Midland GXT850 Review

[Hierax]

I've have some older Motorola Talkabout FRS units - forgive me but I don't have the model #'s handy.

Will the 800/850 units be compatible with the channels on my Moto's ? (how about sub-channels (believe my moto units had 38 sub 'channel's)

thanks

[jwilkers]

Originally Posted by Hierax

I've have some older Motorola Talkabout FRS units - forgive me but I don't have the model #'s handy.

Will the 800/850 units be compatible with the channels on my Moto's ? (how about sub-channels (believe my moto units had 38 sub 'channel's)

thanks

For the most part, yes. The PL tones may be in a different order, but I think the 800 series had the first 38 in standard order. Channels should be the same. You'll need a GMRS license to use the first 7 channels, but 8-14 you can use license free (if you get the 800 series radios)

[leedavis]

I ride with a group of 5 motorcyclists, 4 purchased the Midland 850, 1 the Cobra 7200. The Midlands were chosen because Midland offers both closed and open face motorcycle headsets. The choice for the Cobra was because of superior battery life and the rider already has an integrated comm system with headset.

We're very satisfied with the results.

1) Range is better than I expected. I tested with a person at a fixed point to myself riding away on the bike. As measured on Google Maps we approached 3 miles before the signal broke up. The test was outside of town on relatively flat terrain through wooded areas. We ride a lot in the mountains and I imagine that probably decreases range but it hasn't been an issue.

2) Voice clarity is very good.

3) We all wear earplugs and the Midland is able to pump out enough volume to get past them even at high speeds.

4) The headset units are high quality, low cost and the PTT extension mounts solidly to the grip.

5) Battery life is good. On our 6-8 hour day rides nobody has yet run down a battery.

6) The waterproof claim isn't all that. We got trapped traveling parallel to a major front of driving rain and though the other Midlands didn't have a problem mine went out after about 3 hours of soaking. I suppose you can't have everything and after drying out at home the radio is none the worse for wear.

I can't speak directly to the Cobra but the rider who has it comes through great and he claims 2 days riding on a single battery charge.

[Phnom Penh Ham]

Originally Posted by jwilkers

Been done with FRS radios many years back. The record is somewhere around 125 miles.

PS>>> don't let the FRS/GMRS manufacturers see this... otherwise.. netx year's models could be advertised as 125 mile radios

Just curious as to how, in the USA, where people get sued for just looking at you in a funny way, manufacturers of FRS/GMRS rigs, can get away with quoting exaggerated ranges on their radios.
I know that the old excuse will be 'under ideal conditions', but this is still not allowed in the UK, where the maximum range claim I've ever seen on a radio ad is 8Km (5 miles - Under ideal conditions).
We have a consumer protection law in the UK, which dictates that any product, or specification claim of that product, comes under the 'Fit for Purpose' legislation.
No-one, with a knowledge of UHF radio, will ever be taken in by the hype of manufacturers, but how many are?
This is not just a blatent misrepresentation, but could have serious consequences when someone is relying on their '10 mile' radio, to get help which may be only 2-3 miles away, without sucess.
I don't really have more experience than using these 462/467 mhz rigs when we go to Florida, but they seem to be way way way below the performance level of a basic 500mw 446Mhz rig that is standard in the UK.
The stated input/output levels of many FRS/GMRS rigs don't seem to tally, with the ERP being much lower than it should be.
Maybe your FCC is forcing manufacturers to effectively put a dummy load onto the radio, instead of an efficient antenna.
As many of the readers of this site are aware, power is secondary to an efficient antenna, with good ranges being achieved with just a good quarter wave and half a watt input (I managed a simplex copy into Wales with a $15 Binatone - a distance of 87 miles according to my Garmin).
It seems that the 446 MHz radios in use thru Europe, are made to squeeze as much as possible out of a bad system, with regular contacts (from high ground) well in excess of 20 miles - the record being a UK to Holland contact of around 200 miles (via sporadic E/ducting).
I have seen several people on here saying that they intend, or have 'modded' their radio, to accept a more efficient antenna.
Although illegal, I can see their frustration at buying something which CAN work better, but is artificially manufactured to underperform.
A simple, decoupling or replacement of the supplied antenna, would work wonders, if it were replaced with just 16cm (6 inches) of wire.
Just my 2 pennies worth!

[jwilkers]

In order to be compliant with the FCC regulations for FRS, the antennas must not have any gain. So you are correct. The antennas, are in fact, crippled.

Since the FRS/GMRS radios are "dual service" in both FRS and GMRS, the radios must be compliant to the FRS channels.

Now, a GMRS-only radio would have no such restrictions on antenna gain.

[SwL_Wildcat]

Hello;

I have a couple questions. We hunt in northern Alberta, Canada. We have 8 of the GXT850's and just love them! I would like to get a base station for our camp. Can I just buy a regular UHF radio, such as an ICOM 2-way and have a dealer program in the frequencies? How would I know what the frequencies of the 22 different channels are? Are there special tones etc? I have looked but I am probably not looking in the right spot to find the frequencies. Any suggestions? I am not looking for any fancy ham radio stuff, just simple 22+ channel tranciever to set the right channel and talk.

[jwilkers]

This is not legal in Canada. You are restricted to 2 watts, no base stations, no mobiles.

[bob2way]

Originally Posted by jwilkers

Midland GXT850 Review

FCC ID: MMAGXT850


Power Output ERP:
1.6379 Watts (GMRS High)
0.278 Watts GMRS/Med
0.2035 Watts (FRS/Low)

Advertised power output 5 watts

Please, I'm new here, how is that they advertise 5 watts instead of max 1.6379?
As I see from another post which has posted a list-power of frs-gmrs radios(http://www.twowayradioforum.com/foru...hread.php?t=74) that there is no true 5 watt ERP on any models regardless of what is advertised.

How then should be read/interpreted when choosing to buy?
Thanks a lot.

[SkipSanders]

You don't see 5 watt ERP's because they wouldn't improve range at all, but would result in battery life being greatly shortened.

Once you have 1-2 watts, your range is determined almost completely by line of sight issues, not power.

But making the battery provide 6 watts, instead of 2 watts, means 1/3 (or worse) battery life.

Also, 5 watt Handie Talkies tend to have problems with overheating the final amp, on long conversations, which is not a good thing for users who don't have a clue about radios and abusing them.

[SkipSanders]

Originally Posted by wardeworth

The Midland GXT-850 boasts an amazing 5 watts of power, allowing for a range of up to 26 miles in optimal conditions. My wife and I use them along with the Midland full face helmet mic and speaker sets as a communication system for when we are out ATV riding.

As pointed out in an earlier post, the actual ERP of these radios is < 1.7 watts, at high power setting.

'Optimal Conditions' means both ends on 200 foot hills, and no hills/buildings in between. When driving around on flat ground, you're going to get maybe 5 miles max. More power would not affect this.