| Part Number | GXT1000VP4 |
|---|---|
| Model | GXT1000VP4 |
| Warranty (Year) | 3 |
| Color | |
| Release Date | 2009-07-28T00:00:01Z |
| Size | |
| Edition | Black |
| Is Adult Product |
The GXT1000VP4 GMRS walkie talkie is a powerful and consistent choice for your radio communication needs. The GXT1000VP4 features X-TRA TALK Power – the maximum allowed by law with Xtreme Range Technology. Featuring Midland’s signature NOAA Weather Scan + Alert Technology, this radio will…
midland walkie talkie – 50 Channel Waterproof GMRS Two-Way Radio
$79.99
$79.99
in stock
13 new from $67.00
1 used from $52.12
as of January 17, 2025 4:25 pm
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midland walkie talkie – 50 Channel Waterproof GMRS Two-Way Radio
Review
Midland is a company that is known for making high-quality two-way radios. The Midland Walkie Talkie is a great choice for those who are looking for a durable and reliable two-way radio. This radio is waterproof and has 50 channels. It also has a long range, making it a great choice for those who need to communicate over long distances.
Here is a closer look at the features of the Midland Walkie Talkie:
Waterproof: The Midland Walkie Talkie is a waterproof radio, making it a great choice for those who need a durable and reliable radio for their outdoor activities.
50 Channels: This radio has 50 channels, providing you with plenty of options for communication.
Long Range: The Midland Walkie Talkie has a long range, making it a great choice for those who need to communicate over long distances.
Battery Life: The Midland Walkie Talkie has a long battery life, making it a great choice for those who need a durable and reliable radio.
The Midland Walkie Talkie is a great choice for those who are looking for a durable and reliable two-way radio. This radio is waterproof and has 50 channels. It also has a long range, making it a great choice for those who need to communicate over long distances.
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Brand
Midland
Midland Radio Corporation was established in 1959 in Kansas City, Missouri, US. Midland Radio Corporation and is owned by private investors. Midland is the oldest U.S. manufacturer of CB radios. In the 1990s, CTE International acquired a significant share of Midland Radio Corporation.
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LanceR. –
The radios themselves are great. The headsets however are really difficult to get into the ear, and are hard to keep in& on the ear.
Dan J –
Easy to use & well made. Great for hiking!
LanceR. –
The radios themselves are great. The headsets however are really difficult to get into the ear, and are hard to keep in& on the ear.
Dan J –
Easy to use & well made. Great for hiking!
LanceR. –
The radios themselves are great. The headsets however are really difficult to get into the ear, and are hard to keep in& on the ear.
Dan J –
Easy to use & well made. Great for hiking!
Santa Wendell –
Midland has a long history of making durable and useful radios. These GMRS radios are in that tradition. We are going to be using them for our CERT Homeland Security emergency disaster response team. They have a lot of the features we will need. They are easy to program and have a clear signal for over a mile in our suburb which is more than enough for the area we are responsible for. They have the ability to do direct calling to a specific radio without disturbing the rest of the team on our channel as well as subgroups of radios on the team channel. They have scanning NOAA weather with alerts, an SOS siren, and rechargeable battery packs or AA disposable AA batteries as power sources. The only reason I have given them 4 stars is the accessory wires seem very cheap and flimsy; I anticipate they will require frequent replacement. Look closely at the attached photo.
2 people found this helpful
Bryan R. Shepard –
The product is decent, but not very useful for my applications. I am a supervisor for a security company which provides service to bars, dance clubs, sports leagues, and other clients.In the bars and dance clubs, any loud music totally distorts the sender’s voice, no matter how it is held, pointed, or oriented. Whisper mode with the
Security Headsets
I bought with it helps a little, but it’s often a best-guess as to what is being said. Any dense metal nearby (such as an overhead I-beam) completely scrambles the transmission, whether or not the metal is in the line-of-sight to the receiver.At our sports league (a large indoor facility with brick walls), reception is decent, but ranges over 200ft get incrementally staticy, and often require transmission repeats.When using the PTT, the button must be held for one full second before transmitting. While I appreciate the value of this to prevent accidental keying, it is inconvenient when calling a colleague for an emergency situation.There is little difference between the range of the low-power FRS and high-power GMRS channels, maybe only a 10% increase in range, and even that is at the cost of clarity. I would expect an increase from 0.5 W to 5 W to give a more pronounced range and clarity boost. I haven’t tested this in the open yet, but the range is still disappointing. I understand that the “36 miles” is pretty much only valid on open water, but I expected at least 3 to 6 miles in the city; I am lucky if I get more than 6 to 8 blocks (and that’s with pervasive static). Our old Kenwood radios at least get a mile, and I didn’t have to pay $85 for an FCC license to use them.The included boom mic headsets are atrocious. I can’t speak to the sound quality on them, because they’re always transmitting. All six of them (I bought three pairs of radios) seem to have a short in the PTT that makes it continually transmit, with intermittent (less than one second duration) breaks. I am still working with Midland to resolve this. I am glad that I bought the
separate security headsets
, or the radios would be totally useless to me.I like the feature set, especially the dual-monitor. WX band has poor reception, but I suspect that’s largely due to the city environment (even though my city has a NWS station). The programming is fairly straight-forward, but the manual does not go into much detail about the “Group Mode” and how it can be used. The “Direct Call” feature is tone-only, while the description implies that it supports and private conversation (which it does not). The “Call” button is too-easily pressed, and we are plagued with accidental 5-second call tones (the Call button is not locked by the “Key Lock” feature).Battery life is much better than other radios I’ve owned, about 24 hours of use on FRS channels (haven’t tested extensively on GMRS high-power, but I imagine it’s less). The battery indicators do not accurately reflect the amount of battery life actually remaining; the display typically goes from 3 bars “full” to zero bars “almost dead”. There is very little warning that the battery is about to die, and this causes problems for us.The radio itself is not very durable. On one radio, the belt clip snapped off while I was attaching it to my belt. On another occasion, with the radio clipped to my belt behind my back, the antenna snapped off when I leaned back against a wall (and not even with all of my weight)! I’m afraid of what might happen if the radio is accidentally dropped or bumped in my line of work.This is decent, durable radio for quiet, open surroundings. If you plan to operate in the city or in a loud environment, or in any situation where you wouldn’t put a china vase, keep your expectations fairly low and you’ll be happy. Is it worth the price? Absolutely. Does it deliver on ts promises? Not even close.
16 people found this helpful
prachnis –
Read instructions before use and charge fully before using. These walkies work just as good, if not better, than the 15+ year old Motorola ones we bought these to replace. The only reason I give them 4 stars is that the earpieces are awkward and a bit stiff. Overall these are a great buy.
Santa Wendell –
Midland has a long history of making durable and useful radios. These GMRS radios are in that tradition. We are going to be using them for our CERT Homeland Security emergency disaster response team. They have a lot of the features we will need. They are easy to program and have a clear signal for over a mile in our suburb which is more than enough for the area we are responsible for. They have the ability to do direct calling to a specific radio without disturbing the rest of the team on our channel as well as subgroups of radios on the team channel. They have scanning NOAA weather with alerts, an SOS siren, and rechargeable battery packs or AA disposable AA batteries as power sources. The only reason I have given them 4 stars is the accessory wires seem very cheap and flimsy; I anticipate they will require frequent replacement. Look closely at the attached photo.
2 people found this helpful
Bryan R. Shepard –
The product is decent, but not very useful for my applications. I am a supervisor for a security company which provides service to bars, dance clubs, sports leagues, and other clients.In the bars and dance clubs, any loud music totally distorts the sender’s voice, no matter how it is held, pointed, or oriented. Whisper mode with the
Security Headsets
I bought with it helps a little, but it’s often a best-guess as to what is being said. Any dense metal nearby (such as an overhead I-beam) completely scrambles the transmission, whether or not the metal is in the line-of-sight to the receiver.At our sports league (a large indoor facility with brick walls), reception is decent, but ranges over 200ft get incrementally staticy, and often require transmission repeats.When using the PTT, the button must be held for one full second before transmitting. While I appreciate the value of this to prevent accidental keying, it is inconvenient when calling a colleague for an emergency situation.There is little difference between the range of the low-power FRS and high-power GMRS channels, maybe only a 10% increase in range, and even that is at the cost of clarity. I would expect an increase from 0.5 W to 5 W to give a more pronounced range and clarity boost. I haven’t tested this in the open yet, but the range is still disappointing. I understand that the “36 miles” is pretty much only valid on open water, but I expected at least 3 to 6 miles in the city; I am lucky if I get more than 6 to 8 blocks (and that’s with pervasive static). Our old Kenwood radios at least get a mile, and I didn’t have to pay $85 for an FCC license to use them.The included boom mic headsets are atrocious. I can’t speak to the sound quality on them, because they’re always transmitting. All six of them (I bought three pairs of radios) seem to have a short in the PTT that makes it continually transmit, with intermittent (less than one second duration) breaks. I am still working with Midland to resolve this. I am glad that I bought the
separate security headsets
, or the radios would be totally useless to me.I like the feature set, especially the dual-monitor. WX band has poor reception, but I suspect that’s largely due to the city environment (even though my city has a NWS station). The programming is fairly straight-forward, but the manual does not go into much detail about the “Group Mode” and how it can be used. The “Direct Call” feature is tone-only, while the description implies that it supports and private conversation (which it does not). The “Call” button is too-easily pressed, and we are plagued with accidental 5-second call tones (the Call button is not locked by the “Key Lock” feature).Battery life is much better than other radios I’ve owned, about 24 hours of use on FRS channels (haven’t tested extensively on GMRS high-power, but I imagine it’s less). The battery indicators do not accurately reflect the amount of battery life actually remaining; the display typically goes from 3 bars “full” to zero bars “almost dead”. There is very little warning that the battery is about to die, and this causes problems for us.The radio itself is not very durable. On one radio, the belt clip snapped off while I was attaching it to my belt. On another occasion, with the radio clipped to my belt behind my back, the antenna snapped off when I leaned back against a wall (and not even with all of my weight)! I’m afraid of what might happen if the radio is accidentally dropped or bumped in my line of work.This is decent, durable radio for quiet, open surroundings. If you plan to operate in the city or in a loud environment, or in any situation where you wouldn’t put a china vase, keep your expectations fairly low and you’ll be happy. Is it worth the price? Absolutely. Does it deliver on ts promises? Not even close.
16 people found this helpful
prachnis –
Read instructions before use and charge fully before using. These walkies work just as good, if not better, than the 15+ year old Motorola ones we bought these to replace. The only reason I give them 4 stars is that the earpieces are awkward and a bit stiff. Overall these are a great buy.
Bryan R. Shepard –
The product is decent, but not very useful for my applications. I am a supervisor for a security company which provides service to bars, dance clubs, sports leagues, and other clients.In the bars and dance clubs, any loud music totally distorts the sender’s voice, no matter how it is held, pointed, or oriented. Whisper mode with the
Security Headsets
I bought with it helps a little, but it’s often a best-guess as to what is being said. Any dense metal nearby (such as an overhead I-beam) completely scrambles the transmission, whether or not the metal is in the line-of-sight to the receiver.At our sports league (a large indoor facility with brick walls), reception is decent, but ranges over 200ft get incrementally staticy, and often require transmission repeats.When using the PTT, the button must be held for one full second before transmitting. While I appreciate the value of this to prevent accidental keying, it is inconvenient when calling a colleague for an emergency situation.There is little difference between the range of the low-power FRS and high-power GMRS channels, maybe only a 10% increase in range, and even that is at the cost of clarity. I would expect an increase from 0.5 W to 5 W to give a more pronounced range and clarity boost. I haven’t tested this in the open yet, but the range is still disappointing. I understand that the “36 miles” is pretty much only valid on open water, but I expected at least 3 to 6 miles in the city; I am lucky if I get more than 6 to 8 blocks (and that’s with pervasive static). Our old Kenwood radios at least get a mile, and I didn’t have to pay $85 for an FCC license to use them.The included boom mic headsets are atrocious. I can’t speak to the sound quality on them, because they’re always transmitting. All six of them (I bought three pairs of radios) seem to have a short in the PTT that makes it continually transmit, with intermittent (less than one second duration) breaks. I am still working with Midland to resolve this. I am glad that I bought the
separate security headsets
, or the radios would be totally useless to me.I like the feature set, especially the dual-monitor. WX band has poor reception, but I suspect that’s largely due to the city environment (even though my city has a NWS station). The programming is fairly straight-forward, but the manual does not go into much detail about the “Group Mode” and how it can be used. The “Direct Call” feature is tone-only, while the description implies that it supports and private conversation (which it does not). The “Call” button is too-easily pressed, and we are plagued with accidental 5-second call tones (the Call button is not locked by the “Key Lock” feature).Battery life is much better than other radios I’ve owned, about 24 hours of use on FRS channels (haven’t tested extensively on GMRS high-power, but I imagine it’s less). The battery indicators do not accurately reflect the amount of battery life actually remaining; the display typically goes from 3 bars “full” to zero bars “almost dead”. There is very little warning that the battery is about to die, and this causes problems for us.The radio itself is not very durable. On one radio, the belt clip snapped off while I was attaching it to my belt. On another occasion, with the radio clipped to my belt behind my back, the antenna snapped off when I leaned back against a wall (and not even with all of my weight)! I’m afraid of what might happen if the radio is accidentally dropped or bumped in my line of work.This is decent, durable radio for quiet, open surroundings. If you plan to operate in the city or in a loud environment, or in any situation where you wouldn’t put a china vase, keep your expectations fairly low and you’ll be happy. Is it worth the price? Absolutely. Does it deliver on ts promises? Not even close.
16 people found this helpful
prachnis –
Read instructions before use and charge fully before using. These walkies work just as good, if not better, than the 15+ year old Motorola ones we bought these to replace. The only reason I give them 4 stars is that the earpieces are awkward and a bit stiff. Overall these are a great buy.
B. Richey –
Good for what they do. Range is limited to approx a mile as they don’t work with repeaters. Would not have bought a handheld if I knew this.
One person found this helpful
Scott Pittman –
I’ve used these radios for just over two years now and I’m quite happy with their performance. The radios are used for camping, hiking and inter-car communications when off-roading and they have given good reception under all weather conditions. They are far more flexible with communication options than FRS radios (and frequently I think they send and receive better) but you will need to obtain a GMRS license to use the extra options legally. Do they get 36 miles? Nah, not even close under ideal conditions, but they do easily get at least two miles on the highway. I have gotten just over one mile of clear comms through a twisting slot canyon with no LOS between TX and RX radios. They eat up regular alkaline batteries rather quickly, usually about a days worth of use. I switched to Eneloop batteries and can get up to three full days of talk with them. Certainly two days but it depends on how much you’re talking, I suppose. When the time comes to replace them, I’ll be hard pressed to look for a different radio.
One person found this helpful
Amy Caldeira –
Excellent reception. Was able to communicate while in the house, husband drove a mile away – Around hilltops, trees and power lines – perfect reception. Picks ups for miles through open range, haven’t tried mountain sides but that’s our next test.
B. Richey –
Good for what they do. Range is limited to approx a mile as they don’t work with repeaters. Would not have bought a handheld if I knew this.
One person found this helpful
Scott Pittman –
I’ve used these radios for just over two years now and I’m quite happy with their performance. The radios are used for camping, hiking and inter-car communications when off-roading and they have given good reception under all weather conditions. They are far more flexible with communication options than FRS radios (and frequently I think they send and receive better) but you will need to obtain a GMRS license to use the extra options legally. Do they get 36 miles? Nah, not even close under ideal conditions, but they do easily get at least two miles on the highway. I have gotten just over one mile of clear comms through a twisting slot canyon with no LOS between TX and RX radios. They eat up regular alkaline batteries rather quickly, usually about a days worth of use. I switched to Eneloop batteries and can get up to three full days of talk with them. Certainly two days but it depends on how much you’re talking, I suppose. When the time comes to replace them, I’ll be hard pressed to look for a different radio.
One person found this helpful
Amy Caldeira –
Excellent reception. Was able to communicate while in the house, husband drove a mile away – Around hilltops, trees and power lines – perfect reception. Picks ups for miles through open range, haven’t tried mountain sides but that’s our next test.
Scott Pittman –
I’ve used these radios for just over two years now and I’m quite happy with their performance. The radios are used for camping, hiking and inter-car communications when off-roading and they have given good reception under all weather conditions. They are far more flexible with communication options than FRS radios (and frequently I think they send and receive better) but you will need to obtain a GMRS license to use the extra options legally. Do they get 36 miles? Nah, not even close under ideal conditions, but they do easily get at least two miles on the highway. I have gotten just over one mile of clear comms through a twisting slot canyon with no LOS between TX and RX radios. They eat up regular alkaline batteries rather quickly, usually about a days worth of use. I switched to Eneloop batteries and can get up to three full days of talk with them. Certainly two days but it depends on how much you’re talking, I suppose. When the time comes to replace them, I’ll be hard pressed to look for a different radio.
One person found this helpful
Amy Caldeira –
Excellent reception. Was able to communicate while in the house, husband drove a mile away – Around hilltops, trees and power lines – perfect reception. Picks ups for miles through open range, haven’t tried mountain sides but that’s our next test.
Nom De Plume –
Had it for several months. Have not tested the “paid” FCC range. So far, it works good at football field lengths around walls, and in stores, etc. I do not expect any consumer walkie-talkie to work more than 1/2 mile around bulidings, hills, etc., and maybe several miles with no obstructions on the free frequencies.The battery indicator beeps before the GXT will stop working very soon. The LCD battery indicators aren’t very accurate. The menu is a bit cryptic and one has to refer to the tiny manual if you don’t change settings too often.I have found out sometimes it does not seem to charge right. After charging overnite with the battery charger lite indicating it IS charging and turning it on it seems dead. No light or sound to indicate it is working. Taking the battery out and putting it back in the unit and (surprise) it’s fully charged! So, there is some kind of connection problem here.The volume knob has a small mark which should be painted in so you can see at a glance how high the volume is set. FYI, I painted the spot white myself. All control knobs and buttons work fine and seem of high-quality.The VOX varies in sensitivity. You still have to talk very loud on the most sensitive setting and repeat yourself as you may get cutoff due to varying sensitivity.Regular transmitting seems to work fine and the other party reports hearing you very clear, but this is for short distances, so one should expect that.The LCD screen only lights up when you first turn it on or press one of the front buttons and only for a short time.It has many, many features including a lot of “silent” options. To name a few it has, Call, SOS, (very loud), Lock, Monitor/Scan, Ring/Call tones, Group, Vibrate, etc. As well as the maximum amount of Security codes for this type of FCC range.The battery charger has an indicator to show it is properly in the charger and making a connection and the GXT snaps right in. It also has a belt clip that works fine and is spring-loaded, not like others that just use “tension” to hold them on.The “invisible” earbuds with lapel mics work fine and seem to look like the same ones used by undercover types. So expect to get some stares. Seems to drive woman crazy, so be careful. ;)Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the “Family” range and the quality of its build. Again, I only use it for a couple of 100 feet between buildings and the like and don’t know its super-range capabilities.The only thing that bothers me a little is with the VOX you still can’t get it to work the way one would imagine with nine ranges!1 YEAR USE UPDATE:After a year or so of very lite use I notice one of the units will not come on, sometimes after a charge and found out there is some kind of bad connection between the battery and the unit. The battery must be taken out and reconnected or exchanged with the other unit before working again, sometimes after doing this several times in a row.2 YEAR USE UPDATE:Still going strong, but I found out one annoyance. The volume button moves too easily and if your shirt is over it or in your pocket it will turn the volume knob and that can be very annoying or very dangerous depending on what it is used for. It needs to be made a little more harder or stiffer to turn.
6 people found this helpful
Erin –
We purchased these for a several reasons. First, to use on vacation traveling with a group, they worked flawlessly between the cars on the highway. Second, between the beach and the house, when there was no cell service, it eliminated the need for a cell signal. Third, the VOX setting made the most convenient baby monitor. Now, before you all go freaking out, our child is 18m old, and we didn’t leave him in the house alone, but in a 7br house it was great to be out on the porch and not have to worry about hearing him in his crib two stories down…we also use it as our go-to travel monitor as it’s rechargeable batteries are fantastic. Highly recommend for anybody with a family who splits up throughout the neighborhood, or is into outdoor activities, they’re water resistant but not water proof. We haven’t encountered a situation where we weren’t in range. We also just used at the apple orchard and the Xmas tree farm, uses are endless!!!! So glad we spent the low price, might even get a third one just to have.
3 people found this helpful
Erin –
We purchased these for a several reasons. First, to use on vacation traveling with a group, they worked flawlessly between the cars on the highway. Second, between the beach and the house, when there was no cell service, it eliminated the need for a cell signal. Third, the VOX setting made the most convenient baby monitor. Now, before you all go freaking out, our child is 18m old, and we didn’t leave him in the house alone, but in a 7br house it was great to be out on the porch and not have to worry about hearing him in his crib two stories down…we also use it as our go-to travel monitor as it’s rechargeable batteries are fantastic. Highly recommend for anybody with a family who splits up throughout the neighborhood, or is into outdoor activities, they’re water resistant but not water proof. We haven’t encountered a situation where we weren’t in range. We also just used at the apple orchard and the Xmas tree farm, uses are endless!!!! So glad we spent the low price, might even get a third one just to have.
3 people found this helpful
Brian Olson –
Clear audio across a couple km of hills between base camp and forestry team. All day battery with built-in pack, and option to switch out for AA*4. Feels solidly built but at the sweet spot of not too heavy.
Brian Olson –
Clear audio across a couple km of hills between base camp and forestry team. All day battery with built-in pack, and option to switch out for AA*4. Feels solidly built but at the sweet spot of not too heavy.
Erin –
We purchased these for a several reasons. First, to use on vacation traveling with a group, they worked flawlessly between the cars on the highway. Second, between the beach and the house, when there was no cell service, it eliminated the need for a cell signal. Third, the VOX setting made the most convenient baby monitor. Now, before you all go freaking out, our child is 18m old, and we didn’t leave him in the house alone, but in a 7br house it was great to be out on the porch and not have to worry about hearing him in his crib two stories down…we also use it as our go-to travel monitor as it’s rechargeable batteries are fantastic. Highly recommend for anybody with a family who splits up throughout the neighborhood, or is into outdoor activities, they’re water resistant but not water proof. We haven’t encountered a situation where we weren’t in range. We also just used at the apple orchard and the Xmas tree farm, uses are endless!!!! So glad we spent the low price, might even get a third one just to have.
3 people found this helpful
Brian Olson –
Clear audio across a couple km of hills between base camp and forestry team. All day battery with built-in pack, and option to switch out for AA*4. Feels solidly built but at the sweet spot of not too heavy.
Eileen Osborn –
They work great however they have no instructions so it’s trial and error on changing channels or all its little things that it can do we have no clue how to use them
Carl Cloer –
I will start by saying I’ve only had the radios for a few days so can’t speak to the battery life issues others have experienced. I charged the radios for the full 24 hrs as recommended, let them run down to low battery state and recharged overnight, and they seem to be holding a charge. I gave the radios a 4-star rating, not because of the radios but because of the less than worthless belt clips that will not secure the radios to your belt under even normal circumstances…bend over and the clip opens and the radio falls the ground. The radio I carry has fallen off my belt every day that I have worn it…twice onto concrete, and it still works, so at least the radios are sturdy. The earpiece and boom mike needs work also. The thing flops around, the speaker does not fit in my ear, and the PTT button is very small and hard to distinguish even without gloves…with them it would be impossible. For the price though, these will make good “prepper” radios. I will be buying another pair or two and setting them up in group mode.
One person found this helpful
Dena –
Trying to talk to friend 10 minutes away. Too many wires and traffic lights.
sandy –
This is a review of the GXT1000VP4. I say this because I often think people are placing their review with the wrong product, or Amazon sometimes combines reviews of the same make, even though the models are different.I already returned one cheap brand that advertised VOX but then learned after receiving it, just to turn it on I was supposed to order another cable and download software to do that. And then, of course, you’d have to have both with you in order to turn it off.Also read reviews about headsets and ear buds and security type headsets and was a bit worried that this might be the case with these.Not so. Yes, the part that goes over the ear looks tiny… but it works actually quite well to hold the tiny speaker aimed right into the ear. I HATE with a passion ear buds that are supposed to stay in your ear or squeeze into your ear canal. Hate them, Hate them, Hate them. It takes a bit of working with the ear pieces to figure out how to wrap it around your ear. But learn it once and it’s a piece of cake after that. (hmmmm, cake). See the pictures. These fit very securely and very comfortably in by big headed ears as well as my wife’s more petite headed ears.In addition, we think the sound via both the microphone and the earpiece was certainly more crystal clear than through the handheld.As to the VOX, I did not find the “delay” bothersome at all. I bought this for my wife and I so that when we are bicycling, we can talk to each other when we might be as much as 1/2 mile apart. So we needed something hands free. It takes a little bit of training to know what it takes to turn on TX (transmitting). We learned to just start with a clearing of the throat… and don’t stop talking until you are through. And don’t start your reply until after you hear the little tone letting you know the transmission is done. Worked quite well for us.I can’t imagine getting into trouble using the licensed channels in a rural area (sometimes wilderness), and it sounds as though the most that would ever happen is a letter of cease and desist. But for $65 I bought a 5 year license so we can use the higher power of these units.We have not tested yet the range of these. Others have. My wife was sitting in our concrete block building and I walked up the street 1/2 mile and noticed no degradation of signal.Listen, I suppose if you want the best of the best, spend 4 to 5 times as much on a Motorola. But for our use, these will do the job. I’ll update if our observation changes.
One person found this helpful
Carl Cloer –
I will start by saying I’ve only had the radios for a few days so can’t speak to the battery life issues others have experienced. I charged the radios for the full 24 hrs as recommended, let them run down to low battery state and recharged overnight, and they seem to be holding a charge. I gave the radios a 4-star rating, not because of the radios but because of the less than worthless belt clips that will not secure the radios to your belt under even normal circumstances…bend over and the clip opens and the radio falls the ground. The radio I carry has fallen off my belt every day that I have worn it…twice onto concrete, and it still works, so at least the radios are sturdy. The earpiece and boom mike needs work also. The thing flops around, the speaker does not fit in my ear, and the PTT button is very small and hard to distinguish even without gloves…with them it would be impossible. For the price though, these will make good “prepper” radios. I will be buying another pair or two and setting them up in group mode.
One person found this helpful
Eileen Osborn –
They work great however they have no instructions so it’s trial and error on changing channels or all its little things that it can do we have no clue how to use them
Dena –
Trying to talk to friend 10 minutes away. Too many wires and traffic lights.
sandy –
This is a review of the GXT1000VP4. I say this because I often think people are placing their review with the wrong product, or Amazon sometimes combines reviews of the same make, even though the models are different.I already returned one cheap brand that advertised VOX but then learned after receiving it, just to turn it on I was supposed to order another cable and download software to do that. And then, of course, you’d have to have both with you in order to turn it off.Also read reviews about headsets and ear buds and security type headsets and was a bit worried that this might be the case with these.Not so. Yes, the part that goes over the ear looks tiny… but it works actually quite well to hold the tiny speaker aimed right into the ear. I HATE with a passion ear buds that are supposed to stay in your ear or squeeze into your ear canal. Hate them, Hate them, Hate them. It takes a bit of working with the ear pieces to figure out how to wrap it around your ear. But learn it once and it’s a piece of cake after that. (hmmmm, cake). See the pictures. These fit very securely and very comfortably in by big headed ears as well as my wife’s more petite headed ears.In addition, we think the sound via both the microphone and the earpiece was certainly more crystal clear than through the handheld.As to the VOX, I did not find the “delay” bothersome at all. I bought this for my wife and I so that when we are bicycling, we can talk to each other when we might be as much as 1/2 mile apart. So we needed something hands free. It takes a little bit of training to know what it takes to turn on TX (transmitting). We learned to just start with a clearing of the throat… and don’t stop talking until you are through. And don’t start your reply until after you hear the little tone letting you know the transmission is done. Worked quite well for us.I can’t imagine getting into trouble using the licensed channels in a rural area (sometimes wilderness), and it sounds as though the most that would ever happen is a letter of cease and desist. But for $65 I bought a 5 year license so we can use the higher power of these units.We have not tested yet the range of these. Others have. My wife was sitting in our concrete block building and I walked up the street 1/2 mile and noticed no degradation of signal.Listen, I suppose if you want the best of the best, spend 4 to 5 times as much on a Motorola. But for our use, these will do the job. I’ll update if our observation changes.
One person found this helpful
Carl Cloer –
I will start by saying I’ve only had the radios for a few days so can’t speak to the battery life issues others have experienced. I charged the radios for the full 24 hrs as recommended, let them run down to low battery state and recharged overnight, and they seem to be holding a charge. I gave the radios a 4-star rating, not because of the radios but because of the less than worthless belt clips that will not secure the radios to your belt under even normal circumstances…bend over and the clip opens and the radio falls the ground. The radio I carry has fallen off my belt every day that I have worn it…twice onto concrete, and it still works, so at least the radios are sturdy. The earpiece and boom mike needs work also. The thing flops around, the speaker does not fit in my ear, and the PTT button is very small and hard to distinguish even without gloves…with them it would be impossible. For the price though, these will make good “prepper” radios. I will be buying another pair or two and setting them up in group mode.
One person found this helpful
Eileen Osborn –
They work great however they have no instructions so it’s trial and error on changing channels or all its little things that it can do we have no clue how to use them
Dena –
Trying to talk to friend 10 minutes away. Too many wires and traffic lights.
sandy –
This is a review of the GXT1000VP4. I say this because I often think people are placing their review with the wrong product, or Amazon sometimes combines reviews of the same make, even though the models are different.I already returned one cheap brand that advertised VOX but then learned after receiving it, just to turn it on I was supposed to order another cable and download software to do that. And then, of course, you’d have to have both with you in order to turn it off.Also read reviews about headsets and ear buds and security type headsets and was a bit worried that this might be the case with these.Not so. Yes, the part that goes over the ear looks tiny… but it works actually quite well to hold the tiny speaker aimed right into the ear. I HATE with a passion ear buds that are supposed to stay in your ear or squeeze into your ear canal. Hate them, Hate them, Hate them. It takes a bit of working with the ear pieces to figure out how to wrap it around your ear. But learn it once and it’s a piece of cake after that. (hmmmm, cake). See the pictures. These fit very securely and very comfortably in by big headed ears as well as my wife’s more petite headed ears.In addition, we think the sound via both the microphone and the earpiece was certainly more crystal clear than through the handheld.As to the VOX, I did not find the “delay” bothersome at all. I bought this for my wife and I so that when we are bicycling, we can talk to each other when we might be as much as 1/2 mile apart. So we needed something hands free. It takes a little bit of training to know what it takes to turn on TX (transmitting). We learned to just start with a clearing of the throat… and don’t stop talking until you are through. And don’t start your reply until after you hear the little tone letting you know the transmission is done. Worked quite well for us.I can’t imagine getting into trouble using the licensed channels in a rural area (sometimes wilderness), and it sounds as though the most that would ever happen is a letter of cease and desist. But for $65 I bought a 5 year license so we can use the higher power of these units.We have not tested yet the range of these. Others have. My wife was sitting in our concrete block building and I walked up the street 1/2 mile and noticed no degradation of signal.Listen, I suppose if you want the best of the best, spend 4 to 5 times as much on a Motorola. But for our use, these will do the job. I’ll update if our observation changes.
One person found this helpful
Wes –
Works fine and yes you are supposed to have a license to operate. The battery life on these is half of what it should be. They need to double battery capacity. Also this is 2021 so why don’t these have a USB port on the radio for easy charging?
Brendan Pucel –
I bought this package for mainly ATVing with my dad because of the hands free comm system and the weather radio. Overall it is a great buy. The radios have long battery life, good range a NOAA weather radio and hands free comm (vox) and all the extra things such as the mic. they are kind of hard to use at first though. Before our atv ride we put on our mics and clipped our radios on our belts, the only setback was the mics were very uncomfortable and my dad had a hard time putting it on. Once on we couldn’t hear each other because the mics were too far from our mouth but they were only inch away if that. We also later found that the vox takes a second to kick in so half of the message may be done before the receiver can hear you which could be disastrous while riding on a trail and a obstacle is in the way. Aside from that these radios didn’t interfere with our riding which is impressive because my dad and I ride aggressively.So to sum it up,The radios have a lot of very useful featuresDoesn’t interfere with movementLong battery lifeGood rangeKind of hard to setupVox takes a second to kick inMic is a bit uncomfortableMic fits in helmetOverall I would recommend it!
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
Wes –
Works fine and yes you are supposed to have a license to operate. The battery life on these is half of what it should be. They need to double battery capacity. Also this is 2021 so why don’t these have a USB port on the radio for easy charging?
Brendan Pucel –
I bought this package for mainly ATVing with my dad because of the hands free comm system and the weather radio. Overall it is a great buy. The radios have long battery life, good range a NOAA weather radio and hands free comm (vox) and all the extra things such as the mic. they are kind of hard to use at first though. Before our atv ride we put on our mics and clipped our radios on our belts, the only setback was the mics were very uncomfortable and my dad had a hard time putting it on. Once on we couldn’t hear each other because the mics were too far from our mouth but they were only inch away if that. We also later found that the vox takes a second to kick in so half of the message may be done before the receiver can hear you which could be disastrous while riding on a trail and a obstacle is in the way. Aside from that these radios didn’t interfere with our riding which is impressive because my dad and I ride aggressively.So to sum it up,The radios have a lot of very useful featuresDoesn’t interfere with movementLong battery lifeGood rangeKind of hard to setupVox takes a second to kick inMic is a bit uncomfortableMic fits in helmetOverall I would recommend it!
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
Wes –
Works fine and yes you are supposed to have a license to operate. The battery life on these is half of what it should be. They need to double battery capacity. Also this is 2021 so why don’t these have a USB port on the radio for easy charging?
Brendan Pucel –
I bought this package for mainly ATVing with my dad because of the hands free comm system and the weather radio. Overall it is a great buy. The radios have long battery life, good range a NOAA weather radio and hands free comm (vox) and all the extra things such as the mic. they are kind of hard to use at first though. Before our atv ride we put on our mics and clipped our radios on our belts, the only setback was the mics were very uncomfortable and my dad had a hard time putting it on. Once on we couldn’t hear each other because the mics were too far from our mouth but they were only inch away if that. We also later found that the vox takes a second to kick in so half of the message may be done before the receiver can hear you which could be disastrous while riding on a trail and a obstacle is in the way. Aside from that these radios didn’t interfere with our riding which is impressive because my dad and I ride aggressively.So to sum it up,The radios have a lot of very useful featuresDoesn’t interfere with movementLong battery lifeGood rangeKind of hard to setupVox takes a second to kick inMic is a bit uncomfortableMic fits in helmetOverall I would recommend it!
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
cw –
Before taking the plunge and buying these radios I noticed that several customers reported DOA reciept of same, while the majority were very impressed with their performance. I decided to take the chance and buy. I charged the radios exactly as instructed, and after running them down and recharging them, one failed to work at all. I then found out how incredibly easy it is to return a product bought from Amazon, and was extremely impressed in this regard.I live in Nicaragua, and by the time another set was to be recieved, I knew I would be back home so I sent them to a friend that was coming down to visit a few weeks later. I instructed her how to charge them, and the EXACT same problem occured, but only after I got them here, which was 2 days after the 30 day return requirement.I requested a phone call back to me from Amazon customer service (I use a skype USA number here) and got a call back in SECONDS(!). After explaining my rather unique situation to Jim, the customer rep., he said that because of my location and previous problems he would wave the 30 day requirement for returns, but suggested that i contact the MFG. first, and that he would call me back in a week in my stipulated time frame to arrange for new units to be shipped to a USA address of my choice and that I could take up to 90 days to send back the bad set!!I called Midland, and as expected did not get any self servicing help, so decided to take the offending radio apart. Everything is solid state, but there are four chrome plated contacts on the back that lead from the batteries that are designed to mate with 4 brass rings on the other half of the radio when assembled. I carefully beny out all four chrome contact points slightly to increase the pressure when assembled and contacting the 4 brass rings,and the radios have worked perfectly ever since. I am EXTREMELY impressed with their performance and feel, and highly reccommend them. And yes, Jim called me back at the prescribed hour a week later, and I was happily able to tell him that I resolved the issue myself.To say that I am impressed with how Amazon conducts business is to put it lightly, and will continue to purchase everything I possibly can from them. In the meantime, The repair I have described is an easy 5 screw job, and I’ll bet that it solves virtually all the DOA complaints about this otherwise superb piece of equipment!
17 people found this helpful
David Boring –
As many other reviewers have mentioned, the range figure mentioned is absolute fiction, probably derived from theory rather than anything in the real world. This is the case for just about every FRS/GMRS radio on the market; it isn’t a problem with Midland, specifically. I tested the radios in an urban environment, and got exactly half a mile, provided I’m on the third floor of my house. At ground level, maybe .4 miles. Between the two test radios, there are two hills. With less earth between the test points, I would guess that the range would likely be a mile or more. With actual line-of-sight, you might be lucky enough to reach 10 miles or so. I tested using a GMRS channel at high power. An FCC license is required to broadcast on GMRS channels, though the FCC has petitioned to do away with this requirement.Although some people like them, I find the included headsets (one of the reasons I chose this model,) to be cheap, uncomfortable, and irritating. I bought the radios for use as motorcycle helmet intercoms. I replaced the included headset with the inexpensive
Midland AVPH3 Transparent Security Headsets with PTT/VOX (Pair)
, which aren’t perfect, but are a great improvement.The build is good, but not fantastic. They are high-end consumer radios, not the sort intended for years of heavy use on a construction site, for instance. I wouldn’t want to use them heavily in a marine environment. A good drop would likely crack the case or the antenna housing. They are advertised as being splash-proof, but I wouldn’t want to put that to the test. There is an O-ring around the battery compartment, and the closure on the compartment is nicely designed–no frustrating prying.There are a few features that have great possibility, though I’m still testing to determine whether they’ll work in actual use. The VOX mode has worked well for me in some tests, though not well in others. I did all testing at sensitivity level 1, the most sensitive setting. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lag between when you started talking until the radio went into transmit mode. During a test earlier today, one of my radios was in VOX mode, and we didn’t even notice–it worked perfectly. We were using the AVPH3 headsets at the time. Later, we tried again and found the VOX to be totally flaky, sometimes keying the mic halfway through a sentence, at then end of a message, or not at all. Sometimes the mic would key when we adjusted the earpiece. (The AVPH3 has an integrated earpiece/mic.) I’m hoping that it works better when the headset is covered by a helmet.Another interesting feature is WHISPER mode. This is designed to amplify quiet sounds to normally audible levels. When I turned it on, I could see a shocked expression on my girlfriend’s face–apparently she could suddenly hear all the birds in the tree behind me, clear as day. Based on this, it seems promising, though whether it will amplify wind and engine noise, I don’t know yet.The microphone jack apparently doubles as a secondary charging jack. This could be quite handy if you’re on the road and don’t want to carry the charging base around with you. I’ve read that it takes 9v at 55-75 milliamps, though I don’t know the plug polarity. The included AVP-7 rechargeable battery packs don’t have fantastic capacity–700mah. I’ve seen a third-party 800mah pack on eBay. The fact that this radio will also take four AA batteries is great.It should be noted that the GROUP mode/DIRECT CALL features are simply ways of setting up particular radios to ignore some signals. They DO NOT create private or secure communications. There are no scrambled FRS/GMRS radios currently on the market.Basically, I like these radios a lot. They’re well worth the $58 I paid for them, though at a higher price point I might look at marine units for more durability. For communicating with few obstructions, or within a third of a mile with obstructions, the sound is great. The design is good, though not spectacular. A foldable or collapsible antenna might make it more durable when traveling. The feature-set is nice, and I like the wide range of available headsets. There are antenna hacks, though these aren’t in compliance with FCC regulations.If you require a radio that makes five animal noises, or becomes lost instantly when placed near foliage, purchase the GXT1050VP4 model instead.
4 people found this helpful
A. Jaynes –
We use these radios at a large (12 acres) auto dealership. We have “lot spotters” who notify the sales managers that there are customers on the lot. While I have no idea why sales people can’t watch for their own customers, they are apparently too busy with other tasks.These radios are in use 12 hours a day 6 days a week. They were not intended for this type of use, but we find that more expensive radios get broken, lost, worn out and otherwise disabled at a similar pace. Less expensive radios seem to fade in and out and don’t have the sound quality. We need good sound quality so the lot spotters can speak slowly and clearly enough for the sales managers to understand them. I don’t know what’s so hard to understand about “customer in the truck aisle” but . . .With the constant abuse these radios endure they last about 8-10 months. While we usually wear out the radio first, occasionally we manage to keep one long enough that the battery won’t charge. Keep in mind the daily misues. We keep several batteries on hand for this purpose.Based on our experience, if I were to personally purchase radios for hunting or fishing I would buy this radio. I would expect them to last years considering how I care for my personal equipment.
4 people found this helpful
CMB –
Fast delivery. Work very well. Charge quickly.
Triptyx –
Bought these to use for stroke/turn judging at swim meets. The local swim organization uses the same model week in and week out and has had great success with them, so it was a no-brainer to choose these for my personal kit. I’ve seen the organization’s radios dropped on the deck more than once and come out without an issue, so I feel like these are reasonably rugged for the price.The menu system is far easier than my older Uniden’s, you are limited to two letters but a quick glance at the manual will sort it out. They support grouping (with other Midlands), and both types of more common privacy codes (CTCSS and DCS) which makes them extremely compatible with other brands of radios (e.g. my older Unidens only support CTCSS) when you need to use the privacy code features.My usage so far has been very short range with these – across a pool, so I can’t give any feedback on the effective range of the higher powered frequencies. Using a lower power FRS frequency, I used the radio heavily for eight straight hours with a “security” earpiece and the rechargeable battery indicator still showed full charge that night. The included headset is fussy (hard to keep it on your ear well with the microphone aligned with the edge of your mouth) but that’s pretty normal for over the ear sets. If you plan to need to use the radio for long periods of time, I’d recommend one of the in-ear so called “security” headsets instead (they’re very cheap here on Amazon – make sure you get one that is compatible with Midland).All in all, a solid radio and a good choice for sports usage.
2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Generally, very good radios and value… High power setting consumes power and reduces battery life more than expected. There is a delay after depressing the PTT so untrained radio users start talking before the transmitter is engaged.
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
David Boring –
As many other reviewers have mentioned, the range figure mentioned is absolute fiction, probably derived from theory rather than anything in the real world. This is the case for just about every FRS/GMRS radio on the market; it isn’t a problem with Midland, specifically. I tested the radios in an urban environment, and got exactly half a mile, provided I’m on the third floor of my house. At ground level, maybe .4 miles. Between the two test radios, there are two hills. With less earth between the test points, I would guess that the range would likely be a mile or more. With actual line-of-sight, you might be lucky enough to reach 10 miles or so. I tested using a GMRS channel at high power. An FCC license is required to broadcast on GMRS channels, though the FCC has petitioned to do away with this requirement.Although some people like them, I find the included headsets (one of the reasons I chose this model,) to be cheap, uncomfortable, and irritating. I bought the radios for use as motorcycle helmet intercoms. I replaced the included headset with the inexpensive
Midland AVPH3 Transparent Security Headsets with PTT/VOX (Pair)
, which aren’t perfect, but are a great improvement.The build is good, but not fantastic. They are high-end consumer radios, not the sort intended for years of heavy use on a construction site, for instance. I wouldn’t want to use them heavily in a marine environment. A good drop would likely crack the case or the antenna housing. They are advertised as being splash-proof, but I wouldn’t want to put that to the test. There is an O-ring around the battery compartment, and the closure on the compartment is nicely designed–no frustrating prying.There are a few features that have great possibility, though I’m still testing to determine whether they’ll work in actual use. The VOX mode has worked well for me in some tests, though not well in others. I did all testing at sensitivity level 1, the most sensitive setting. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lag between when you started talking until the radio went into transmit mode. During a test earlier today, one of my radios was in VOX mode, and we didn’t even notice–it worked perfectly. We were using the AVPH3 headsets at the time. Later, we tried again and found the VOX to be totally flaky, sometimes keying the mic halfway through a sentence, at then end of a message, or not at all. Sometimes the mic would key when we adjusted the earpiece. (The AVPH3 has an integrated earpiece/mic.) I’m hoping that it works better when the headset is covered by a helmet.Another interesting feature is WHISPER mode. This is designed to amplify quiet sounds to normally audible levels. When I turned it on, I could see a shocked expression on my girlfriend’s face–apparently she could suddenly hear all the birds in the tree behind me, clear as day. Based on this, it seems promising, though whether it will amplify wind and engine noise, I don’t know yet.The microphone jack apparently doubles as a secondary charging jack. This could be quite handy if you’re on the road and don’t want to carry the charging base around with you. I’ve read that it takes 9v at 55-75 milliamps, though I don’t know the plug polarity. The included AVP-7 rechargeable battery packs don’t have fantastic capacity–700mah. I’ve seen a third-party 800mah pack on eBay. The fact that this radio will also take four AA batteries is great.It should be noted that the GROUP mode/DIRECT CALL features are simply ways of setting up particular radios to ignore some signals. They DO NOT create private or secure communications. There are no scrambled FRS/GMRS radios currently on the market.Basically, I like these radios a lot. They’re well worth the $58 I paid for them, though at a higher price point I might look at marine units for more durability. For communicating with few obstructions, or within a third of a mile with obstructions, the sound is great. The design is good, though not spectacular. A foldable or collapsible antenna might make it more durable when traveling. The feature-set is nice, and I like the wide range of available headsets. There are antenna hacks, though these aren’t in compliance with FCC regulations.If you require a radio that makes five animal noises, or becomes lost instantly when placed near foliage, purchase the GXT1050VP4 model instead.
4 people found this helpful
A. Jaynes –
We use these radios at a large (12 acres) auto dealership. We have “lot spotters” who notify the sales managers that there are customers on the lot. While I have no idea why sales people can’t watch for their own customers, they are apparently too busy with other tasks.These radios are in use 12 hours a day 6 days a week. They were not intended for this type of use, but we find that more expensive radios get broken, lost, worn out and otherwise disabled at a similar pace. Less expensive radios seem to fade in and out and don’t have the sound quality. We need good sound quality so the lot spotters can speak slowly and clearly enough for the sales managers to understand them. I don’t know what’s so hard to understand about “customer in the truck aisle” but . . .With the constant abuse these radios endure they last about 8-10 months. While we usually wear out the radio first, occasionally we manage to keep one long enough that the battery won’t charge. Keep in mind the daily misues. We keep several batteries on hand for this purpose.Based on our experience, if I were to personally purchase radios for hunting or fishing I would buy this radio. I would expect them to last years considering how I care for my personal equipment.
4 people found this helpful
CMB –
Fast delivery. Work very well. Charge quickly.
Triptyx –
Bought these to use for stroke/turn judging at swim meets. The local swim organization uses the same model week in and week out and has had great success with them, so it was a no-brainer to choose these for my personal kit. I’ve seen the organization’s radios dropped on the deck more than once and come out without an issue, so I feel like these are reasonably rugged for the price.The menu system is far easier than my older Uniden’s, you are limited to two letters but a quick glance at the manual will sort it out. They support grouping (with other Midlands), and both types of more common privacy codes (CTCSS and DCS) which makes them extremely compatible with other brands of radios (e.g. my older Unidens only support CTCSS) when you need to use the privacy code features.My usage so far has been very short range with these – across a pool, so I can’t give any feedback on the effective range of the higher powered frequencies. Using a lower power FRS frequency, I used the radio heavily for eight straight hours with a “security” earpiece and the rechargeable battery indicator still showed full charge that night. The included headset is fussy (hard to keep it on your ear well with the microphone aligned with the edge of your mouth) but that’s pretty normal for over the ear sets. If you plan to need to use the radio for long periods of time, I’d recommend one of the in-ear so called “security” headsets instead (they’re very cheap here on Amazon – make sure you get one that is compatible with Midland).All in all, a solid radio and a good choice for sports usage.
2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Generally, very good radios and value… High power setting consumes power and reduces battery life more than expected. There is a delay after depressing the PTT so untrained radio users start talking before the transmitter is engaged.
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
A. Jaynes –
We use these radios at a large (12 acres) auto dealership. We have “lot spotters” who notify the sales managers that there are customers on the lot. While I have no idea why sales people can’t watch for their own customers, they are apparently too busy with other tasks.These radios are in use 12 hours a day 6 days a week. They were not intended for this type of use, but we find that more expensive radios get broken, lost, worn out and otherwise disabled at a similar pace. Less expensive radios seem to fade in and out and don’t have the sound quality. We need good sound quality so the lot spotters can speak slowly and clearly enough for the sales managers to understand them. I don’t know what’s so hard to understand about “customer in the truck aisle” but . . .With the constant abuse these radios endure they last about 8-10 months. While we usually wear out the radio first, occasionally we manage to keep one long enough that the battery won’t charge. Keep in mind the daily misues. We keep several batteries on hand for this purpose.Based on our experience, if I were to personally purchase radios for hunting or fishing I would buy this radio. I would expect them to last years considering how I care for my personal equipment.
4 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Generally, very good radios and value… High power setting consumes power and reduces battery life more than expected. There is a delay after depressing the PTT so untrained radio users start talking before the transmitter is engaged.
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
Brian S. Vinson –
Is this a military or law enforcement grade communications set? No. Can you get such a set for this price point? No.I wanted it for communications while hiking or doing yard work, person to person over short distances. It serves this purpose quite well. I tested the VOX setting with the included headset and it worked as advertised – which was a concern based on some of the other reviews.I live in a very hilly area and the hills do present an issue – as expected. These are line-of-sight devices. If you get in a valley you’re going to have signal loss. But I was able to test over the distances I expect to operate the radios (around the house and around the neighborhood) and they functioned actually better than I expected. Do I think these radios would have a 36 mile range? Maybe in White Sands where there are no obstruction for 36 miles. But since I never expect to use the radios over that distance, I’m fine with that. I tested at about 1.5 miles – the longest distance where I could find no significant obstructions and the signal was clear.There are all kinds of settings for these radios, including a privacy feature and the ability to up the signal to license-required level. I tested the former but not the latter (I don’t have an operators license). As mentioned above I tested the VOX both with and without the ‘whisper’ mode it worked in both modes but much better with ‘whisper’ mode enabled. Standing 15 feet from my wife she was able to hear me over the radio while not able to hear what I was saying without the radio assist. I must say that I stopped using VOX + ‘whisper’ though…it picked up my breathing while I was dong some yard work and kept transmitting so I turned it off. VOX also clips about the first syllable of your transmission. Not a flaw of the system, just something to keep in mind.In my estimation, if you need more than these radios provide, you need your HAM amateur operator’s license and a much more expensive setup. For my intended purpose it is what I need at a price where I can afford it.
4 people found this helpful
SunDevil03 –
I purchased these instead of the similarly priced and equally as popular Motorola equivalent and couldn’t be happier. I first purchased these to use in place of some terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE) Cobra brand radios we had. These Midland radios worked perfectly. After only a day of use my boss purchased the Motorola radios (same ones I was considering) so I wouldn’t have to bring my Midland radios in anymore. In comparison, both the Midlands and Motorolas FAR surpassed the Cobra radios. But the Midlands definitely edge out the Motorolas. These Midland radios had no problem broadcasting across the school campus (often through thick brick and steel doors). In the exact same conditions the Motorals worked- but had issues with getting a bit of static.These Midland radios broadcast strong and clear audio. I have only used the FRS channels so they are auto-set on “low power” which has been plenty powerful! The menus can be a tad confusing but a quick check of the instruction manual explains things very well. Even though I don’t need to use these for work any longer I am incredibly excited to use them for geo-caching trips or general goofing around.As far as accessories… I love that they included a car charger for the radios. My only complaint about the accessories is that the boom microphones are pretty hard to keep on your ear and kind of suck.I’m excited to have gotten to try out three different radios in the same conditions with two of them being popular brands and models. I am glad I chose the best of the three! I highly suggest these radios!Update: 5/23/13These radios are STILL in 100% useful operation. I use them constantly day in and day out at work in an after school program. These radios are constantly picked up and dropped by kids (or myself), used heavily for 4+ hours a day, and still hold a charge. I am impressed enough that I had to come back to this review to let you know this is STILL a great product. My radios are over 2 years old now and they outperform NEW radios at the same price point from Motorola that were brought brand new recently by our school. With the kind of abuse I’ve given these things… Midland has made a fan of me.
5 people found this helpful
Kweeks –
I bought this set to test as motorcycle coms. I wanted something that could work for my girlfriend and I when we ride together. Also I’m going on a trip with a few friends of mine. They were also interested in maybe using two way radios on motorcycles.Out of the box everything looked good. I first tested the mic in a full face helmet. It worked well, but you have to wear the ear loop while putting on the helmet. I tried hiding the headset behind the liner in the helmet, but the ear bud wouldn’t line up. It still worked fine with the first method. The selling point for me was being able to just talk and the radio will automatically broadcast for you(no pushing a button ). This feature worked awesome in doors. I will updated this after a ride with it.Pros:limitless people on the same channelWater resistant ( no worries about rain)Range(at a mile it’s still longer than Bluetooth)Volume(with the headset it can be loud)Cons:Only one person can talk at a time(I’m ok with it)Have to find a place to put the radio(on yourself or maybe handle bars)
31 people found this helpful
Nancy S. Kindt –
Beware that you need a license to operate these walkie-talkies because they also use high frequency channels. They seem like good quality, although I haven’t used them much except to test them. It’s good that they are rechargeable. Only works at 36 miles if there are no obstacles, mountains or hills between the devices.
One person found this helpful
Kweeks –
I bought this set to test as motorcycle coms. I wanted something that could work for my girlfriend and I when we ride together. Also I’m going on a trip with a few friends of mine. They were also interested in maybe using two way radios on motorcycles.Out of the box everything looked good. I first tested the mic in a full face helmet. It worked well, but you have to wear the ear loop while putting on the helmet. I tried hiding the headset behind the liner in the helmet, but the ear bud wouldn’t line up. It still worked fine with the first method. The selling point for me was being able to just talk and the radio will automatically broadcast for you(no pushing a button ). This feature worked awesome in doors. I will updated this after a ride with it.Pros:limitless people on the same channelWater resistant ( no worries about rain)Range(at a mile it’s still longer than Bluetooth)Volume(with the headset it can be loud)Cons:Only one person can talk at a time(I’m ok with it)Have to find a place to put the radio(on yourself or maybe handle bars)
31 people found this helpful
SunDevil03 –
I purchased these instead of the similarly priced and equally as popular Motorola equivalent and couldn’t be happier. I first purchased these to use in place of some terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE) Cobra brand radios we had. These Midland radios worked perfectly. After only a day of use my boss purchased the Motorola radios (same ones I was considering) so I wouldn’t have to bring my Midland radios in anymore. In comparison, both the Midlands and Motorolas FAR surpassed the Cobra radios. But the Midlands definitely edge out the Motorolas. These Midland radios had no problem broadcasting across the school campus (often through thick brick and steel doors). In the exact same conditions the Motorals worked- but had issues with getting a bit of static.These Midland radios broadcast strong and clear audio. I have only used the FRS channels so they are auto-set on “low power” which has been plenty powerful! The menus can be a tad confusing but a quick check of the instruction manual explains things very well. Even though I don’t need to use these for work any longer I am incredibly excited to use them for geo-caching trips or general goofing around.As far as accessories… I love that they included a car charger for the radios. My only complaint about the accessories is that the boom microphones are pretty hard to keep on your ear and kind of suck.I’m excited to have gotten to try out three different radios in the same conditions with two of them being popular brands and models. I am glad I chose the best of the three! I highly suggest these radios!Update: 5/23/13These radios are STILL in 100% useful operation. I use them constantly day in and day out at work in an after school program. These radios are constantly picked up and dropped by kids (or myself), used heavily for 4+ hours a day, and still hold a charge. I am impressed enough that I had to come back to this review to let you know this is STILL a great product. My radios are over 2 years old now and they outperform NEW radios at the same price point from Motorola that were brought brand new recently by our school. With the kind of abuse I’ve given these things… Midland has made a fan of me.
5 people found this helpful
Nancy S. Kindt –
Beware that you need a license to operate these walkie-talkies because they also use high frequency channels. They seem like good quality, although I haven’t used them much except to test them. It’s good that they are rechargeable. Only works at 36 miles if there are no obstacles, mountains or hills between the devices.
One person found this helpful
Kweeks –
I bought this set to test as motorcycle coms. I wanted something that could work for my girlfriend and I when we ride together. Also I’m going on a trip with a few friends of mine. They were also interested in maybe using two way radios on motorcycles.Out of the box everything looked good. I first tested the mic in a full face helmet. It worked well, but you have to wear the ear loop while putting on the helmet. I tried hiding the headset behind the liner in the helmet, but the ear bud wouldn’t line up. It still worked fine with the first method. The selling point for me was being able to just talk and the radio will automatically broadcast for you(no pushing a button ). This feature worked awesome in doors. I will updated this after a ride with it.Pros:limitless people on the same channelWater resistant ( no worries about rain)Range(at a mile it’s still longer than Bluetooth)Volume(with the headset it can be loud)Cons:Only one person can talk at a time(I’m ok with it)Have to find a place to put the radio(on yourself or maybe handle bars)
31 people found this helpful
Nancy S. Kindt –
Beware that you need a license to operate these walkie-talkies because they also use high frequency channels. They seem like good quality, although I haven’t used them much except to test them. It’s good that they are rechargeable. Only works at 36 miles if there are no obstacles, mountains or hills between the devices.
One person found this helpful
SunDevil03 –
I purchased these instead of the similarly priced and equally as popular Motorola equivalent and couldn’t be happier. I first purchased these to use in place of some terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE) Cobra brand radios we had. These Midland radios worked perfectly. After only a day of use my boss purchased the Motorola radios (same ones I was considering) so I wouldn’t have to bring my Midland radios in anymore. In comparison, both the Midlands and Motorolas FAR surpassed the Cobra radios. But the Midlands definitely edge out the Motorolas. These Midland radios had no problem broadcasting across the school campus (often through thick brick and steel doors). In the exact same conditions the Motorals worked- but had issues with getting a bit of static.These Midland radios broadcast strong and clear audio. I have only used the FRS channels so they are auto-set on “low power” which has been plenty powerful! The menus can be a tad confusing but a quick check of the instruction manual explains things very well. Even though I don’t need to use these for work any longer I am incredibly excited to use them for geo-caching trips or general goofing around.As far as accessories… I love that they included a car charger for the radios. My only complaint about the accessories is that the boom microphones are pretty hard to keep on your ear and kind of suck.I’m excited to have gotten to try out three different radios in the same conditions with two of them being popular brands and models. I am glad I chose the best of the three! I highly suggest these radios!Update: 5/23/13These radios are STILL in 100% useful operation. I use them constantly day in and day out at work in an after school program. These radios are constantly picked up and dropped by kids (or myself), used heavily for 4+ hours a day, and still hold a charge. I am impressed enough that I had to come back to this review to let you know this is STILL a great product. My radios are over 2 years old now and they outperform NEW radios at the same price point from Motorola that were brought brand new recently by our school. With the kind of abuse I’ve given these things… Midland has made a fan of me.
5 people found this helpful
SunDevil03 –
I purchased these instead of the similarly priced and equally as popular Motorola equivalent and couldn’t be happier. I first purchased these to use in place of some terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE) Cobra brand radios we had. These Midland radios worked perfectly. After only a day of use my boss purchased the Motorola radios (same ones I was considering) so I wouldn’t have to bring my Midland radios in anymore. In comparison, both the Midlands and Motorolas FAR surpassed the Cobra radios. But the Midlands definitely edge out the Motorolas. These Midland radios had no problem broadcasting across the school campus (often through thick brick and steel doors). In the exact same conditions the Motorals worked- but had issues with getting a bit of static.These Midland radios broadcast strong and clear audio. I have only used the FRS channels so they are auto-set on “low power” which has been plenty powerful! The menus can be a tad confusing but a quick check of the instruction manual explains things very well. Even though I don’t need to use these for work any longer I am incredibly excited to use them for geo-caching trips or general goofing around.As far as accessories… I love that they included a car charger for the radios. My only complaint about the accessories is that the boom microphones are pretty hard to keep on your ear and kind of suck.I’m excited to have gotten to try out three different radios in the same conditions with two of them being popular brands and models. I am glad I chose the best of the three! I highly suggest these radios!Update: 5/23/13These radios are STILL in 100% useful operation. I use them constantly day in and day out at work in an after school program. These radios are constantly picked up and dropped by kids (or myself), used heavily for 4+ hours a day, and still hold a charge. I am impressed enough that I had to come back to this review to let you know this is STILL a great product. My radios are over 2 years old now and they outperform NEW radios at the same price point from Motorola that were brought brand new recently by our school. With the kind of abuse I’ve given these things… Midland has made a fan of me.
5 people found this helpful
cw –
Before taking the plunge and buying these radios I noticed that several customers reported DOA reciept of same, while the majority were very impressed with their performance. I decided to take the chance and buy. I charged the radios exactly as instructed, and after running them down and recharging them, one failed to work at all. I then found out how incredibly easy it is to return a product bought from Amazon, and was extremely impressed in this regard.I live in Nicaragua, and by the time another set was to be recieved, I knew I would be back home so I sent them to a friend that was coming down to visit a few weeks later. I instructed her how to charge them, and the EXACT same problem occured, but only after I got them here, which was 2 days after the 30 day return requirement.I requested a phone call back to me from Amazon customer service (I use a skype USA number here) and got a call back in SECONDS(!). After explaining my rather unique situation to Jim, the customer rep., he said that because of my location and previous problems he would wave the 30 day requirement for returns, but suggested that i contact the MFG. first, and that he would call me back in a week in my stipulated time frame to arrange for new units to be shipped to a USA address of my choice and that I could take up to 90 days to send back the bad set!!I called Midland, and as expected did not get any self servicing help, so decided to take the offending radio apart. Everything is solid state, but there are four chrome plated contacts on the back that lead from the batteries that are designed to mate with 4 brass rings on the other half of the radio when assembled. I carefully beny out all four chrome contact points slightly to increase the pressure when assembled and contacting the 4 brass rings,and the radios have worked perfectly ever since. I am EXTREMELY impressed with their performance and feel, and highly reccommend them. And yes, Jim called me back at the prescribed hour a week later, and I was happily able to tell him that I resolved the issue myself.To say that I am impressed with how Amazon conducts business is to put it lightly, and will continue to purchase everything I possibly can from them. In the meantime, The repair I have described is an easy 5 screw job, and I’ll bet that it solves virtually all the DOA complaints about this otherwise superb piece of equipment!
17 people found this helpful
cw –
Before taking the plunge and buying these radios I noticed that several customers reported DOA reciept of same, while the majority were very impressed with their performance. I decided to take the chance and buy. I charged the radios exactly as instructed, and after running them down and recharging them, one failed to work at all. I then found out how incredibly easy it is to return a product bought from Amazon, and was extremely impressed in this regard.I live in Nicaragua, and by the time another set was to be recieved, I knew I would be back home so I sent them to a friend that was coming down to visit a few weeks later. I instructed her how to charge them, and the EXACT same problem occured, but only after I got them here, which was 2 days after the 30 day return requirement.I requested a phone call back to me from Amazon customer service (I use a skype USA number here) and got a call back in SECONDS(!). After explaining my rather unique situation to Jim, the customer rep., he said that because of my location and previous problems he would wave the 30 day requirement for returns, but suggested that i contact the MFG. first, and that he would call me back in a week in my stipulated time frame to arrange for new units to be shipped to a USA address of my choice and that I could take up to 90 days to send back the bad set!!I called Midland, and as expected did not get any self servicing help, so decided to take the offending radio apart. Everything is solid state, but there are four chrome plated contacts on the back that lead from the batteries that are designed to mate with 4 brass rings on the other half of the radio when assembled. I carefully beny out all four chrome contact points slightly to increase the pressure when assembled and contacting the 4 brass rings,and the radios have worked perfectly ever since. I am EXTREMELY impressed with their performance and feel, and highly reccommend them. And yes, Jim called me back at the prescribed hour a week later, and I was happily able to tell him that I resolved the issue myself.To say that I am impressed with how Amazon conducts business is to put it lightly, and will continue to purchase everything I possibly can from them. In the meantime, The repair I have described is an easy 5 screw job, and I’ll bet that it solves virtually all the DOA complaints about this otherwise superb piece of equipment!
17 people found this helpful
B. Richey –
Good for what they do. Range is limited to approx a mile as they don’t work with repeaters. Would not have bought a handheld if I knew this.
One person found this helpful
Dragon –
I bought these to use when we go camping and hiking. We’ve only tested them around the home both inside and outside and have ha no issues. Very clear and easy to use. LOVE THAT IT HAS THE BATTERY option !! Will update after full in country use.
Andy –
Not on the air as yet, but I’ve been with Midland for many years and haven’t had any problems
Andy –
Not on the air as yet, but I’ve been with Midland for many years and haven’t had any problems
Yvonne –
I like these for my work but they’ve already worn out after a couple years and they’re hard to program
Kris –
easy to use alot of extras best bang for the buck imo.
Kris –
easy to use alot of extras best bang for the buck imo.
Kris –
easy to use alot of extras best bang for the buck imo.
Yvonne –
I like these for my work but they’ve already worn out after a couple years and they’re hard to program
William Strong –
update July 2010 : after further testing we mounted the charger in the race car and hard wired it to the 12v electrical system. Worked great. Tie wrapped the radio to the mount. No power issues now. now we are working on a more reliable headset for use in a race car with PTT and helmet. The standard motorcycle setup is useless. Made a hybrid setup. Worked great, but the wires are just too weak. Could not take the abuse that my drivers gave it. Now trying a tactical throat mic setup with MIL-spec cables.I purchased these for our endurance race car team for an upcoming 24 Hour race at Nelson Ledges in Ohio in October (24 Hours of LeMons, Lamest Day). We were using the Midland motorcycle helmet speakers and mic setup that works with these radios. Initially in the pits while testing they worked great. But when you got on the track you could not hear each other. After speaking with other racers and Midland Tech Support we will be trying out the FBI style in-ear piece.The radios worked well. Just remember that to use these radios on the non-FRS frequencies you will need an FCC license.The range was good. But because these have the FRS frequencies, the antenna is not removable. It would have helped us if we could have mounted a roof antenna but can’t due to FCC law. We had good coverage until the Carousel (turn 7-9) and picked up again just before turn 10. This kinda sucked under Yellow as the area is blind at speed. You were on your own.The trees are what caused the blackout, so it really was not the radios fault.Now the batteries did well, but they did not last the full 24 hours like we expected. They lasted only about 14 hours. This really did suck as we were not allowed to swap out radios/batteries in the hot pits due to the rules. There is no facility on the radio to plug it into a 12v supply. Now the charger base that comes with the radios does have a 12v adapter, but this is not stable enough to use in a race car.These are little issues that mainly concern fellow racers, but to use these as they were meant these radios would be awesome.I did contact Midland customer service about some of the issues. But they were not very helpful. More like sales people that had to look up the facts before answering my questions, which really were never answered. And they were not willing to work with me on trying to figure out how to make these work in our conditions. The company we use for our in-car cameras, […] and […], bend over backwards for us as we try and help them make better products. I expected that from a company like Midland. If you are reading this Mr or Mrs. Midland, please contact me. We have some ideas that could add a whole new market to your radios.Bill StrongRacing Strong MotorsportsThe Toyota MR2 Owners ClubRSm was a 2009 24 Hours of LeMons Top 10 in Class Finisher! Twice!See our videos at […]
41 people found this helpful
Red Rocks 2015 –
I have used other midland radios for a decade. My primary use for these radios was for an off road motorcycle trip….three of us used these radios along with Midland’s helmet kits. Compared to the older GTX600, these radios substantially out perform. Range is astounding and when using the speaker/microphone kits inside of your motorcycle helmet, the increased volume punches through the ear plugs I wear to prevent hearing loss during our month long excursions. Because of the silty dust whilst riding off road, we often ride 2-4 miles apart, otherwise our engine filters would be clogged in hours. These radios have a lot of punch…I think these put out five full WATTS. Because we were using these for up to 16 hours a day, we took out the stock battery pack, and replaced it with 4 NIMH 2400MAH AA rechargable batteries from Amazon Basics. This effectively triples battery life….and you can still use the same charger that comes with the Midland’s. These radios will also run off 4 standard AA batteries…Midland was really thinking ahead.
3 people found this helpful
Seth W. –
Used these on a road trip and they worked flawlessly
Deborah R. Lantzky –
These radios are just the best thing ever!! Half way thru the harvest season our granddaughter suggested that we buy a set to be able to communicate between the combine driver and the tractor driver. We had been using our cell phones but were always having to charge the phones. These radios don’t transmit more than 6 or 7 miles when there are trees or hills in between but are great for short distances. It comes with a charger so they can recharge right in the tractor (sometimes they would forget to pull them out of the vehicles at night to recharge). We liked these so well that I got another set so they can recharge 1 radio while using the other. They do hold a good charge for 10 hours at a time though. The radios do have to be charged in the cradle meant for charging that is the only con (kind of hard to balance the cradle charger in a cup holder) If they would transmit farther I would have another set for the semi too. Really sold on them.
Santa Wendell –
Midland has a long history of making durable and useful radios. These GMRS radios are in that tradition. We are going to be using them for our CERT Homeland Security emergency disaster response team. They have a lot of the features we will need. They are easy to program and have a clear signal for over a mile in our suburb which is more than enough for the area we are responsible for. They have the ability to do direct calling to a specific radio without disturbing the rest of the team on our channel as well as subgroups of radios on the team channel. They have scanning NOAA weather with alerts, an SOS siren, and rechargeable battery packs or AA disposable AA batteries as power sources. The only reason I have given them 4 stars is the accessory wires seem very cheap and flimsy; I anticipate they will require frequent replacement. Look closely at the attached photo.
2 people found this helpful
Red Rocks 2015 –
I have used other midland radios for a decade. My primary use for these radios was for an off road motorcycle trip….three of us used these radios along with Midland’s helmet kits. Compared to the older GTX600, these radios substantially out perform. Range is astounding and when using the speaker/microphone kits inside of your motorcycle helmet, the increased volume punches through the ear plugs I wear to prevent hearing loss during our month long excursions. Because of the silty dust whilst riding off road, we often ride 2-4 miles apart, otherwise our engine filters would be clogged in hours. These radios have a lot of punch…I think these put out five full WATTS. Because we were using these for up to 16 hours a day, we took out the stock battery pack, and replaced it with 4 NIMH 2400MAH AA rechargable batteries from Amazon Basics. This effectively triples battery life….and you can still use the same charger that comes with the Midland’s. These radios will also run off 4 standard AA batteries…Midland was really thinking ahead.
3 people found this helpful
Seth W. –
Used these on a road trip and they worked flawlessly
Deborah R. Lantzky –
These radios are just the best thing ever!! Half way thru the harvest season our granddaughter suggested that we buy a set to be able to communicate between the combine driver and the tractor driver. We had been using our cell phones but were always having to charge the phones. These radios don’t transmit more than 6 or 7 miles when there are trees or hills in between but are great for short distances. It comes with a charger so they can recharge right in the tractor (sometimes they would forget to pull them out of the vehicles at night to recharge). We liked these so well that I got another set so they can recharge 1 radio while using the other. They do hold a good charge for 10 hours at a time though. The radios do have to be charged in the cradle meant for charging that is the only con (kind of hard to balance the cradle charger in a cup holder) If they would transmit farther I would have another set for the semi too. Really sold on them.
Santa Wendell –
Midland has a long history of making durable and useful radios. These GMRS radios are in that tradition. We are going to be using them for our CERT Homeland Security emergency disaster response team. They have a lot of the features we will need. They are easy to program and have a clear signal for over a mile in our suburb which is more than enough for the area we are responsible for. They have the ability to do direct calling to a specific radio without disturbing the rest of the team on our channel as well as subgroups of radios on the team channel. They have scanning NOAA weather with alerts, an SOS siren, and rechargeable battery packs or AA disposable AA batteries as power sources. The only reason I have given them 4 stars is the accessory wires seem very cheap and flimsy; I anticipate they will require frequent replacement. Look closely at the attached photo.
2 people found this helpful
Red Rocks 2015 –
I have used other midland radios for a decade. My primary use for these radios was for an off road motorcycle trip….three of us used these radios along with Midland’s helmet kits. Compared to the older GTX600, these radios substantially out perform. Range is astounding and when using the speaker/microphone kits inside of your motorcycle helmet, the increased volume punches through the ear plugs I wear to prevent hearing loss during our month long excursions. Because of the silty dust whilst riding off road, we often ride 2-4 miles apart, otherwise our engine filters would be clogged in hours. These radios have a lot of punch…I think these put out five full WATTS. Because we were using these for up to 16 hours a day, we took out the stock battery pack, and replaced it with 4 NIMH 2400MAH AA rechargable batteries from Amazon Basics. This effectively triples battery life….and you can still use the same charger that comes with the Midland’s. These radios will also run off 4 standard AA batteries…Midland was really thinking ahead.
3 people found this helpful
Seth W. –
Used these on a road trip and they worked flawlessly
Deborah R. Lantzky –
These radios are just the best thing ever!! Half way thru the harvest season our granddaughter suggested that we buy a set to be able to communicate between the combine driver and the tractor driver. We had been using our cell phones but were always having to charge the phones. These radios don’t transmit more than 6 or 7 miles when there are trees or hills in between but are great for short distances. It comes with a charger so they can recharge right in the tractor (sometimes they would forget to pull them out of the vehicles at night to recharge). We liked these so well that I got another set so they can recharge 1 radio while using the other. They do hold a good charge for 10 hours at a time though. The radios do have to be charged in the cradle meant for charging that is the only con (kind of hard to balance the cradle charger in a cup holder) If they would transmit farther I would have another set for the semi too. Really sold on them.
Santa Wendell –
Midland has a long history of making durable and useful radios. These GMRS radios are in that tradition. We are going to be using them for our CERT Homeland Security emergency disaster response team. They have a lot of the features we will need. They are easy to program and have a clear signal for over a mile in our suburb which is more than enough for the area we are responsible for. They have the ability to do direct calling to a specific radio without disturbing the rest of the team on our channel as well as subgroups of radios on the team channel. They have scanning NOAA weather with alerts, an SOS siren, and rechargeable battery packs or AA disposable AA batteries as power sources. The only reason I have given them 4 stars is the accessory wires seem very cheap and flimsy; I anticipate they will require frequent replacement. Look closely at the attached photo.
2 people found this helpful
jonwaygan –
These were great for my family as we travelled across the country in two vehicles. They helped to facilitate intermittent conversation between my wife and I as we travelled across the great expanses that makeup our great country. Having these radios allowed my wife and I to share with one another all the unique observations that we would individually recognize and admire. Be it the great mesas or canyons of Utah, the vast desserts of southern California and New Mexico, the dirt devils and endless rows of windmills in the panhandle of Texas, we could relay our individual admiration of all the great and wonderful sites of this grand country with one other. (By the way, why do they call it a “pan handle”? I mean, I get it with Florida or Oklahoma. Those states are somewhat horizontal so the geography lends itself to appearing like a pan handle. I think the Texas “pan handle” would more appropriately be coined a “stove pipe”. Doesn’t that just make more sense?)Another great advantage was the regular updates on our children. My wife had two in her car and I had one. The radios allowed us to communicate and coordinate the multiple bathroom stops that were a result of travelling with three small children. One negative comment regarding these radios is an echo of the most common complaint: the included battery life is just horrible. We usually drove 6 to 8 hours a day, and if those days happened to include travel through a particularly picturesque part of our country, then the last two hours of driving were normally characterized by static-ky transmissions and greatly reduced ranges of reception. The included charging base had a car adapter, so I could charge my radio while using it. It would have been nice if each radio had its own charging port. If that had been the case, I would have purchased a separate car charging adapter for my wife to keep in her car. However, the radios only charge in the base. Our work around was for my wife to keep AA batteries on hand in the event her radio completely died (which happened at least 4 times in 8 days of travel). Inconveniently, this required our convoy to halt so my wife could safely change out the batteries without having to worry about distracted driving. The last negative comment is regarding the included headsets, which are a GREAT idea but just POORLY executed. The included ones are so uncomfortable that wearing one for longer than 20 minutes would cause our ears to ache. No wonder so many people purchased separate headsets with this kit even though headsets are included.
One person found this helpful
jonwaygan –
These were great for my family as we travelled across the country in two vehicles. They helped to facilitate intermittent conversation between my wife and I as we travelled across the great expanses that makeup our great country. Having these radios allowed my wife and I to share with one another all the unique observations that we would individually recognize and admire. Be it the great mesas or canyons of Utah, the vast desserts of southern California and New Mexico, the dirt devils and endless rows of windmills in the panhandle of Texas, we could relay our individual admiration of all the great and wonderful sites of this grand country with one other. (By the way, why do they call it a “pan handle”? I mean, I get it with Florida or Oklahoma. Those states are somewhat horizontal so the geography lends itself to appearing like a pan handle. I think the Texas “pan handle” would more appropriately be coined a “stove pipe”. Doesn’t that just make more sense?)Another great advantage was the regular updates on our children. My wife had two in her car and I had one. The radios allowed us to communicate and coordinate the multiple bathroom stops that were a result of travelling with three small children. One negative comment regarding these radios is an echo of the most common complaint: the included battery life is just horrible. We usually drove 6 to 8 hours a day, and if those days happened to include travel through a particularly picturesque part of our country, then the last two hours of driving were normally characterized by static-ky transmissions and greatly reduced ranges of reception. The included charging base had a car adapter, so I could charge my radio while using it. It would have been nice if each radio had its own charging port. If that had been the case, I would have purchased a separate car charging adapter for my wife to keep in her car. However, the radios only charge in the base. Our work around was for my wife to keep AA batteries on hand in the event her radio completely died (which happened at least 4 times in 8 days of travel). Inconveniently, this required our convoy to halt so my wife could safely change out the batteries without having to worry about distracted driving. The last negative comment is regarding the included headsets, which are a GREAT idea but just POORLY executed. The included ones are so uncomfortable that wearing one for longer than 20 minutes would cause our ears to ache. No wonder so many people purchased separate headsets with this kit even though headsets are included.
One person found this helpful
Waterouzel –
These radios will be used for emergency communication in my community preparedness efforts. So far testing with them has proven them better than some other brands of FRS radio. With a reasonably proportioned antenna, they have better than average range. The extra mic/earphone allows use of the radio while holding the transceiver over one’s head. That little bit of extra elevation can make a big difference. I like that these radios come with a 12V cigarette lighter plug, which means if an auto is available, the power options are great during a power blackout. I do wish just one improvement: the way the earphone is worn on the ear is poor. Other than that, it is a very nice product that performs well.Since writing this review, I have purchased the Midland XT511 Base Camp as a base station companion to the above radios. The two models work well together and share programming procedures and one can swap the battery packs between base and hand held. Please read my review of the XT511 here on Amazon.
One person found this helpful
Waterouzel –
These radios will be used for emergency communication in my community preparedness efforts. So far testing with them has proven them better than some other brands of FRS radio. With a reasonably proportioned antenna, they have better than average range. The extra mic/earphone allows use of the radio while holding the transceiver over one’s head. That little bit of extra elevation can make a big difference. I like that these radios come with a 12V cigarette lighter plug, which means if an auto is available, the power options are great during a power blackout. I do wish just one improvement: the way the earphone is worn on the ear is poor. Other than that, it is a very nice product that performs well.Since writing this review, I have purchased the Midland XT511 Base Camp as a base station companion to the above radios. The two models work well together and share programming procedures and one can swap the battery packs between base and hand held. Please read my review of the XT511 here on Amazon.
One person found this helpful
Waterouzel –
These radios will be used for emergency communication in my community preparedness efforts. So far testing with them has proven them better than some other brands of FRS radio. With a reasonably proportioned antenna, they have better than average range. The extra mic/earphone allows use of the radio while holding the transceiver over one’s head. That little bit of extra elevation can make a big difference. I like that these radios come with a 12V cigarette lighter plug, which means if an auto is available, the power options are great during a power blackout. I do wish just one improvement: the way the earphone is worn on the ear is poor. Other than that, it is a very nice product that performs well.Since writing this review, I have purchased the Midland XT511 Base Camp as a base station companion to the above radios. The two models work well together and share programming procedures and one can swap the battery packs between base and hand held. Please read my review of the XT511 here on Amazon.
One person found this helpful
Daniel A. Tusing –
First and foremost, I do not work for Midland nor do I work for Amazon. Radios I am reviewing are: GXT1000VP4; GXT5000; XT511 Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio (Base Camp Radio). — Note: No head phones were utilized.Batteries: Charged to Midland’s specifications prior to usage (GXT5000 battery only took about +/-2 hours for initial charge and then 1-1/2hrs or minus to charge after regular usage; GXT1000VP4 / XT511 recommends 12hrs recharge after 1st initial 24hrs charge).Battery usage life after initial (1st) charge: GXT1000VP4 = 1-1/2 days (mostly monitoring) GXT5000 = 1-1/2 days plus (mostly monitoring) XT511 = 2 days maybe more (great emergency radio I may add).GXT1000VP4 has five (5) watts of power (maximum per FCC).GXT5000 has four (4) watts of power (it will transmit further than GXT1000VP4 due to the antenna type and monitor two (2) channels at the same time).Another Note: I ordered an extra set of two (2) Midland batteries (Midland AVP7) for the GXT1000VP4 radios (I do not believe this is necessary unless you have NO power supply OR double “AA” for back up) and the XT511 uses the same which is NICE!, good job Midland! At this review date of 12.04.2013 the batteries for the GXT5000 are not available until 01.??.2014.After my family’s and my past many years of hunting, we decided to get some two-way radios to communicate to one another mainly for emergency use while hunting (we have some old age hunters and tree stand hunters, you know what I mean, SnooooZZZZZe). We hunt in the mountains of W.Va. and I do mean mountains. The two-way radios purchased a couple of years or more prior to these were (no mention of brands or model #’s) of no count period (especially since my father was shot at from a trespassing hunter and I could not contact him at all after the shot and did not want to rush into his area in case a follow up shot was required or scare off the game in question).After receiving these radio’s, I rushed out to try them. At 1-1/2 miles away (that was as far as I went at this time), one set of radios from inside a brick home in a small town in Tennessee, I was able to communicate clearly with ALL of these from my vehicle (stationary, not moving while transmitting; transmitting while “all radios were traveling in a moving vehicle” was fine too, clear). Then, prior to hunting at our location, again I tested these radio’s and I was able to transmit with ALL of these without any problems while stationary (static, etc.; the XT511 was located in RV Camper) at various distances greater than a thousand or two yards plus throughout thick trees and “MAJOR” elevation differences without any problems.I highly recommend these radios…I do understand sometimes we get a lemon (I hate this), just return it and give it another try again. If not satisfied, return for a refund.I hope this review helps you all.
2 people found this helpful
Daniel A. Tusing –
First and foremost, I do not work for Midland nor do I work for Amazon. Radios I am reviewing are: GXT1000VP4; GXT5000; XT511 Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio (Base Camp Radio). — Note: No head phones were utilized.Batteries: Charged to Midland’s specifications prior to usage (GXT5000 battery only took about +/-2 hours for initial charge and then 1-1/2hrs or minus to charge after regular usage; GXT1000VP4 / XT511 recommends 12hrs recharge after 1st initial 24hrs charge).Battery usage life after initial (1st) charge: GXT1000VP4 = 1-1/2 days (mostly monitoring) GXT5000 = 1-1/2 days plus (mostly monitoring) XT511 = 2 days maybe more (great emergency radio I may add).GXT1000VP4 has five (5) watts of power (maximum per FCC).GXT5000 has four (4) watts of power (it will transmit further than GXT1000VP4 due to the antenna type and monitor two (2) channels at the same time).Another Note: I ordered an extra set of two (2) Midland batteries (Midland AVP7) for the GXT1000VP4 radios (I do not believe this is necessary unless you have NO power supply OR double “AA” for back up) and the XT511 uses the same which is NICE!, good job Midland! At this review date of 12.04.2013 the batteries for the GXT5000 are not available until 01.??.2014.After my family’s and my past many years of hunting, we decided to get some two-way radios to communicate to one another mainly for emergency use while hunting (we have some old age hunters and tree stand hunters, you know what I mean, SnooooZZZZZe). We hunt in the mountains of W.Va. and I do mean mountains. The two-way radios purchased a couple of years or more prior to these were (no mention of brands or model #’s) of no count period (especially since my father was shot at from a trespassing hunter and I could not contact him at all after the shot and did not want to rush into his area in case a follow up shot was required or scare off the game in question).After receiving these radio’s, I rushed out to try them. At 1-1/2 miles away (that was as far as I went at this time), one set of radios from inside a brick home in a small town in Tennessee, I was able to communicate clearly with ALL of these from my vehicle (stationary, not moving while transmitting; transmitting while “all radios were traveling in a moving vehicle” was fine too, clear). Then, prior to hunting at our location, again I tested these radio’s and I was able to transmit with ALL of these without any problems while stationary (static, etc.; the XT511 was located in RV Camper) at various distances greater than a thousand or two yards plus throughout thick trees and “MAJOR” elevation differences without any problems.I highly recommend these radios…I do understand sometimes we get a lemon (I hate this), just return it and give it another try again. If not satisfied, return for a refund.I hope this review helps you all.
2 people found this helpful
Daniel A. Tusing –
First and foremost, I do not work for Midland nor do I work for Amazon. Radios I am reviewing are: GXT1000VP4; GXT5000; XT511 Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio (Base Camp Radio). — Note: No head phones were utilized.Batteries: Charged to Midland’s specifications prior to usage (GXT5000 battery only took about +/-2 hours for initial charge and then 1-1/2hrs or minus to charge after regular usage; GXT1000VP4 / XT511 recommends 12hrs recharge after 1st initial 24hrs charge).Battery usage life after initial (1st) charge: GXT1000VP4 = 1-1/2 days (mostly monitoring) GXT5000 = 1-1/2 days plus (mostly monitoring) XT511 = 2 days maybe more (great emergency radio I may add).GXT1000VP4 has five (5) watts of power (maximum per FCC).GXT5000 has four (4) watts of power (it will transmit further than GXT1000VP4 due to the antenna type and monitor two (2) channels at the same time).Another Note: I ordered an extra set of two (2) Midland batteries (Midland AVP7) for the GXT1000VP4 radios (I do not believe this is necessary unless you have NO power supply OR double “AA” for back up) and the XT511 uses the same which is NICE!, good job Midland! At this review date of 12.04.2013 the batteries for the GXT5000 are not available until 01.??.2014.After my family’s and my past many years of hunting, we decided to get some two-way radios to communicate to one another mainly for emergency use while hunting (we have some old age hunters and tree stand hunters, you know what I mean, SnooooZZZZZe). We hunt in the mountains of W.Va. and I do mean mountains. The two-way radios purchased a couple of years or more prior to these were (no mention of brands or model #’s) of no count period (especially since my father was shot at from a trespassing hunter and I could not contact him at all after the shot and did not want to rush into his area in case a follow up shot was required or scare off the game in question).After receiving these radio’s, I rushed out to try them. At 1-1/2 miles away (that was as far as I went at this time), one set of radios from inside a brick home in a small town in Tennessee, I was able to communicate clearly with ALL of these from my vehicle (stationary, not moving while transmitting; transmitting while “all radios were traveling in a moving vehicle” was fine too, clear). Then, prior to hunting at our location, again I tested these radio’s and I was able to transmit with ALL of these without any problems while stationary (static, etc.; the XT511 was located in RV Camper) at various distances greater than a thousand or two yards plus throughout thick trees and “MAJOR” elevation differences without any problems.I highly recommend these radios…I do understand sometimes we get a lemon (I hate this), just return it and give it another try again. If not satisfied, return for a refund.I hope this review helps you all.
2 people found this helpful
Doug Hibbard –
First: as of right now in September, 2012, keep in mind that using the GMRS channels requires an FCC license. There is an effort to change that, and you’ll want to make sure you’re clear on that.That’s relevant because the GMRS channels appear, based on experimenting with these radios, to have better range and clarity than the FRS channels do.Second: rechargeable batteries: this is good, but the recharge unit should be configured differently than it is. The only way to charge the batteries is in the radios in the base. That precludes getting extra batteries or using standard AA batteries while you charge your battery packs. That’s a nuisance.Third: 36 miles? Really? Maybe across open water. However, they worked from the house to the farm, about 3.5 miles away, with buildings and power lines in between. The range also covered from one deer stand to another and back to the truck. So, the range is really what you are going to expect. Keep in mind, range ratings are like dealership miles-per-gallon ratings: based on the ideal conditions in all ways.Fourth: sound quality: this was surprisingly good. It went from clear to gone when out of range, rather than those annoying last few minutes of “did you get that?” Which always comes through like “Di__ ___u __et___ tha?” That’s better: no doubts about whether or not the message got through.Fifth: the Weather feature: good, but I have a beef with the NWS around here. I’ll put it this way: the radio was picking up just fine, but the tornado warning didn’t get broadcast on the nearest station, because, well, no one knows why. So, the feature works and picks up what is being broadcast.Sixth: call feature on the radio: makes an irritating racket on the receiving end. Which works quite well to get someone’s attention rather than having that person in the other room and not knowing you’re on the radio.Seventh: headset: these are ok, but I am either too dense to make them work with the VOX function on the radio or they don’t support it. All in all, not bad though.These are going in the survival kit and out to the woods this fall.
4 people found this helpful
AndyC –
The reason I bought this set is because it runs on AA batteries. For some reason, most things are switching over to AAA batteries, which cost the same amount of money per battery but only last half as long. This set is also waterproof, and it is rated at 36 miles. This set has a lot of accessories included in the package; it even has a car charger. Now for the things I do not like about these radios. This is a very hard radio to figure out. The directions do not match what is in the radio’s menu, and I could not get some of the features to work at all. The VOX feature (which lets you lay the radio down and talk across the room without having to touch the radio) was totally worthless. Even with it at its highest setting, you had to talk directly into the speaker. At the lower settings, it did not work at all. The waterproof means barely water resistant according to the directions. In contrast, I have two Cobra radio sets. One radio went bad on each set. The oldest set took AA batteries also. The rechargeable batteries only last a season or two (deer season– from one year to the next). This is still my preferred radio; it has a clock and a compass in it, but I think it is going bad also. It is rated at 17 to 22 miles, I do not remember exactly. I bought the newer Cobra about 3 years later. It was rated at 27 miles. It is the smallest radio, and it uses a Lithium-ion battery, like a cellphone. This new Midland is supposed to be rated at 36 miles. This 36 mile radio did slightly better than my oldest 17-22 mile radio, which is going out, but did not do as good as the 27 mile Cobra. Remember these older Cobras are about 10 years old, and I am sure that they are not as good as when they were new. In conclusion, if I could change my ratting without retyping the review, I would have giving this radio a 3 star instead of the 4 star. I gave it a good ratting because it does take AA batteries. I do not think I would buy this set again. In fact, the old lithium-ion battery Cobra holds a charge longer than this New Midland, and it has got to be around 10 years old. I seen a newer version of this radio (improved to 33 mile) at amazon.com for the same money that I paid for this radio. That is the radio I would buy if I had it to do over again. I waited until after deer season to give a better review.
One person found this helpful
Mo –
Backstage and light booth communication for shows we do in the senior community where I live. The walkie talkies work well. Since this is a theater, we must use them to communicate during productions, and, therefore, need to use the headphones so the audience doesn’t hear our communications. The actual walkie talkies appear to be in good working order. BUT THE HEADPHONES are the most uncomfortable ones I have ever used. They need to be redesigned for a more comfortable fit.
Mo –
Backstage and light booth communication for shows we do in the senior community where I live. The walkie talkies work well. Since this is a theater, we must use them to communicate during productions, and, therefore, need to use the headphones so the audience doesn’t hear our communications. The actual walkie talkies appear to be in good working order. BUT THE HEADPHONES are the most uncomfortable ones I have ever used. They need to be redesigned for a more comfortable fit.
Mo –
Backstage and light booth communication for shows we do in the senior community where I live. The walkie talkies work well. Since this is a theater, we must use them to communicate during productions, and, therefore, need to use the headphones so the audience doesn’t hear our communications. The actual walkie talkies appear to be in good working order. BUT THE HEADPHONES are the most uncomfortable ones I have ever used. They need to be redesigned for a more comfortable fit.
Senior Customer –
These radios have an excellent feature set along with a reasonable price. Some upgrades are available if slightly longer range is needed via an external antenna.
Senior Customer –
These radios have an excellent feature set along with a reasonable price. Some upgrades are available if slightly longer range is needed via an external antenna.
Senior Customer –
These radios have an excellent feature set along with a reasonable price. Some upgrades are available if slightly longer range is needed via an external antenna.
Amazon Customer –
Offroad communication.
Carl A Morgan –
I rate these radios 5 stars. However the rechargeable batteries discharge too fast. Alkaline AA batteries last much longer.
2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Offroad communication.
Amazon Customer –
Everything you need in one package, well almost everything. The only thing missing is the headsets for these are not what I was looking for and had to order seperately but otherwise this was exactly what I needed
Carl A Morgan –
I rate these radios 5 stars. However the rechargeable batteries discharge too fast. Alkaline AA batteries last much longer.
2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Everything you need in one package, well almost everything. The only thing missing is the headsets for these are not what I was looking for and had to order seperately but otherwise this was exactly what I needed
Carl A Morgan –
I rate these radios 5 stars. However the rechargeable batteries discharge too fast. Alkaline AA batteries last much longer.
2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Everything you need in one package, well almost everything. The only thing missing is the headsets for these are not what I was looking for and had to order seperately but otherwise this was exactly what I needed
James M. –
We purchased these for our caravan from Texas to Alaska. And they are awesome .Because of their wattage, you will need an FCC license for your household to operate it on the high power channels. I purchased the license, and I have to say when operating on high power, the range was incredible, but we only ever got about 7 hours of battery life at a time. We switched to low power for the rest of the trip, and the range was good enough as we were often out of mirror view from one each other, but always able to call on the radio. And low power gave us more than 11 hours, but we never drove more than 11 hours a day for the duration of the trip so I can’t give you a max battery life on low power.These things saved our lives, as far as I’m concerned. The lead vehicle was always able to radio back and tell us if there was a moose/bear/caribou/frost heave/other hazard around the bend.The fact that it comes with a charging base and headsets makes this package a bargain. We both soaked our radios in the elements and they survived.Don’t think, just buy them.
3 people found this helpful
B. Gray –
Used these radios for the first time this last weekend on a “Jeeping” run through the Ozark mountains. To start with I was late to the campsite area and needed to call our designated channel to find the exact location since there is absolutely no cell service. I placed multiple calls, which apparently were received, however I could not hear any of the replies until I got within less than half a mile from the camp site. And those were poorly heard with lots of static. There were no mountain sides or other obstacles in the way except trees in that area. Later, when we were rolling, I had to take the rearmost slot since I was “late to the party.” I had trouble hearing the lead driver’s radio, event though he had a higher powered Midland radio and an external antenna. He could hear my transmits perfectly. The lead was never more than a 1/4 mile ahead and I even had trouble at times hearing him even when he was in my sight! Certainly, I expected a bit better reception, especially since the transmit signal seems so strong. In fairness, I did not get to try the second radio to see if the problem was just with the first one. My Jeep had a mechanical failure (look out for welds on 2018 JL’s!) and I had to call it a day and limp back home. At least the radio let me call out MAYDAY there at the end.
Kelly Keefe –
Bought a set of these a little over two years ago for the intended purpose of using them to help herd a pack of Cub Scouts around on various outings. Originally, I needed a set of radios that would work over a mile, mile and a half range of various terrains. Tested when received over the ground I initially needed them for, mostly flat, but the longest range was not line of sight and partially screened by a copse of trees. Radios worked just fine. Since then I’ve used them in more varied terrains from heavily wooded to urban and in ranges of up to three miles (that one urban) with no issues.My original usage intent was at our yearly Cub Scout day camp. Sometime we would need to split off a group of the boys to go to different locations with a set of adult leaders. (Like a trip to the john, nurse or Webelos activity.) One radio would stay with the main group and one would go with the others so we’d have a means of linking up should the main group have to move on to the next activity before the others returned. I’ve also used them on hikes and nature walks with the pack. I’ll put one at the head and one at the rear of the column in case line of sight contact has been broken. (Just try and stay in sight contact in a corn maze – LOL!) If we need to spread out even further, I have an older, cheaper set of FRS/GMS radios with less power which I can distribute through the group and we can relay messages if the lower power units don’t have the juice to transmit all the way. We’ve also used them when spread out over a larger, urban area to co-ordinate during our Scouting for Food Drives. They’ve worked out well. We have an effective means of maintaining contact without resorting to shouting at each other and trying to get the others attention.Battery life has been more then sufficient for a one day outing. Bear in mind though the more you transmit, the faster the batteries are used up. That’s just common sense. I love having the ability of swapping the battery packs out for AA’s if necessary.This brings me to one peccadillo about these radios which is mentioned in another review, but I believe is buried in the comments section, so I’ll bring it up in the actual review. When recharging one of the battery packs, even though the battery is completely recharged, when placed in the radio and switched on, the unit fails to operate. There is an easy fix for this. Simply take the battery pack out of the radio and switch it on for a while. Then replace the battery pack and the radio should function just fine. Not sure why this is, and it’s certainly a bit annoying, but there ya go…In my opinion, most reviews lack a discussion of two things:First, the weather alert function of these radios work extremely well. Living in the Mid-West, weather can blow up, especially in the summer, very quickly. The safety of my Scouts is my primary mission. Being alerted to changing weather is absolutely critical. My MIL lives in a very rural area and I took these radios along when we visited last. A line of tornadoes blew through the area and these radios warned us when we needed to take cover and when it was safe to come out.Secondly, to operate these radios legally in the GRMS band at maximum power (and maximum range) you NEED an FCC license. The current cost of the license is $85.00 (although there is talk about dropping the license requirement) which seems steep when compared to the roughly $59.00 cost of the radios. However, the license is good for 5 years, which breaks the cost down to $17.00 a year. Now, obviously, your chances of getting busted by the FCC is virtually nil, but it would be my luck to be Mr. Nil. (Plus I’m using these with my Scouts, so I feel obligated to be “morally straight” and be licensed.) If you don’t want to spend the money to be licensed, simply use only the FRS bands or throttle down the power on the GRMS bands. At low power you don’t need a license, but be advised that you’re lessening your range doing so.So, I’m pleased with these radios and do recommend them. I’d buy them again in a heartbeat. Just bear in mind the range claim is wishful thinking in the extreme. If you have needs like I outlined above I have every confidence you’ll be happy with them, too.
5 people found this helpful
B. Gray –
Used these radios for the first time this last weekend on a “Jeeping” run through the Ozark mountains. To start with I was late to the campsite area and needed to call our designated channel to find the exact location since there is absolutely no cell service. I placed multiple calls, which apparently were received, however I could not hear any of the replies until I got within less than half a mile from the camp site. And those were poorly heard with lots of static. There were no mountain sides or other obstacles in the way except trees in that area. Later, when we were rolling, I had to take the rearmost slot since I was “late to the party.” I had trouble hearing the lead driver’s radio, event though he had a higher powered Midland radio and an external antenna. He could hear my transmits perfectly. The lead was never more than a 1/4 mile ahead and I even had trouble at times hearing him even when he was in my sight! Certainly, I expected a bit better reception, especially since the transmit signal seems so strong. In fairness, I did not get to try the second radio to see if the problem was just with the first one. My Jeep had a mechanical failure (look out for welds on 2018 JL’s!) and I had to call it a day and limp back home. At least the radio let me call out MAYDAY there at the end.
James M. –
We purchased these for our caravan from Texas to Alaska. And they are awesome .Because of their wattage, you will need an FCC license for your household to operate it on the high power channels. I purchased the license, and I have to say when operating on high power, the range was incredible, but we only ever got about 7 hours of battery life at a time. We switched to low power for the rest of the trip, and the range was good enough as we were often out of mirror view from one each other, but always able to call on the radio. And low power gave us more than 11 hours, but we never drove more than 11 hours a day for the duration of the trip so I can’t give you a max battery life on low power.These things saved our lives, as far as I’m concerned. The lead vehicle was always able to radio back and tell us if there was a moose/bear/caribou/frost heave/other hazard around the bend.The fact that it comes with a charging base and headsets makes this package a bargain. We both soaked our radios in the elements and they survived.Don’t think, just buy them.
3 people found this helpful
Kelly Keefe –
Bought a set of these a little over two years ago for the intended purpose of using them to help herd a pack of Cub Scouts around on various outings. Originally, I needed a set of radios that would work over a mile, mile and a half range of various terrains. Tested when received over the ground I initially needed them for, mostly flat, but the longest range was not line of sight and partially screened by a copse of trees. Radios worked just fine. Since then I’ve used them in more varied terrains from heavily wooded to urban and in ranges of up to three miles (that one urban) with no issues.My original usage intent was at our yearly Cub Scout day camp. Sometime we would need to split off a group of the boys to go to different locations with a set of adult leaders. (Like a trip to the john, nurse or Webelos activity.) One radio would stay with the main group and one would go with the others so we’d have a means of linking up should the main group have to move on to the next activity before the others returned. I’ve also used them on hikes and nature walks with the pack. I’ll put one at the head and one at the rear of the column in case line of sight contact has been broken. (Just try and stay in sight contact in a corn maze – LOL!) If we need to spread out even further, I have an older, cheaper set of FRS/GMS radios with less power which I can distribute through the group and we can relay messages if the lower power units don’t have the juice to transmit all the way. We’ve also used them when spread out over a larger, urban area to co-ordinate during our Scouting for Food Drives. They’ve worked out well. We have an effective means of maintaining contact without resorting to shouting at each other and trying to get the others attention.Battery life has been more then sufficient for a one day outing. Bear in mind though the more you transmit, the faster the batteries are used up. That’s just common sense. I love having the ability of swapping the battery packs out for AA’s if necessary.This brings me to one peccadillo about these radios which is mentioned in another review, but I believe is buried in the comments section, so I’ll bring it up in the actual review. When recharging one of the battery packs, even though the battery is completely recharged, when placed in the radio and switched on, the unit fails to operate. There is an easy fix for this. Simply take the battery pack out of the radio and switch it on for a while. Then replace the battery pack and the radio should function just fine. Not sure why this is, and it’s certainly a bit annoying, but there ya go…In my opinion, most reviews lack a discussion of two things:First, the weather alert function of these radios work extremely well. Living in the Mid-West, weather can blow up, especially in the summer, very quickly. The safety of my Scouts is my primary mission. Being alerted to changing weather is absolutely critical. My MIL lives in a very rural area and I took these radios along when we visited last. A line of tornadoes blew through the area and these radios warned us when we needed to take cover and when it was safe to come out.Secondly, to operate these radios legally in the GRMS band at maximum power (and maximum range) you NEED an FCC license. The current cost of the license is $85.00 (although there is talk about dropping the license requirement) which seems steep when compared to the roughly $59.00 cost of the radios. However, the license is good for 5 years, which breaks the cost down to $17.00 a year. Now, obviously, your chances of getting busted by the FCC is virtually nil, but it would be my luck to be Mr. Nil. (Plus I’m using these with my Scouts, so I feel obligated to be “morally straight” and be licensed.) If you don’t want to spend the money to be licensed, simply use only the FRS bands or throttle down the power on the GRMS bands. At low power you don’t need a license, but be advised that you’re lessening your range doing so.So, I’m pleased with these radios and do recommend them. I’d buy them again in a heartbeat. Just bear in mind the range claim is wishful thinking in the extreme. If you have needs like I outlined above I have every confidence you’ll be happy with them, too.
5 people found this helpful
B. Gray –
Used these radios for the first time this last weekend on a “Jeeping” run through the Ozark mountains. To start with I was late to the campsite area and needed to call our designated channel to find the exact location since there is absolutely no cell service. I placed multiple calls, which apparently were received, however I could not hear any of the replies until I got within less than half a mile from the camp site. And those were poorly heard with lots of static. There were no mountain sides or other obstacles in the way except trees in that area. Later, when we were rolling, I had to take the rearmost slot since I was “late to the party.” I had trouble hearing the lead driver’s radio, event though he had a higher powered Midland radio and an external antenna. He could hear my transmits perfectly. The lead was never more than a 1/4 mile ahead and I even had trouble at times hearing him even when he was in my sight! Certainly, I expected a bit better reception, especially since the transmit signal seems so strong. In fairness, I did not get to try the second radio to see if the problem was just with the first one. My Jeep had a mechanical failure (look out for welds on 2018 JL’s!) and I had to call it a day and limp back home. At least the radio let me call out MAYDAY there at the end.
James M. –
We purchased these for our caravan from Texas to Alaska. And they are awesome .Because of their wattage, you will need an FCC license for your household to operate it on the high power channels. I purchased the license, and I have to say when operating on high power, the range was incredible, but we only ever got about 7 hours of battery life at a time. We switched to low power for the rest of the trip, and the range was good enough as we were often out of mirror view from one each other, but always able to call on the radio. And low power gave us more than 11 hours, but we never drove more than 11 hours a day for the duration of the trip so I can’t give you a max battery life on low power.These things saved our lives, as far as I’m concerned. The lead vehicle was always able to radio back and tell us if there was a moose/bear/caribou/frost heave/other hazard around the bend.The fact that it comes with a charging base and headsets makes this package a bargain. We both soaked our radios in the elements and they survived.Don’t think, just buy them.
3 people found this helpful
Kelly Keefe –
Bought a set of these a little over two years ago for the intended purpose of using them to help herd a pack of Cub Scouts around on various outings. Originally, I needed a set of radios that would work over a mile, mile and a half range of various terrains. Tested when received over the ground I initially needed them for, mostly flat, but the longest range was not line of sight and partially screened by a copse of trees. Radios worked just fine. Since then I’ve used them in more varied terrains from heavily wooded to urban and in ranges of up to three miles (that one urban) with no issues.My original usage intent was at our yearly Cub Scout day camp. Sometime we would need to split off a group of the boys to go to different locations with a set of adult leaders. (Like a trip to the john, nurse or Webelos activity.) One radio would stay with the main group and one would go with the others so we’d have a means of linking up should the main group have to move on to the next activity before the others returned. I’ve also used them on hikes and nature walks with the pack. I’ll put one at the head and one at the rear of the column in case line of sight contact has been broken. (Just try and stay in sight contact in a corn maze – LOL!) If we need to spread out even further, I have an older, cheaper set of FRS/GMS radios with less power which I can distribute through the group and we can relay messages if the lower power units don’t have the juice to transmit all the way. We’ve also used them when spread out over a larger, urban area to co-ordinate during our Scouting for Food Drives. They’ve worked out well. We have an effective means of maintaining contact without resorting to shouting at each other and trying to get the others attention.Battery life has been more then sufficient for a one day outing. Bear in mind though the more you transmit, the faster the batteries are used up. That’s just common sense. I love having the ability of swapping the battery packs out for AA’s if necessary.This brings me to one peccadillo about these radios which is mentioned in another review, but I believe is buried in the comments section, so I’ll bring it up in the actual review. When recharging one of the battery packs, even though the battery is completely recharged, when placed in the radio and switched on, the unit fails to operate. There is an easy fix for this. Simply take the battery pack out of the radio and switch it on for a while. Then replace the battery pack and the radio should function just fine. Not sure why this is, and it’s certainly a bit annoying, but there ya go…In my opinion, most reviews lack a discussion of two things:First, the weather alert function of these radios work extremely well. Living in the Mid-West, weather can blow up, especially in the summer, very quickly. The safety of my Scouts is my primary mission. Being alerted to changing weather is absolutely critical. My MIL lives in a very rural area and I took these radios along when we visited last. A line of tornadoes blew through the area and these radios warned us when we needed to take cover and when it was safe to come out.Secondly, to operate these radios legally in the GRMS band at maximum power (and maximum range) you NEED an FCC license. The current cost of the license is $85.00 (although there is talk about dropping the license requirement) which seems steep when compared to the roughly $59.00 cost of the radios. However, the license is good for 5 years, which breaks the cost down to $17.00 a year. Now, obviously, your chances of getting busted by the FCC is virtually nil, but it would be my luck to be Mr. Nil. (Plus I’m using these with my Scouts, so I feel obligated to be “morally straight” and be licensed.) If you don’t want to spend the money to be licensed, simply use only the FRS bands or throttle down the power on the GRMS bands. At low power you don’t need a license, but be advised that you’re lessening your range doing so.So, I’m pleased with these radios and do recommend them. I’d buy them again in a heartbeat. Just bear in mind the range claim is wishful thinking in the extreme. If you have needs like I outlined above I have every confidence you’ll be happy with them, too.
5 people found this helpful
Edward Degone –
I might have gotten 6-8 hours of use before they died. Our friend also have a set with similar issues
monique –
Great range just make sure you fully charge them for 24 hours. Mine died in 4 hours of use because I didn’t have them fully charged.
One person found this helpful
Love to shoot –
good
J. Comfort –
Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) (Black/Silver)
OK, this is both a ONE Star and a FIVE Star review.IF you don’t need these to be compatible with the earlier version of the same model, then they are all-around a great way to go. We needed several radios for use in neighborhood emergencies, such as earthquakes etc. We needed water-resistant radios with good range, and that would take AA batteries. So far, in drills, they have performed great – fantastic range, even thru multiple concrete walls, etc.However, in DCS mode, they do not appear to be compatible with the earlier version of these radios. On the back of the old ones, the model number is listed as “GXT1000”, on the new ones it’s “=GXT1000P”. With both old and new radios set up on the same GMRS frequency, and with identical DCS codes, the new radios will not consistently receive transmissions from the old radios (I have thoroughly gone thru the menus, trying different settings, etc). I called Midland, and the woman I spoke with did not seem to have any idea what the problem might be. She just said “Well, I guess you will need to send them back”.This is a deal breaker for us. Not only did I need to send back the new radios, I will need to find and test a new make/model that will be compatible with the existing neighborhood radios (retrieving and replacing 49 radios is not an option here).Again, a great option IF you don’t need backwards compatibility.
3 people found this helpful
Edward Degone –
I might have gotten 6-8 hours of use before they died. Our friend also have a set with similar issues
Love to shoot –
good
monique –
Great range just make sure you fully charge them for 24 hours. Mine died in 4 hours of use because I didn’t have them fully charged.
One person found this helpful
J. Comfort –
Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) (Black/Silver)
OK, this is both a ONE Star and a FIVE Star review.IF you don’t need these to be compatible with the earlier version of the same model, then they are all-around a great way to go. We needed several radios for use in neighborhood emergencies, such as earthquakes etc. We needed water-resistant radios with good range, and that would take AA batteries. So far, in drills, they have performed great – fantastic range, even thru multiple concrete walls, etc.However, in DCS mode, they do not appear to be compatible with the earlier version of these radios. On the back of the old ones, the model number is listed as “GXT1000”, on the new ones it’s “=GXT1000P”. With both old and new radios set up on the same GMRS frequency, and with identical DCS codes, the new radios will not consistently receive transmissions from the old radios (I have thoroughly gone thru the menus, trying different settings, etc). I called Midland, and the woman I spoke with did not seem to have any idea what the problem might be. She just said “Well, I guess you will need to send them back”.This is a deal breaker for us. Not only did I need to send back the new radios, I will need to find and test a new make/model that will be compatible with the existing neighborhood radios (retrieving and replacing 49 radios is not an option here).Again, a great option IF you don’t need backwards compatibility.
3 people found this helpful
Love to shoot –
good
monique –
Great range just make sure you fully charge them for 24 hours. Mine died in 4 hours of use because I didn’t have them fully charged.
One person found this helpful
J. Comfort –
Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) (Black/Silver)
OK, this is both a ONE Star and a FIVE Star review.IF you don’t need these to be compatible with the earlier version of the same model, then they are all-around a great way to go. We needed several radios for use in neighborhood emergencies, such as earthquakes etc. We needed water-resistant radios with good range, and that would take AA batteries. So far, in drills, they have performed great – fantastic range, even thru multiple concrete walls, etc.However, in DCS mode, they do not appear to be compatible with the earlier version of these radios. On the back of the old ones, the model number is listed as “GXT1000”, on the new ones it’s “=GXT1000P”. With both old and new radios set up on the same GMRS frequency, and with identical DCS codes, the new radios will not consistently receive transmissions from the old radios (I have thoroughly gone thru the menus, trying different settings, etc). I called Midland, and the woman I spoke with did not seem to have any idea what the problem might be. She just said “Well, I guess you will need to send them back”.This is a deal breaker for us. Not only did I need to send back the new radios, I will need to find and test a new make/model that will be compatible with the existing neighborhood radios (retrieving and replacing 49 radios is not an option here).Again, a great option IF you don’t need backwards compatibility.
3 people found this helpful
J. Hill –
I wanted better 2-way radios for ski trips for my wife and I, and these worked great on our recent ski trip. I almost dismissed any brand besides Motorola, but I am very glad that I looked into these Midlands.I selected these since they have the highest wattage (5 watts) on consumer FRS/GMRS radios that I could find. I’ve tested them in the city, local ski hill, and in the mountains:In the city (not just a neighborhood…there were several tall buildings and concrete walls between us): about 1 mile of range. Fairly clear at the 1 mile range, and got better as I got closer. Beyond 1 mile, there was a lot of static.Local small ski hill: only could get about 3/4 of a mile apart at the ski hill, but we were each at the bottom of the hill, with the hill between us and dense forest. Clear as ever.Ski resort (Big Sky): farthest that we tested was when I was waiting in line at the tram for lone peak, and my wife was on the Shedhorn double chair, and it was also clear as ever. If you’re not familiar with Big Sky, we were on opposite sides of Lone Peak, with the massive Lone Peak directly between us – this was valley to valley with a high mountain peak in between, and it was still extremely clear.Having 2-way radios on a ski trip is much more convenient when you’re trying to find the other person as compared to cell phones. I highly recommend these!My only minor complaints are about the batteries (I have only used the included rechargeable batteries): The one time that I ran the radios nearly completely dead, the batteries were showing full battery life. Then, once the batteries were nearly dead, the indicator dropped directly to 0 bars/0 battery (even though there are a total 3 bars on the battery indicator). So it seems that it is tough to judge actual battery life remaining, because it seems to go from showing completely full directly to nearly dead, with no in between.Also, these are ni-cad batteries, and it is not a smart charger. Therefore it is best to always let the batteries nearly fully discharge, and then charge them fully. A full recharge is supposed to take 12 hours, so you have to remember to unplug them after 12 hours (setting a phone alarm or reminder is helpful). Apparently the advantage of using a ni-mh battery pack instead of lithium batteries, is that you also have the option to run standard AA batteries – which can be helpful.Other minor complaint: you have to use the charging base with the proprietary adapter plugs. It would be nice if you could charge the radios directly with a micro USB so there is one less charger to pack.To me, the slight disadvantages of the batteries and charger are far outweighed by the features and performance of the radios, and I still highly recommend them!
14 people found this helpful
Sofia Aristegui –
I grabbed these for our city events. I wanted to have my own set as I’m responsible for my own dpt. This event was about 2 miles long with structures in between, surrounded by mountains and a lot of people, bands, electrical everything all over. I drove around the event location ahead of time and different times of day to see if they did worse when there was more city traffic. I had no issues. On the day of the event, my battery held up and I was called on A LOT. Our team used a different make/model and mine worked perfectly fine. I needed an extra one so I brought in a cheap older one that I had lying around and that one also worked well with this set. No problems. No regret. Will prob grab another set.
One person found this helpful
Sofia Aristegui –
I grabbed these for our city events. I wanted to have my own set as I’m responsible for my own dpt. This event was about 2 miles long with structures in between, surrounded by mountains and a lot of people, bands, electrical everything all over. I drove around the event location ahead of time and different times of day to see if they did worse when there was more city traffic. I had no issues. On the day of the event, my battery held up and I was called on A LOT. Our team used a different make/model and mine worked perfectly fine. I needed an extra one so I brought in a cheap older one that I had lying around and that one also worked well with this set. No problems. No regret. Will prob grab another set.
One person found this helpful
Slackaru –
I ordered this pair for a fishing/ kayak trip. I was delighted that the packaging read ‘waterproof’ when it came. The range was fair… about 3/4 to 1 mile range on the FRS and maybe double that on GMRS on the water and around town. I’ve had 2 other walkie sets previously with about the same range. What I like about these is the solid feel. The very first day on the water, I dropped one overboard and it took a minute to retrieve it, but it floated, and it even worked for a few minutes before it cut out and died. Later I opened the battery casing and dried it out in a bowl of rice. It worked just fine again with no probs. I would have given this product a 5 star, but it wasn’t fully waterproof. Probably ok in wet weather I’m guessing. This is the 2nd pair of Midlands I’ve owned in 10 yrs and the other pair works fine accept for the rechargeable batteries- I use disposable ones now as it no longer holds a good charge. Midland makes a solid product.
3 people found this helpful
Slackaru –
I ordered this pair for a fishing/ kayak trip. I was delighted that the packaging read ‘waterproof’ when it came. The range was fair… about 3/4 to 1 mile range on the FRS and maybe double that on GMRS on the water and around town. I’ve had 2 other walkie sets previously with about the same range. What I like about these is the solid feel. The very first day on the water, I dropped one overboard and it took a minute to retrieve it, but it floated, and it even worked for a few minutes before it cut out and died. Later I opened the battery casing and dried it out in a bowl of rice. It worked just fine again with no probs. I would have given this product a 5 star, but it wasn’t fully waterproof. Probably ok in wet weather I’m guessing. This is the 2nd pair of Midlands I’ve owned in 10 yrs and the other pair works fine accept for the rechargeable batteries- I use disposable ones now as it no longer holds a good charge. Midland makes a solid product.
3 people found this helpful
Slackaru –
I ordered this pair for a fishing/ kayak trip. I was delighted that the packaging read ‘waterproof’ when it came. The range was fair… about 3/4 to 1 mile range on the FRS and maybe double that on GMRS on the water and around town. I’ve had 2 other walkie sets previously with about the same range. What I like about these is the solid feel. The very first day on the water, I dropped one overboard and it took a minute to retrieve it, but it floated, and it even worked for a few minutes before it cut out and died. Later I opened the battery casing and dried it out in a bowl of rice. It worked just fine again with no probs. I would have given this product a 5 star, but it wasn’t fully waterproof. Probably ok in wet weather I’m guessing. This is the 2nd pair of Midlands I’ve owned in 10 yrs and the other pair works fine accept for the rechargeable batteries- I use disposable ones now as it no longer holds a good charge. Midland makes a solid product.
3 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
While the Midland GXT1000VP4 package is priced well for all you get, be aware that the headphone/mic accessory units are difficult to keep securely in position via being clipped to your ear. The mic needs to be directly in front of your mouth and the plastic earclip does not secure it well and the length of the mic support piece is a bit short. Another item to be aware of is that a full charge lasts only about three hours from our experience so far.I bought these to use when my wife and I ride bicycles because it is so difficult to talk or hear each other when not side-by-side. The range seems to be fair, but is absolutely nowhere NEAR 36 miles, unless we are just not using them correctly. We have difficulty if we are not IN SIGHT of each other. They were wonderful when they worked, particularly in VOX mode, which voice-activates them. (This frees your hands entirely but requires practice to not talk-over each other. Extraneous noises also can activate the VOX and make you think the other person tried to say something when they did not.)So if we can obtain some solid earpiece/mic accessories for these to work to our satisfaction AND buy a spare battery pack for each radio to take along for long rides, these will work nicely. I wonder though if spending more initially for something heavier-duty might have taken care the issues and saved the additional expense.Hope this helps.
3 people found this helpful
Sharilyn Russell –
Range is not as described
Amazon Customer –
While the Midland GXT1000VP4 package is priced well for all you get, be aware that the headphone/mic accessory units are difficult to keep securely in position via being clipped to your ear. The mic needs to be directly in front of your mouth and the plastic earclip does not secure it well and the length of the mic support piece is a bit short. Another item to be aware of is that a full charge lasts only about three hours from our experience so far.I bought these to use when my wife and I ride bicycles because it is so difficult to talk or hear each other when not side-by-side. The range seems to be fair, but is absolutely nowhere NEAR 36 miles, unless we are just not using them correctly. We have difficulty if we are not IN SIGHT of each other. They were wonderful when they worked, particularly in VOX mode, which voice-activates them. (This frees your hands entirely but requires practice to not talk-over each other. Extraneous noises also can activate the VOX and make you think the other person tried to say something when they did not.)So if we can obtain some solid earpiece/mic accessories for these to work to our satisfaction AND buy a spare battery pack for each radio to take along for long rides, these will work nicely. I wonder though if spending more initially for something heavier-duty might have taken care the issues and saved the additional expense.Hope this helps.
3 people found this helpful
Sharilyn Russell –
Range is not as described
Amazon Customer –
While the Midland GXT1000VP4 package is priced well for all you get, be aware that the headphone/mic accessory units are difficult to keep securely in position via being clipped to your ear. The mic needs to be directly in front of your mouth and the plastic earclip does not secure it well and the length of the mic support piece is a bit short. Another item to be aware of is that a full charge lasts only about three hours from our experience so far.I bought these to use when my wife and I ride bicycles because it is so difficult to talk or hear each other when not side-by-side. The range seems to be fair, but is absolutely nowhere NEAR 36 miles, unless we are just not using them correctly. We have difficulty if we are not IN SIGHT of each other. They were wonderful when they worked, particularly in VOX mode, which voice-activates them. (This frees your hands entirely but requires practice to not talk-over each other. Extraneous noises also can activate the VOX and make you think the other person tried to say something when they did not.)So if we can obtain some solid earpiece/mic accessories for these to work to our satisfaction AND buy a spare battery pack for each radio to take along for long rides, these will work nicely. I wonder though if spending more initially for something heavier-duty might have taken care the issues and saved the additional expense.Hope this helps.
3 people found this helpful
Sharilyn Russell –
Range is not as described
Dave –
I’m giving this high marks because the units are well built and easy to operate. It also comes with everything you need to immediately get started (sans your FCC license). If you want a simple, no-frills, “it just works” GMRS radio at max handheld power, you’re not going to beat this.If you’re new to GMRS, you have no doubt noticed multiple radios (including this one) advertising exceptionally long ranges. For example, this model advertises a range of “up to 36 miles”. Long story short, you’re never going to get that range. That’s based on laboratory conditions that simply do not exist in the real world.In our relatively flat suburban area, I typically get a maximum range of about .5 – 1.25 mile on the high power setting. This is using channels 1-7, which will transmit at the full 5 watts. Your actual range will vary based on line of sight. The more trees, hills, cars, structures, and high-power items (such as office buildings, substations, etc) between the two radios, the shorter your range will be.Your range will be higher if you’re in a large, open, flat area with zero obstacles. For example, if you need to communicate between two vehicles heading in the same direction on a perfectly flat, perfectly straight interstate. With no other cars around, no bridges or tunnels between the two vehicles, absolutely perfect weather, zero interference, and fresh batteries, you might be able to hit a maximum of four, maybe five miles — but that’s really pushing it.Your range will be lower if you’re hiking through rough terrain. On the Appalachian Trail through Pennsylvania, for example, your range might be anywhere from a tenth of a mile to possibly 2-3 miles across a valley.These limitations aren’t unique to this particular radio. All GMRS radios, regardless of what they advertise, are subject to the same limitations. These are basic laws of physics that no marketing department can overcome.With all that in mind, these make great short-range communications devices. Just don’t expect to get anywhere near the claimed range.
2 people found this helpful
Partyneverdies –
Ahoy there fellow reader! I purchased these handy do-dads for when my crew of scurvy scallywags descended upon a mountain resort area for some off-piste winter fun. They were meant for areas where ye old cell phone wouldn’t conjure up a signal. I know cell phones are smaller….that’s not the point. These are for areas where you can’t use cell phones. And for that, they work pretty good. They didn’t work that great when there were things like say, mountains between the users, but that’s to be expected, I guess. I don’t really have a use for these in daily life. But maybe my kids would think they’re pretty cool? They probably would. I’ll show them to ‘em when they get older. For now they will occupy a place in the closet, dreaming of that day they will once again be brought out to conquer wayward communications woes.
One person found this helpful
Nom De Plume –
Had it for several months. Have not tested the “paid” FCC range. So far, it works good at football field lengths around walls, and in stores, etc. I do not expect any consumer walkie-talkie to work more than 1/2 mile around bulidings, hills, etc., and maybe several miles with no obstructions on the free frequencies.The battery indicator beeps before the GXT will stop working very soon. The LCD battery indicators aren’t very accurate. The menu is a bit cryptic and one has to refer to the tiny manual if you don’t change settings too often.I have found out sometimes it does not seem to charge right. After charging overnite with the battery charger lite indicating it IS charging and turning it on it seems dead. No light or sound to indicate it is working. Taking the battery out and putting it back in the unit and (surprise) it’s fully charged! So, there is some kind of connection problem here.The volume knob has a small mark which should be painted in so you can see at a glance how high the volume is set. FYI, I painted the spot white myself. All control knobs and buttons work fine and seem of high-quality.The VOX varies in sensitivity. You still have to talk very loud on the most sensitive setting and repeat yourself as you may get cutoff due to varying sensitivity.Regular transmitting seems to work fine and the other party reports hearing you very clear, but this is for short distances, so one should expect that.The LCD screen only lights up when you first turn it on or press one of the front buttons and only for a short time.It has many, many features including a lot of “silent” options. To name a few it has, Call, SOS, (very loud), Lock, Monitor/Scan, Ring/Call tones, Group, Vibrate, etc. As well as the maximum amount of Security codes for this type of FCC range.The battery charger has an indicator to show it is properly in the charger and making a connection and the GXT snaps right in. It also has a belt clip that works fine and is spring-loaded, not like others that just use “tension” to hold them on.The “invisible” earbuds with lapel mics work fine and seem to look like the same ones used by undercover types. So expect to get some stares. Seems to drive woman crazy, so be careful. ;)Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the “Family” range and the quality of its build. Again, I only use it for a couple of 100 feet between buildings and the like and don’t know its super-range capabilities.The only thing that bothers me a little is with the VOX you still can’t get it to work the way one would imagine with nine ranges!1 YEAR USE UPDATE:After a year or so of very lite use I notice one of the units will not come on, sometimes after a charge and found out there is some kind of bad connection between the battery and the unit. The battery must be taken out and reconnected or exchanged with the other unit before working again, sometimes after doing this several times in a row.2 YEAR USE UPDATE:Still going strong, but I found out one annoyance. The volume button moves too easily and if your shirt is over it or in your pocket it will turn the volume knob and that can be very annoying or very dangerous depending on what it is used for. It needs to be made a little more harder or stiffer to turn.
6 people found this helpful
Partyneverdies –
Ahoy there fellow reader! I purchased these handy do-dads for when my crew of scurvy scallywags descended upon a mountain resort area for some off-piste winter fun. They were meant for areas where ye old cell phone wouldn’t conjure up a signal. I know cell phones are smaller….that’s not the point. These are for areas where you can’t use cell phones. And for that, they work pretty good. They didn’t work that great when there were things like say, mountains between the users, but that’s to be expected, I guess. I don’t really have a use for these in daily life. But maybe my kids would think they’re pretty cool? They probably would. I’ll show them to ‘em when they get older. For now they will occupy a place in the closet, dreaming of that day they will once again be brought out to conquer wayward communications woes.
One person found this helpful
Nom De Plume –
Had it for several months. Have not tested the “paid” FCC range. So far, it works good at football field lengths around walls, and in stores, etc. I do not expect any consumer walkie-talkie to work more than 1/2 mile around bulidings, hills, etc., and maybe several miles with no obstructions on the free frequencies.The battery indicator beeps before the GXT will stop working very soon. The LCD battery indicators aren’t very accurate. The menu is a bit cryptic and one has to refer to the tiny manual if you don’t change settings too often.I have found out sometimes it does not seem to charge right. After charging overnite with the battery charger lite indicating it IS charging and turning it on it seems dead. No light or sound to indicate it is working. Taking the battery out and putting it back in the unit and (surprise) it’s fully charged! So, there is some kind of connection problem here.The volume knob has a small mark which should be painted in so you can see at a glance how high the volume is set. FYI, I painted the spot white myself. All control knobs and buttons work fine and seem of high-quality.The VOX varies in sensitivity. You still have to talk very loud on the most sensitive setting and repeat yourself as you may get cutoff due to varying sensitivity.Regular transmitting seems to work fine and the other party reports hearing you very clear, but this is for short distances, so one should expect that.The LCD screen only lights up when you first turn it on or press one of the front buttons and only for a short time.It has many, many features including a lot of “silent” options. To name a few it has, Call, SOS, (very loud), Lock, Monitor/Scan, Ring/Call tones, Group, Vibrate, etc. As well as the maximum amount of Security codes for this type of FCC range.The battery charger has an indicator to show it is properly in the charger and making a connection and the GXT snaps right in. It also has a belt clip that works fine and is spring-loaded, not like others that just use “tension” to hold them on.The “invisible” earbuds with lapel mics work fine and seem to look like the same ones used by undercover types. So expect to get some stares. Seems to drive woman crazy, so be careful. ;)Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the “Family” range and the quality of its build. Again, I only use it for a couple of 100 feet between buildings and the like and don’t know its super-range capabilities.The only thing that bothers me a little is with the VOX you still can’t get it to work the way one would imagine with nine ranges!1 YEAR USE UPDATE:After a year or so of very lite use I notice one of the units will not come on, sometimes after a charge and found out there is some kind of bad connection between the battery and the unit. The battery must be taken out and reconnected or exchanged with the other unit before working again, sometimes after doing this several times in a row.2 YEAR USE UPDATE:Still going strong, but I found out one annoyance. The volume button moves too easily and if your shirt is over it or in your pocket it will turn the volume knob and that can be very annoying or very dangerous depending on what it is used for. It needs to be made a little more harder or stiffer to turn.
6 people found this helpful
Partyneverdies –
Ahoy there fellow reader! I purchased these handy do-dads for when my crew of scurvy scallywags descended upon a mountain resort area for some off-piste winter fun. They were meant for areas where ye old cell phone wouldn’t conjure up a signal. I know cell phones are smaller….that’s not the point. These are for areas where you can’t use cell phones. And for that, they work pretty good. They didn’t work that great when there were things like say, mountains between the users, but that’s to be expected, I guess. I don’t really have a use for these in daily life. But maybe my kids would think they’re pretty cool? They probably would. I’ll show them to ‘em when they get older. For now they will occupy a place in the closet, dreaming of that day they will once again be brought out to conquer wayward communications woes.
One person found this helpful
Nom De Plume –
Had it for several months. Have not tested the “paid” FCC range. So far, it works good at football field lengths around walls, and in stores, etc. I do not expect any consumer walkie-talkie to work more than 1/2 mile around bulidings, hills, etc., and maybe several miles with no obstructions on the free frequencies.The battery indicator beeps before the GXT will stop working very soon. The LCD battery indicators aren’t very accurate. The menu is a bit cryptic and one has to refer to the tiny manual if you don’t change settings too often.I have found out sometimes it does not seem to charge right. After charging overnite with the battery charger lite indicating it IS charging and turning it on it seems dead. No light or sound to indicate it is working. Taking the battery out and putting it back in the unit and (surprise) it’s fully charged! So, there is some kind of connection problem here.The volume knob has a small mark which should be painted in so you can see at a glance how high the volume is set. FYI, I painted the spot white myself. All control knobs and buttons work fine and seem of high-quality.The VOX varies in sensitivity. You still have to talk very loud on the most sensitive setting and repeat yourself as you may get cutoff due to varying sensitivity.Regular transmitting seems to work fine and the other party reports hearing you very clear, but this is for short distances, so one should expect that.The LCD screen only lights up when you first turn it on or press one of the front buttons and only for a short time.It has many, many features including a lot of “silent” options. To name a few it has, Call, SOS, (very loud), Lock, Monitor/Scan, Ring/Call tones, Group, Vibrate, etc. As well as the maximum amount of Security codes for this type of FCC range.The battery charger has an indicator to show it is properly in the charger and making a connection and the GXT snaps right in. It also has a belt clip that works fine and is spring-loaded, not like others that just use “tension” to hold them on.The “invisible” earbuds with lapel mics work fine and seem to look like the same ones used by undercover types. So expect to get some stares. Seems to drive woman crazy, so be careful. ;)Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the “Family” range and the quality of its build. Again, I only use it for a couple of 100 feet between buildings and the like and don’t know its super-range capabilities.The only thing that bothers me a little is with the VOX you still can’t get it to work the way one would imagine with nine ranges!1 YEAR USE UPDATE:After a year or so of very lite use I notice one of the units will not come on, sometimes after a charge and found out there is some kind of bad connection between the battery and the unit. The battery must be taken out and reconnected or exchanged with the other unit before working again, sometimes after doing this several times in a row.2 YEAR USE UPDATE:Still going strong, but I found out one annoyance. The volume button moves too easily and if your shirt is over it or in your pocket it will turn the volume knob and that can be very annoying or very dangerous depending on what it is used for. It needs to be made a little more harder or stiffer to turn.
6 people found this helpful
Kalene –
First, I think someone else had this issue, as the box arrived opened from the side without the tape ripped, so it was clearly a return after they tested it, which I find weird for an expensive item. That being said the tape and plastic bags were all there undisturbed so cool cool, whatever. They genuinely aren’t horrible, but I live in a wooded area and they cut out totally at .8 miles from my house and were fuzzy at .7… Still fun and good to have, but I’d of gone more expensive had I known this. The range advertised isn’t what happened. It does say 1-5 miles in wooded area. I would have accepted their quality if I even got the one full mile. I was hopeful for even a bit more. That said, it’s not like they are $20 walkie talkies, I’m just gonna say not worth returning and good enough.
2 people found this helpful
David Boring –
As many other reviewers have mentioned, the range figure mentioned is absolute fiction, probably derived from theory rather than anything in the real world. This is the case for just about every FRS/GMRS radio on the market; it isn’t a problem with Midland, specifically. I tested the radios in an urban environment, and got exactly half a mile, provided I’m on the third floor of my house. At ground level, maybe .4 miles. Between the two test radios, there are two hills. With less earth between the test points, I would guess that the range would likely be a mile or more. With actual line-of-sight, you might be lucky enough to reach 10 miles or so. I tested using a GMRS channel at high power. An FCC license is required to broadcast on GMRS channels, though the FCC has petitioned to do away with this requirement.Although some people like them, I find the included headsets (one of the reasons I chose this model,) to be cheap, uncomfortable, and irritating. I bought the radios for use as motorcycle helmet intercoms. I replaced the included headset with the inexpensive
Midland AVPH3 Transparent Security Headsets with PTT/VOX (Pair)
, which aren’t perfect, but are a great improvement.The build is good, but not fantastic. They are high-end consumer radios, not the sort intended for years of heavy use on a construction site, for instance. I wouldn’t want to use them heavily in a marine environment. A good drop would likely crack the case or the antenna housing. They are advertised as being splash-proof, but I wouldn’t want to put that to the test. There is an O-ring around the battery compartment, and the closure on the compartment is nicely designed–no frustrating prying.There are a few features that have great possibility, though I’m still testing to determine whether they’ll work in actual use. The VOX mode has worked well for me in some tests, though not well in others. I did all testing at sensitivity level 1, the most sensitive setting. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lag between when you started talking until the radio went into transmit mode. During a test earlier today, one of my radios was in VOX mode, and we didn’t even notice–it worked perfectly. We were using the AVPH3 headsets at the time. Later, we tried again and found the VOX to be totally flaky, sometimes keying the mic halfway through a sentence, at then end of a message, or not at all. Sometimes the mic would key when we adjusted the earpiece. (The AVPH3 has an integrated earpiece/mic.) I’m hoping that it works better when the headset is covered by a helmet.Another interesting feature is WHISPER mode. This is designed to amplify quiet sounds to normally audible levels. When I turned it on, I could see a shocked expression on my girlfriend’s face–apparently she could suddenly hear all the birds in the tree behind me, clear as day. Based on this, it seems promising, though whether it will amplify wind and engine noise, I don’t know yet.The microphone jack apparently doubles as a secondary charging jack. This could be quite handy if you’re on the road and don’t want to carry the charging base around with you. I’ve read that it takes 9v at 55-75 milliamps, though I don’t know the plug polarity. The included AVP-7 rechargeable battery packs don’t have fantastic capacity–700mah. I’ve seen a third-party 800mah pack on eBay. The fact that this radio will also take four AA batteries is great.It should be noted that the GROUP mode/DIRECT CALL features are simply ways of setting up particular radios to ignore some signals. They DO NOT create private or secure communications. There are no scrambled FRS/GMRS radios currently on the market.Basically, I like these radios a lot. They’re well worth the $58 I paid for them, though at a higher price point I might look at marine units for more durability. For communicating with few obstructions, or within a third of a mile with obstructions, the sound is great. The design is good, though not spectacular. A foldable or collapsible antenna might make it more durable when traveling. The feature-set is nice, and I like the wide range of available headsets. There are antenna hacks, though these aren’t in compliance with FCC regulations.If you require a radio that makes five animal noises, or becomes lost instantly when placed near foliage, purchase the GXT1050VP4 model instead.
4 people found this helpful
Kalene –
First, I think someone else had this issue, as the box arrived opened from the side without the tape ripped, so it was clearly a return after they tested it, which I find weird for an expensive item. That being said the tape and plastic bags were all there undisturbed so cool cool, whatever. They genuinely aren’t horrible, but I live in a wooded area and they cut out totally at .8 miles from my house and were fuzzy at .7… Still fun and good to have, but I’d of gone more expensive had I known this. The range advertised isn’t what happened. It does say 1-5 miles in wooded area. I would have accepted their quality if I even got the one full mile. I was hopeful for even a bit more. That said, it’s not like they are $20 walkie talkies, I’m just gonna say not worth returning and good enough.
2 people found this helpful
David Boring –
As many other reviewers have mentioned, the range figure mentioned is absolute fiction, probably derived from theory rather than anything in the real world. This is the case for just about every FRS/GMRS radio on the market; it isn’t a problem with Midland, specifically. I tested the radios in an urban environment, and got exactly half a mile, provided I’m on the third floor of my house. At ground level, maybe .4 miles. Between the two test radios, there are two hills. With less earth between the test points, I would guess that the range would likely be a mile or more. With actual line-of-sight, you might be lucky enough to reach 10 miles or so. I tested using a GMRS channel at high power. An FCC license is required to broadcast on GMRS channels, though the FCC has petitioned to do away with this requirement.Although some people like them, I find the included headsets (one of the reasons I chose this model,) to be cheap, uncomfortable, and irritating. I bought the radios for use as motorcycle helmet intercoms. I replaced the included headset with the inexpensive
Midland AVPH3 Transparent Security Headsets with PTT/VOX (Pair)
, which aren’t perfect, but are a great improvement.The build is good, but not fantastic. They are high-end consumer radios, not the sort intended for years of heavy use on a construction site, for instance. I wouldn’t want to use them heavily in a marine environment. A good drop would likely crack the case or the antenna housing. They are advertised as being splash-proof, but I wouldn’t want to put that to the test. There is an O-ring around the battery compartment, and the closure on the compartment is nicely designed–no frustrating prying.There are a few features that have great possibility, though I’m still testing to determine whether they’ll work in actual use. The VOX mode has worked well for me in some tests, though not well in others. I did all testing at sensitivity level 1, the most sensitive setting. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lag between when you started talking until the radio went into transmit mode. During a test earlier today, one of my radios was in VOX mode, and we didn’t even notice–it worked perfectly. We were using the AVPH3 headsets at the time. Later, we tried again and found the VOX to be totally flaky, sometimes keying the mic halfway through a sentence, at then end of a message, or not at all. Sometimes the mic would key when we adjusted the earpiece. (The AVPH3 has an integrated earpiece/mic.) I’m hoping that it works better when the headset is covered by a helmet.Another interesting feature is WHISPER mode. This is designed to amplify quiet sounds to normally audible levels. When I turned it on, I could see a shocked expression on my girlfriend’s face–apparently she could suddenly hear all the birds in the tree behind me, clear as day. Based on this, it seems promising, though whether it will amplify wind and engine noise, I don’t know yet.The microphone jack apparently doubles as a secondary charging jack. This could be quite handy if you’re on the road and don’t want to carry the charging base around with you. I’ve read that it takes 9v at 55-75 milliamps, though I don’t know the plug polarity. The included AVP-7 rechargeable battery packs don’t have fantastic capacity–700mah. I’ve seen a third-party 800mah pack on eBay. The fact that this radio will also take four AA batteries is great.It should be noted that the GROUP mode/DIRECT CALL features are simply ways of setting up particular radios to ignore some signals. They DO NOT create private or secure communications. There are no scrambled FRS/GMRS radios currently on the market.Basically, I like these radios a lot. They’re well worth the $58 I paid for them, though at a higher price point I might look at marine units for more durability. For communicating with few obstructions, or within a third of a mile with obstructions, the sound is great. The design is good, though not spectacular. A foldable or collapsible antenna might make it more durable when traveling. The feature-set is nice, and I like the wide range of available headsets. There are antenna hacks, though these aren’t in compliance with FCC regulations.If you require a radio that makes five animal noises, or becomes lost instantly when placed near foliage, purchase the GXT1050VP4 model instead.
4 people found this helpful
David Boring –
As many other reviewers have mentioned, the range figure mentioned is absolute fiction, probably derived from theory rather than anything in the real world. This is the case for just about every FRS/GMRS radio on the market; it isn’t a problem with Midland, specifically. I tested the radios in an urban environment, and got exactly half a mile, provided I’m on the third floor of my house. At ground level, maybe .4 miles. Between the two test radios, there are two hills. With less earth between the test points, I would guess that the range would likely be a mile or more. With actual line-of-sight, you might be lucky enough to reach 10 miles or so. I tested using a GMRS channel at high power. An FCC license is required to broadcast on GMRS channels, though the FCC has petitioned to do away with this requirement.Although some people like them, I find the included headsets (one of the reasons I chose this model,) to be cheap, uncomfortable, and irritating. I bought the radios for use as motorcycle helmet intercoms. I replaced the included headset with the inexpensive
Midland AVPH3 Transparent Security Headsets with PTT/VOX (Pair)
, which aren’t perfect, but are a great improvement.The build is good, but not fantastic. They are high-end consumer radios, not the sort intended for years of heavy use on a construction site, for instance. I wouldn’t want to use them heavily in a marine environment. A good drop would likely crack the case or the antenna housing. They are advertised as being splash-proof, but I wouldn’t want to put that to the test. There is an O-ring around the battery compartment, and the closure on the compartment is nicely designed–no frustrating prying.There are a few features that have great possibility, though I’m still testing to determine whether they’ll work in actual use. The VOX mode has worked well for me in some tests, though not well in others. I did all testing at sensitivity level 1, the most sensitive setting. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lag between when you started talking until the radio went into transmit mode. During a test earlier today, one of my radios was in VOX mode, and we didn’t even notice–it worked perfectly. We were using the AVPH3 headsets at the time. Later, we tried again and found the VOX to be totally flaky, sometimes keying the mic halfway through a sentence, at then end of a message, or not at all. Sometimes the mic would key when we adjusted the earpiece. (The AVPH3 has an integrated earpiece/mic.) I’m hoping that it works better when the headset is covered by a helmet.Another interesting feature is WHISPER mode. This is designed to amplify quiet sounds to normally audible levels. When I turned it on, I could see a shocked expression on my girlfriend’s face–apparently she could suddenly hear all the birds in the tree behind me, clear as day. Based on this, it seems promising, though whether it will amplify wind and engine noise, I don’t know yet.The microphone jack apparently doubles as a secondary charging jack. This could be quite handy if you’re on the road and don’t want to carry the charging base around with you. I’ve read that it takes 9v at 55-75 milliamps, though I don’t know the plug polarity. The included AVP-7 rechargeable battery packs don’t have fantastic capacity–700mah. I’ve seen a third-party 800mah pack on eBay. The fact that this radio will also take four AA batteries is great.It should be noted that the GROUP mode/DIRECT CALL features are simply ways of setting up particular radios to ignore some signals. They DO NOT create private or secure communications. There are no scrambled FRS/GMRS radios currently on the market.Basically, I like these radios a lot. They’re well worth the $58 I paid for them, though at a higher price point I might look at marine units for more durability. For communicating with few obstructions, or within a third of a mile with obstructions, the sound is great. The design is good, though not spectacular. A foldable or collapsible antenna might make it more durable when traveling. The feature-set is nice, and I like the wide range of available headsets. There are antenna hacks, though these aren’t in compliance with FCC regulations.If you require a radio that makes five animal noises, or becomes lost instantly when placed near foliage, purchase the GXT1050VP4 model instead.
4 people found this helpful
Network Nerd –
The batteries died after 3-4 years of recharging. The great part is you can use AA batteries instead of the rechargeable ones, which is great when you need a working radio. Quality is great and they have handled the abuse and drops over the years. Well made durable product.
One person found this helpful
Chris Simpson –
I got these radios for off-roading and I use them regularly. The biggest complaint I have is the “high power” setting really chews through the batteries fast. (I wish there was some way to put in bigger/more batteries, or connect to an external power source. I just leave it in lower power mode and/or keep the charger plugged into my car and swap one out for the other when it starts to go.)I will say there is a “minor” flaw in the charging base though; it lacks some essential diodes to prevent the battery power from the radios going “back down” the wire. That’s not a problem for the wall plug, but I quickly found out that if I left these plugged into my cigarette lighter in my car, they would continue to power the car’s accessories when I turned off the car. Maybe it’s just my car, but that’s worth knowing. I was able to open it up and add the diodes but I wouldn’t expect most people to know to do that.Of course, many of the other GMRS/FRS radios are the much cheaper kind you buy at Walmart and their sound quality is pretty awful, and there’s nothing that having even the best radios can do about that. I definitely recommend these, just keep in mind the power leak mentioned above when plugging them into your car.
2 people found this helpful
B review –
I have read a lot of critical reviews where people don’t seem to understand physics. I tested this radio with a Midland MicroMobile and with a decent line of sight was talking to my son at home from 5+ miles away. That said, I live on a mountain and was across the valley from my house. You need a line of sight. This is true with any radio comms. My only complaint remains the battery tech. In an ideal world I would like to leave one of these radios on in scanner mode in my home office on a hill. The reality is that the NiMH batteries should not be left on the charger as it will drastically shorten their lifespan.
One person found this helpful
Chris Simpson –
I got these radios for off-roading and I use them regularly. The biggest complaint I have is the “high power” setting really chews through the batteries fast. (I wish there was some way to put in bigger/more batteries, or connect to an external power source. I just leave it in lower power mode and/or keep the charger plugged into my car and swap one out for the other when it starts to go.)I will say there is a “minor” flaw in the charging base though; it lacks some essential diodes to prevent the battery power from the radios going “back down” the wire. That’s not a problem for the wall plug, but I quickly found out that if I left these plugged into my cigarette lighter in my car, they would continue to power the car’s accessories when I turned off the car. Maybe it’s just my car, but that’s worth knowing. I was able to open it up and add the diodes but I wouldn’t expect most people to know to do that.Of course, many of the other GMRS/FRS radios are the much cheaper kind you buy at Walmart and their sound quality is pretty awful, and there’s nothing that having even the best radios can do about that. I definitely recommend these, just keep in mind the power leak mentioned above when plugging them into your car.
2 people found this helpful
B review –
I have read a lot of critical reviews where people don’t seem to understand physics. I tested this radio with a Midland MicroMobile and with a decent line of sight was talking to my son at home from 5+ miles away. That said, I live on a mountain and was across the valley from my house. You need a line of sight. This is true with any radio comms. My only complaint remains the battery tech. In an ideal world I would like to leave one of these radios on in scanner mode in my home office on a hill. The reality is that the NiMH batteries should not be left on the charger as it will drastically shorten their lifespan.
One person found this helpful
Chris Simpson –
I got these radios for off-roading and I use them regularly. The biggest complaint I have is the “high power” setting really chews through the batteries fast. (I wish there was some way to put in bigger/more batteries, or connect to an external power source. I just leave it in lower power mode and/or keep the charger plugged into my car and swap one out for the other when it starts to go.)I will say there is a “minor” flaw in the charging base though; it lacks some essential diodes to prevent the battery power from the radios going “back down” the wire. That’s not a problem for the wall plug, but I quickly found out that if I left these plugged into my cigarette lighter in my car, they would continue to power the car’s accessories when I turned off the car. Maybe it’s just my car, but that’s worth knowing. I was able to open it up and add the diodes but I wouldn’t expect most people to know to do that.Of course, many of the other GMRS/FRS radios are the much cheaper kind you buy at Walmart and their sound quality is pretty awful, and there’s nothing that having even the best radios can do about that. I definitely recommend these, just keep in mind the power leak mentioned above when plugging them into your car.
2 people found this helpful
B review –
I have read a lot of critical reviews where people don’t seem to understand physics. I tested this radio with a Midland MicroMobile and with a decent line of sight was talking to my son at home from 5+ miles away. That said, I live on a mountain and was across the valley from my house. You need a line of sight. This is true with any radio comms. My only complaint remains the battery tech. In an ideal world I would like to leave one of these radios on in scanner mode in my home office on a hill. The reality is that the NiMH batteries should not be left on the charger as it will drastically shorten their lifespan.
One person found this helpful
DR HOWARD –
April 2019 was the first time I ever used a Walkie talkie. I used the Midland GXT1000 on a cruise ship that was 11 decks high, 935 feet long and 105 feet wide. I used it with my wife because our cell phones don’t work on the ship. The walkie talkies worked from deck 1 to deck 9 if we were both at same location from front to back of the ship (for example, if we were both at the rear end of the ship). If we were both on the same deck, it worked if we were separated by about 60% of the length of the ship. If we were separated by 2 decks and a third of the length of the ship, no signal was received. Where it did not work, no signal was received. Even though the walkie talkies did not work all distances, we found it very useful to find each other. It was a 16 day cruise. We used 4 AA batteries rather than the rechargeable batteries. The batteries needed to be replaced twice during those 16 days. The walkie talkies worked from the ground floor to the 8th floor of a hotel. They worked when my wife was in our home and I was a third of a mile down the street. I did not try it farther down the street so I cannot say how much farther it could work.The walkie talkies use GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) which requires a 10 year $70 license from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). The law says that only 15 specific channels can be used and that the maximum broadcast power is 5 Watts. (Saying that they have 50 channels is misleading because it means that the 15 permitted channels can be subdivided to avoid conflict with others using the same channel.) If different brands have the same number of channels and the same amount of broadcast power, what makes one better than the other I don’t know and I wish I could know.
Justthe Factsmaam –
Update — a year later;One radio has stopped transmitting. “Receive” mode still works but the radio will no longer transmit, not FRS nor GMRS.(We used these radios almost daily for just over a year, mostly in the higher power transmit mode — I suspect the antenna is too short for 5W and the reflected power just blew out the finals after a few hundred TX events)We did not need the car charger option for several months but when we did we discovered that the JACK WAS THE WRONG SIZE!This is really a bad thing — very deceptive to show and include an accessory that will not fit or function with the model radio being bought.Some more minor but still annoying issues;The “Low Battery” indicator is basically worthless. It shows full charge until about 15 seconds before switching to “Low Bat” and then stops working.The ramrod antenna sticks up high enough to dig into your kidney region as you slide into the car seat (when wearing with belt clip). Why not go with a “rubber ducky” type that manually extends a bit?…?The SOS alarm button is in a place where it randomly gets inadvertently set off – ditto most of the other front panel buttons.=======================================================When the kids got real jobs and their own cell phones my wife and I hardly ever used our cell phones anymore except for a quick message to get a loaf of bread or which store entrance to meet at, etc.The cost of this pair of radios was about the cost of one month of cell service on 2 phones.We decided to give these a try to see if they would serve the purpose just as well.The short answer is “yes”.We can almost always complete our communication in half the time it takes to dial a cell and wait for an answer on the other end.Here are some general observations;GoodFull 3 1/4 mile transmission outdoors even with a large tree covered hillside in between with one station inside a moving car and the other inside a house on the other side of the ridgeTwo of the 50 channels match our pair of old Cobra ‘MicroTalk’ frequencies A & B, on the proper low pwr ChGood transmission and reception across the shopping mall – though some spots drop outGood battery life especially on low power transmit channels. With a few minutes of chat on high power channels and several hours per day in ‘scan mode’, it lasts about three days before needing recharge.Included accessories are everything we need and wantLots of channels to operate on. Apparently these are popular radios, especially with small businesses and when you get near a populated area or the mall you have to shift around a bit to find an unused channel.I tried out the VOX and whisper mode and both seemed to work fine but we don’t really need those features.The headset comes set too tight for adult heads and ears – warm it up in your hands for a minute and stretch it open a lot wider and then it fits more comfortably, and works fine.Not so good;Complicated keypad and very terse, poorly written instructions in miniscule fontButtons on the front are easy to engage but the soft touch pad does not have a feel that allows the user to recognize when the button is pressed firmly enough and engagedWhen wearing the radio at waist level with the belt clip, leaning against a counter or bumping a car door or carrying packages will easily and inadvertently switch to “scan” mode – not a good situation at all…
3 people found this helpful
DR HOWARD –
April 2019 was the first time I ever used a Walkie talkie. I used the Midland GXT1000 on a cruise ship that was 11 decks high, 935 feet long and 105 feet wide. I used it with my wife because our cell phones don’t work on the ship. The walkie talkies worked from deck 1 to deck 9 if we were both at same location from front to back of the ship (for example, if we were both at the rear end of the ship). If we were both on the same deck, it worked if we were separated by about 60% of the length of the ship. If we were separated by 2 decks and a third of the length of the ship, no signal was received. Where it did not work, no signal was received. Even though the walkie talkies did not work all distances, we found it very useful to find each other. It was a 16 day cruise. We used 4 AA batteries rather than the rechargeable batteries. The batteries needed to be replaced twice during those 16 days. The walkie talkies worked from the ground floor to the 8th floor of a hotel. They worked when my wife was in our home and I was a third of a mile down the street. I did not try it farther down the street so I cannot say how much farther it could work.The walkie talkies use GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) which requires a 10 year $70 license from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). The law says that only 15 specific channels can be used and that the maximum broadcast power is 5 Watts. (Saying that they have 50 channels is misleading because it means that the 15 permitted channels can be subdivided to avoid conflict with others using the same channel.) If different brands have the same number of channels and the same amount of broadcast power, what makes one better than the other I don’t know and I wish I could know.
Justthe Factsmaam –
Update — a year later;One radio has stopped transmitting. “Receive” mode still works but the radio will no longer transmit, not FRS nor GMRS.(We used these radios almost daily for just over a year, mostly in the higher power transmit mode — I suspect the antenna is too short for 5W and the reflected power just blew out the finals after a few hundred TX events)We did not need the car charger option for several months but when we did we discovered that the JACK WAS THE WRONG SIZE!This is really a bad thing — very deceptive to show and include an accessory that will not fit or function with the model radio being bought.Some more minor but still annoying issues;The “Low Battery” indicator is basically worthless. It shows full charge until about 15 seconds before switching to “Low Bat” and then stops working.The ramrod antenna sticks up high enough to dig into your kidney region as you slide into the car seat (when wearing with belt clip). Why not go with a “rubber ducky” type that manually extends a bit?…?The SOS alarm button is in a place where it randomly gets inadvertently set off – ditto most of the other front panel buttons.=======================================================When the kids got real jobs and their own cell phones my wife and I hardly ever used our cell phones anymore except for a quick message to get a loaf of bread or which store entrance to meet at, etc.The cost of this pair of radios was about the cost of one month of cell service on 2 phones.We decided to give these a try to see if they would serve the purpose just as well.The short answer is “yes”.We can almost always complete our communication in half the time it takes to dial a cell and wait for an answer on the other end.Here are some general observations;GoodFull 3 1/4 mile transmission outdoors even with a large tree covered hillside in between with one station inside a moving car and the other inside a house on the other side of the ridgeTwo of the 50 channels match our pair of old Cobra ‘MicroTalk’ frequencies A & B, on the proper low pwr ChGood transmission and reception across the shopping mall – though some spots drop outGood battery life especially on low power transmit channels. With a few minutes of chat on high power channels and several hours per day in ‘scan mode’, it lasts about three days before needing recharge.Included accessories are everything we need and wantLots of channels to operate on. Apparently these are popular radios, especially with small businesses and when you get near a populated area or the mall you have to shift around a bit to find an unused channel.I tried out the VOX and whisper mode and both seemed to work fine but we don’t really need those features.The headset comes set too tight for adult heads and ears – warm it up in your hands for a minute and stretch it open a lot wider and then it fits more comfortably, and works fine.Not so good;Complicated keypad and very terse, poorly written instructions in miniscule fontButtons on the front are easy to engage but the soft touch pad does not have a feel that allows the user to recognize when the button is pressed firmly enough and engagedWhen wearing the radio at waist level with the belt clip, leaning against a counter or bumping a car door or carrying packages will easily and inadvertently switch to “scan” mode – not a good situation at all…
3 people found this helpful
Justthe Factsmaam –
Update — a year later;One radio has stopped transmitting. “Receive” mode still works but the radio will no longer transmit, not FRS nor GMRS.(We used these radios almost daily for just over a year, mostly in the higher power transmit mode — I suspect the antenna is too short for 5W and the reflected power just blew out the finals after a few hundred TX events)We did not need the car charger option for several months but when we did we discovered that the JACK WAS THE WRONG SIZE!This is really a bad thing — very deceptive to show and include an accessory that will not fit or function with the model radio being bought.Some more minor but still annoying issues;The “Low Battery” indicator is basically worthless. It shows full charge until about 15 seconds before switching to “Low Bat” and then stops working.The ramrod antenna sticks up high enough to dig into your kidney region as you slide into the car seat (when wearing with belt clip). Why not go with a “rubber ducky” type that manually extends a bit?…?The SOS alarm button is in a place where it randomly gets inadvertently set off – ditto most of the other front panel buttons.=======================================================When the kids got real jobs and their own cell phones my wife and I hardly ever used our cell phones anymore except for a quick message to get a loaf of bread or which store entrance to meet at, etc.The cost of this pair of radios was about the cost of one month of cell service on 2 phones.We decided to give these a try to see if they would serve the purpose just as well.The short answer is “yes”.We can almost always complete our communication in half the time it takes to dial a cell and wait for an answer on the other end.Here are some general observations;GoodFull 3 1/4 mile transmission outdoors even with a large tree covered hillside in between with one station inside a moving car and the other inside a house on the other side of the ridgeTwo of the 50 channels match our pair of old Cobra ‘MicroTalk’ frequencies A & B, on the proper low pwr ChGood transmission and reception across the shopping mall – though some spots drop outGood battery life especially on low power transmit channels. With a few minutes of chat on high power channels and several hours per day in ‘scan mode’, it lasts about three days before needing recharge.Included accessories are everything we need and wantLots of channels to operate on. Apparently these are popular radios, especially with small businesses and when you get near a populated area or the mall you have to shift around a bit to find an unused channel.I tried out the VOX and whisper mode and both seemed to work fine but we don’t really need those features.The headset comes set too tight for adult heads and ears – warm it up in your hands for a minute and stretch it open a lot wider and then it fits more comfortably, and works fine.Not so good;Complicated keypad and very terse, poorly written instructions in miniscule fontButtons on the front are easy to engage but the soft touch pad does not have a feel that allows the user to recognize when the button is pressed firmly enough and engagedWhen wearing the radio at waist level with the belt clip, leaning against a counter or bumping a car door or carrying packages will easily and inadvertently switch to “scan” mode – not a good situation at all…
3 people found this helpful
Dave –
I’m giving this high marks because the units are well built and easy to operate. It also comes with everything you need to immediately get started (sans your FCC license). If you want a simple, no-frills, “it just works” GMRS radio at max handheld power, you’re not going to beat this.If you’re new to GMRS, you have no doubt noticed multiple radios (including this one) advertising exceptionally long ranges. For example, this model advertises a range of “up to 36 miles”. Long story short, you’re never going to get that range. That’s based on laboratory conditions that simply do not exist in the real world.In our relatively flat suburban area, I typically get a maximum range of about .5 – 1.25 mile on the high power setting. This is using channels 1-7, which will transmit at the full 5 watts. Your actual range will vary based on line of sight. The more trees, hills, cars, structures, and high-power items (such as office buildings, substations, etc) between the two radios, the shorter your range will be.Your range will be higher if you’re in a large, open, flat area with zero obstacles. For example, if you need to communicate between two vehicles heading in the same direction on a perfectly flat, perfectly straight interstate. With no other cars around, no bridges or tunnels between the two vehicles, absolutely perfect weather, zero interference, and fresh batteries, you might be able to hit a maximum of four, maybe five miles — but that’s really pushing it.Your range will be lower if you’re hiking through rough terrain. On the Appalachian Trail through Pennsylvania, for example, your range might be anywhere from a tenth of a mile to possibly 2-3 miles across a valley.These limitations aren’t unique to this particular radio. All GMRS radios, regardless of what they advertise, are subject to the same limitations. These are basic laws of physics that no marketing department can overcome.With all that in mind, these make great short-range communications devices. Just don’t expect to get anywhere near the claimed range.
2 people found this helpful
Dave –
I’m giving this high marks because the units are well built and easy to operate. It also comes with everything you need to immediately get started (sans your FCC license). If you want a simple, no-frills, “it just works” GMRS radio at max handheld power, you’re not going to beat this.If you’re new to GMRS, you have no doubt noticed multiple radios (including this one) advertising exceptionally long ranges. For example, this model advertises a range of “up to 36 miles”. Long story short, you’re never going to get that range. That’s based on laboratory conditions that simply do not exist in the real world.In our relatively flat suburban area, I typically get a maximum range of about .5 – 1.25 mile on the high power setting. This is using channels 1-7, which will transmit at the full 5 watts. Your actual range will vary based on line of sight. The more trees, hills, cars, structures, and high-power items (such as office buildings, substations, etc) between the two radios, the shorter your range will be.Your range will be higher if you’re in a large, open, flat area with zero obstacles. For example, if you need to communicate between two vehicles heading in the same direction on a perfectly flat, perfectly straight interstate. With no other cars around, no bridges or tunnels between the two vehicles, absolutely perfect weather, zero interference, and fresh batteries, you might be able to hit a maximum of four, maybe five miles — but that’s really pushing it.Your range will be lower if you’re hiking through rough terrain. On the Appalachian Trail through Pennsylvania, for example, your range might be anywhere from a tenth of a mile to possibly 2-3 miles across a valley.These limitations aren’t unique to this particular radio. All GMRS radios, regardless of what they advertise, are subject to the same limitations. These are basic laws of physics that no marketing department can overcome.With all that in mind, these make great short-range communications devices. Just don’t expect to get anywhere near the claimed range.
2 people found this helpful
Howard –
Bluetooth head/microphone would be better than wire
Daniel A. Tusing –
First and foremost, I do not work for Midland nor do I work for Amazon. Radios I am reviewing are: GXT1000VP4; GXT5000; XT511 Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio (Base Camp Radio). — Note: No head phones were utilized.Batteries: Charged to Midland’s specifications prior to usage (GXT5000 battery only took about +/-2 hours for initial charge and then 1-1/2hrs or minus to charge after regular usage; GXT1000VP4 / XT511 recommends 12hrs recharge after 1st initial 24hrs charge).Battery usage life after initial (1st) charge: GXT1000VP4 = 1-1/2 days (mostly monitoring) GXT5000 = 1-1/2 days plus (mostly monitoring) XT511 = 2 days maybe more (great emergency radio I may add).GXT1000VP4 has five (5) watts of power (maximum per FCC).GXT5000 has four (4) watts of power (it will transmit further than GXT1000VP4 due to the antenna type and monitor two (2) channels at the same time).Another Note: I ordered an extra set of two (2) Midland batteries (Midland AVP7) for the GXT1000VP4 radios (I do not believe this is necessary unless you have NO power supply OR double “AA” for back up) and the XT511 uses the same which is NICE!, good job Midland! At this review date of 12.04.2013 the batteries for the GXT5000 are not available until 01.??.2014.After my family’s and my past many years of hunting, we decided to get some two-way radios to communicate to one another mainly for emergency use while hunting (we have some old age hunters and tree stand hunters, you know what I mean, SnooooZZZZZe). We hunt in the mountains of W.Va. and I do mean mountains. The two-way radios purchased a couple of years or more prior to these were (no mention of brands or model #’s) of no count period (especially since my father was shot at from a trespassing hunter and I could not contact him at all after the shot and did not want to rush into his area in case a follow up shot was required or scare off the game in question).After receiving these radio’s, I rushed out to try them. At 1-1/2 miles away (that was as far as I went at this time), one set of radios from inside a brick home in a small town in Tennessee, I was able to communicate clearly with ALL of these from my vehicle (stationary, not moving while transmitting; transmitting while “all radios were traveling in a moving vehicle” was fine too, clear). Then, prior to hunting at our location, again I tested these radio’s and I was able to transmit with ALL of these without any problems while stationary (static, etc.; the XT511 was located in RV Camper) at various distances greater than a thousand or two yards plus throughout thick trees and “MAJOR” elevation differences without any problems.I highly recommend these radios…I do understand sometimes we get a lemon (I hate this), just return it and give it another try again. If not satisfied, return for a refund.I hope this review helps you all.
2 people found this helpful
Nickoli Bearsnaresnic –
I went with Midland because they offer a line of mobile gmrs radios also I can talk about 3.5 miles on high power with me at the house on the back deck and my friend inside his car.Range would be farther if one party was up high and had a clear line of sight.This is comparable to any handheld radio [ham, commercial ,marine ] so dont get disappointed if you cant talk 36 miles from your living room to your wife at Walmart. The radio works well and has a nice feel to it.Appears to be of good quality.Has plenty of volume and some nice features like scan,weather channels etc. The receive seems to be pretty good I had it on scan today and it was picking people up on a distant repeater and also some local farmers during the harvest season .This just setting atop my entertainment center inside the house Battery life is typical for a handheld.You can also power it up with AA batteries if you need toSo these fall kinda in the middle.You could get a chinese radio cheap [ Legal? } or move up to a ham handheld more money [can only talk to other hams] On another note looking at the most critical review nimh rechargeable batteries output 1.2 volts where standard alkalines output 1.5 volts .So the radio operates on 6 volts Thats why you only need 4 alkaline batteries. If you use only the amount of power you need you will extend the battery life.Thats normal with any handheld.Your not going to talk 36 miles unless your on top of a very tall building or mountain and your not going to talk forever on high power with the battery capacity you have. There are only 22 shared frs/gmrs channels not 50.The extra channels above 22 are existing channels with a pre programmed privacy code.Which is nice .Not really extra channels tho Folks get led astray .Its possible for hams to talk to the international space station on 5 watts so when they say 36 mile range it is not a false statement but it is not typical. 50 channels well sort of.Midland has done the work for you.Want to use a privacy code go to one of the channels above 22.Already done for you. With realistic expectations whats not to likeRead the directions and take a look online at the frs/gmrs channel guide because each service has different power limits except channels 8 to 14 which are only low power 1/2 watt only. Go online and there are several radio line of sight calculators you can use to estimate your radio rangeI hate to see a bad reviews from folks on something when really its more lack of knowledge and operator error not the products fault Update 6 months later my radios are still going strong.I have had no problems.The 700 mAh battery packs have worked ok .But they are only 700mAh.Typical for AAA batteries.Going to a AA alkaline could get over 2000 mAh and last longer but not rechargable. AA lithium ion rechargeable batteries 1.5 volt are available but they are expensive.Your going to need some spare batteries and packs thats just the nature of handheld battery powered radios whether frs/gmrs ,Ham,Marine ,business or whatever.
76 people found this helpful
Ramon Doucette –
Worked great
Nickoli Bearsnaresnic –
I went with Midland because they offer a line of mobile gmrs radios also I can talk about 3.5 miles on high power with me at the house on the back deck and my friend inside his car.Range would be farther if one party was up high and had a clear line of sight.This is comparable to any handheld radio [ham, commercial ,marine ] so dont get disappointed if you cant talk 36 miles from your living room to your wife at Walmart. The radio works well and has a nice feel to it.Appears to be of good quality.Has plenty of volume and some nice features like scan,weather channels etc. The receive seems to be pretty good I had it on scan today and it was picking people up on a distant repeater and also some local farmers during the harvest season .This just setting atop my entertainment center inside the house Battery life is typical for a handheld.You can also power it up with AA batteries if you need toSo these fall kinda in the middle.You could get a chinese radio cheap [ Legal? } or move up to a ham handheld more money [can only talk to other hams] On another note looking at the most critical review nimh rechargeable batteries output 1.2 volts where standard alkalines output 1.5 volts .So the radio operates on 6 volts Thats why you only need 4 alkaline batteries. If you use only the amount of power you need you will extend the battery life.Thats normal with any handheld.Your not going to talk 36 miles unless your on top of a very tall building or mountain and your not going to talk forever on high power with the battery capacity you have. There are only 22 shared frs/gmrs channels not 50.The extra channels above 22 are existing channels with a pre programmed privacy code.Which is nice .Not really extra channels tho Folks get led astray .Its possible for hams to talk to the international space station on 5 watts so when they say 36 mile range it is not a false statement but it is not typical. 50 channels well sort of.Midland has done the work for you.Want to use a privacy code go to one of the channels above 22.Already done for you. With realistic expectations whats not to likeRead the directions and take a look online at the frs/gmrs channel guide because each service has different power limits except channels 8 to 14 which are only low power 1/2 watt only. Go online and there are several radio line of sight calculators you can use to estimate your radio rangeI hate to see a bad reviews from folks on something when really its more lack of knowledge and operator error not the products fault Update 6 months later my radios are still going strong.I have had no problems.The 700 mAh battery packs have worked ok .But they are only 700mAh.Typical for AAA batteries.Going to a AA alkaline could get over 2000 mAh and last longer but not rechargable. AA lithium ion rechargeable batteries 1.5 volt are available but they are expensive.Your going to need some spare batteries and packs thats just the nature of handheld battery powered radios whether frs/gmrs ,Ham,Marine ,business or whatever.
76 people found this helpful
Ramon Doucette –
Worked great
Ramon Doucette –
Worked great
TB –
Sound is great they work good just not long distance
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
I LOVE these radios! I have two sets and they’re fantastic. If you get a pair of soft earpieces (that look like the ones the secret service use), the set can’t be beat (the soft earpiece set is a real game changer with these radios). The Midland is definitely waterproof (I’ve dropped both sets I own in puddles and used them in pouring rain for hours) and I’ve never had any issues with them. I also find they have a better range than the Motorola variants (I have a set of Motorola radios as well). Setting them up is intuitive and changing settings very easy. The belt clips are great and are durable – they don’t fall off. They hold a charge very well, but on the down side you can’t put in regular batteries as a backup if the rechargeable lithium batteries die, but they charge quickly and come with a 12v attachment so you can plug them in while driving to recharge. But I’ve never found the lack of the ability to use regular batteries to be an issue. Using them all day long, I find I can get at least 5 hours of use out of them (that’s with a lot of radio chatter at the highest, unregulated, power setting). However, you can change it over to a lower power setting which gives you more time but you sacrifice range. The reported range is definitely not accurate (but that’s the case with every manufacturer as well). Even in direct line of sight such as on the flat expansive roads of Montana, Texas, the Dakotas, Kansas, and Iowa we were NEVER able to achieve a better range than a mile and a half. However, if you switch over to the highest power level (that is regulated by FAA) I hear the range is much improved. The only thing I don’t like about them is you only have two color choices – black and camouflage. Without the call feature, good luck finding them if you drop them…. It would be nice if they added other bright colored cases that are easily spotted if dropped (like red or yellow). This is the ONLY reason why I don’t give it 5 stars. From a quality, range, and longevity standpoint, 5 stars all the way. If I ever need another set, these will be the first ones I look for.
2 people found this helpful
Karen wittenburg –
Use them for work
J. Buenfil –
I don’t really like writing product reviews, but these radios deserve a good recommendation. I chose to buy them after using them in the army for different field tests (unrelated to the radios). I liked how clear they sound and the range, plus we used them for 8 hours straight and didn’t run out of power. I have used these radios on trips to communicate from one car to another. Reception was excellent even at distances over a mile with hills and turns where we couldn’t see each other’s cars. They were also very handy for my daughter to stay by herself in a hotel room in a different floor while I stayed with my girlfriend in a different room and we needed to make sure we could quickly communicate if needed and to coordinate getting ready to go for breakfast, etc. These radios worked great. The only problem I had is that the AC charger developed a short circuit. My guess is that the wire is not very flexible and after wounding it too tight the wires touched. I emailed Midland and they called me back the same day and sent me a new AC charger at no cost since I was within warranty. Yes, the charges was covered by the warranty, and I was very pleased with their customer service. I definitely recommend these radios.
NatureIsInfinite –
It works good on the worksite and in a vehicle convoy. The range is not anywhere near what is advertised.
Big-E-Bola –
Bought these to use for my 15 year old son and I to use while he and his friend are out on their john boat. We live on the water and get excellent range out of these radios, so line of site obstruction(s) isn’t much of an issue given our intended use. Also, I live very close to the primary runway to the naval air station and haven’t encountered any comms interference (didn’t think I would, but you never know). Overall, this has been an excellent purchase for us.
Megan Gandara –
I got these for our roadtrip from Utah to Cali and they worked great! I read so many reviews and researched multiple brands before I decided on these ones and they do exactly what we needed them for. They were even working across town in a busier area! One of the batteries dies a little sooner than the other, but if it becomes a bigger issue then I will look into replacing it.
Michael R. Gentry –
These are not toys or baby monitors. They are full power 5.33 watt real radios. 2 watts is enough to get from inside my home to work a mile and a half away, as long as I stand on the third floor roof. 5 watts lets my wife talk to me at street level over that distance. It is also good for punching through your skull and heating soft tissue if you transmit too much. Children need the half watt 14 channel FRS radios that are hard to find now. For most applications with this radio you will do just as well turning it down to medium power and saving your batteries. There are a couple of things that keep popping up here in the reviews that need addressing.– I can’t get 30 miles, I barely get four!That is a very good distance, consider yourself lucky. GMRS is designed to be very short distance. Think of the UHF signal as a bright light. Now look at the buildings, trees and terrain around you. Imagine they aren’t solid, but semi-opaque/see-through. The more you place in front of that light the dimmer it gets. Increasing the wattage helps, but not much. Could you tell through a forest of trees if someone was using a 2w or 5w flashlight? The only thing that helps is getting up above the obstructions. Power gives you a few blocks here, a half mile there. Think of the manufacturers distance ratings as a starting point, then look at the antenna length and how many batteries the radio uses.– I can’t believe my waterproof radio isn’t working. I only dropped it from the kayak once!SPLASH PROOF, idiot.– They don’t work any better than an old walkie talkie.No, I had one of those RadioShack play toys back in the 70s. Even though the morse code button was cool they were only good for hide and seek in your yard. As a final thought, I hope the quality of these is better than the low power Midland lxt330 set I had. They just quit sending or receiving after a period of not being used.
3 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
I LOVE these radios! I have two sets and they’re fantastic. If you get a pair of soft earpieces (that look like the ones the secret service use), the set can’t be beat (the soft earpiece set is a real game changer with these radios). The Midland is definitely waterproof (I’ve dropped both sets I own in puddles and used them in pouring rain for hours) and I’ve never had any issues with them. I also find they have a better range than the Motorola variants (I have a set of Motorola radios as well). Setting them up is intuitive and changing settings very easy. The belt clips are great and are durable – they don’t fall off. They hold a charge very well, but on the down side you can’t put in regular batteries as a backup if the rechargeable lithium batteries die, but they charge quickly and come with a 12v attachment so you can plug them in while driving to recharge. But I’ve never found the lack of the ability to use regular batteries to be an issue. Using them all day long, I find I can get at least 5 hours of use out of them (that’s with a lot of radio chatter at the highest, unregulated, power setting). However, you can change it over to a lower power setting which gives you more time but you sacrifice range. The reported range is definitely not accurate (but that’s the case with every manufacturer as well). Even in direct line of sight such as on the flat expansive roads of Montana, Texas, the Dakotas, Kansas, and Iowa we were NEVER able to achieve a better range than a mile and a half. However, if you switch over to the highest power level (that is regulated by FAA) I hear the range is much improved. The only thing I don’t like about them is you only have two color choices – black and camouflage. Without the call feature, good luck finding them if you drop them…. It would be nice if they added other bright colored cases that are easily spotted if dropped (like red or yellow). This is the ONLY reason why I don’t give it 5 stars. From a quality, range, and longevity standpoint, 5 stars all the way. If I ever need another set, these will be the first ones I look for.
2 people found this helpful
Karen wittenburg –
Use them for work
J. Buenfil –
I don’t really like writing product reviews, but these radios deserve a good recommendation. I chose to buy them after using them in the army for different field tests (unrelated to the radios). I liked how clear they sound and the range, plus we used them for 8 hours straight and didn’t run out of power. I have used these radios on trips to communicate from one car to another. Reception was excellent even at distances over a mile with hills and turns where we couldn’t see each other’s cars. They were also very handy for my daughter to stay by herself in a hotel room in a different floor while I stayed with my girlfriend in a different room and we needed to make sure we could quickly communicate if needed and to coordinate getting ready to go for breakfast, etc. These radios worked great. The only problem I had is that the AC charger developed a short circuit. My guess is that the wire is not very flexible and after wounding it too tight the wires touched. I emailed Midland and they called me back the same day and sent me a new AC charger at no cost since I was within warranty. Yes, the charges was covered by the warranty, and I was very pleased with their customer service. I definitely recommend these radios.
NatureIsInfinite –
It works good on the worksite and in a vehicle convoy. The range is not anywhere near what is advertised.
Big-E-Bola –
Bought these to use for my 15 year old son and I to use while he and his friend are out on their john boat. We live on the water and get excellent range out of these radios, so line of site obstruction(s) isn’t much of an issue given our intended use. Also, I live very close to the primary runway to the naval air station and haven’t encountered any comms interference (didn’t think I would, but you never know). Overall, this has been an excellent purchase for us.
Megan Gandara –
I got these for our roadtrip from Utah to Cali and they worked great! I read so many reviews and researched multiple brands before I decided on these ones and they do exactly what we needed them for. They were even working across town in a busier area! One of the batteries dies a little sooner than the other, but if it becomes a bigger issue then I will look into replacing it.
Karen wittenburg –
Use them for work
J. Buenfil –
I don’t really like writing product reviews, but these radios deserve a good recommendation. I chose to buy them after using them in the army for different field tests (unrelated to the radios). I liked how clear they sound and the range, plus we used them for 8 hours straight and didn’t run out of power. I have used these radios on trips to communicate from one car to another. Reception was excellent even at distances over a mile with hills and turns where we couldn’t see each other’s cars. They were also very handy for my daughter to stay by herself in a hotel room in a different floor while I stayed with my girlfriend in a different room and we needed to make sure we could quickly communicate if needed and to coordinate getting ready to go for breakfast, etc. These radios worked great. The only problem I had is that the AC charger developed a short circuit. My guess is that the wire is not very flexible and after wounding it too tight the wires touched. I emailed Midland and they called me back the same day and sent me a new AC charger at no cost since I was within warranty. Yes, the charges was covered by the warranty, and I was very pleased with their customer service. I definitely recommend these radios.
NatureIsInfinite –
It works good on the worksite and in a vehicle convoy. The range is not anywhere near what is advertised.
Big-E-Bola –
Bought these to use for my 15 year old son and I to use while he and his friend are out on their john boat. We live on the water and get excellent range out of these radios, so line of site obstruction(s) isn’t much of an issue given our intended use. Also, I live very close to the primary runway to the naval air station and haven’t encountered any comms interference (didn’t think I would, but you never know). Overall, this has been an excellent purchase for us.
Megan Gandara –
I got these for our roadtrip from Utah to Cali and they worked great! I read so many reviews and researched multiple brands before I decided on these ones and they do exactly what we needed them for. They were even working across town in a busier area! One of the batteries dies a little sooner than the other, but if it becomes a bigger issue then I will look into replacing it.
Triptyx –
Bought these to use for stroke/turn judging at swim meets. The local swim organization uses the same model week in and week out and has had great success with them, so it was a no-brainer to choose these for my personal kit. I’ve seen the organization’s radios dropped on the deck more than once and come out without an issue, so I feel like these are reasonably rugged for the price.The menu system is far easier than my older Uniden’s, you are limited to two letters but a quick glance at the manual will sort it out. They support grouping (with other Midlands), and both types of more common privacy codes (CTCSS and DCS) which makes them extremely compatible with other brands of radios (e.g. my older Unidens only support CTCSS) when you need to use the privacy code features.My usage so far has been very short range with these – across a pool, so I can’t give any feedback on the effective range of the higher powered frequencies. Using a lower power FRS frequency, I used the radio heavily for eight straight hours with a “security” earpiece and the rechargeable battery indicator still showed full charge that night. The included headset is fussy (hard to keep it on your ear well with the microphone aligned with the edge of your mouth) but that’s pretty normal for over the ear sets. If you plan to need to use the radio for long periods of time, I’d recommend one of the in-ear so called “security” headsets instead (they’re very cheap here on Amazon – make sure you get one that is compatible with Midland).All in all, a solid radio and a good choice for sports usage.
2 people found this helpful
Triptyx –
Bought these to use for stroke/turn judging at swim meets. The local swim organization uses the same model week in and week out and has had great success with them, so it was a no-brainer to choose these for my personal kit. I’ve seen the organization’s radios dropped on the deck more than once and come out without an issue, so I feel like these are reasonably rugged for the price.The menu system is far easier than my older Uniden’s, you are limited to two letters but a quick glance at the manual will sort it out. They support grouping (with other Midlands), and both types of more common privacy codes (CTCSS and DCS) which makes them extremely compatible with other brands of radios (e.g. my older Unidens only support CTCSS) when you need to use the privacy code features.My usage so far has been very short range with these – across a pool, so I can’t give any feedback on the effective range of the higher powered frequencies. Using a lower power FRS frequency, I used the radio heavily for eight straight hours with a “security” earpiece and the rechargeable battery indicator still showed full charge that night. The included headset is fussy (hard to keep it on your ear well with the microphone aligned with the edge of your mouth) but that’s pretty normal for over the ear sets. If you plan to need to use the radio for long periods of time, I’d recommend one of the in-ear so called “security” headsets instead (they’re very cheap here on Amazon – make sure you get one that is compatible with Midland).All in all, a solid radio and a good choice for sports usage.
2 people found this helpful
Triptyx –
Bought these to use for stroke/turn judging at swim meets. The local swim organization uses the same model week in and week out and has had great success with them, so it was a no-brainer to choose these for my personal kit. I’ve seen the organization’s radios dropped on the deck more than once and come out without an issue, so I feel like these are reasonably rugged for the price.The menu system is far easier than my older Uniden’s, you are limited to two letters but a quick glance at the manual will sort it out. They support grouping (with other Midlands), and both types of more common privacy codes (CTCSS and DCS) which makes them extremely compatible with other brands of radios (e.g. my older Unidens only support CTCSS) when you need to use the privacy code features.My usage so far has been very short range with these – across a pool, so I can’t give any feedback on the effective range of the higher powered frequencies. Using a lower power FRS frequency, I used the radio heavily for eight straight hours with a “security” earpiece and the rechargeable battery indicator still showed full charge that night. The included headset is fussy (hard to keep it on your ear well with the microphone aligned with the edge of your mouth) but that’s pretty normal for over the ear sets. If you plan to need to use the radio for long periods of time, I’d recommend one of the in-ear so called “security” headsets instead (they’re very cheap here on Amazon – make sure you get one that is compatible with Midland).All in all, a solid radio and a good choice for sports usage.
2 people found this helpful
Paul Racines –
It worked on our camping trip and when we went walking on a farm one day BUT it does not work in the city ! I read somewhere that the more buildings there are the shorter the distance is for communication. My wife was in the other room and they did not work, we were on the same floor.
Paul Racines –
It worked on our camping trip and when we went walking on a farm one day BUT it does not work in the city ! I read somewhere that the more buildings there are the shorter the distance is for communication. My wife was in the other room and they did not work, we were on the same floor.
Paul Racines –
It worked on our camping trip and when we went walking on a farm one day BUT it does not work in the city ! I read somewhere that the more buildings there are the shorter the distance is for communication. My wife was in the other room and they did not work, we were on the same floor.
Cindy Nadeau –
My son got these as a Christmas present. We used them today on the ski slopes. I was inside the building while he was skiing and we had no problems communicating. Easy to use.
Mr B. –
Just what we needed for our Ski vacation. The reception is bad on the mountain and even if it was good it is much more convenient to use the walkies than to interact with cell phones. Our resort was shaped like a U with everybody going to the middle of the U so there was no problem with trees or mountains in the path which I read could be an issue.Will probably buy more in the next vacation so we have for both parents and the kids.It is heavy a little bit but in a tolerable way.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
The radio works just fine. It is clear and plenty powerful for my property. No issues at all.
Cindy Nadeau –
My son got these as a Christmas present. We used them today on the ski slopes. I was inside the building while he was skiing and we had no problems communicating. Easy to use.
Mr B. –
Just what we needed for our Ski vacation. The reception is bad on the mountain and even if it was good it is much more convenient to use the walkies than to interact with cell phones. Our resort was shaped like a U with everybody going to the middle of the U so there was no problem with trees or mountains in the path which I read could be an issue.Will probably buy more in the next vacation so we have for both parents and the kids.It is heavy a little bit but in a tolerable way.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
The radio works just fine. It is clear and plenty powerful for my property. No issues at all.
Cindy Nadeau –
My son got these as a Christmas present. We used them today on the ski slopes. I was inside the building while he was skiing and we had no problems communicating. Easy to use.
Mr B. –
Just what we needed for our Ski vacation. The reception is bad on the mountain and even if it was good it is much more convenient to use the walkies than to interact with cell phones. Our resort was shaped like a U with everybody going to the middle of the U so there was no problem with trees or mountains in the path which I read could be an issue.Will probably buy more in the next vacation so we have for both parents and the kids.It is heavy a little bit but in a tolerable way.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
The radio works just fine. It is clear and plenty powerful for my property. No issues at all.
Rob Bayliss –
Very nice hand held GMRS radios easy instructions to get you started – you WILL need to obtain a license for use.
Rob Bayliss –
Very nice hand held GMRS radios easy instructions to get you started – you WILL need to obtain a license for use.
Rob Bayliss –
Very nice hand held GMRS radios easy instructions to get you started – you WILL need to obtain a license for use.
M1keG –
The radios are decent for limited, short-range use. The 3 star rating is because the range claim is bogus so I must bash them for that. I own four of them (just got two more) but you should ignore the marketing and especially the “up to 36 Miles range”. You have probably already heard this but the ranges in the marketing for all GMRS handheld radios are bogus (all the brands). I don’t know how they get away with these ranges in their marketing/specs. Having said this, the GXT 1000’s are among the best in the price range. Seriously — just tell it like it is — for $35 each you would not expect that kind of range so why mislead.I am a FCC licensed operator so I use these at the maximum power and with higher powered mobile units and base stations with high-gain elevated antennas. I use them in a suburban environment and on a ranch. Here is what I have found:Handlheld (GXT 1000) to Handheld (GXT 1000)1. Line of sight over water (a lake): Crystal clear at up to one mile – usable at two miles (haven’t tried further because the lake is only two miles long so I didn’t care)2. Over land — open ground: 1/2 mile clear — usable up to a mile — intermittent at 1.5 miles3. Over land through treed area: usable up to 1/2 mile but very intermittent beyond4. Elevated, open line of sight (e.g./ hill to ground): usable at up to 2-3 miles (unless there are trees or structures in the way — then see #3)Handlheld to Base Station (25 Watt – 6 dB gain antenna at 30′)Line of Sight: usable at up to 6-8 miles (but very sensitive to elevation), nothing at 10 miles even on a hill (note that in the same 10 mile elevated location a mobile unit at 25W with short 1/4 wave antenna is quite usable so it’s not about the line-of-sight — they just don’t have the power, antenna or filtering to be useable in real-life conditions at that range)This is my personal real-life information. Not scientific to refute their claim of 36miles (perhaps a theoretical calculation — through space in a vacuum with 0 humidity or particulates). Also keep in mind that at 11 miles the curvature of the earth will obscure line of sight on a handheld (unless you are both very tall).So why do I have four of these things:1. They are very useable for short range needs (especially over water or line of sight: boat-to-shore, car-to-car, around the ranch, family/group hiking, etc.2. They are relatively durable and moisture-resistance (but keep them in a zip-lock bag on the boat and in rain — they are not really waterproof — despite the marketing).3. Battery life is decent4. Work well for a bit longer range with mobile or base station units. (but not 10 miles)5. They are very cheap (seriously — for $35 each they are very good / useable — a decent antenna costs more than that)
3 people found this helpful
lortz –
We recently moved 500 miles with one of us driving the moving truck and the other driving the car, so we bought these to make communicating safer and easier. This trip was the only time we’ve used them and they performed beautifully. If we had to do it again, I would absolutely buy them again (but I’d get a version without the headset). I am not a radio expert, so I can’t speak to all of the other features. I can say that they worked very well for our road-trip needs.Distance:The biggest distance we ever had between the two vehicles was 2 miles and our drive was flat with very few hills and no mountains.Battery life:We did the drive in 2 days, with the talkie talkies switched in the “on” position for about 6 hours each day and the batteries maybe lost a bar by the end of the day. We charged them fully overnight.Headset:This was awkward. It didn’t fit at all and we didn’t end up using them.Ease of setting channel:Not easy. It definitely required reading the manual, and even that was not very clear. It took me a few tries to get it right.
One person found this helpful
Scott S. –
Preface: I researched several models of two way radios including several from Midland. I even called Midland as I had purchased a more expensive model to ask what they recommended for my needs. This was the model they recommended.I took these on a recent high country western hunting trip and they outperformed a previous midland model I’ve used for years. The sound quality was much improved as well as the actually distance. We had no trouble staying in contact around the mountainside which consisted of some open hillsides and some dense forest. We were on high peaks most of the time which I believe helped. All communication was within 1-1.5 miles. I have not tested further but this fit our needs. We were operating on GMRS channels. (with a license)I really liked the whisper feature which allows the user to whisper softly without being heard around them while the person on the other end of the radio can hear clearly – very effective when stalking big game.Note: I replaced the battery packs with 4 Panasonic Enoloop Pro AA batteries which added some additional weight to the unit but worked great! We used these radios for days and the battery indicator remained at 3 bars (full charge). I did not use the rechargeable battery pack it came with since one it does we had no way of recharging it on the mountain.
10 people found this helpful
Nickoli Bearsnaresnic –
I went with Midland because they offer a line of mobile gmrs radios also I can talk about 3.5 miles on high power with me at the house on the back deck and my friend inside his car.Range would be farther if one party was up high and had a clear line of sight.This is comparable to any handheld radio [ham, commercial ,marine ] so dont get disappointed if you cant talk 36 miles from your living room to your wife at Walmart. The radio works well and has a nice feel to it.Appears to be of good quality.Has plenty of volume and some nice features like scan,weather channels etc. The receive seems to be pretty good I had it on scan today and it was picking people up on a distant repeater and also some local farmers during the harvest season .This just setting atop my entertainment center inside the house Battery life is typical for a handheld.You can also power it up with AA batteries if you need toSo these fall kinda in the middle.You could get a chinese radio cheap [ Legal? } or move up to a ham handheld more money [can only talk to other hams] On another note looking at the most critical review nimh rechargeable batteries output 1.2 volts where standard alkalines output 1.5 volts .So the radio operates on 6 volts Thats why you only need 4 alkaline batteries. If you use only the amount of power you need you will extend the battery life.Thats normal with any handheld.Your not going to talk 36 miles unless your on top of a very tall building or mountain and your not going to talk forever on high power with the battery capacity you have. There are only 22 shared frs/gmrs channels not 50.The extra channels above 22 are existing channels with a pre programmed privacy code.Which is nice .Not really extra channels tho Folks get led astray .Its possible for hams to talk to the international space station on 5 watts so when they say 36 mile range it is not a false statement but it is not typical. 50 channels well sort of.Midland has done the work for you.Want to use a privacy code go to one of the channels above 22.Already done for you. With realistic expectations whats not to likeRead the directions and take a look online at the frs/gmrs channel guide because each service has different power limits except channels 8 to 14 which are only low power 1/2 watt only. Go online and there are several radio line of sight calculators you can use to estimate your radio rangeI hate to see a bad reviews from folks on something when really its more lack of knowledge and operator error not the products fault Update 6 months later my radios are still going strong.I have had no problems.The 700 mAh battery packs have worked ok .But they are only 700mAh.Typical for AAA batteries.Going to a AA alkaline could get over 2000 mAh and last longer but not rechargable. AA lithium ion rechargeable batteries 1.5 volt are available but they are expensive.Your going to need some spare batteries and packs thats just the nature of handheld battery powered radios whether frs/gmrs ,Ham,Marine ,business or whatever.
76 people found this helpful
lortz –
We recently moved 500 miles with one of us driving the moving truck and the other driving the car, so we bought these to make communicating safer and easier. This trip was the only time we’ve used them and they performed beautifully. If we had to do it again, I would absolutely buy them again (but I’d get a version without the headset). I am not a radio expert, so I can’t speak to all of the other features. I can say that they worked very well for our road-trip needs.Distance:The biggest distance we ever had between the two vehicles was 2 miles and our drive was flat with very few hills and no mountains.Battery life:We did the drive in 2 days, with the talkie talkies switched in the “on” position for about 6 hours each day and the batteries maybe lost a bar by the end of the day. We charged them fully overnight.Headset:This was awkward. It didn’t fit at all and we didn’t end up using them.Ease of setting channel:Not easy. It definitely required reading the manual, and even that was not very clear. It took me a few tries to get it right.
One person found this helpful
Scott S. –
Preface: I researched several models of two way radios including several from Midland. I even called Midland as I had purchased a more expensive model to ask what they recommended for my needs. This was the model they recommended.I took these on a recent high country western hunting trip and they outperformed a previous midland model I’ve used for years. The sound quality was much improved as well as the actually distance. We had no trouble staying in contact around the mountainside which consisted of some open hillsides and some dense forest. We were on high peaks most of the time which I believe helped. All communication was within 1-1.5 miles. I have not tested further but this fit our needs. We were operating on GMRS channels. (with a license)I really liked the whisper feature which allows the user to whisper softly without being heard around them while the person on the other end of the radio can hear clearly – very effective when stalking big game.Note: I replaced the battery packs with 4 Panasonic Enoloop Pro AA batteries which added some additional weight to the unit but worked great! We used these radios for days and the battery indicator remained at 3 bars (full charge). I did not use the rechargeable battery pack it came with since one it does we had no way of recharging it on the mountain.
10 people found this helpful
Nickoli Bearsnaresnic –
I went with Midland because they offer a line of mobile gmrs radios also I can talk about 3.5 miles on high power with me at the house on the back deck and my friend inside his car.Range would be farther if one party was up high and had a clear line of sight.This is comparable to any handheld radio [ham, commercial ,marine ] so dont get disappointed if you cant talk 36 miles from your living room to your wife at Walmart. The radio works well and has a nice feel to it.Appears to be of good quality.Has plenty of volume and some nice features like scan,weather channels etc. The receive seems to be pretty good I had it on scan today and it was picking people up on a distant repeater and also some local farmers during the harvest season .This just setting atop my entertainment center inside the house Battery life is typical for a handheld.You can also power it up with AA batteries if you need toSo these fall kinda in the middle.You could get a chinese radio cheap [ Legal? } or move up to a ham handheld more money [can only talk to other hams] On another note looking at the most critical review nimh rechargeable batteries output 1.2 volts where standard alkalines output 1.5 volts .So the radio operates on 6 volts Thats why you only need 4 alkaline batteries. If you use only the amount of power you need you will extend the battery life.Thats normal with any handheld.Your not going to talk 36 miles unless your on top of a very tall building or mountain and your not going to talk forever on high power with the battery capacity you have. There are only 22 shared frs/gmrs channels not 50.The extra channels above 22 are existing channels with a pre programmed privacy code.Which is nice .Not really extra channels tho Folks get led astray .Its possible for hams to talk to the international space station on 5 watts so when they say 36 mile range it is not a false statement but it is not typical. 50 channels well sort of.Midland has done the work for you.Want to use a privacy code go to one of the channels above 22.Already done for you. With realistic expectations whats not to likeRead the directions and take a look online at the frs/gmrs channel guide because each service has different power limits except channels 8 to 14 which are only low power 1/2 watt only. Go online and there are several radio line of sight calculators you can use to estimate your radio rangeI hate to see a bad reviews from folks on something when really its more lack of knowledge and operator error not the products fault Update 6 months later my radios are still going strong.I have had no problems.The 700 mAh battery packs have worked ok .But they are only 700mAh.Typical for AAA batteries.Going to a AA alkaline could get over 2000 mAh and last longer but not rechargable. AA lithium ion rechargeable batteries 1.5 volt are available but they are expensive.Your going to need some spare batteries and packs thats just the nature of handheld battery powered radios whether frs/gmrs ,Ham,Marine ,business or whatever.
76 people found this helpful
lortz –
We recently moved 500 miles with one of us driving the moving truck and the other driving the car, so we bought these to make communicating safer and easier. This trip was the only time we’ve used them and they performed beautifully. If we had to do it again, I would absolutely buy them again (but I’d get a version without the headset). I am not a radio expert, so I can’t speak to all of the other features. I can say that they worked very well for our road-trip needs.Distance:The biggest distance we ever had between the two vehicles was 2 miles and our drive was flat with very few hills and no mountains.Battery life:We did the drive in 2 days, with the talkie talkies switched in the “on” position for about 6 hours each day and the batteries maybe lost a bar by the end of the day. We charged them fully overnight.Headset:This was awkward. It didn’t fit at all and we didn’t end up using them.Ease of setting channel:Not easy. It definitely required reading the manual, and even that was not very clear. It took me a few tries to get it right.
One person found this helpful
Scott S. –
Preface: I researched several models of two way radios including several from Midland. I even called Midland as I had purchased a more expensive model to ask what they recommended for my needs. This was the model they recommended.I took these on a recent high country western hunting trip and they outperformed a previous midland model I’ve used for years. The sound quality was much improved as well as the actually distance. We had no trouble staying in contact around the mountainside which consisted of some open hillsides and some dense forest. We were on high peaks most of the time which I believe helped. All communication was within 1-1.5 miles. I have not tested further but this fit our needs. We were operating on GMRS channels. (with a license)I really liked the whisper feature which allows the user to whisper softly without being heard around them while the person on the other end of the radio can hear clearly – very effective when stalking big game.Note: I replaced the battery packs with 4 Panasonic Enoloop Pro AA batteries which added some additional weight to the unit but worked great! We used these radios for days and the battery indicator remained at 3 bars (full charge). I did not use the rechargeable battery pack it came with since one it does we had no way of recharging it on the mountain.
10 people found this helpful
Nickoli Bearsnaresnic –
I went with Midland because they offer a line of mobile gmrs radios also I can talk about 3.5 miles on high power with me at the house on the back deck and my friend inside his car.Range would be farther if one party was up high and had a clear line of sight.This is comparable to any handheld radio [ham, commercial ,marine ] so dont get disappointed if you cant talk 36 miles from your living room to your wife at Walmart. The radio works well and has a nice feel to it.Appears to be of good quality.Has plenty of volume and some nice features like scan,weather channels etc. The receive seems to be pretty good I had it on scan today and it was picking people up on a distant repeater and also some local farmers during the harvest season .This just setting atop my entertainment center inside the house Battery life is typical for a handheld.You can also power it up with AA batteries if you need toSo these fall kinda in the middle.You could get a chinese radio cheap [ Legal? } or move up to a ham handheld more money [can only talk to other hams] On another note looking at the most critical review nimh rechargeable batteries output 1.2 volts where standard alkalines output 1.5 volts .So the radio operates on 6 volts Thats why you only need 4 alkaline batteries. If you use only the amount of power you need you will extend the battery life.Thats normal with any handheld.Your not going to talk 36 miles unless your on top of a very tall building or mountain and your not going to talk forever on high power with the battery capacity you have. There are only 22 shared frs/gmrs channels not 50.The extra channels above 22 are existing channels with a pre programmed privacy code.Which is nice .Not really extra channels tho Folks get led astray .Its possible for hams to talk to the international space station on 5 watts so when they say 36 mile range it is not a false statement but it is not typical. 50 channels well sort of.Midland has done the work for you.Want to use a privacy code go to one of the channels above 22.Already done for you. With realistic expectations whats not to likeRead the directions and take a look online at the frs/gmrs channel guide because each service has different power limits except channels 8 to 14 which are only low power 1/2 watt only. Go online and there are several radio line of sight calculators you can use to estimate your radio rangeI hate to see a bad reviews from folks on something when really its more lack of knowledge and operator error not the products fault Update 6 months later my radios are still going strong.I have had no problems.The 700 mAh battery packs have worked ok .But they are only 700mAh.Typical for AAA batteries.Going to a AA alkaline could get over 2000 mAh and last longer but not rechargable. AA lithium ion rechargeable batteries 1.5 volt are available but they are expensive.Your going to need some spare batteries and packs thats just the nature of handheld battery powered radios whether frs/gmrs ,Ham,Marine ,business or whatever.
76 people found this helpful
Oster –
Works great for my nephews
Dan J –
Easy to use & well made. Great for hiking!
Dan J –
Easy to use & well made. Great for hiking!
Kristine M Remick –
The sound and range on these radios is fantastic. However, under heavy use, you’ll be lucky to get 4 hours out of the included battery packs. Still, despite that limitation, these are a really great value and well-worth owning.
Chuck –
The radios were purchased for my Grandson’s birthday, and that has not arrived yet! I have a set just like them and have used for years. That is why I purchased these for his Birthday, I know he will get a lot of use out of them. they are at a great price and a great product.
Kristine M Remick –
The sound and range on these radios is fantastic. However, under heavy use, you’ll be lucky to get 4 hours out of the included battery packs. Still, despite that limitation, these are a really great value and well-worth owning.
Chuck –
The radios were purchased for my Grandson’s birthday, and that has not arrived yet! I have a set just like them and have used for years. That is why I purchased these for his Birthday, I know he will get a lot of use out of them. they are at a great price and a great product.
Kristine M Remick –
The sound and range on these radios is fantastic. However, under heavy use, you’ll be lucky to get 4 hours out of the included battery packs. Still, despite that limitation, these are a really great value and well-worth owning.
Chuck –
The radios were purchased for my Grandson’s birthday, and that has not arrived yet! I have a set just like them and have used for years. That is why I purchased these for his Birthday, I know he will get a lot of use out of them. they are at a great price and a great product.
Bobbi Ackerson –
They work for what we purchased them for.
Julia Y Sculthorpe –
I was surprised that we had to get a license to use these. Once we had the license, we found them very useful for communication when moving our RV. The clarity is very good, no static at all. We can charge them in our truck which is really helpful. We haven’t used them constantly, just in short amounts of time.
2 people found this helpful
Kelly Roach –
…But the 700mAh NiMH battery pack doesn’t pack enough bang for the buck and takes twelve hours to recharge, and if AA cells are used, the output is reduced to 2.5 watts max.
One person found this helpful
Julia Y Sculthorpe –
I was surprised that we had to get a license to use these. Once we had the license, we found them very useful for communication when moving our RV. The clarity is very good, no static at all. We can charge them in our truck which is really helpful. We haven’t used them constantly, just in short amounts of time.
2 people found this helpful
Kelly Roach –
…But the 700mAh NiMH battery pack doesn’t pack enough bang for the buck and takes twelve hours to recharge, and if AA cells are used, the output is reduced to 2.5 watts max.
One person found this helpful
Julia Y Sculthorpe –
I was surprised that we had to get a license to use these. Once we had the license, we found them very useful for communication when moving our RV. The clarity is very good, no static at all. We can charge them in our truck which is really helpful. We haven’t used them constantly, just in short amounts of time.
2 people found this helpful
Kelly Roach –
…But the 700mAh NiMH battery pack doesn’t pack enough bang for the buck and takes twelve hours to recharge, and if AA cells are used, the output is reduced to 2.5 watts max.
One person found this helpful
Sharilyn Russell –
Range is not as described
Sharilyn Russell –
Range is not as described
James Morrill Beckwith –
I like
AndyC –
The reason I bought this set is because it runs on AA batteries. For some reason, most things are switching over to AAA batteries, which cost the same amount of money per battery but only last half as long. This set is also waterproof, and it is rated at 36 miles. This set has a lot of accessories included in the package; it even has a car charger. Now for the things I do not like about these radios. This is a very hard radio to figure out. The directions do not match what is in the radio’s menu, and I could not get some of the features to work at all. The VOX feature (which lets you lay the radio down and talk across the room without having to touch the radio) was totally worthless. Even with it at its highest setting, you had to talk directly into the speaker. At the lower settings, it did not work at all. The waterproof means barely water resistant according to the directions. In contrast, I have two Cobra radio sets. One radio went bad on each set. The oldest set took AA batteries also. The rechargeable batteries only last a season or two (deer season– from one year to the next). This is still my preferred radio; it has a clock and a compass in it, but I think it is going bad also. It is rated at 17 to 22 miles, I do not remember exactly. I bought the newer Cobra about 3 years later. It was rated at 27 miles. It is the smallest radio, and it uses a Lithium-ion battery, like a cellphone. This new Midland is supposed to be rated at 36 miles. This 36 mile radio did slightly better than my oldest 17-22 mile radio, which is going out, but did not do as good as the 27 mile Cobra. Remember these older Cobras are about 10 years old, and I am sure that they are not as good as when they were new. In conclusion, if I could change my ratting without retyping the review, I would have giving this radio a 3 star instead of the 4 star. I gave it a good ratting because it does take AA batteries. I do not think I would buy this set again. In fact, the old lithium-ion battery Cobra holds a charge longer than this New Midland, and it has got to be around 10 years old. I seen a newer version of this radio (improved to 33 mile) at amazon.com for the same money that I paid for this radio. That is the radio I would buy if I had it to do over again. I waited until after deer season to give a better review.
One person found this helpful
Surf City Beaches –
Got about a mile plus range out of it which is decent for this type of device. Clear communication. Watch your battery life, the indicator isn’t always on point.
James Morrill Beckwith –
I like
AndyC –
The reason I bought this set is because it runs on AA batteries. For some reason, most things are switching over to AAA batteries, which cost the same amount of money per battery but only last half as long. This set is also waterproof, and it is rated at 36 miles. This set has a lot of accessories included in the package; it even has a car charger. Now for the things I do not like about these radios. This is a very hard radio to figure out. The directions do not match what is in the radio’s menu, and I could not get some of the features to work at all. The VOX feature (which lets you lay the radio down and talk across the room without having to touch the radio) was totally worthless. Even with it at its highest setting, you had to talk directly into the speaker. At the lower settings, it did not work at all. The waterproof means barely water resistant according to the directions. In contrast, I have two Cobra radio sets. One radio went bad on each set. The oldest set took AA batteries also. The rechargeable batteries only last a season or two (deer season– from one year to the next). This is still my preferred radio; it has a clock and a compass in it, but I think it is going bad also. It is rated at 17 to 22 miles, I do not remember exactly. I bought the newer Cobra about 3 years later. It was rated at 27 miles. It is the smallest radio, and it uses a Lithium-ion battery, like a cellphone. This new Midland is supposed to be rated at 36 miles. This 36 mile radio did slightly better than my oldest 17-22 mile radio, which is going out, but did not do as good as the 27 mile Cobra. Remember these older Cobras are about 10 years old, and I am sure that they are not as good as when they were new. In conclusion, if I could change my ratting without retyping the review, I would have giving this radio a 3 star instead of the 4 star. I gave it a good ratting because it does take AA batteries. I do not think I would buy this set again. In fact, the old lithium-ion battery Cobra holds a charge longer than this New Midland, and it has got to be around 10 years old. I seen a newer version of this radio (improved to 33 mile) at amazon.com for the same money that I paid for this radio. That is the radio I would buy if I had it to do over again. I waited until after deer season to give a better review.
One person found this helpful
Surf City Beaches –
Got about a mile plus range out of it which is decent for this type of device. Clear communication. Watch your battery life, the indicator isn’t always on point.
AndyC –
The reason I bought this set is because it runs on AA batteries. For some reason, most things are switching over to AAA batteries, which cost the same amount of money per battery but only last half as long. This set is also waterproof, and it is rated at 36 miles. This set has a lot of accessories included in the package; it even has a car charger. Now for the things I do not like about these radios. This is a very hard radio to figure out. The directions do not match what is in the radio’s menu, and I could not get some of the features to work at all. The VOX feature (which lets you lay the radio down and talk across the room without having to touch the radio) was totally worthless. Even with it at its highest setting, you had to talk directly into the speaker. At the lower settings, it did not work at all. The waterproof means barely water resistant according to the directions. In contrast, I have two Cobra radio sets. One radio went bad on each set. The oldest set took AA batteries also. The rechargeable batteries only last a season or two (deer season– from one year to the next). This is still my preferred radio; it has a clock and a compass in it, but I think it is going bad also. It is rated at 17 to 22 miles, I do not remember exactly. I bought the newer Cobra about 3 years later. It was rated at 27 miles. It is the smallest radio, and it uses a Lithium-ion battery, like a cellphone. This new Midland is supposed to be rated at 36 miles. This 36 mile radio did slightly better than my oldest 17-22 mile radio, which is going out, but did not do as good as the 27 mile Cobra. Remember these older Cobras are about 10 years old, and I am sure that they are not as good as when they were new. In conclusion, if I could change my ratting without retyping the review, I would have giving this radio a 3 star instead of the 4 star. I gave it a good ratting because it does take AA batteries. I do not think I would buy this set again. In fact, the old lithium-ion battery Cobra holds a charge longer than this New Midland, and it has got to be around 10 years old. I seen a newer version of this radio (improved to 33 mile) at amazon.com for the same money that I paid for this radio. That is the radio I would buy if I had it to do over again. I waited until after deer season to give a better review.
One person found this helpful
Surf City Beaches –
Got about a mile plus range out of it which is decent for this type of device. Clear communication. Watch your battery life, the indicator isn’t always on point.
Amazon Customer –
. . .found the product to be acceptable and overall, ok, but it is not ruggard enough to be handled in harsh environments, I give it a 4 star due to the lack of flexibility in usage. programing could be a pain, you need to identify the abbreviations to set it up to make it work. I have only used it in short distances so I’m not sure of how far you can communicate, it seems to have good clarity. I would recommend it.
Amazon Customer –
. . .found the product to be acceptable and overall, ok, but it is not ruggard enough to be handled in harsh environments, I give it a 4 star due to the lack of flexibility in usage. programing could be a pain, you need to identify the abbreviations to set it up to make it work. I have only used it in short distances so I’m not sure of how far you can communicate, it seems to have good clarity. I would recommend it.
Amazon Customer –
. . .found the product to be acceptable and overall, ok, but it is not ruggard enough to be handled in harsh environments, I give it a 4 star due to the lack of flexibility in usage. programing could be a pain, you need to identify the abbreviations to set it up to make it work. I have only used it in short distances so I’m not sure of how far you can communicate, it seems to have good clarity. I would recommend it.
TB –
Sound is great they work good just not long distance
TB –
Sound is great they work good just not long distance
David Boring –
As many other reviewers have mentioned, the range figure mentioned is absolute fiction, probably derived from theory rather than anything in the real world. This is the case for just about every FRS/GMRS radio on the market; it isn’t a problem with Midland, specifically. I tested the radios in an urban environment, and got exactly half a mile, provided I’m on the third floor of my house. At ground level, maybe .4 miles. Between the two test radios, there are two hills. With less earth between the test points, I would guess that the range would likely be a mile or more. With actual line-of-sight, you might be lucky enough to reach 10 miles or so. I tested using a GMRS channel at high power. An FCC license is required to broadcast on GMRS channels, though the FCC has petitioned to do away with this requirement.Although some people like them, I find the included headsets (one of the reasons I chose this model,) to be cheap, uncomfortable, and irritating. I bought the radios for use as motorcycle helmet intercoms. I replaced the included headset with the inexpensive
Midland AVPH3 Transparent Security Headsets with PTT/VOX (Pair)
, which aren’t perfect, but are a great improvement.The build is good, but not fantastic. They are high-end consumer radios, not the sort intended for years of heavy use on a construction site, for instance. I wouldn’t want to use them heavily in a marine environment. A good drop would likely crack the case or the antenna housing. They are advertised as being splash-proof, but I wouldn’t want to put that to the test. There is an O-ring around the battery compartment, and the closure on the compartment is nicely designed–no frustrating prying.There are a few features that have great possibility, though I’m still testing to determine whether they’ll work in actual use. The VOX mode has worked well for me in some tests, though not well in others. I did all testing at sensitivity level 1, the most sensitive setting. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lag between when you started talking until the radio went into transmit mode. During a test earlier today, one of my radios was in VOX mode, and we didn’t even notice–it worked perfectly. We were using the AVPH3 headsets at the time. Later, we tried again and found the VOX to be totally flaky, sometimes keying the mic halfway through a sentence, at then end of a message, or not at all. Sometimes the mic would key when we adjusted the earpiece. (The AVPH3 has an integrated earpiece/mic.) I’m hoping that it works better when the headset is covered by a helmet.Another interesting feature is WHISPER mode. This is designed to amplify quiet sounds to normally audible levels. When I turned it on, I could see a shocked expression on my girlfriend’s face–apparently she could suddenly hear all the birds in the tree behind me, clear as day. Based on this, it seems promising, though whether it will amplify wind and engine noise, I don’t know yet.The microphone jack apparently doubles as a secondary charging jack. This could be quite handy if you’re on the road and don’t want to carry the charging base around with you. I’ve read that it takes 9v at 55-75 milliamps, though I don’t know the plug polarity. The included AVP-7 rechargeable battery packs don’t have fantastic capacity–700mah. I’ve seen a third-party 800mah pack on eBay. The fact that this radio will also take four AA batteries is great.It should be noted that the GROUP mode/DIRECT CALL features are simply ways of setting up particular radios to ignore some signals. They DO NOT create private or secure communications. There are no scrambled FRS/GMRS radios currently on the market.Basically, I like these radios a lot. They’re well worth the $58 I paid for them, though at a higher price point I might look at marine units for more durability. For communicating with few obstructions, or within a third of a mile with obstructions, the sound is great. The design is good, though not spectacular. A foldable or collapsible antenna might make it more durable when traveling. The feature-set is nice, and I like the wide range of available headsets. There are antenna hacks, though these aren’t in compliance with FCC regulations.If you require a radio that makes five animal noises, or becomes lost instantly when placed near foliage, purchase the GXT1050VP4 model instead.
4 people found this helpful
PaleoMD –
These are pretty good radios, but the menu is somewhat difficult to understand without the manual, and of course the ‘distance ratings’ are ridiculous, vs. actual real-life situations (as with the competitors as well). Expect a couple of miles in usual wooded terrain without any blocking hills or mountains in between. Their belt clip doesn’t work as well as it should, as I recently lost one of them, after it repeatedly fell off of the nylon strap that it was clipped to on my pack (3/4″ webbing, which fit completely into the clip). I wish they had a Li Ion batter option for better cold weather performance and battery life, but apparently they tried this a couple of years ago, and the reviews suggest that many of these failed from manufacturing or design errors, and now are off the market. The headsets aren’t great, don’t stay on the ear very well, and not very comfortable. I want to wear them under a ski helmet, but get a sore ear pretty quickly.
2 people found this helpful
Norman L. Spurlock –
Well made and easy to use.
PaleoMD –
These are pretty good radios, but the menu is somewhat difficult to understand without the manual, and of course the ‘distance ratings’ are ridiculous, vs. actual real-life situations (as with the competitors as well). Expect a couple of miles in usual wooded terrain without any blocking hills or mountains in between. Their belt clip doesn’t work as well as it should, as I recently lost one of them, after it repeatedly fell off of the nylon strap that it was clipped to on my pack (3/4″ webbing, which fit completely into the clip). I wish they had a Li Ion batter option for better cold weather performance and battery life, but apparently they tried this a couple of years ago, and the reviews suggest that many of these failed from manufacturing or design errors, and now are off the market. The headsets aren’t great, don’t stay on the ear very well, and not very comfortable. I want to wear them under a ski helmet, but get a sore ear pretty quickly.
2 people found this helpful
Norman L. Spurlock –
Well made and easy to use.
PaleoMD –
These are pretty good radios, but the menu is somewhat difficult to understand without the manual, and of course the ‘distance ratings’ are ridiculous, vs. actual real-life situations (as with the competitors as well). Expect a couple of miles in usual wooded terrain without any blocking hills or mountains in between. Their belt clip doesn’t work as well as it should, as I recently lost one of them, after it repeatedly fell off of the nylon strap that it was clipped to on my pack (3/4″ webbing, which fit completely into the clip). I wish they had a Li Ion batter option for better cold weather performance and battery life, but apparently they tried this a couple of years ago, and the reviews suggest that many of these failed from manufacturing or design errors, and now are off the market. The headsets aren’t great, don’t stay on the ear very well, and not very comfortable. I want to wear them under a ski helmet, but get a sore ear pretty quickly.
2 people found this helpful
Norman L. Spurlock –
Well made and easy to use.
Michael Reynolds –
Great product
Michael Reynolds –
Great product
Michael Reynolds –
Great product
horace mcwhorter –
Midland products aren’t as high quality as Midland products l have used in the past. Radio doesn’t hold charge as long.
Double D –
These radios were purchased as Christmas gifts, but I unpacked them to verify function before the return period window closed. First comment is that the instructions are poor and the symbols therein don’t seem to match symbols on the radio control displays. Initially, one radio’s transmissions were loud and clear on the other. The second radio’s transmission came in weak and garbled on the first. The issue was one radio powered up in the “Whisper” mode. After that radio was switched out of “Whisper” mode, both radios transmitted and received well. The radio’s “Whisper” mode symbol doesn’t match the instructions’ symbol. “Whisper” mode may be the cause of some buyers thinking one or both radios are defective out of the box. We did a range test on flat, heavily wooded terrain using a FRS channel and had satisfactory communication to at least 1/2 mile, but I believe longer range is possible. That should be adequate for our needs. Fit and finish on radios are good. Headsets are OK, a little uncomfortable, but better than most low end earbuds. These radios also work with our old Motorola Talkabout 250 whose partner died, so we now have three radios.
4 people found this helpful
Double D –
These radios were purchased as Christmas gifts, but I unpacked them to verify function before the return period window closed. First comment is that the instructions are poor and the symbols therein don’t seem to match symbols on the radio control displays. Initially, one radio’s transmissions were loud and clear on the other. The second radio’s transmission came in weak and garbled on the first. The issue was one radio powered up in the “Whisper” mode. After that radio was switched out of “Whisper” mode, both radios transmitted and received well. The radio’s “Whisper” mode symbol doesn’t match the instructions’ symbol. “Whisper” mode may be the cause of some buyers thinking one or both radios are defective out of the box. We did a range test on flat, heavily wooded terrain using a FRS channel and had satisfactory communication to at least 1/2 mile, but I believe longer range is possible. That should be adequate for our needs. Fit and finish on radios are good. Headsets are OK, a little uncomfortable, but better than most low end earbuds. These radios also work with our old Motorola Talkabout 250 whose partner died, so we now have three radios.
4 people found this helpful
Double D –
These radios were purchased as Christmas gifts, but I unpacked them to verify function before the return period window closed. First comment is that the instructions are poor and the symbols therein don’t seem to match symbols on the radio control displays. Initially, one radio’s transmissions were loud and clear on the other. The second radio’s transmission came in weak and garbled on the first. The issue was one radio powered up in the “Whisper” mode. After that radio was switched out of “Whisper” mode, both radios transmitted and received well. The radio’s “Whisper” mode symbol doesn’t match the instructions’ symbol. “Whisper” mode may be the cause of some buyers thinking one or both radios are defective out of the box. We did a range test on flat, heavily wooded terrain using a FRS channel and had satisfactory communication to at least 1/2 mile, but I believe longer range is possible. That should be adequate for our needs. Fit and finish on radios are good. Headsets are OK, a little uncomfortable, but better than most low end earbuds. These radios also work with our old Motorola Talkabout 250 whose partner died, so we now have three radios.
4 people found this helpful
Rogelio T. –
Used these last week for some off roadin. They worked great. No issues and a full charge lasted well over 12 hours
One person found this helpful
Rogelio T. –
Used these last week for some off roadin. They worked great. No issues and a full charge lasted well over 12 hours
One person found this helpful
Rogelio T. –
Used these last week for some off roadin. They worked great. No issues and a full charge lasted well over 12 hours
One person found this helpful
Dan J –
Easy to use & well made. Great for hiking!
Todd M. Powley –
I am personally GMRS licensed to use these radio’s. What’s nice about this radio is that people who don’t have a GMRS license aren’t just limited to 7 low power FRS channels. This radio does actually give you more options to use more channels legally if you don’t have a license.What the manual exactly says about licensing is, ” You must be licensed prior to operating on channels 1 – 7 or 15 – 42, which comprise the GMRS channels of the GXT1000/1050 Series. Serious penalties could result for unlicensed use of GMRS channels, in violation of FCC rules, as stipulated in the Communications Act’s Sections 501 and 502 (amended).”The way it reads, it doesn’t sound like a license is required for channels 8-14 but these only operate on low power FRS. Channels 43-50 will allow you to use all three power combinations constituting low, medium, and high. The manual also says, “Note : You cannot adjust the power setting on the FRS channels (8~14 and 34~37). They are set to Low power per FCC regulations.”I personally recommend that people use the radio’s according the manufacturers instructions. I would also encourage people to comply with GMRS regulations when using the radio’s. The odd thing about the instructions is that the say those are low power FRS channels 34-37 in one specification are set to low power but in another section the manufacturer tells you not to use them without an FCC License. They don’t tell you what the specific frequencies are for channels 23 through 50.The radio’s themselves do get pretty good range even in low power. The sound is pretty good, the auto-squelch is pretty good. The radio’s are fairly durable. The range is pretty good across all power settings. You can choose between the supplied rechargeable battery pack or AA alkaline or AA NiMH rechargeable. The only thing I wish that I could get is a crank charger for the Midland Battery packs.Take it from somebody who actually owns one. This is a great radio. I’ve owned Midland, Motorola, and other brands. Midland, Motorola, and Uniden are all good brands. I’m kind of partial to Midland but I’ve owned a number of different brands. These three companies just seem to put out better products than the cheaper off brands and knock off radio’s. Cobra also puts out a good product.I highly recommend that you read the manual from the manufacturer for how to legally use the radio’s and double-check that information with the FCC. Don’t rely on my post in case I got anything wrong and the FCC requirements may change. My review was not written with the intent of informing people about how to legally transmit with the radio’s. You should get that from the manufacturer and FCC.[…]
One person found this helpful
Avid Reader –
Fairly decent product. I would have loved if they came with a case to hold all the pieces when not in use. The wired ear pieces are fairly difficult to put on and seem kind of flimsy, but we don’t plan on using them that often. Still, I wonder if another brand of earphone/mic would work with these. I love that they come with a car adapter.Good range in flat areas of the city. We haven’t tested them in the mountains or wooded areas. Very clear and crisp.The radios themselves, are fairly heavy. You will notice you’re wearing them and the antenna is rigid.Packaging is a real pain to open and get all the pieces out and the instructions could be a little more user friendly, but we sorted it out readily enough.All in all, these seem to be perfect for our uses which is keeping in contact while on bike rides, shopping, camping, and away from home.
Sci-Fi Guy –
These would rate at least 4 stars except for two reasons:1. The rechargeable battery pack that came with them were jokes. Despite trying to condition them, (75% discharge, recharge them several times) they seldom lasted more than a few hours. Fortunately you can use 4 AA batteries. I got the EBL AA 2800 mAh Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. Whether charged in the walkie talkies or in the EBL Charger, the Walkie Talkies would work all day — even with the kids having fun with them while we traveled in the car. NOTE: Due to the batteries and their casing being FRACTIONALLY broader than regular batteries, it is likely, due to it’s position, ONE of the batteries will insert with some difficulty AND be quite difficult to remove. Since these walkie-talkies can effectively charge these EBL batteries while in the units, this did not cause us any real problems.2. These units offer many complex operating options — and the instructions aren’t the best in explaining those options — so we left them on the default channel 1. When the kids got to playing with the settings it took a lot of trial and error to get them operational again.Here’s the link for the excellent EBL batteries. I have also used them (and the AAA versions) in everything from TV remotes to remote-control cars. They last quite a bit longer than any other rechargeable — and maybe even brand-name alkaline batteries.
EBL 16 Pack AA 2800mAh Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries with Battery Storage
4 people found this helpful
Avid Reader –
Fairly decent product. I would have loved if they came with a case to hold all the pieces when not in use. The wired ear pieces are fairly difficult to put on and seem kind of flimsy, but we don’t plan on using them that often. Still, I wonder if another brand of earphone/mic would work with these. I love that they come with a car adapter.Good range in flat areas of the city. We haven’t tested them in the mountains or wooded areas. Very clear and crisp.The radios themselves, are fairly heavy. You will notice you’re wearing them and the antenna is rigid.Packaging is a real pain to open and get all the pieces out and the instructions could be a little more user friendly, but we sorted it out readily enough.All in all, these seem to be perfect for our uses which is keeping in contact while on bike rides, shopping, camping, and away from home.
Sci-Fi Guy –
These would rate at least 4 stars except for two reasons:1. The rechargeable battery pack that came with them were jokes. Despite trying to condition them, (75% discharge, recharge them several times) they seldom lasted more than a few hours. Fortunately you can use 4 AA batteries. I got the EBL AA 2800 mAh Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. Whether charged in the walkie talkies or in the EBL Charger, the Walkie Talkies would work all day — even with the kids having fun with them while we traveled in the car. NOTE: Due to the batteries and their casing being FRACTIONALLY broader than regular batteries, it is likely, due to it’s position, ONE of the batteries will insert with some difficulty AND be quite difficult to remove. Since these walkie-talkies can effectively charge these EBL batteries while in the units, this did not cause us any real problems.2. These units offer many complex operating options — and the instructions aren’t the best in explaining those options — so we left them on the default channel 1. When the kids got to playing with the settings it took a lot of trial and error to get them operational again.Here’s the link for the excellent EBL batteries. I have also used them (and the AAA versions) in everything from TV remotes to remote-control cars. They last quite a bit longer than any other rechargeable — and maybe even brand-name alkaline batteries.
EBL 16 Pack AA 2800mAh Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries with Battery Storage
4 people found this helpful
Avid Reader –
Fairly decent product. I would have loved if they came with a case to hold all the pieces when not in use. The wired ear pieces are fairly difficult to put on and seem kind of flimsy, but we don’t plan on using them that often. Still, I wonder if another brand of earphone/mic would work with these. I love that they come with a car adapter.Good range in flat areas of the city. We haven’t tested them in the mountains or wooded areas. Very clear and crisp.The radios themselves, are fairly heavy. You will notice you’re wearing them and the antenna is rigid.Packaging is a real pain to open and get all the pieces out and the instructions could be a little more user friendly, but we sorted it out readily enough.All in all, these seem to be perfect for our uses which is keeping in contact while on bike rides, shopping, camping, and away from home.
Sci-Fi Guy –
These would rate at least 4 stars except for two reasons:1. The rechargeable battery pack that came with them were jokes. Despite trying to condition them, (75% discharge, recharge them several times) they seldom lasted more than a few hours. Fortunately you can use 4 AA batteries. I got the EBL AA 2800 mAh Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. Whether charged in the walkie talkies or in the EBL Charger, the Walkie Talkies would work all day — even with the kids having fun with them while we traveled in the car. NOTE: Due to the batteries and their casing being FRACTIONALLY broader than regular batteries, it is likely, due to it’s position, ONE of the batteries will insert with some difficulty AND be quite difficult to remove. Since these walkie-talkies can effectively charge these EBL batteries while in the units, this did not cause us any real problems.2. These units offer many complex operating options — and the instructions aren’t the best in explaining those options — so we left them on the default channel 1. When the kids got to playing with the settings it took a lot of trial and error to get them operational again.Here’s the link for the excellent EBL batteries. I have also used them (and the AAA versions) in everything from TV remotes to remote-control cars. They last quite a bit longer than any other rechargeable — and maybe even brand-name alkaline batteries.
EBL 16 Pack AA 2800mAh Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries with Battery Storage
4 people found this helpful
Christopher Webb –
Purchased in January 2022. Good for a one mile radius in city suburbs with flat terrain features, and has clear crisp sound. The VOX works good with or without headset microphone, but needs a beginning word/sound or your first word isn’t transmitted. Headset microphone sensivity settings work fine and helps on wind noise, but still sounds like static in windy conditions.
kauaian714 –
I had great success using these radios to convoy in snowy and icy conditions during the holiday season. I found them to be easy to use and the battery life lasted a little more than a day. I only wish that this handheld was GMRS repeater capable.
Christopher Webb –
Purchased in January 2022. Good for a one mile radius in city suburbs with flat terrain features, and has clear crisp sound. The VOX works good with or without headset microphone, but needs a beginning word/sound or your first word isn’t transmitted. Headset microphone sensivity settings work fine and helps on wind noise, but still sounds like static in windy conditions.
kauaian714 –
I had great success using these radios to convoy in snowy and icy conditions during the holiday season. I found them to be easy to use and the battery life lasted a little more than a day. I only wish that this handheld was GMRS repeater capable.
kauaian714 –
I had great success using these radios to convoy in snowy and icy conditions during the holiday season. I found them to be easy to use and the battery life lasted a little more than a day. I only wish that this handheld was GMRS repeater capable.
TODD T. –
Item as described works as it should