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I test every radio I get in my house. I dont video them or normally document a ton of stuff becasue if I did I'd have piles of documentation that I just dont have room for. I utilize both a R2670 General Dynamics and my Anritzu LMR Master (later mostly now). Personally @marcspaz spent way more time I would arguing with someone over did he or did he not test something. Some of on this forum work in the LMR field and do indeed have knowledge and equipment to do this. Sorry if many of you dont understand this but its a reality. I didn't get where I am working for a lead LMR manufacturer by not knowing what I was doing. @marcspaz is in the same boat. There are others on here. Learn from those folks. WE have lost a few good techs from this site over threads like this.

I am extremely well known in the tech world. Not because of things like YouTube or forums, but because of the work I do. So, I have had some unique opportunities and have some test equipment that most people don't have. Not sure what else to say. I didn't mention the KG-1000G. Although I did test that radio, too. I said I had test results from the MXT500 and the Yaesu FTM-300DR, the the Midland was better. I didn't say i did a head to head, because i didn't. I have no video, pictures or anything else. I wasn't comparing them. Over the years, I tested lots of radios on separate occasions. I happened to reference the results if these two a couple of times in a few threads here, because I found them unusual. The reason I tested the Yaesu was because I was having receive problems and was hoping to align it... but I ended up sending it to Yaesu for repair. The numbers I shared were after the repair. My results after the repair matched (close enough) to what is advertised in the owners manual... From the manual "0.2μV for 12dB SINAD (420 - 470 MHz, @FM)" I have no pics, video, etc., because I was just doing it for me and my own benefit. I don't typically post tech stuff on YouTube. Especially bland stuff like Yaesu doing a repair for me. As far as the Midland goes, at a completely different time, maybe a year later, I got a pre-release MXT500 model through a friend who is a pro offroader and was sponsored by them at the time. I bench tested it for sharing information here and it was trash. I spent a couple of weeks working with Roger French at Midland to get it squared away. When it came back, he emailed me a test sheet that included the 12 dB SINAD and SQ4 test results. So I confirmed them at home, too. I didn't video record or photograph any of that testing either, because it's way outside the understanding of most people who come to this forum. We have a lot of new users who just want to know if it's any good and don't need to get in the weeds. While I didn't share much on the KG-1000G, again months apart from any of the other two, I tested that radio for entirely different reasons. Danny Feemster from Cricket Ventures was working with Wouxun to develop the KG-1000G. The radio they sent me was a prototype that was essentially a heavily modified KG-UV980P. It was the only one in existence at the time and I had to send it back after about a week. That was a fantastic radio. I've actually been blessed with being asked by a global tech company to test another prototype just a few weeks ago, though I can't disclose those details yet. Should be interesting to some, when it does get shared. While I still have my test gear, I don't have any of these radios anymore. It's been years in some cases. I can't duplicate the tests without spending a ton of money... not worth it. Seems like you have your mind made up that I'm a liar about doing any testing myself... which I find some irony in. I have no problem steering clear.. but I'm pretty sure if you post some BS, you can expect to get called out again. I tried... just not going to bother anymore.

Might as well have been burn before reading.

No it's like a whole other thing. The Quansheng UVK5 series radios have user flashable firmware capability from the USB-C port so a whole little community of developers on github are developing new firmwares that really improve and open the radio up. There are some videos on Youtube about it. They're $30 radios like the Baofengs are, so it's just become a fun little side bar hobby to get one and play around with these different things people are doing to them..

While I’ll file all of that under “useful and cool info” you didn’t need to explain yourself to the guy, he’s just being “that guy”, maybe because he needs attention. I’m looking forward to learning about the radio you just tested. I would love a KG1000g with dimmable display too. [emoji16]

I think you should work "moral turpitude" back in somehow, because after reading his comments, it is rather fitting.

So anyone who offers a positive opinion of Midland products is getting paid off? I’ve got a couple Midland’s and they work great, so can you please call them and expedite my check? I think you need to take two steps back and read what you’ve said. Maybe this place isn’t a good fit for you….

I should add, we have good coverage with no repeater with both the Midlands and the Baofengs. We’re in a pretty heavily wooded area with rolling hills.

There are many companies & business-radio resellers that will do all the paperwork and footwork for you, for a modest fee. Last month I got my LMR/Business license and 7 frequencies from a place called Kemp Wireless in Eugene Oregon - everything included was less than $400 if i recall correctly. Basically they asked me a bunch of questions over the phone, I gave them my FRN info (YOU have to create an FRN/account on the FCC website) and 15 days later I had my LMR/Business License and my frequencies .

"uplink" = TRANSMIT any "D" tone = DCS/DTC/DPL So just select DCS/DTC tone D423 from the Transmit Tone menu whilst on the correct repeater channel, save it, and you're done. Should take no more than 15 seconds start to finish. PRO TIP! -- The numbers of CTCSS and DCS tones do not overlap, so if you ever aren't sure, just scroll through both menu options until you see the number you are looking for - it will only be in EITHER DTC or CTC, never both.

And I bet there's a good percentage of the HAM repeater are still not used very much these days.

You definitely want to recheck the VSWRs if it wasn't tuned/check with the spring.

No, thats not why. Missing the entire point and not "getting it", as you just demonstrated is why.

My family and I are moving to Gillette, Wyoming on May 22nd. While we will only be living on 20 acres, we will be running it as a homestead type of situation with some livestock, a greenhouse, and some other crops. Anyways, I'd like to run a GMRS setup on the property so that my family can communicate with one another with ease. I've been using GMRS a lot for off-roading in my Jeep and our SxS and I like it quite a bit. My thought is I'd like some nice handhelds for all of us as well as a repeater. The reason for the repeater being that I'd like extended range capability and I'd like to share it with others who might like to use it as well. That being said, I'm a buy once, cry once type of guy. I don't mind spending more money if it's going to get me something higher quality that will last longer. I've been looking at Midland, Rugged Radios, BaoFeng, and others. I'm interested in hearing what you guys would run in my situation and if there are any supporting sponsors of this forum I'd be happy to send my business your way. As far as budget goes, I'm thinking $2000 or less. This is the setup I was looking at: https://www.retevissolutions.com/waterproof-gmrs-radio-solution-bundles I don't know as much about GMRS as I do about guns and Jeeps, but I'm learning! Thank you in advance and God bless!

Pretty much all XTL5000's are Analog and Digital (P25) capable (at the same time). Although i'm sure there are some out there that do only one or the other, I have never seen one (and I/we have gone through buying & setting up dozens for our local GMRS gang).

I was going to say the exact same thing. and just so everyone knows, the newer UV-5Rs do not suffer from the horrible deadly spurious emissions/"dirty transmitters" like the early models that you referenced.

I used two pieces of 10-foot iron pipe joined with a threaded coupler in the middle. But I didn't cement it directly in the concrete. I cemented two pieces of pipe iron and used two bolts. That way if I need to do maint. on the antenna or for hurricanes, I can take the top bolt out and lay the mast down. So far it's been up 3 years with no issues. On the top is a fan dipole I made, on a piece of PVC pipe at 26 feet.

Some people do care. One major issue with the UV-5R, at least the early models, they were noted for dirty transmitters. The joke was they were multi-band radios, i.e. you could talk on several bands all at the same time! Some people quit using them specifically because of that.

If you don't know what the band range of your radio is, the 4th character in the model number from the left will designate the band range. "K" for VHF 138-174 MHz, "Q" 380-470 MHz, "S" 450-520 MHz, "U" 700/800 MHz, and "W" for 900 MHz. The channel capacity for the XTL5000 is 1,000 channel. The flashcode will tell you the feature set for that radio such as digital capable or analog only, conventional or Trunking Smartnet or Smartzone, and bunch of more features.

I’m new to GMRS. Just got my GMRS license 5 days ago. Bought 2 Baofeng R9 HT and a BTech 50V2 I’m going to use as a base. I wanted a way to communicate with local family/friends should internet and cell go out. I haven’t had much time to monitor chat yet still trying to learn and set things up. I hope to connect with others from the area.

If you want APRS, get an amateur license and quit trying to make GMRS into something it wasn't meant to be. All you people wanting to turn GMRS into a clone of amateur radio need to just get their licenses. Sent from my SM-S911U1 using Tapatalk

Incorrect.. If the (factory) box says "GMRS Compatible" as stated by the OP (and it was not written in crayon) then it is the GMRS version, which is FCC Part 95 approved for use on GMRS meaning they are perfectly legal and within FCC guidelines to transmit on GMRS with.

I hear that you want to buy once, but at 20 acres you should be able to get coverage across the entire property with a pretty simple set up. We started with a couple of the Midland upper tier bubble pack GMRS radios on a larger property. We’re still just using some Baoefeng GM-15PRO and getting excellent results.

Ours is a Yaesu

On our repeater the ID has priority. If you’re talking when it has to ID it will interrupt. I’m surprised to hear that’s not standard.

Is it just me or does this entire thread remind anyone else of the final scene from the movie "Burn After Reading"?

What I don't understand is, you can make a friendly post like this and politely disagree, but for some reason, even though I have zero to do with Midland or any other brand or radio industry at large (I'm an IT guy by trade) you attacked my character and credibility in a mean way. Have to be honest, a big part of my issue with you in this thread has nothing to do with you not believing me. You have no idea who I am, so I don't blame you. The situation is comfortably in the category of "not what you said, but how you said it." If you were as cordial with you're original concerns as you were with this post, I would have been a lot more receptive. As I mentioned before, no skin off my back one way or another, but if we're going to play in the same playground, you can't get upset when you behave poorly and people here give you grief about it. I am 100% willing to wipe the slate clean... I don't even need an apology... but there needs to be some understanding that not everyone is a sellout and just genuinely has a different opinion. Either agree or disagree. No need to be rude. Seem fair?

I should know this but if I ever did I don't remember... Does adding a spring to a mobile antenna on a NMO mount change the SWR? Years and years ago I added a spring to a 2m antenna. It was on the roof of a Toyota FJ which is already pretty tall. The spring eliminated the bent and broken antennas I had experienced on trails up to that point. I didn't have an SWR meter back then so never tested the antenna before and after the spring was added. Somebody mentioned springs in a recent post but I didn't want to derail that post.

Sounds like a great trip. My wife and I have taken similar trips out that way. Found the guardian lions of the desert just by chance out on Route 66 Near Amboy, west of Needles.

If you are going to do a Base setup, and I encourage that you do, the most effective setup for what you seem to need is to have the Middle residence have the Base. Now granted... all of you should have a base! But that may or may not be practical in the short term. IF the Middle location has a decent base with a good antenna, and good feed line, at or above the roof, you'll be amazed how much range 'they' will have with lesser powered HTs and mobiles. 40-50w mobiles and base stations should have no problem getting 10miles out. Granted, terrain always dictates, so this isn't exact in every application. An attic antenna isn't a terrible way to start with the base station either. Even a mobile antenna on a mag mount on a pie pan or piece of sheet steel (old computer tower) up in the attic will get you increased range with the height. The roof will inhibit the signal somewhat, but the height will gain more than the hindrance. Be sure to get an SWR meter for this frequency range. It's a must have for new stations and something you'll use many times down the road. Surecom's are popular, among others. Have fun and good luck with your setups!

It's just another excuse. If he gets called out and pushed for more details, he'll make up some lie to justify acting like a dickhead.

Shame on you Randy, you got Marc hooked on 4 wheeling. His kids will starve now.

Probably because after blowing all their $$$ on guns, ammo, and preserved food, they only have $20 left for a radio.

Just to be clear I’m not saying it’s a crap radio. Rather that @WSAK691 doesn’t give rats ass about his initial question as he had already decided it was crap and only came here to argue.

Was there ever really a question with this thread or a point to it? Was it just an excuse to engage in argument? Question might as well have been “hey you like that crap radio you got there”? Thank goodness for the ignored user setting.

That's because there is nothing left to say. All things are self-evident.

@WSAK691 I have been sitting back reading and I've noticed that I don't have to share any pictures of anything because you have already shown us your ass. You are gravely mistaken in believing anyone here, especially me, has anything to prove to you. I don't care about your opinion. I'm fairly sure no one else here cares about your opinion. With the exception of providing some mild and waning entertainment as you continue to show us your ass, your incessant posting is doing nothing beyond solidifying your place in purgatory of the internet.

Two days ago you didn’t know how to waterproof your coax connectors and today you’re lecturing Marc Spaz on receiver sensitivity measurements. You posted a picture of a radio installation that looks like what Randy discarded last week. (Edited to remove mean-spirited attempt at humor.) In any case you’re just one more wannabe on the ignore list.

Being a sad-H.A.M. is a mental/emotional-defect, not a test score/status. And while there is a very high correlation of sad-H.A.M.s having H.A.M. licenses, this does not prove causation.

Sorry to have to be the one to break this news to you but bragging about not being a ham BUT how easy it would be to pass the examS "if you wanted to" is a strong indicator of being a latent sad-H.A.M. .. Your other posts already proved you also fall into the "some people" category.. And as the inventor of the term Sad-H.A.M., my declaration is final and cannot be disputed or overturned.

You're new to the Forum and you may be losing support in being nominated to the "Righteous Dude" list and you will end up only being recogized as one of those "Some People". It appears that you are questioning Marc's expertise in measuring the sensitivity of the two subject radios. Do you think Marc just pulled out the findings of his test out of the air and that he doesn't know what he is doing? Do you actually think anyone without that kind of education/experience could even come close and talk-the-talk? He clearly explained a typical test procedure in measuring the receiver's sensitivity and you responded with a different procedure that you said he should have used in place of his procedure. Was there something wrong with his test procedure? Since, you are new to the list, I think it would have been best for you to lurk for awhile so you have an idea who the players are and how they roll instead showing up and stepping on people's protruding body parts.

Hilarious, you obviously do not know anything about who you are talking to.

Oh boy... I guess this conversation is over.

Dude... I have no idea how you would even do what you wrote. That doesn't make sense. I performed a 12 dB SINAD sensitivity test using a signal generator, testing at 462.55 MHz and 462.725 MHz on both radios. I also performed SQ4 opening and closing tests. The Midland SQ4 opening was -120.7 and closing was -124.4, but the Yaesu SQ4 was at -116.7/-121.

I don't have a clue if you can program it with Chirp or not and even if you could I would never use it. I'm using the Midland programming software.

I'd wouldn't have asked, otherwise. What are you saying is not real?

I was not aware they had expanded the channel capacity of the 500 by that much. I stand corrected on that. Thank You!

Just based on this post alone, I can confidently proclaim that the Midland is not the right radio-choice for you.

In the Toyota 4Runner: * Midland MTX575 * Until today I had the Midland “Ghost” 3db antenna mounted in the rear roof, but today I swapped it for the Larsen puck style NMO, which is shorter and seems to actually perform better here in the mountains. Model LP450NMO In my son’s Jeep JK (next weekend) * Midland MTX275 * Pulse-Larsen LP450NMO - mounted to the top of the central speaker bar. It will clear both hard & soft tops and work fine. Handhelds: I picked up the KG-UV9GX, but haven’t programmed it yet. It’s wearing the Smiley Slim Duck antenna We have maybe six or seven Baofeng UV-9G radios and the gang charger. A couple wear Smiley Slim Duck antennas, the rest have Nagoya 701 or 771.