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Don't forget that he has 1998 reasons why Midland and Wouxun radios in total junk. Or are we up to 4995 reasons now.

if your HT can't get 200 miles right out of the box it should go directly into the garbage can. Source: Rheet-hard

Again it is going to depend on your location, terrain, amount of trees and buildings, etc. More realistic simplex range for 70cm and GMRS is going to be 2-10 miles, again depending on your surrounding and location. We have guys check into our weekly 2m simplex net from as far away as 55 miles straight line. They definitely are using beam antennas up high on towers and there is a good chance they are also running amplifiers too. I know we do have guys that check into the 2m simplex net that are 40-45 miles away and they are not using any type of amplifier and they are using vertical antennas. Again location and height of the antenna plays a key part on how far one can be heard. My dual band antenna is a GP-9 with the base at 22 feet above the ground. The farthest I have talked to anyone on 70cm or GMRS using my 50 watt mobile radio on a simplex channel/frequency to another using a base station with a vertical antenna at least 30 feet above ground has been about 25 miles. But that is pushing it. I use a short Comet SBB-1 NMO dual band antenna and a short Tram 1174 antenna tuned for GMRS on my Ford Escape. Now talking to someone 18-22 miles from my base radios to their base radios is normally not a problem when using 70cm and GMRS. There are a lot of variables on how far you can get out using VHF/UHF such as type of antenna, antenna height, your location and local terrain, etc. To answer the original question, you won't get out any farther using the 70cm amateur band compared to using GMRS when the radios and antenna setups are the same as far as power output and antenna height.

Yes one can use an amplifier on 2m and 70cm. But comparing apples to apples by using a 50 watt 2m/70cm mobile to using a MGRS 50 watt mobile, then there will not be any difference in the range with 70cm and GMRS.

I have never made a 65cm, 70cm, 1.25m or 2m simplex contact more than 13 miles. All of my 5-13 mile contacts were with 50 watts.

The most import factor that is being overlooked is you get the run 1,500 watts, even on 70cm. Plus, there are a lot more high gain directional antennas for 70cm than GMRS. Obviously, there are limiting factors such as terrain and other obstacles that will cut back performance. Just get good coax and a decent antenna and enjoy either service.

The LEARN SYSTEM is the Law Enforcement Associated Radio Network. LEARN was form about 40 plus years ago by Law Enforcement Officers to have private social network of GMRS repeaters, which I'm sure they have included Amateur Radio Repeaters for Law Enforcement Officers to use while traveling. The conversations or QSOs that I hear on the LEARN SYSTEM is exactly what you probably hear Amateur Radio, minus the Ten Codes, which I think the LEARN members watch too much old TV shows and movies. However, don't get me wrong, I realize that at one time, Public Safety use Ten Codes, with so many changes that has taken place. Plain speech is the standard protocol, because Ten Codes weren't universal. Maybe a Few were, but Plain Langue is the Best Practice.

I grew up in So Cal (Simi Valley) in the 1960s and 1970s. Back then, the "neighborhood moms" would help you out if you rashed your face on the pavement. My wife and I left there in 1985 and moved up north to the "wild west", we we still are today. Today, my "neighborhood" is about 12-15 miles north to south and about 6 miles wide. Much of the area has very few services. In the southern portion, there are no stores, gas stations or retail businesses of any kind. Law enforcement response was measured in hours or even days until recent years. We are basically on our own down here. Many live behind tall fences and locked gates, because the tweakers will rob you blind given half a chance. BTW, I have some "experience" and don't play that game. In the rainy season, the roads flood every year and we are cut off from anything. In the summer, fires are a constant danger. This is why I would like to establish a radio network for emergencies. There are several established repeaters that easily cover this area, but the owners are all "mine, mine, mine!" centric. It is pretty sad, actually.

A quick update...the 3rd-party cable I had ordered nearly a month ago finally arrived about 30 minutes ago. It was listed as a cable for the AnyTone AT-5888UV & AT-778UV radios. I ordered it because the photo of the pinout on the RJ-45 jack looked the same as the Midland cable I had borrowed. And it works! I can read from and write to the radio. It was $11 on Amazon. Now I can fix my radio if it loses the split tones again. However, I will still be looking to replace this radio.

LOL. I catch your drift. I may give them another try.

It is an HT, I doubt there are components in there that I could service with my 62-year-old eyes. Recent capacitor replacements on much larger devices required enhanced illumination and magnification (for me).

Not the radio battery but perhaps a small battery or super cap installed on the pc board whose only purpose is to support the chip that stores settings. But I agree; the failure you’re talking about would destroy your confidence in Wouxun.

We have our 70cm repeater antennas and GMRS repeater antennas on the same tower. The 70cm antennas are higher but the actual range is the same for both GMRS and 70CM. We get between a 30-35 mile coverage radius with the usual dead spots due to local terrain. Our 2m repeater antennas are at the same height as our 70cm antennas and we get a 80-85 mile coverage radius with it. Those ranges are all with using 50 watt mobile radios and good mobile antennas with the proper ground plane. And before "some people" state how they get 200 + miles with their GMRS radios, they live in the most perfect ideal location across wide open and flat desert terrain. Real world range will be anywhere from 15 miles to 50 miles depending on what part of the country you lie in and what the local terrain is like.

I have two KG-1000G radios along with one KG-XS20G. I have not had any issues with all three radios. The XS20G is a very nice 20 watt radio and easy to program through the radio or with a computer. Actual output power ranges from 18 watts to 25 watts. It also has the same screen and menu setup as the KG-935G hand held radio. The plus of the KG-1000G is that it is 50 watts and has a removable faceplate. That makes it nice when space is limited like in most new vehicles. It costs close to the same as the Midland MTX500 and MTX575. I have used all three and prefer the KG-1000G. A lot of people are happy with the Radioddity DB-20G. SO that is another option for you.

Overall, on average, usually, most of the time, statistically, Wouxun makes the best quality radios (that's why they cost more) - but no matter what brand you buy (of anything, not just radios), you always risk getting a dud. Might I suggest the Wouxun XS20G - i think it does everything you want, its small and costs less than the 1000g+ ... that said, I know of hundreds, if not thousands of people with 1000G radios that are very happy with them.

Thanks, but I replaced the battery with no success. It will sometimes retain the programming for a few minutes or an hour when turned off, but will eventually revert to the factory program with Chinese voice prompts. Displays only CH01, CH02, CH03, etc. All repeater and other programming is lost. I was just keeping it turned on in the charging stand when not in use, but it became a hassle and I finally just put it back in the box. This is why I hesitate on buying another Wouxun.

I have set up sort of an network in my neighborhood. Now mind you geographically it's an area of about 4 blocks north to south and 6 blocks east to west. Not a large area. In addition it is a long established neighborhood with a lot of older residents who have been here for decades. It's a mix of Los Angeles City and unincorporated Los Angeles County. Jurisdictional issues are fairly frequent with both agencies at times saying it wasn't their area. Sadly, typical for SoCal today. This was motivated by a home invasion not long ago. The mother and child were home alone in the evening. It took the LAPD over an hour to respond. She did get a hold of a neighbor a few doors down after about 10 minutes on 911 hold. By then the invaders had left. The idea is simple. Folks have GMRS handhelds. We have a dedicated frequency. There are a lot of retired folks who can monitor the frequency. There currently isn't any established roster of who and when. But turns out there are more than enough to have it covered 24/7. Had our neighbor just called on a radio there could have had several "experienced" guys there in a minute or two at most. Most folks who are on the network have bought their own HT's. For others several of us have donated HT's. Obviously not everyone is onboard. You still have folks who insist that the police can protect them. This with clear evidence to the contrary. Now there is nothing on paper. No one has a list of folks or anything else. But it has already proven useful in several "property" crimes. Just neighbors helping neighbors. A lot like it was when I was growing up. Back then a kid got banged up (happened frequently when we used to "play" outside) you could go to any house and the adult there in would take care of you. Today that rarely happens due to fear of litigation.

I’m the worst at thread-creep, but this sounds more like the battery or capacitor than a chip failure. In a computer it would be like the battery for the real time clock.

Thanks. And I am your favorite subscriber, because you told me so LOL. This Midland has been very reliable for 4 or 5 years now, but is limited to only the 4 repeater pairs, without the ability to add any additional repeaters. Also, it cannot receive vhf frequencies to be able to be used as a public safety scanner. The inability to set split tones from the radio is also a liability, especially since this radio (and apparently, the programing cable) have been discontinued by Midland. I have no idea why the radio suddenly lost the split tone. I hadn't changed anything. I have a Radioditty (can't spell that) DB25G in my car and it also has quirks. Such as the tendency to drop the receive in the middle of a transmission and add a long, loud squelch tail, even though the "Squelch Tail Eliminator" is turned on. I have been looking at the Wouxun KG100G, but have some concerns as I have a Wouxun KG805G HT that lost the ability to retain the programming whenever it is turned off. I contacted BTWR.com and they said it sounds like the chip that retains the programming has gone bad. Unfortunately, out of warranty. So...I don't know. I need to have reliable base communication and the ability to add multiple repeaters on the same frequency since I live in Nowhere, Nor Cal. VHF scanning capability would be a plus as well. I do have battery backup and a decent generator. Landline, internet and cell service pretty much suck here. NOAA weather radio is pretty much useless, as there is virtually no reception from any of the "local" NOAA stations here.

Ignore anyone trying to talk you into spending more money IF your current radio does what you want... and if you decide that you have grown weary of the limitations on your current radio, you will never actually get a helpful answer from that particular rheet-hard - he only knows how to type negative things and never anything that is actually helpful. You may as well put him on your block-list like everyone else does.. that way you don't have to see his stupidity and overt-acts of utter social retardation until he makes a new account and starts over.. again.. with a different name.. So IF you have decided that you want a GMRS radio without all the limitations of your Midland, there are many manufacturers to choose from like Wouxun, BTech, Radioddity (and more) - but which one is "best" depends on what it is you are looking for/want/need, so let us know what is important to you/what you are looking for in a GMRS radio and we can make some suggestions ..

Law Enforcement Radio Network = LERN, or LEARN. It's a group of networked GMRS repeaters throughout New Jersey. They reach into southeastern PA, DE, & NYC. You're supposed to be Law Enforcement to use the system. Not sure if it's still linked. I rarely heard anyone on it when I used to monitor GMRS in the area. /off topic

Any suggestions? This Midland has serious limitations.

Sounds like a great time to get a good radio. Sell the midland to some other sucker and buy a couple good radios that have aftermarket support.

"I’ve never once had to had an upgrade to firmware offered on any radio ever. Fixed it for you. At least Midland put out upgrades.

When you create your next account, you should change your name to AntiSocialgmrs.