Midland GXT3000 Repeater Codes/Tones

[WSII940]

Hi gang! I'm super new to two way radios and GMRS, so please be kind...I'm trying to configure my Midland GXT3000 radio to connect to a repeater that has following requirements:

Receive Tone: DCS 053N

Transmit Tone: DCS 455N

1st question: Does "N" above likely mean "Narrow"?

The GXT3000 manual has a DCS PRIVACY CODE CHART which lists number 101 as code 455. But I don't see a number in the chart for code 053.

2nd question: Does "code" in the GXT3000 chart mean "tone" on the repeater?

3nd question: Can I configure the GXT3000 to receive using DCS 053 if that is not listed in the chart, or am I out of luck?

Thanks.

[OffRoaderX]

1. NO, it means Normal, as opposed to inverted which would be "i"
2. "code" and "tone" are the same thing, but you are probably looking in the CTCSS section.. Check the DTC/DCS section of the chart to find 053
3. It's on the chart (probably) but if not, you do not need it.. the RECEIVE tone is 100% optional, so forget about it for now. The TX (Transmit) tone is the only one you really need to care about

These are very nice, easy to use GMRS radios, although they are limited in what they can do (like most Midland radios), but having actually used them, I can confirm that they are good radios that perform 100% as well as any other GMRS radio.  And, just like all GMRS radios they are 100% compatible with all other GMRS radios, FRS radios, and even the Motorola XTL5000 radios in both of my Jeeps and my handheld Motorola XTS5000 radios.   Anyone here claiming otherwise has 1) never used or tested one, and 2) is just trying to get attention to make up for the attention that their mother never gave them... Those people should be ignored.

[WSII940]

@OffRoaderX, I appreciate the quick and detailed info. Ok, I won't bother with the RX DCS section and leave that in the Off setting.

[PRadio]

On 5/22/2025 at 8:29 PM, Socalgmrs said:

Might wanna get some good radios that dont have all that confusing limiting junk on them.  A radio that speaks the same language as other gmrs radios. 
 

yea yea que the guy that claims he is a queen  

You just have to be smarter than the radio. So you should definitely stay away from Midland. 

[WRZK526]

The code (tone) would be 413 and what you would input on the 3000 would be the 53 which is a privacy code for the midland. So RX would be DCS 53 and the TX would be DCS 101. Just got those and so far they work great. The N refers to narrow band instead of wide band W. I know this is an old post so I hope by now you already figured this out but thought I would post just in case someone else needed clarification.  

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, WRZK526 said:

The code (tone) would be 413 and what you would input on the 3000 would be the 53 which is a privacy code for the midland. So RX would be DCS 53 and the TX would be DCS 101. Just got those and so far they work great. The N refers to narrow band instead of wide band W. I know this is an old post so I hope by now you already figured this out but thought I would post just in case someone else needed clarification.  

Other places in radio N does mean “Narrow“ referring to bandwidth, but in the context of DCS, an “N” appended to a DCS code means “Normal”. You’ll also see the code alone “053”, which is the same as “053N”.

Sometimes you’ll see “053I”. When the suffix is an “I” the bits are inverted.

[WRZK526]

58 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Other places in radio N does mean “Narrow“ referring to bandwidth, but in the context of DCS, an “N” appended to a DCS code means “Normal”. You’ll also see the code alone “053”, which is the same as “053N”.

Sometimes you’ll see “053I”. When the suffix is an “I” the bits are inverted.

According the GXT3000 user manual the N stands for Narrow Band and the W stands for wide band. You can chose between the two and it is displayed on the screen. If the code says "053N" I would try switching it to Narrow band. Or you could try both to see what sounds better. 

[SteveShannon]

16 minutes ago, WRZK526 said:

According the GXT3000 user manual the N stands for Narrow Band and the W stands for wide band. You can chose between the two and it is displayed on the screen. If the code says "053N" I would try switching it to Narrow band. Or you could try both to see what sounds better. 

That’s a completely different context. The DCS code has nothing to do with bandwidth. The GXT3000 doesn’t appear to support inverse DCS codes anyway, but when you see a repeater listing here or on Repeaterbook you will sometimes see an I appended to the DCS code, meaning that the bits are inverted in the DCS code. That’s just a convention, even if not discussed in the manual for the GXT3000. 

[WRZK526]

3 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

That’s a completely different context. The DCS code has nothing to do with bandwidth. The GXT3000 doesn’t appear to support inverse DCS codes anyway, but when you see a repeater listing here or on Repeaterbook you will sometimes see an I appended to the DCS code, meaning that the bits are inverted in the DCS code. That’s just a convention, even if not discussed in the manual for the GXT3000. 

I was just assuming that repeater was transmitting in narrow band and as the GXT 3000 comes set at wide band it might be better to change it to narrow band. Again I would try both and see which sounds better. Most repeaters, it is my understanding, transmit wide band but some use narrow band. 

[nokones]

Not all repeater station owners operate their stations with wideband emissions. There are several repeater station owners that operate their stations with narrowband emissions. If a station has the capability to operate with narrowband emissions, it should not operate with wideband emissions. There is no real reason for a GMRS station to operate as a wideband station these days. Just because a wideband station sounds better than a narrowband station is not a legitimate reason to operate wideband. 

A station operating with narrowband emissions will get the job done just as well as a station operating with wideband emissions and be more efficient in regards to better spectrum management.

I operate my repeater station with narrowband emissions.

[WRUE951]

2 hours ago, nokones said:

Not all repeater station owners operate their stations with wideband emissions. There are several repeater station owners that operate their stations with narrowband emissions. If a station has the capability to operate with narrowband emissions, it should not operate with wideband emissions. There is no real reason for a GMRS station to operate as a wideband station these days. Just because a wideband station sounds better than a narrowband station is not a legitimate reason to operate wideband. 

A station operating with narrowband emissions will get the job done just as well as a station operating with wideband emissions and be more efficient in regards to better spectrum management.

I operate my repeater station with narrowband emissions.

I've tired both and defiantly bet better range in Wideband.   Also I get better recieve in Wideband.  Either way is legal, wideband is more versate

and compatable to the repeater users so that's where stick with my repeater.  

[SteveShannon]

36 minutes ago, WRUE951 said:

I've tired both and defiantly bet better range in Wideband.   Also I get better recieve in Wideband.  Either way is legal, wideband is more versate

and compatable to the repeater users so that's where stick with my repeater.  

You’re correct. For GMRS, 20 kHz (wideband) is authorized for the 462 and 467 MHz main channels.  Most radios will be set for that from the factory.

But I agree with Kenny, that for other repeaters, commercial or amateur, using the narrowest bandwidth is the neighborly thing to do.

[WRUE951]

4 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

You’re correct. For GMRS, 20 kHz (wideband) is authorized for the 462 and 467 MHz main channels.  Most radios will be set for that from the factory.

But I agree with Kenny, that for other repeaters, commercial or amateur, using the narrowest bandwidth is the neighborly thing to do.

somewhat agree where repeater and GMRS radio traffic is busy. here in my community, we have 3 repeaters spaced a channel apart.  Other radio traffic in the repeater bands are minimal and not much on FRS..  Most of the traffic on the GMRS band is on these three repeaters.   All operate WB  ,