefan, thank you...
yes, matt 100% agree, in my new play truck is no good space for a display unit so the concealed unit will work better but all depends on the layout and vehicle I guess.
Damn - we still got fork style mounts at our mine. Always annoys tf out of me cause in my personal car I got the magnetic but then when I’m in an LV still got the old school style. Magnetic is just so good haha - ah well
Thank you for your thorough video review. I have been researching radios, and this seemed really good. I will pick one up this week!
yes I'm still very happy with mine, I have the same now also in my Play Truck and can't fault it
I’m in the market for a new GME UHF Radio and your comments were, in particular, spot on about customer service. I always pay particular attention to customer service. GME has always been “excellent” in this aspect of their business, as is the high quality, of all their products.
I will be buying one of their 5W UHF Radios, next time l’m in the “big smoke”.😊👍
Fantastically well produced and informative review. Excellent work - thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I'm a big fan of Uniden myself . Owned (still do actually) a Sundowner UH 077 that's 30 years old , She's been in four different vehicles and spends the majority of time turned on . Only component failing was the power feed connector which cost me about $10 to buy . Also have a much newer compact Uniden and that's fine too .. I bought a base Oricom unit and a twin pack handheld set . No real issues and they work well but the backlight in the car unit will flicker intermittently which is a bit annoying .I avoid the junk radios like Traxlar etc ...They do not last . Glad you are enjoying the GME . They look great .
Good service is king thanks for the review GME All the way
Great honest review, you hit it on the head, customer service is number one for me as well.
Thanks for watching!
Good review Stephan, Keep up the good work.
I'm getting more and more frustrated with TH-cam influencers who are pretty biased, From what I have seen of yours you don't seem to be so can be trusted, where 99% of what's on You Tube can't be relied on.
I've had about 20 different UHF radios in several vehicles, including work vehicles over the years. Icom, Uniden, Sirocco, GME and a couple of others. The GME XRS I have is hands down the best radio of the common 4x4 Radios. I've been frustrated with the disintegrating Microphone cables on the Icom and Uniden's, they just are not designed to last in Northern Australia. I suspect the GME might also have disintegrating Mic cables but I've only had it a couple of years so far.
Also I've had really good results with the GME Antennas. Many of the others just snap on corrigated roads (just at the worst time in your trip).
In my main 4x4 I currently run both the Icom IC-400pro and the GME XRS.
Especially when the GME is the most Australian of the UHF's its definately currently the market leader and the one to buy in the sub $500 price range.
thanks mate, so far have not had a disintegrated cable on any of my UHF's longest was probably 6 years in my iCom but given it was secondary UHF for most of the time it also was way less used than my GME
@@AlloffroadAu Yes rubber and plastics disintergrate within a few years in Tropical climates like Darwin, Cairns, Broome and basically north of the tropic of capricorn. Manufacturers don't seem to realise this so don't always use materials that can minimse this problem.
I have a GME antenna that I made resonant to the 70cm amateur radio and I get comments about it :) but honestly, I didn't know you guys where able to use repeaters on your CB UHF band plan. I also subscribed because I'm also a off road enthusiast!
Cheers from the states and 73!
Your review is spot on. You have always been open and honest with disclosures. You have lots of followers like me. Only thing I'd suggest is that please update if you come to know new info about your reviews. I know it is very difficult. Thanks
I appreciate that! Yes mate I will definitely update if there are any changes I have the radio in two vehicles and soon in a 3rd and still love it. Best UHF in my opinion.
hey mate, bit of a diy project this weekend putting one in my fj cruiser, was stoked to see your using the same model...
still love mine
That’s going to be a hard ask mate :) , it would depend on use and application , personal preference , antenna placement ect ect ....up here in the mines we use Motorola in vehicles and hand held units , in my cruiser at home I use GME with two spare hand held units and no complaints on this thus far after 5 yrs or more . Both brands have been very reliable . I guess it’s like any equipment it will boil down to cost and necessity of the item . Kim.
Commercial radios are much better but cost many times more. Even then, when I was fixing radios in the mines and oilfields, if there was a way to break them they would would find it. Hosing the mud out the cab and getting water in the radio, smashing the mic in the door and jumping the truck with a D8 Cat at 24 volts, to name a few. Also, when you have a microphone with half the radios brains in it, care must be taken.
While the bull bar is great for HF and 27Mhz CB, UHF is pure line of sight. If you can see a mountain with a repeater 200Km away, you can use it.
Its not so much about how much gain the antenna has but how high it is. Also, low gain antenna on the bull bar cannot radiate thru the metal truck. All it does in that direction is warm you and your passenger. A half meter metal gain antenna up on the headache (rollover) bar works out well even in tree country.
if you are in the mines you are probably using a professional system back up by a comms infrastructure to support you.
@@jamescopeland3173 definitely ;-)
I love my XRS Stefan, they are hard to beat. Cheers Steve
yes mate I agree 100%
Well Done Stefan. I have GME and ICOM commercial units for the programming ability....
But I like this system
yes same here, but have to say iCom warranty and customer service is not to compare with GME and the usability is so much better with the XRS series. One thing I forgot to mention is that it would be great if you could also change the watt on the XRS I like that I can put my iCom down to 2w which can be handy sometimes.
Very timely review.
I got a xrs as well and love it but only downfall is the bluetooth module fails on them just had mine sent back to gme today to get fixed under warranty
I have two XRS so far no issues so we will see
Thats the go mate 😃 there a brilliant uhf 👌🏽
Danke. Just ordered one too!
can’t fault it, will look good on gladiator
hi, what kind of range can you get from the gme radio with 3.0 dBi antenna. other side if they use a 5 watt hand held radio.
Another great review. I do agree with you regarding GME after sales service. They are brilliant. It would be good if you could do an in depth “how to” of the XRS as they have so many features it’s hard to keep track.
Thanks, great suggestion though I have to admit I hardly use any of the features beside the firmware updated and setting change via app. I think it makes sense if you have a whol convoy having the same UHF and you can realy utilise all features.
Ive got the xrs330 and while I havent used it all that much I found that the small body size made it easy to install in a modern vehicle. With everything on the mic I have easy vision to all controls. My only issue is that i find the tiny speaker in the mic isnt all that great. And being able to get to all setting via the app is brilliant. But you get what you pay for. the radio isnt cheap but you have plenty of great features for the money
I heard that from another guy as well that the speaker is not loud enough, I wonder if there is something wrong as even with only the mic speaker if found it quite good, but I have both speakers enabled so the mic speak and a rear speaker in the overhead console which is perfect.
@@AlloffroadAu yer i also have both speakers enabled. I think its just the fact that the speaker is so small that you cant really expect to much from it. I also have a cheaper oricom radio installed and that also has a pretty ordinary speaker mike. Its to old size does matter. Tschüssi
will XRS-370C4P work in the UK? or not.
thanks.
Great Review Stefan, Love my XRS-370C.
Thank you very much....
Very informative great video I’ve just bought this unit kind regards Phil
thanks mate, have two of them and first one for two years can't fault them so far
We love the XRS too! Great review video.
Helpful review thank you!
My pleasure!
G’day Stefan, do you think the gps tracking function on this unit stacks up against the likes of SPOT & Garmins In Reach for weekend trips in the VHC?
I could not test it as you need a second vehicle with the same unit, however leaving for the Desert next week hopefully someone has an XRS. I don't think it would be a Spot replacement though. It would not replace a Spot 3 or Garmin InReach which are very different products.
@@Wayne-Pr yes me neither the GPs tracking in a UHF is something completely different to a Spot 3 or Garmin Inreach.
Thanks for sharing this review 🤙
Out of curiosity why do you carry two UHF radios?
one for the designated track channel and second one for group channel
Nice video ty
warranties dont mean shit under the consumer law. if that product didnt last a reasonable time like 4-6 years they should replace it regardless of what their warranty says
Yep that was my train of thought as well.
Im interested to know if after 5 years do you still have this uhf? Did you have any problems within the last 5 years. Thanks in advance for any update
yes still have it no issues, the only negative is the app has become more buggy but fortunately don’t really need to use it
@@AlloffroadAu g'day, appreciate the quick response 👍 that's good to hear that it's still going good. I'll more than likely get 1 or 2 for my new Navara. Cheers for the info 🍻
yep still my choice have 2 in Cruiser and one in Hilux
Hi, thanks for the review, did you wire this directly to the battery or interior fuse ?
it's fused to main battery
AllOffroad 4x4 Adventures TV so you have to manually turn it on and off and it’s not on with the ignition is that right?
Also which ICOM unit did you have before ? Was it ic-450 which broke off? How do you compare the functionality performance of ICOM vs gme?
Yes IC-450 to be honest no older UHF even old GME's can compare in user friendliness to the XRS series most user friendly radio on the market. In my book you need a degree to change anything but the main settings in an iCom with the XRS it's all super easy via the handset or the iPhone app in a logical menu structure.
AllOffroad 4x4 Adventures excellent thanks 👍
Is the mic a noise canceling mic?
Please what is the difference between VHF radio and UHF radio .. in the 4w car ??
VHF is great if you in to it, world wide coverage (if you lucky) needs VHF license, more knowledge and membership it's quite a bit more expensive. UHF is for short range VHF long range
VHF boats uhf vehicles
Do both speakers work at once??
yes and can be individually controlled
Please bring to the USA!!!!
A number of GME 'agents' are owned by GPC of Atlanta, GA. Talk to GPC.
Tnx for video.
73 from Russia!
Thank you too!
@@AlloffroadAu welcome to Black Sea region, Russia.
I would love to one day do a bit 4wd in russia
@@AlloffroadAu how bout Now ?
I like your car. 😋
thank you a full walk trough is available here th-cam.com/video/jvP4krrB_8U/w-d-xo.html
My oricom unit just started playing up after only 2 years of very moderate use.. yep, a cheap man does in fact buy twice haha.
Yes sadly my hand held Oricom never lasted longer than a year
A price guide would have been nice.
yea prices change and vary around $650 for the whole 4wd pack incl 2 antennas
I dont like the GME antenna mount. imo they dont provide enough flex. I'm still using an old Mobileone antenna which has a more flexible base. it's almost 8 years old now, with over 100k and many trips up north and out west
yes I agree it could be a little more flexible but in saying that I had the short AE4704B antenna also on Tiny for 3 years well above roof heights and it also took some serious pounding. The GME AE4018W is on my vehicles for a combined 170.000km I think I replaced one because the Bundutec awning took the top part off over time.
Nun auf deutsch
hört sich sehr deutschenglisch an ;-) :-)
Ja auf jeden fall
A damn pity GME do not rein in its 'authorised' distributors who engage in unconscionable and anticompetitive conduct in the marketplace. Disgraceful behaviour, probably driven by an American parent, which no doubt harms our Aussie brand.
The game's up as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if GME is complicit in this or not, but I have enough damning evidence to seek ACCC intervention.
There will be a cost. I have spoken with a representative of GME, but it appears that indifference is the norm.
There was a time when I wouldn't buy anything but this Aussie product . . . now . . . .
Not sure what you referring to?
I am not aware of whether your company is engaging in the anticompetitive behaviour that others are @@AlloffroadAu If you are, it will come out in time.
There is something very sick in this industry and I have recently been on the 'short' end of that. Where apathy reigns on the part of many who have been adversely affected, it is not the case with me. I've been caught and I mean to and am doing something about it.
My comment is designed to 'wave a flag' at consumers and at those entities who will engage in the malpractices.
I'll look at your website and see if you are able to meet my needs in respect of GME product.
P.S. (edit): At first glance of this TH-cam video, I thought you were 'selling' the GME product - clearly you are not. Apologies for that.
Just the same, my comment/s are still relevant - people need to be aware and not accept the bad behaviours of some players in the industry.
not sure how I can engage in anti competitive behaviour, I'm retired and do 4wd and TH-cam as a hobby, I don't sell any products just review them.
Not pointing the finger at you mate . . .@@AlloffroadAu I did apologise. Just throwing a warning out there to those who might be contemplating a GME product . . . there's some nasty hi-jinx going on out there.
What are you on about ? You said a whole lot of nothing
Hello, I do need to call you on a point here.
You used a second hand, hand unit in your icom uhf and when it didn't work you called expecting icom to fix or replace. This is wrong and inconsiderate of the manufacturer. This video seems nothing more to me than you pushing the gimmicky GME XRS 370 UHF Radio which you can control via your mobile phone. Don't get me wrong this would be a great feature if you had phone coverage all round this great country of ours.
I think that because icom haven't come to your youtube party and helped sponsor your channel, you have just jumped on the next "greatest thing" to offer you some sort of deal, and neglected the fact that icom have delivered a functional and capable UHF.
It was not a second-hand unit, it was second older mic I had from a unit I bought some time earlier (which failed) so it's first hand for me. The Mic did work until it disintegrated in my hand on Fraser earlier this year, the shell just cracked when talking to my mate.
Yes, it did not fall under the warranty as it was too old which is fine but I was told that in general any physical damage is not covered by iCom.
If you think the iCom or any of the other older UHF before the XRS is user-friendly then you are much smarter then me, I find them quite user-unfriendly.
If you watch my video, I didn't go any further in the APRS feature because as you pointed out you need mobile reception so that's no selling point for me however to connect your mobile phone to the XRS to change settings etc you don't need mobile reception it does work everywhere.
Seems like if someone has a different experience to you (you seem to favour iCom) he jumps on someone else bandwaggon. I run what I think suits me best and as mentioned in the review I prefer the GME due to the user-friendliness, features, upgradeability and the excellent customer service experience I had with GME. You prefer iCom that's fine it's not a bad unit as well mate.
FYI. I don't have sponsors my Chanell is entirely self-funded but I do sometimes receive gear without charge to test and review. In most cases, it's gear I would purchase anyway and usually, I contact the manufacturer after doing my research first.
Thank you for clarifying your position on this. I look forward to seeing more videos from you.