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SvenMarbles

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Posts posted by SvenMarbles

  1. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    And by the way... I'm a life long radio guy. 30ish years of playing around with things.But I recognize that there are better ones than me. Plenty actually. I subscribe to them all. ALLLLL of the old hams. OG, Jim(W6LG), etc.. I watch the nerd stuff like most people watch the netflix.. So If I've just missed a whole bunch and this guy can tell me about it, I'll take a picture of my ass and put it here..

  4. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

     

    Dude... I have no idea how you would even do what you wrote.  That doesn't make sense.

     You take a guy with a dbm style S-meter and you stick him some distance away. you key up and he tells you what your reading is. What's nuts about that?

    It's weird to me that you wouldn't even know how that could be done, but you're over there doing GS7 tests.

     

     

  5. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

     

    Quote

    I performed a 12 dB SINAD sensitivity test using a signal generator, testing at 462.55 MHz and 462.725 MHz on both radios.

    You did? That's a strange coincidence..  Can we see your signal generator and radio-lab? You just happened to do a head-to-head of two radios that surely nobody would buy at once, but is the topic of this discussion..?

  7. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

     

    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 see.. did you account for the negative gravity co-efficient?

  12. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

     

    Did you not read my post?  My MXT500 had measurably better performance than my FTM-300DR.  Saying a receiver is "unquestionably superior" just because it's a superhet is foolish.  Especially when I just shared measured proof that your statement is not correct.  While superheterodyne receivers are traditionally better performers when compared to direct-conversion receivers, that is only a generalization.  There are plenty of instances were DCRs are fantastic performers, and some superhet receivers are trash.

     

    You can say it isn't true or its anecdotal, but I have bench-tested hundreds of transceivers in my lifetime.  There is definitely a correlation between similarly equipped DCRs and superhets at the same price point having similar performance.

    I did read that. But I was being polite, because that's not real.

  13. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

    No because none of the Midlands are CHIRP compatible..

    See my previous post -The Midland is not the radio you are looking for.

     

    5 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

    No because none of the Midlands are CHIRP compatible..

    See my previous post -The Midland is not the radio you are looking for.

    I see. So what's the argument for buying an MXT500 over a KG-1000?

    you can dummy-buy both, and just turn them on and use the channels.

  14. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Just now, OffRoaderX said:

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

    I don't think they're for anyone who doesn't want to overpay for a radio for what it is. $400 for an MXT500 SOC radio or $389 for a Superhet which is measurably superior.

    Don't be a goof and buy the wrong radio 😅

     

     

  17. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

     

    I completely agree with OffRoaderX.  I am of the exact same opinions.  I have owned just about every GMRS radio there is to own and my two favorite purpose built, OTC GMRS radios, are the KG-1000G and the MXT500.  The KG-1000G is feature packed and is reliable.  The MXT500 is simple to use, water/dust resistant (huge plus for Jeepers who offroad) and reliable. 

     

    As far as Superhet v Homodyne, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in that at these price points.  My Yaesu FTM-300DR double conversion superheterodyne receive sensitivity is -120.88 dBm, and my MXT500 (ROC/direct-conversion) receive sensitivity was -124.0 dBm... much better than the superhet Yaesu.

     

    Their handhelds do fall short with the lack of repeater capability.

    Well superhet vs SOC matter a fair bit on the receive side. At any price point. A double  or triple conversion superhet receiver is unquestionably superior. I have silicon labs chip radios that hear Noaa weather 8 harmonics away and break a 1 squelch.

  18. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

    That depends on how you define "good"...

    • Midland Micromobile radios are GREAT for someone that wants a decent quality, EASY TO USE, NO BELLS AND WHISTLES GMRS radio.. They are priced high but that price is worth it to many people willing to pay for that simplicity and the fact that the company is at least based in 'Murica.
    • I have had several Midland radios (6 or 7?), with the power output ranging on them from 105% of its rated output to around only 75% .. But dont be fooled - although it's good to get what the box says, you will NEVER notice any difference between 35 watts and 50 watts in regular usage.
    • Most of the mobile units do not have cooling fans but never once, ever, in all my usage of my Midlands, not once, has one ever over-heated, shut-down, or stuttered due to high-heat or over usage.
    • According to the Midland Marketing Manager, the Midland Micromobile GMRS radios are a hybrid of Superheterodyne and HOMOdyne.. But I dont remember which half (RX or TX) is SUPERhet and which part was HOMOdyne... and most people buying this type of simple radio wouldn't care anyway.
    • Anyone complaining about the lack of features on a Midland is obviously not who Midland is selling their radios to, and should therefore be ignored.
    • Anyone slamming you over the air simply because your radio is chinese is a moron and should be ignored with extreme-prejudice.. Just tell them you're transmitting on a iCom radio and as long as your roger-beep is off i GUARANfuckingTEE you that they will never be able to tell the difference.

    For MY money, I would buy a KG-1000G, but only because I am a radio dork.  However I have many friends that are regular-people that prefer the simplicity of the Midland radios and were more than happy to pay the $$ for that simplicity.

     

    I'd rather have the fruitiest 7 tone roger beep imagineable and then also insist that it was an Icom.

     

     

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  19. Building new house, pre-wire it for a repeater?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I absolutely hate the idea of living in an HOA as a radio hobbyist. But nothing thrills me more than the challenge of evading it with stealthy antennas and such 😅. It reminds me of my younger days of living in apartments, and in one case lying to the manager that I was getting cable, gaining access to the roof, and creating a clandestine longwire for HF. No questions ensued about the newly stapled coax leading into apartment 3 west..

    There's an actual whole market niche for "HOA stealth" ham radio antennas. Have a look at those and see if there's anything applicable for your use case.

  20. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

    For the cost of a Midland MXT500 or MXT575, you will be better off buying the Wouxun KG-1000G or KG-1000G Plus. All are 50 watt radios and cost about the same price. The Wouxun KG-1000G is super heterodyne. 

    I had a Midland MXT500 and never got more than about 35-38 watts out on high. The Wouxun KG-1000G puts out 45-48 watts on high. The KG-1000G sounds better on transmit and receive and is an all around better radio. 

    Needless to say, I kept the Won and got rid of the Midland.

    That's what I suspected.

    I haven't owned a Midland GMRS radio, but I have owned their products in the past pre-GMRS. I didn't think much of it..

     

  21. I don’t think Midland radios are very good.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I'm not sure when Midland became Yaesu. I only remember that for the past 30 years they made what were considered the "cheapo" CB radios. Are the Midland GMRS radios superhet?

    I only ask because of a conversation between 4 guys on the repeater today. Slamming "the Chinese junk". As far as I know Wouxun is the only thing trying to do non homodyne radios for the GMRS space.

     

  25. How do you keep water out of your outdoor antenna connection points?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I notice that I have an issue during rain. I key up on my home radio and have an SWR of 2 when it's typically a 1.4 on a dry day. I don't have anything done to my so-239/pl-259 point on the antenna. It's just out there living in the weather. I suspect dampness might be making mild shorts on the center conductor/shielding side.

    I recognize that this was not good practice, but I wanted to get my antenna up in haste and figured i'd get back to it later. But before I get knee deep into the project of getting the mast back down, I'd like to have a plan for the weather proofing. What do you guys do that works well?

     

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