Elkhunter521

Hi Jason, welcome to the forum.
Midland radios are tough to use on gmrs. They are narrow band. They do not support split pl tones. I have 2, a 275 and a 400. Midland decided to make them the same as their handhelds.
Most repeaters you will find are wideband. They will also support split pl tones, Midland will not.
 
I also have a baofung hand held, its not a bad radio, people here will say otherwise.
 
My advise to you is to read every post about ccr radios (Cheap Chinese Radios) and decide from an informed view point AFTER you have read their input!

I'm not sure where you read that I was trying to tell anyone what they can talk about.  I said I was having trouble understanding why the conversation about the FCC rule being vague was still continuing, when they are actually very clearly defined... and then I provided and example/explanation of my opinion.
I didn't say anything about anyone else, but rather confusion or lack of understanding on my part... but you're right... I don't know what I was thinking. I forgot you're the only one allowed to have an opinion. Thanks for the reminder. 

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes."
~Unknown (by me, anyway)

I've walked a mile in your shoes.  LOL

Wow Corey, are you always so GRUMPY?

You can put me in the Midland camp, too.  I have used a lot of different radios over the years and they seem to hit the mark with reliability, advertised v. actual power, and ease of use. 
 
If you only want a few watts, the MXT115 is good, but I recommend the MXT500 and MXT575.  They were natively designed to be wideband, they have a lot more power (enough to actually make a difference in range), and the audio quality is much better on both transmit and receive.  The down side is, they can be a bit pricey. 
 
While the newer MXT275 can be programed to run wideband, the circuits were not originally designed for it.  This means you are working on the edge of the capability, which leads to weak performance in wideband.

Thanks for the pictures.  It's  much simpler on a extended cab pickup with a headache rack. 

I received my 1st GMRS lic dated Jan. 27, 2018. The line A, line C restriction was printed on the bottom of the lic. WRAQ318

This is a classic example of a thread going off topic.

Honestly, for as much as I hate to say it, I think this is where we need the FCC to step in, flex its muscle and start making some public noise and examples out of folks using illegal and non-performant product on FRS and GMRS frequencies as well as unlicensed folks using amateur frequencies. It does not help the future of GMRS when anyone in this community condones use of illegal equipment in any way, including, but not limited to, lending assistance to someone asking questions about use of equipment that is known to be illegal in the service. Yes, I am all about freedom, but freedom balanced with due respect of our laws.
 
Just one man’s opinion. YMMV.
 
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

Hey Corey, Looking at it from a different viewpoint makes a difference. Other than my own trailer mounted repeater, there are none where I live. Gaining that kind of difference in distance is impressive. Sometimes the Symantecs overwhelms the subject. Then again, I do love a good rant.

Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty aluminum foil.  
 
Ok, seriously, simple a/c cords do not usually present an RFI problem unless you have some devices that require a ground, but that are not grounded.  Motors can be a source of noise. But, at the signal levels you are looking for, the frequencies you are listening to (uhf) and the use of FM rather than AM, your local environment is not likely to have a significant impact on your reception.  The case where you might find problems would be trying to receive very weak “short wave” signals on a small radio with the built-in antenna.
 
If you want better reception, the best thing you could do would be to setup an outdoor antenna, and the higher, the better. You do not need anything fancy or expensive, even a DIY 1/4 wave dipole would make a huge difference. (google for build a uhf antenna)

What @Radioguy7268 said ++

A 1/4 wave 6 inch 'hatpin' antenna every day of the week. If you don't like chrome, get one in black. Get a spare or two in case she runs through the car wash. Cost is about $6. Retail.

So, if I get this right...
You purchased a radio without really looking into its capabilities, features and limitations. Even though those are well discussed in many sources, including Amazon and this forum.   Then, when the radio does not allow you to use it in a manner it was not designed for, you want to return it. And finally, you threaten to give the radio a bad review if the manufacturer will not support your attempt to modify their product in a way that would cause it to operate in a manner for which it was not intended and is not certified. (BTW, this is technically called extortion.)

1. I doubt you would be able to make that modification as it is controlled in the firmware.
BUT
2. DO NOT DO THAT.  There is a reason some of the channels are restricted to low power. There have a narrow channel spacing and use of high power would bleed into adjacent channels. Also, those channels are designed for nearby communications with the ability for channel re-use in adjacent locations. Running 50 watts would stomp all over everyone else on the channel.
 
As for modifying a ham radio to run on GMRS. That is possible, many people do it, but operating a non-GMRS certified radio on GMRS is against the FCC regulations.  But, if that is what you wanted, perhaps you should have purchased the UV-50X2.
Should you decide to do buy a ham radio and use it on GMRS, please continue to respect the power, bandwidth and channel spacing specifications for GMRS.

Did you realize that post is 3 1/2 years old, and was in sarcastic jest?

You need to check, and then re-check ALL the wiring, both ground and hot. Look at every connection, even the fuse holder, and especially the ground. 

While looking up something else today, I came across some information about the Midland MXT-275 that indicates it can be reprogrammed to change some the the default settings.
 
Bad news first. This is only theoretically possible. The required software is not readily available.
 
The good news. The radio can be programmed with OEM software and a special programming cable that plugs into the Microphone.  This was discussed in a thread on reddit   The thread was initially about the MXT-400, and includes a nice video showing the programming of that radio. However, 3 days ago a user named looks_good_on_paper posted some notes about his experience with the MXT-275 and an email exchange with Midland. He also included a link to an Australian video about programming the MXT-275. Unfortunately, his conversation with Midland hit a dead end.
 
The challenge.  The MXT-275 is, like everything else Midland sells, almost certainly manufactured by another company for Midland. So, like the MXT-400, software might be available for other versions of that hardware. It is also possible that the Midland software might be available somewhere out there on the web.  The reddit article gives some information about other similar Midland models sold in Europe and Australia. So, perhaps that info might help track down other versions of the radio.
 
In any case, it looks like the radio can be "fixed," and good luck to those who wish to pursue the challenge of getting the tools together.

Josh, one point, all radios receive on channels 15 thru 22, 462.xxx.
In repeater mode radios transmitt on 467.xxx but still receive on 462.xxx.( duplex )
The repeater is opposite, receiving on 467.xxx and transmitting on 462.xxx.
Your XMT400 has 2 sets of channels. One simplex, one duplex.
This is seperate from 467.xxx FRS channels 8 thru 14.

The 5.5 dB claim is, simply put, not true. (also, if you don't see dBd or dBi its probably fake as well) That TRAM1173 (or MXT26) antenna probably has less gain than a simple 1/4 wave NMO, given the cheap coils used, and being only 2 elements, with insufficient phasing element separation between them (gain in collinear antennas is achieved by increasing the distance between the phased elements) not a chance in he11 it has 5.5 dBd... well, unless decibels dBs overseas are measured differently than in the rest of the world... that is.
 
For comparison, a real world 5.5dBd gain is what a 4-bay folded dipole has, which is a massive antenna, and coincidentally, it costs a lot of $$$$$...  too.
 
IMO, and in my experience, for a car install, a simple 6" inch NMO antenna cut to GMRS frequency will work absolutely great, as measured.
 
G.

No ham radios are certified on GMRS. But many will operate just fine in that service.  There are also many hams with GMRS licenses. So, it seems to me that if someone, ham or otherwise has a GMRS license and a radio that works in that band, it’s no different than using some Amazon UHF special.  
 
Sure, there are issues with with “illegally “ modified radios, and non-certified operation in GMRS. But, as long as people have the proper license, the rest is none of my business.

This is a classic example of a thread going off topic.

Ham Radio ≠ GMRS
 
Different in many ways: equipment authorization, power and features; history; community; user licensing; purpose; expandability; commercial support; etc. etc.
 
You simply cannot, and, IMO should not, try to compare the two. And, even if you try what is the point?

I agree with your comment about accepting responsibility for the consequences of our words [and actions] while keeping in mind the 1st amendment to the US Constitution applies specifically to the government:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
 
Courts have held the term Congress to apply to government in general. However, private enterprises and citizens are not bound by this amendment. So, whatever freedom of expression we have on this forum is limited to that which the owners and operators allow us.  Fortunately, on this forum we have been given a fairly broad latitude in this respect. However, along with that privilege of expression comes the responsibility to use it thoughtfully and not abuse it.