jsouth

Do you have a good driver for the cable and select the correct port?

In my limited experience, UHF, including GMRS and 440 is a +5 MHZ for your TX frequency.

I use the red wouxun cable to program my UV-82s all the time, with Chirp. I used the same cable to program My Retevis RT76P as well.

Recently purchased a Retevis RT76P. Programming is a bit buggy but it does work (split tones) and radio seems to be tough, as it seems to take a beating ok. I got mine off Amazon for $35. Read some of the recent activity on this site about it before purchasing to make sure you know what you’re getting.

In answer to your question, I agree with Citizen, it will be easier if you have another radio rather than changing channels. If it helps, I do like the Wouxun KG-805G as it receives a bit better than a less expensive radio but you will pay more.

Hello and welcome! Glad to have you on board. Unfortunately most midland radios are unable to do split tones. I learned this the hard way myself. The MXT400 will do split tones if you buy a programming cable and find software for it. Keep in mind that you only have seven slots available to make custom stations on the 400. If you do a search on this site, you’ll find many topics and discussions about this very topic.

Got an extra 12volt battery hanging around? I keep a small 16ah battery on my bench just for that reason.

Sorry to hear about the troubles. Ive owned a 115, 275, and 400 and never saw anything like that. Hopefully Midland has an answer for you. Let us know what the fix ends up being.

Have you tried using a different antenna and or checked your SWR on a meter to make sure you don’t have a short somewhere?

Mbrun is correct. The Midland micro mobile units have very limited custom capabilities. When one privacy code is selected, that’s what you get in and out. He is also correct about the MXT400 but there are only 7 frequency slots available to program split tone or custom frequencies. Midland makes great radios but they are also made to be as simple as possible. I recommend these to people that don’t want to learn anything about radios - just want them to work when they’re needed. For the rest of us, I recommend something else so you can make them work the way you want.

Yes - HT or walkie talkie. I like to purchase radios to see if they're worth recommending to family and friends. I've tried several of the Baofeng radios and they've all worked pretty well, for the price. I've seen a lot of buzz about the Retevis HTs and ordered one. I initially had the same issue as most folks were complaining about, where they were unable to change CTCSS codes from the front keypad on the unit. Without playing around too much, found a firmware update that seems to have changed the radio into a dual band ham radio. I was at least able to test it and it seems to be working fine, even in the GMRS range but now can program VHF and UHF frequencies. I'll be reaching out to Retevis this week to see if i loaded the wrong firmware. The Retevis software works ok. Can't download from the radio but can easily upload the config that is created. The radio itself, so far, seems to work about the same as any other low cost HT. TX and RX seems a tid bit better than Baofeng. I love the size of it, as it feels a lot bulkier than other HTs ive used. I noticed the antenna is removable but it's a male connector, unlike the Baofeng's. If you want a better one, make sure you do your research. Not sure if all my rambling helped your decision but let me know if you have any questions.

I recently picked up a Wouxun KG-805G and it’s works pretty well. It receives much better than any Baofeng I’ve tried, especially with a Nagoya 771G antenna. I’ve also used several Midland micro mobiles and they’re solid but the only one that can be programmed is the MXT-400 and there’s only 7 channel slots available for programming. I just received a Retevis RT76P yesterday but so far programming has been a much greater learning curve than other radios I’ve used. Hoping to do some testing tomorrow. Hope that gives you some help in your search. Best of luck!

There are a few threads on this site with MXT 400 software and programming. Try this... https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/1837-midland-gmrs-product-updates/?p=17118 I’ve used the software that’s available in that Dropbox and it works. Need a USB to 3.5 cable to program. This is the one I purchased... https://www.rtsystemsinc.com/USB-29A-Programming-Cable_p_748.html

Hello and welcome. I personally like to keep a few bubble pack radios on my bench for quick testing. That way I know that a new radio I purchased at least transmits and receives. Best of luck to you.

I second the Browning BR-450 (if for GMRS exclusively). I’m using on an NMO mount on my Jeep JK. Can hit a repeater 50 miles away, completely open air line of sight. It works. I trimmed it a tiny bit and it really did the job. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0043310ZO?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title