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Comparing GMRS radios

Bullwinkle

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A friend of mine (ex-air force Comm officer) copied the specs for Midlands MXT400, he told me that for our OFF ROADING use (line of sight) 40W, 10 less than the Wouxon 1000G, wouldn't be noticeable, antenna type and location matter more. Also, it's more than $100.00 less and it's channels are preprogrammed so the folks new to this type of radio are up and running out of the box. LOL, and no, I don't work for Midland, just trying to help the 2 way radio/GMRS convo keep rolling with good info...
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Hotchyy

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A friend of mine (ex-air force Comm officer) copied the specs for Midlands MXT400, he told me that for our OFF ROADING use (line of sight) 40W, 10 less than the Wouxon 1000G, wouldn't be noticeable, antenna type and location matter more. Also, it's more than $100.00 less and it's channels are preprogrammed so the folks new to this type of radio are up and running out of the box. LOL, and no, I don't work for Midland, just trying to help the 2 way radio/GMRS convo keep rolling with good info...
This is good info actually, I def need to get set up with the GMRS stuff but haven’t really started to research it yet. Does this apply with midlands other models also? Like the 275?
 
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Bullwinkle

Bullwinkle

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This is good info actually, I def need to get set up with the GMRS stuff but haven’t really started to research it yet. Does this apply with midlands other models also? Like the 275?
Not sure of the 275 specs, I was looking at Wouxon 1000G but with Midland stepping up their game with the MXT400, cheaper and preprogrammed, as well as being manufactured here, sounds pretty close to right to me...
 

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I wheel all the time with a group and use the 275 with a Midland MXTA26 antenna. Even less power than the 400, and I have no problems with communication. I completely agree with your Air Force buddy. Now if you want to reach distant repeaters, more power is better. But having a properly tuned antenna mounted in the best location on your rig is critical.
 
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Bullwinkle

Bullwinkle

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Not sure of the 275 specs, I was looking at Wouxon 1000G but with Midland stepping up their game with the MXT400, cheaper and preprogrammed, as well as being manufactured here, sounds pretty close to right to me...
I wheel all the time with a group and use the 275 with a Midland MXTA26 antenna. Even less power than the 400, and I have no problems with communication. I completely agree with your Air Force buddy.
corroboration is always appreciated, I can't afford to do this stuff twice, trying to be as well informed as I can. Thanks
 

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I wheel all the time with a group and use the 275 with a Midland MXTA26 antenna. Even less power than the 400, and I have no problems with communication. I completely agree with your Air Force buddy. Now if you want to reach distant repeaters, more power is better. But having a properly tuned antenna mounted in the best location on your rig is critical.
I run the same combo as you and it works great! But, Midland has come out with a 50watt version of the 275 called the MXT575 ( https://midlandusa.com/products/mxt575-micromobile®two-way-radio ). I'm waiting for them to come back in stock then I'm going to upgrade my 275.
 

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I have a ham radio in my rig as well, so I don't need a more powerful GMRS. At anytime of the day, you will always find someone monitoring a ham versus a GMRS in a time of need.
 

rkwfxd

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My personal experience has been that power is over rated. Ive done experiments on simplex with my buddy on ham freq. We got the same distance whether I was using 5 watts or 50 watts.
 
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RickC137

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My personal experience has been that power is over rated. Ive done experiments on simplex with my buddy on ham freq. We got the same distance whether I was using 5 watts or 50 watts.
There is some truth to that. It's why Hams can talk to the International Space Station from a handheld....There are NO obstructions. Unfortunately, most of us have to communicate through some type of obstructions, whether it's trees, buildings, or suburban electrical interference. In that case 50 watts will "push through", where 5 watts won't.

For the vast majority using GMRS for Jeep events, the Midland radios are adequate and affordable. I bought one for my wife's Subaru (which was traded in for our current JLU). It's a Midland MXT275. The compact size and having all controls in the mic make for a clean install. It is repeater capable and a new user is able to catch on to the proper operation pretty quick. The quality is fine, though not quite as good as my amatuer Yaesu and Icom gear, I think it's more than adequate. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest Midland customer support is pretty good also.

For those of you who only have experience using CB radios, you will find that UHF/FM communications is vastly superior.
 
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Bullwinkle

Bullwinkle

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There is some truth to that. It's why Hams can talk to the International Space Station from a handheld....There are NO obstructions. Unfortunately, most of us have to communicate through some type of obstructions, whether it's trees, buildings, or suburban electrical interference. In that case 50 watts will "push through", where 5 watts won't.

For the vast majority using GMRS for Jeep events, the Midland radios are adequate and affordable. I bought one for my wife's Subaru (which was traded in for our current JLU). It's a Midland MXT275. The compact size and having all controls in the mic make for a clean install. It is repeater capable and a new user is able to catch on to the proper operation pretty quick. The quality is fine, though not quite as good as my amatuer Yaesu and Icom gear, I think it's more than adequate. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest Midland customer support is pretty good also.

For those of you who only have experience using CB radios, you will find that UHF/FM communications is vastly superior.
I didn't think about the mic mounted controls, hmmmmm....Does the 575 have mic mounted controls, or, can you add that MIC to the 400 or 575? Since I probably won't have a copilot/navigator, the mic controls are a must have...Thanks all for the input.
 

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I have the Midland MXT275 (15 watt) with the 6db antenna and it is more than enough for my trail running needs. I can easily - and clearly - hit repeaters from 40-50 miles.
The controls on the handset allowed me to mount the radio in the glove box, secure and out of sight.
The 6db antenna doesn't seem to care about a good ground plane. Mine is fender mounted, but I can reach just as far from any orientation.
SWR is 1.03 to 1.07 through the band, so I know I'm sending a clear signal.

Jeep Wrangler JL Comparing GMRS radios PSX_20210223_175917


Some great GMRS info on Notarubicon's YouTube channel...
 

Hotchyy

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I have the Midland MXT275 (15 watt) with the 6db antenna and it is more than enough for my trail running needs. I can easily - and clearly - hit repeaters from 40-50 miles.
The controls on the handset allowed me to mount the radio in the glove box, secure and out of sight.
The 6db antenna doesn't seem to care about a good ground plane. Mine is fender mounted, but I can reach just as far from any orientation.
SWR is 1.03 to 1.07 through the band, so I know I'm sending a clear signal.

Jeep Wrangler JL Comparing GMRS radios PSX_20210223_175917


Some great GMRS info on Notarubicon's YouTube channel...
This is the main reason I was looking at the 275, the ability to hide it away behind the glove box and having the controls on the mic.
 

PocketsEmptied

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A friend of mine (ex-air force Comm officer) copied the specs for Midlands MXT400, he told me that for our OFF ROADING use (line of sight) 40W, 10 less than the Wouxon 1000G, wouldn't be noticeable, antenna type and location matter more. Also, it's more than $100.00 less and it's channels are preprogrammed so the folks new to this type of radio are up and running out of the box. LOL, and no, I don't work for Midland, just trying to help the 2 way radio/GMRS convo keep rolling with good info...
The Wouxon 1000G has all the GMRS channels preprogrammed as well so that does not play into any differences between the two. The rest of what you say is basically true, the difference between 40W and 50W when off-roading would likely never come into play. The Wouxon has a lot more features and bands you can listen on and also comes with a detachable faceplate that gives more mounting options which may help make it worth the $100 more.
 

mnjeeper

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Since there are radio heads here...

There's a midland (I think) wiring harness that interrupts the stereo when coms come in, yea? I want that if I get a mounted radio.
 

PocketsEmptied

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