NEW Midland MXT275 Wideband?

[Screech]

I should have my MXT275 back on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to testing with it.

I also received information on how to determine if your radio is using wide band on the repeater channels. 

When you do a factory reset on the MXT275 with USB-C, it will show the version of the mic (Ux) and the base (Rx). Base version R8 has narrow band and base version R9 has wide band, again only on the repeater channels.

I also learned that the MXT115 with USB-C can support wide band on the repeater channels. This radio only shows a Ux number and U2 version does wide band.

[Screech]

I got my updated MXT275 back Wednesday and got it set back up. I've been using it a few days on the local repeater now and so far, I've not heard any complaints about my audio being quiet anymore. I would say it works at this time.

[WRQW247]

First off...thank you to add who have commented/added to this thread.  Similar to WROZ437, I am new to the GMRS world and seeking an education before purchasing a GMRS radio.  Lessons learned:

• WB and NB programmable capability are desired (although 'm not sure what each mode represents and the effects).
• Don't buy the "275" model, as it is limited in features and programmable abilities
• The -1000G" unit appears to be well liked / well reviewed.

May someone explain to me what the references to Part 95e represents?

Are there any good quality USA made GMRS radios available?

thank you to all for your time.  

VR,  DG

[MichaelLAX]

Which style radio are you interested in?

Handheld

Mobile

Home

[WRQW247]

mobile radio

[wayoverthere]

1 hour ago, WRQW247 said:

May someone explain to me what the references to Part 95e represents?

95e refers to the portion of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that covers GMRS, which is itself a subsection of the Personal Radio Services (which also include FRS, MURS, CB, and a few other things).

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E

on the MXT275, it definitely has its limitations.  With that in mind, for some, the features it offers are sufficient and for them it's not a bad choice.  If simplex will be the primary use, or if you're planning to set up a repeater, it may not be a bad choice.  If programmability is a big need, other options would be a better fit. For some, they're willing to put up with the limitations for the mounting convenience the 275 offers with the controls on the mic, allowing the main body to hide under a seat, behind the dashboard, etc.

The Wide/Narrowband thing refers to how much spectrum your signal occupies, 25kHz vs 12.5kHz.  It's not so much a matter one being better or worse, it's more about mismatches between equipment causing poor signal quality, and most equipment other than Midland is wideband by default.  A lot of repeaters are set up for Wideband, and a narrowband signal sounds much quieter as a result.  Equally, sound quality from a wideband radio into a Narrowband repeater is going to suffer as the signal blows past the limits the repeater is listening for.

[BoxCar]

4 hours ago, WRQW247 said:

First off...thank you to add who have commented/added to this thread.  Similar to WROZ437, I am new to the GMRS world and seeking an education before purchasing a GMRS radio.  Lessons learned:

• WB and NB programmable capability are desired (although 'm not sure what each mode represents and the effects).
• Don't buy the "275" model, as it is limited in features and programmable abilities
• The -1000G" unit appears to be well liked / well reviewed.

May someone explain to me what the references to Part 95e represents?

Are there any good quality USA made GMRS radios available?

thank you to all for your time.  

VR,  DG

As you stated in a later post your planned use is mobile and that brings up another set of questions. GMRS isn't like CB where there are a lot of units in use along the highways so don't expect help with traffic congestion or directions. People on GMRS seem to primarily use the radios for communication between family members and close neighbors. The use of GMRS is shifting to where more units are installed in vehicles but it's going to be several years before GMRS begins to challenge CB for car-to-car conversations and assistance. With that in mind, you also need to look at what you want to accomplish with a radio. If it's finding people to chat with, then your better choice would be to get an amateur license at this time. An amateur Technician license gives you access to two frequency bands, VHF and UHF. GMRS is UHF. As amateur radio has been around for over 100 years there are thousands of repeaters available all around the nation and even millions around the world. People on amateur radio are those that like nothing better than talking to others also known as rag chewing.

Entry level VHF/UHF radios are in the same price range as some of the better GMRS radios. I started with a little 25W unit that was around $125. An antenna and mount set me back another $50 or so and a power supply to use it in the house was another $30. That's about the same price you are going to put into your radio station but limited to the GMRS/FRS frequencies. Yes, the requirements for an amateur license are greater but nothing onerous. The Technician level license for V/UHF takes about 40 hours of study and passing a 35-question test on some basic radio knowledge and the rules. The biggest difference in the licenses is an amateur license is for the individual only where your GMRS license covers your entire family. The biggest difference in making contacts is I'm not limited to just those in an area around me. With my ham transmitter I lack only contacts in Africa from working all continents. I can still talk on the GMRS/FRS frequencies using my GMRS transmitter as I'm licensed in both services.

But to get back to your questions, if you are going to have the unit in just a vehicle, a 25W radio will meet all your needs. These can be powered from the cigarette lighter socket so just add a magnetic mount antenna and you are set. While not according to the rules, you can use some dual band radios for both amateur and FRS/GMRS communications. That's not a recommendation to do that, but just letting you know it is possible with some radios. Adding an external power supply, you can bring your radio inside and make contact using an external antenna. You can also upgrade to a higher power radio going up to the 50W limit.

I would stick with an analog or FM only radio unless you go into the amateur ranks where you may want to try a digital radio and connect to others through the Internet. There is a freeware software package called Chirp that can program any frequencies you need into a great many radios but Midland isn't a brand that's covered. You can see the large number of different radios at Home - CHIRP (danplanet.com). Chirp is an easy to use program and there are other sites that have tutorials on using the software as well. As far as brands go, four that would meet your needs are Alinco, BaoFeng (and BTECH), TYT and Wouxun. There are a great many others, but these 4 offer a wide variety and are generally reliable performers.

[WRUM511]

Got this response from Midland today. 

[MichaelLAX]

11 minutes ago, WRUM511 said:

Strangely they still do not allow Wideband on Cannels 1-7?!?

[WRUM511]

57 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:

Strangely they still do not allow Wideband on Cannels 1-7?!?

Seems like that is the case. 

[wayoverthere]

2 minutes ago, WRUM511 said:

Seems like that is the case. 

According to that email, they're not allowing wideband on ANY of the simplex channels, only the repeater channels...so 15-22 simplex will all be narrow, while 15r-22r will be wide.

[MichaelLAX]

That is SO Midland! AND $165, too!

Tough to compare to the $99-$109 Radioddity DB20-G a/k/a AnyTone AT-779UV, 18 Watts, cigarette lighter plug, and with ease of GMRS use right out of the box, including Wideband FM:

 

[gortex2]

99% of the users on simplex are narrowband. Its a simple fact. Every FRS radio is narrowband. Why would midland change it when every other radio is narrow. I guess Im wrong by running my repeaters in narrowband then huh ? 

[MichaelLAX]

19 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

99% of the users on simplex are narrowband. Its a simple fact. 

Thank goodness it is not a complicated fact! 

 

19 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

Every FRS radio is narrowband. Why would midland change it when every other radio is narrow. I guess Im wrong by running my repeaters in narrowband then huh ? 

WoW: Using FRS HTs for Repeaters:

Modifying the Pofung BF-T11 FRS HT to work on Repeaters

[WSAE637]

Double post, please delete this one.

[WSAE637]

I just recently purchased an MXT275 USB-C model from Amazon. Is there a way to tell if the one I get is narrow or wide band without any kind of special equipment? Sorry for posting on an older thread but thank you for any information.

[WRWE456]

From two minuets of searching it appears that it is narrow band only.

[gortex2]

If its at least R9 version it should be wideband on repeater channels. 

[WRQJ559]

I purchased my MXT275 in May 2022 and it had the latest version of the firmware which is wideband capable on the repeater channels. You can find out what version you have by resetting the radio and watching the version pop up on the display. The latest is R9 for wideband support. This applies to the usb-c models only.

[WRWE456]

This is what I found: https://www.buytwowayradios.com/midland-mxt275.html

Says under the Features list "Narrow Channel Bandwidth". Even one of the reviewers said it was narrow band only and that it can not be changed.

That is the only one listed so don't know if there are more than one version available. I would think they would carry the latest one.

The only one I saw that could be changed with software is the MXT400.

[WRWE456]

31 minutes ago, WRQJ559 said:

I purchased my MXT275 in May 2022 and it had the latest version of the firmware which is wideband capable on the repeater channels. You can find out what version you have by resetting the radio and watching the version pop up on the display. The latest is R9 for wide band support. This applies to the usb-c models only.

Just for the heck of it I looked at Midland's website listing of the MXT275 and there is no mention of wide band capability anywhere. No mention in the specs or the manual. You would think they would tout that as an upgrade or feature in the latest version. Because radio dorks like to know this stuff. Maybe Midland is not targeting radio dorks?

[WRQJ559]

Just for the heck of it I looked at Midland's website listing of the MXT275 and there is no mention of wide band capability anywhere. No mention in the specs or the manual. You would think they would tout that as an upgrade or feature in the latest version. Because radio dorks like to know this stuff. Maybe Midland is not targeting radio dorks?

I think you're exactly right. Midland's primary customers are not those who care to know this level of detail. They are overlanders and off-roaders looking for an easy to use radio that you don't have to program, is largely plug-and-play and just works.

The customizable feature rich Chicom products are for us basement dwelling nerds that use chirp.