H8SPVMT

Cobra 75WXST for the 2015 Hard Rock for the last 6 years. It worked better than I thought it would. Midland 400 MXT with a 6DB antenna for a year now. Was really worried it wasn't working at all until I finally heard and spoke to a repeater 30 miles away. Mounted it over the tray on the center of the dash next to my handheld GPSr on a small piece of oak. Antenna is mounted just forward of the A frame on the driver side fender/hood. Trail rides and friends around town.

I use mine. I agreed with the regulations and said I would follow them....

Did Midland finally get you squared away with a new MXT275? I understand Midland may never divulge the issue but, did the new radio solve the problem?

Usually open to all with a callsign and proper use. CTCSS code 141.3

Unless you have a group of friends or people that have licenses and radios GMRS is pretty much useless compared to the CB. FRS/GMRS isn't the Chatty crowd of people I have found.

One owner of a repeater has spoken to me plenty of times. Several owners have responded to my request via email.

Chatting with just anyone isn't what GMRS is for. I too have the MXT 400 for a mobile and am only using it on trail rides with the Jeep. I have befriended a person that owns two repeaters 30 mile from me and I can chat with him and help him when justing his gear. Other than that I turn mine on when driving and set it to, SCAN. These were meant for family and business comms pretty much. Overlanders and folks off road use them too but it seems, not like CB radios . I forgot to add that you can get on this site and listen to the chatter on the linked towers but for the most part I find it boring...

With so little use in my area I keep mine in SCAN as well. Hear some chitchat on the lower channels and business (hotels and retail stores) talk on the upper channels. I keep the squelch at level 1.

My sincere apologies ! I saw Brevard an thought North Carolina. You are in Florida and I was too quick to reply...

RMPOA 550 Transylvania County, NC Is nearby but Mr. Poole has the mountains behind him so most of his signal goes to Cashiers and Horse Pasture area. Check him out friendly fellow I thought. It certainly would have been a pleasure having a repeater in the area for wheeling in the woods about and around there. We frequent Brevard, Cashiers, Gorges State Park etc. Mr. Poole was attempting to get stabilized with his repeater while we were there last year. I could hear his unit by was never able to hit it.

WELCOME and there might be something you can help with too as a former Army radioman and HAM operator. Thank you for standing the watch as well!

The plug/connector for for my 400 has a very stiff rubber seal that I have to ensure I push it into the radio harder than I care to.I suppose that helps to form a seal (some what). Might want to check that the connector is all the way into port. After completing the reset ensure you have reset the PL code (if being used) for the channel you are using. - Press and release the Menu button to a place the radio in “Menu” mode. - Use the Volume Up or Volume Down button to scroll through the menu options until the LCD display shows Pt, then press the Lock button. - Use the Volume Up or Volume Down button to select the privacy tone type you would like to use: oF, Ct, or dC - Press the Lock button to confirm your selection. The (for CTCSS) or (for DCS) icon will show on the LCDdisplay, according to your selectionNote: The (for CTCSS) or (for DCS) icon will show on the LCD display, according to your selection - Use the Volume Up or Volume Down button to scroll forward or backward through the available Privacy Codes until the desired Privacy Code is shown on the LCD display. NOTE: DCS Privacy Codes 100-104 are shown on the LCD display as A0-A4. NOTE: Selecting a Privacy Code of “oF” will disable the Privacy feature. edited

Look in the Owners Manual. Try resetting the unit back to its original setting. - Be sure the radio is turned off (see Power On/Off). - Press and hold the PTT and the Weather button simultaneously.. - With the buttons still held, turn on the radio. ▪ All user settings will be cleared, returning the radio to all default settings Just a hunch - if you are using an external speaker ensure it is plugged in all the way.

Why doesn't cell phones fall under the same scheme? People using FRS aren't required to be licensed so it is a crap shoot if anyone sees the notice. Legalize by FCC I say.

Please, if you don't mind, how do you skip channels on the MXT400? I only understand that I can set a channel to monitor, then scan all the others. I have very a limited use of FRS/GMRS in my area at all. My radio is mounted in the Jeep so it is mobile and not a base station.

I'm new here too. Trying to learn what I can. I own a Midland MXT400 but don't understand the term you're using in, "Skip channels." I'm thinkings you want to just listen to two/scan two or more, channels and not cycle thru all the avaliable channels?

Well I'm a newbie too and really don't know the true full answer to that but: for the repeater usage I think you'll need more than 5 watts of power that a Handheld might put out. I don't know of any stores per say that sell the mobile units with 15 or more watts so I purchased mine online from Midway.

Well you're part right and there are many like you in the box. I for one, have only had any lenghtly (1 Hr) conversation with a repeater operator that I befriended over time. I spent a couple days talking to close friends on an off-road trail in NC/SC. We used CB's to speak with other Jeepers on the trail. I purchased the MTX 400 for Jeep Jamborees in the future as they (JeepJamboreUSA) have made it mandatory for all events. Trying to get used to the quirks and there are some not addressed in the Owners Manual. But you are correct, there has been absolutely no one to return a radio check or signal report in the greater Charleston, SC area either. What I have heard on the channels mostly is kids playing. I put mine on scan everywhere I go. On long trips, I might hear two vehicles chatting or, sometime lthe ocal business folks. Most of the time it is dead unless the people you need to talk with have their radio on and listening for your TX. I liken it to the FRS thing. Families mostly want this for the day on the beach or our on a strollin hte park with the kids. I hear a lot of talk on the CB's still and run with it on (out on the road) as well. Yea, the nut cases are still there too. I can't imagine a lifetime on a radio repeating, Aaauuuddiiiooo...Audio.. :-) .

I like many new GMRS owners see repeaters as a grand "scheme to get extra range for free for little effort." Then it hit me after talking with a repeater owner that I should, no could place me a repeater right here (my home location) where one is badly needed as there are none! It seemed a grand idea, at first. Then the research began. Not far mind you, just statewide as to what was currently available and in use. We have sole owners (individuals) providing family & HOAs service to multi-complex memberships with linked systems and much in-between. But it struck me, it is all privately owned, just like my home & property. I get exclusive use to my property as long as I pay the local, state and federal taxes. I get to incur the maintenance cost and pay for improvements too. Like many, I hate cheap knockoffs so I'd want the best equipment, best location and highest height/range for me and my users. It would just me providing this service and realize it would be providing all the assets, time invested in setup, running and maintenance. This brings me back to my property statement. By law my property is private. You are by law required to get my permission to use it, afterall you might get injured using it and want to sue me so, I get the distinct previleage of providing the insurance too. Cut to the chase: A repeater is no less persons effort to provide a service that he while providing all those things might get sued for too. It is not that had to ask for permission, especially in a polite society... Isn't that what we all strive to be? No, at my age, I will not be setting up a repeater. I haven't seen enough pleasure in the GMRS/FRS environment ( like was in CB days of ole) to endure the hassle and cost.

Like an automobile, it should be provided with an Owners Manual that will describle what each function of the device does. SHOULD BE WRITTEN in a form about a 9-10 grade education as well. Calibration is subject to a lot of what if(s) as well and I saw that in our military equipment. If you could say three meters that all read the exact same on a piece of equipment, then maybe, just maybe... Then you get into the value of reading the meter without any explanation of what is should indicate for good or bad...

Well, I am happy they solved that issue. I am thinking there should some "indicator" on the screen when in the Talk-around mode, I'll have to check that out on mine. Oh, I see there is no special indicator for, "Talk Around Mode." Edited to add: This can be a real issue for new users if they aren't careful during the intial setup of the unit. TX & TALK modes (features) are right next to one another while scrolling thru the MENU. If you select the repeater mode of course the rP displays making one think they are ready to talk to repeaters. Changing the Talk function to ON then keeps you from being able to communicate with any repeaters as you're set up now to talk around them. I believe Midland needs address this in the Owners Manual (with an explanation that you CAN"T communicate with repeaters with the TALK set to "ON"). Or add a symbole to the screen indicating when the Talk Around mode is set to ON.

Thanks, I have seen them advertised but maybe they are just referring to the display.

Is the MXT400 a digital radio? I seem to remember it is. Curious, same reading if you remove the Squelch Tone? As a newbie I don't think that is a real issue but I would want to know, if it was mine. I don't know what the SWR meter shows (does it automatically switch) when the radio is at a normal cycle of listening but I am assuming the radio is in that mode as there is no BUSY indicator or TX bars showing in the picture. Can the SWR reflect the two different frequencies as the PTT is operated? Does it come to rest on the last frequency used? hummm...