Midland Warranty Service - MXT400

[marcspaz]

As some of you are aware, the Midland MXT400 radio is not a "great" performer on simplex and has some compatibility issues with legacy radios, as it is not wide-band capable on the frequencies approved for wide-band.  With this modest downfall, in my opinion, the second generation radio is still a really nice performer.  I have had conversations with people on repeaters 50 miles away from me while mobile (Bunker Hill Rd & Rt 51, Gerradstown, WV to Warrenton VA).

 

I own three MXT400 radios and one of them developed an overheating problem.  After using the radio for 15-20 minutes on high power, at a 30% duty-cycle, the radio would overheat and cause the modulation circuit to fail.

 

I called Midland customer service at the number listed in the manual.  I spoke to one person, explained the issue, and had an apology and a new radio in route to my house in just 5 minutes.  The replacement radio arrived in just 3 days.  The new radio is rock solid.

 

I wanted to take a minute to share my experience.  While myself and others have expressed being less than thrilled with the radio's performance compared to other legacy models, I think it is important to let people know that the radio is actually really good for what it is and that I had a very positive experience with Midland customer service.  When it is time to make a decision about what you want to buy, I think it is important to be aware of the bad and the good.

 

Hope this info is helpful to someone.

 

Thanks,

Spaz

[PastorGary]

Thanks for your feedback.  With all the threads and posts being dedicated to Midland issues and failures in recent months, the recommendation still stands -

 

"Buyer Beware"

 

Do your homework before you purchase anything and review the threads here at the forum regarding specific brands and models.
 

[marcspaz]

If I can follow-up on that...  Agreed.  I was not impressed when I first purchased these radios.  There are some better/more reliable radios available.  "If" you do buy one, I recommend going directly to Midland to be sure you get the most recent revision.  Based on what I have been reading, the Gen 1 radios seem to be the predominant subject of complaint. 

 

If ordering online, there is no way of knowing what generation you are getting, unless you buy direct from Midland.  From what I have seen so far, the only way you can look at the radio and tell what revision you have (besides for calling Midland and asking about the serial number) is by the mic.  All gen 1 radios have a really cheap platic mic with a hook loop instead of a button hanger.

All 3 of mine were purchased from Amazon vendors. The 2 that had no issues are Gen 2. The one that broke was a gen 1. Even the person who works at Midland admitted that the gen 1 radios are issue prone.

[Topcritter]

I was considering purchasing the Midland Mxt400 or the Midland MXT275 but I've been reading in some of the threads that they have issues with wideband vs narrowband transmitting or receiving on repeaters, which is my primary mode of use. Are these issues dealbreakers or just a nuisance. Should I consider another brand and if so, which ones?

 

thanks for your consideration,

Topcritter

WRED286

[marcspaz]

I was considering purchasing the Midland Mxt400 or the Midland MXT275 but I've been reading in some of the threads that they have issues with wideband vs narrowband transmitting or receiving on repeaters, which is my primary mode of use. Are these issues dealbreakers or just a nuisance. Should I consider another brand and if so, which ones?

 

thanks for your consideration,

Topcritter

WRED286

 

I love my Midland radios.  I have been very happy with them.  That said, there was issues with the Gen 1 MXT400's that had nothing to do with being narrow band.  There was a problem with their repeater mode in general, as well as some overheating issues.  Those issue are resolved with the Gen 2 radio.  I also used a MXT275 on a repeater for the first time, tonight.  It worked very well.

 

When it comes to wide band vs. narrow band, the most noticible differences are the audio level and the signal to noise ratio.  The narrow band signal is half of what the repeater receive is expecting to hear.  Because you are only going to fill half the band width, your volume will be a little low and the noise level will be a bit higher... thought its not noticeable until your signal (generally speaking) is weak into the repeater input.

 

I regularly talk on repeaters ranging from 20 miles to 50 miles away from me and I have many operators tell me they are shocked my radio sounds so good from those distances.  I definitely would not disqualify the MXT400 or MXT275 because they are only narrow band.

 

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I think there are only 2 major brands currently making new FCC Part 95 compliant GMRS mobile radios.  Midland and BTech (AKA Baofeng, Pofung, QYT, Luiton, etc. All the same radio.)  After messing around with several BTech and Baofeng Ham and GMRS radios, I'll take the Midland all day long, every day of the week.

 

Are some better performing radios out there?  Sure, but it requires buying a Part 90 device and re-purposing it for GMRS (which is perfectly legal and pretty smart).  Many people who are buying used Part 90 devices are having great success with them.  There are some good radios out there... but I'll leave those recommendations to the folks who own them.

[Topcritter]

Thank you so very much for your response. That was some very good info. Sounds like that's what I'll go with.

 

Topcritter

Wred286

have a great day!

[Darrell]

I also had good results with a blister pack of

GXT 1000. They tried to fix on line but after only 10 minutes told me new ones were on the way.