Our blog has also been updated with information on Midland’s 2008 radios, which are not yet available but are 1-2 months out. I’m curious to get everyone’s feedback on the new enhancements…
Power output HAS to simply be a false report to the FCC. I cannot see 5.5w ERP from a zero gain antenna and the battery supply they have.
Extrachannels: My guess is a standard GMRS frequency with an oddball CTCSS or DCS tone. This is a very unethical marketing ploy at the very least, since they only have legal cause to use the 22 frequencies available.
They’d better not be pirating the GMRS repeater inputs.
Honestly… if they are doing something shady, they could lose their FCC type acceptance.
Of course, it is possible everything is on the up and up.
I’m looking at some radios to get for a Cruise at the end of May, do you think the 900 series will be out in time or should I get an 800 series?
I think you’re going to have to go with the GXT800VP4. They are not expecting the new GXT models to be available until mid/late June.
darn I was afraid of that. I hate to buy something right before I know its about to be replaced.
I just bought the Midland GXT800VP4 today and love the features on it. I’m new to the FRS/GMRS radios so I’m not an expert in wattages and what not but very happy with the purchase. It’s like they say you get what you pay for. I got good reception for about a mile due to the suburban location and tons of trees around. I was in my car while my bro was inside his house. We intend on using it mostly for fishing trips when we walk seperate ways on the banks.
Hi,
my name is Ron, and this is my first post on your forums.
I have been trying to research the GXT900vp4 radios by Midland, and the information available on the internet seems to be skechy at best.
as well, the expected availability of these radio’s seems to be unclear.
Does anyone have any REAL information on these radio’s in reguards to:
1- actual release date/public availability for purchase?
2- actual power output vs. the 5 watt CLAIMED by Midland?
I had found one place on th internet, (dont remember where now), which said that the “Extra Channels”, are simply assigned a permenant CTSS code.
That seems a little cheesy to me, but I guess thats what they do for marketing.
The main 2 features that I like about the GXT900 are that,
1- they will have dual battery power (rechargeable and alkalines), in AA sized batteries. as opposed to the previous radios having AAA sized batteries.
2- they will come with a DC charging plug, as well as the AC charging plug.
these 2 features are appealling to me due to I will expect a longer usage time between charging, as well as I will be able to recharge at camp from the camper, without needing to start the camper’s generator.
Most of the other extra features I can take it or leave it.
the main purpose that I will be using these radios for, will be communication between my wife and myself while camping, and riding our Quads.
I have already purchased the optional helmet Speaker/Mic accesories, model number AVP-H2, with the handlebar PTT button.
My wife is new to quad riding, and is certainly a novice rider. having the ability to communicate with each other, while riding, will certainly provide a greater sence of confidence, hence her riding experience will be more enjoyable. it will be nice to have the ability to warn her of upcoming obstacles, or difficult spots in the trail to avoid.
can anyone here tell me anything about when these radios will be released?
and is there anything else that I am missing, or should be considering, for my intended purpose/use of these radios?
Thanks, Ron
Have you noticed that police and fire personnel have portable and mobile radios? Mobile radios have more power and talk farther, plus portable radios don’t work very good in a metal tub surrounded by glass. Metal and glass has a reflective effect on radio waves. No radio is going to work as good in a car as out. Roll your window down and stick your head out and it will work much better. But, don’t have a wreck in the process.
I have had the GXT600’s for 2 years now and they work fine for cheap radios. The GXT900’s should work fine for your needs. I do not know how well the radios are shielded against electrical noise that your quads will generate. I work for a 2-way radio (commercial) dealer. Since the GXT600 has a fixed antenna there is no way we could hook it to a service monitor to measure the actual RF power out. We did compare the relative signal strength on a meter and it was considerably higher than a known 2 watt radio. I can verify that it is more than 2 watts, but exactly how much is unknown. Let me finish by saying that my average UHF radio that I sell costs $600.00 and has 4 watts. The little Midland hangs with it except for the audio quality, which is understandable.