Midland MXT400 Programming Cable

[wilbilt62]

Does anyone know where to find one?

Midland is out of stock and so is everyone else. My radio recently had an issue where it lost the split tone on a repeater I regularly use and It couldn't be fixed from the radio menu. I tried a couple of 3rd-party cables with no success. I even tried rewiring those cables and wasted a bunch of RJ-45 connectors with no joy.

I borrowed a Midland cable and fixed the issue in two minutes, but had to return the cable to its owner.

I have another 3rd-party cable on the way, but am not optimistic.

Ideas?

[Socalgmrs]

Sounds like a great time to get a good radio.  Sell the midland to some other sucker and buy a couple good radios that have aftermarket support. 

[wilbilt62]

23 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Sounds like a great time to get a good radio.  Sell the midland to some other sucker and buy a couple good radios that have aftermarket support. 

Any suggestions? This Midland has serious limitations.

[OffRoaderX]

21 minutes ago, wilbilt62 said:

Any suggestions? This Midland has serious limitations.

Ignore anyone trying to talk you into spending more money IF your current radio does what you want... and if you decide that you have grown weary of the limitations on your current radio, you will never actually get a helpful answer from that particular rheet-hard - he only knows how to type negative things and never anything that is actually helpful.  You may as well put him on your block-list like everyone else does.. that way you don't have to see his stupidity and overt-acts of utter social retardation until he makes a new account and starts over.. again.. with a different name..

So IF you have decided that you want a GMRS radio without all the limitations of your Midland, there are many manufacturers to choose from like Wouxun, BTech, Radioddity (and more) - but which one is "best" depends on what it is you are looking for/want/need, so let us know what is important to you/what you are looking for in a GMRS radio and we can make some suggestions ..

[wilbilt62]

1 minute ago, OffRoaderX said:

Ignore anyone trying to talk you into spending more money IF your current radio does what you want... and if you decide that you have grown weary of the limitations on your current radio, you will never actually get a helpful answer from that particular rheet-hard - he only knows how to type negative things and never anything that is actually helpful.  You may as well put him on your block-list like everyone else does.. that way you don't have to see his stupidity and overt-acts of utter social retardation until he makes a new account and starts over.. again.. with a different name..

So IF you have decided that you want a GMRS radio without all the limitations of your Midland, there are many to choose from from Wouxun, BTech, Radioddity and more - but which one is "best" depends on what it is you are looking for/want/need, so let us know what is important to you/what you are looking for in a GMRS radio and we can make some suggestions ..

Thanks. And I am your favorite subscriber, because you told me so LOL.

This Midland has been very reliable for 4 or 5 years now, but is limited to only the 4 repeater pairs, without the ability to add any additional repeaters. Also, it cannot receive vhf frequencies to be able to be used as a public safety scanner. The inability to set split tones from the radio is also a liability, especially since this radio (and apparently, the programing cable) have been discontinued by Midland. I have no idea why the radio suddenly lost the split tone. I hadn't changed anything.

I have a Radioditty (can't spell that) DB25G in my car and it also has quirks. Such as the tendency to drop the receive in the middle of a transmission and add a long, loud squelch tail, even though the "Squelch Tail Eliminator" is turned on.

I have been looking at the Wouxun KG100G, but have some concerns as I have a Wouxun KG805G HT that lost the ability to retain the programming whenever it is turned off. I contacted BTWR.com and they said it sounds like the chip that retains the programming has gone bad. Unfortunately, out of warranty.

So...I don't know. I need to have reliable base communication and the ability to add multiple repeaters on the same frequency since I live in Nowhere, Nor Cal. VHF scanning capability would be a plus as well. I do have battery backup and a decent generator. Landline, internet and cell service pretty much suck here. NOAA weather radio is pretty much useless, as there is virtually no reception from any of the "local" NOAA stations here.

 

[SteveShannon]

3 minutes ago, wilbilt62 said:

I have been looking at the Wouxun KG100G, but have some concerns as I have a Wouxun KG805G HT that lost the ability to retain the programming whenever it is turned off. I contacted BTWR.com and they said it sounds like the chip that retains the programming has gone bad. Unfortunately, out of warranty.

I’m the worst at thread-creep, but this sounds more like the battery or capacitor than a chip failure.  In a computer it would be like the battery for the real time clock.

[wilbilt62]

1 minute ago, SteveShannon said:

I’m the worst at thread-creep, but this sounds more like the battery or capacitor than a chip failure.  In a computer it would be like the battery for the real time clock.

Thanks, but I replaced the battery with no success. It will sometimes retain the programming for a few minutes or an hour when turned off, but will eventually revert to the factory program with Chinese voice prompts. Displays only CH01, CH02, CH03, etc. All repeater and other programming is lost. I was just keeping it turned on in the charging stand when not in use, but it became a hassle and I finally just put it back in the box.

This is why I hesitate on buying another Wouxun.

[OffRoaderX]

9 minutes ago, wilbilt62 said:

This is why I hesitate on buying another Wouxun.

Overall, on average, usually, most of the time, statistically, Wouxun makes the best quality radios (that's why they cost more) - but no matter what brand you buy (of anything, not just radios), you always risk getting a dud.   Might I suggest the Wouxun XS20G - i think it does everything you want, its small and costs less than the 1000g+ ... that said, I know of hundreds, if not thousands of people with 1000G radios that are very happy with them. 

[WRYZ926]

I have two KG-1000G radios along with one KG-XS20G. I have not had any issues with all three radios.

The XS20G is a very nice 20 watt radio and easy to program through the radio or with a computer. Actual output power ranges from 18 watts to 25 watts. It also has the same screen and menu setup as the KG-935G hand held radio.

The plus of the KG-1000G is that it is 50 watts and has a removable faceplate. That makes it nice when space is limited like in most new vehicles. It costs close to the same as the Midland MTX500 and MTX575. I have used all three and prefer the KG-1000G.

A lot of people are happy with the Radioddity DB-20G. SO that is another option for you. 

[SteveShannon]

45 minutes ago, wilbilt62 said:

Thanks, but I replaced the battery with no success. It will sometimes retain the programming for a few minutes or an hour when turned off, but will eventually revert to the factory program with Chinese voice prompts. Displays only CH01, CH02, CH03, etc. All repeater and other programming is lost. I was just keeping it turned on in the charging stand when not in use, but it became a hassle and I finally just put it back in the box.

This is why I hesitate on buying another Wouxun.

Not the radio battery but perhaps a small battery or super cap installed on the pc board whose only purpose is to support the chip that stores settings. 
But I agree; the failure you’re talking about would destroy your confidence in Wouxun. 

[wilbilt62]

28 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Not the radio battery but perhaps a small battery or super cap installed on the pc board whose only purpose is to support the chip that stores settings. 
But I agree; the failure you’re talking about would destroy your confidence in Wouxun. 

It is an HT, I doubt there are components in there that I could service with my 62-year-old eyes. Recent capacitor replacements on much larger devices required enhanced illumination and magnification (for me). 

[wilbilt62]

1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said:

Overall, on average, usually, most of the time, statistically, Wouxun makes the best quality radios (that's why they cost more) - but no matter what brand you buy (of anything, not just radios), you always risk getting a dud.   Might I suggest the Wouxun XS20G - i think it does everything you want, its small and costs less than the 1000g+ ... that said, I know of hundreds, if not thousands of people with 1000G radios that are very happy with them. 

LOL. I catch your drift. I may give them another try.

[wilbilt62]

A quick update...the 3rd-party cable I had ordered nearly a month ago finally arrived about 30 minutes ago. It was listed as a cable for the AnyTone AT-5888UV & AT-778UV radios. I ordered it because the photo of the pinout on the RJ-45 jack looked the same as the Midland cable I had borrowed.

And it works! I can read from and write to the radio. It was $11 on Amazon. Now I can fix my radio if it loses the split tones again.

However, I will still be looking to replace this radio.