Equipment choice

[kvp]

Hello all,

Newbie here.

What are your opinions of these:

Wouxun KG-1000G

Midland MXT500

Midland MXT400

or should I be looking at something else?

Thanks, KVP

[OffRoaderX]

I own/have used all of these..

The short answer is - all of them can transmit the same number of fars, but:

The Midlands are 'simple' and great if you just want a radio in your vehicle (or as a base) to talk to other GMRS radios - Both the 400 and 500 can do wideband - but to enable wideband on the 400 you need a computer, cable, and the software.  On the 500 you can do it very easily on the radio - (FYI- you DO want wideband on a GMRS radio).. They are also (very) limited in how many repeaters you can program them for, and (iirc) they cannot monitor/listen to any non-GMRS frequencies except maybe NOAA channels.. All these limitations make for VERY simple, VERY easy to use radios.  The Midlands also come with everything you need to get up and running, right in the box (antenna & "coax"). The antenna and coax arent the best, but, they do work surprisingly well, and work plenty good enough for someone that needs a simple "just want to talk in the car" type radio - so be wary of those telling you "it's junk" or "costs way to much" -Obviously this type of radio is not intended for them and they can't comprehend the value of "simple".

The KG-1000G is wide-band out of the box, and is a much more complicated radio.  its great if you want to use a lot of repeaters, scan non-GMRS frequencies, etc -  the KG-1000G 'does more', but, its more complicated to learn/use.. Not "difficult", but, more.  The KG1000G is also a "superheterodyne" radio, which means the guts are a bit better quality than the Midlands - they may receive a bit better and may ignore off-frequency noise a bit better.   With the KG1000G You will also need to purchase an antenna and coax.  Be wary of those telling you "its just cheap chinese junk!!" - When they tell you that, ask them for the data that supports their opinion, and then ask them which "not made in China, non-junk FCC Part 95e GMRS radio" they recommend instead.

[TOM47]

1 hour ago, kvp said:

Hello all,

Newbie here.

What are your opinions of these:

Wouxun KG-1000G

Midland MXT500

Midland MXT400

or should I be looking at something else?

Thanks, KVP

FOR MOBILE ,IN WHAT VEHICLE, OR AS A BASE?

[BoxCar]

OffroaderX has detailed the differences between the radios so he choice is yours. Personally, I would not use the Midlands as GMRS sparked me going into ham radio and my GMRS radio gave me the ability to explore what was available locally on the ham VHF and UHF channels. If you think there is the possibility you would want to go farther, then the choice is pretty clear. The limitations of the Midland radios will also come forward if you plan on doing some traveling.

[kvp]

Thanks guys, this would be mobile Ram 3500

[gortex2]

Depends on what you want. If you plan is basic GMRS and GMRS only with no other stuff go midland. Simple and basic. If you plan to get into HAM or other stuff there are other radios to look at. My 70 year old father likes the midland cause its simple. 

[wayoverthere]

14 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

Depends on what you want. If you plan is basic GMRS and GMRS only with no other stuff go midland. Simple and basic. If you plan to get into HAM or other stuff there are other radios to look at. My 70 year old father likes the midland cause its simple. 

Agreed...Midland is a fine choice for primarily simplex use, or one repeater per channel, and generally staying in the same area. More than one on the same channel with different tones, or the ability to receive more channels beyond the basic gmrs, Midland gets a little limiting.

Likewise, the btech gmrs 50x1 (not mentioned) has more receive options, but no more transmit than what it ships with. Wouxun has the most features and abilities, but priced accordingly. Wouxun also has the remote head (display/controls), which is helpful with flexibility in mounting (put the body under a seat, display up in view).

For the flexibility and features it offers, wouxun would likely be my pick of the 3.

[TOM47]

5 hours ago, kvp said:

Thanks guys, this would be mobile Ram 3500

WOUXUN KG-1000G GO WITH THE BEST!

[WRZR354]

I have a mxt500 in my sxs.  And i bought a wouxun kg 935g plus  i cant seem to get them to work together. Im new at this and i just can’t figure it out.   Any advice?

[dosw]

47 minutes ago, WRZR354 said:

I have a mxt500 in my sxs.  And i bought a wouxun kg 935g plus  i cant seem to get them to work together. Im new at this and i just can’t figure it out.   Any advice?

Set them both to the same channel, first. Next, disable PL tones or DCS tones on both, so that they're both transmitting without squelch tones, and both receiving without squelch tones. Make sure you're not set to a repeater profile or repeater channel. The very first step is to get them talking directly to each other with no squelch tones, simplex.

 

After you've done that, you should be able to begin layering in additional complexity; on a simplex channel set a squelch tone. Be aware that the KG935G+ and the MXT500 have different ways of setting tones. The MXT500 uses code numbers to represent the tones, whereas the other radio probably uses the actual tone frequency. So you'll have to look up in the MXT500 manual how to crossreference the correct code to represent that tone.

 

Of course, all of this should be done in relatively close proximity to each other. Later on when you work repeaters, youi'll need to have the radios separated far enough that they don't deafen each other.

[nokones]

The Midland MXT400 has been discontinued and only has a capacity of 30 channels. The MXT400 programming software will not work on a Windows 11 PC.

The Midland MXT500 radio has a channel capacity of 128 channels now. It is a very simple radio with very few features.  The programming software is compatible with Windows 11.

The Wouxun KG1000G Plus has several features that you probably would not use and some marketing gimmick overrated features that you will never see on other radios including professional radios. This radio has a channel capacity of 1,000 channels. The programming software for this radio is not complicated to use and is compatible with Windows 11.

The performance between the MXT500 and the KG1000G Plus insofar as Farz and reception is essentially the same or at least you won't be able to tell the difference.

[Socalgmrs]

You’re starting to see why soo many people that started with midland toss them in the trash or sell them used on eBay to some other poor sucker.   They tend to not play nice with other radios or repeaters.  You can get 2xs the radio for 1/2 the money. 

[nokones]

I have to say, I don't use my Midland radio in any of my vehicles however, I didn't throw it away. It is still a great radio for just transmit and receive especially for a trail comm radio. I do make it available for my fellow mobile radioless Jeep Trail friends so they don't have to use their bubblepack Walmart special FRS radio that barely will transmit no further than two Jeeps away.

Although, for a simple radio that does not have many features, the price is a bit more than it should be as compared to the cheap Chinese radios. But I feel the Midland will probably last longer than the CCRs.

[WRWE456]

The Midlands are also CCR's.

[WRDJ205]

On 3/14/2022 at 9:02 PM, kvp said:

should I be looking at something else?

There are other intermediate options as suggested, the BTech, or the 20W Wouxun (direction that I took since the 1000 was sold out at the time).  

[nokones]

2 hours ago, WRWE456 said:

The Midlands are also CCR's.

No, they are not. They are owned by a British Investment Group and unfortunately they are made in China and they are by no means cheap.

[OffRoaderX]

2 hours ago, WRWE456 said:

The Midlands are also CCR's.

Jeezus.. So wrong, yet with so much confidence..

[OffRoaderX]

7 minutes ago, nokones said:

They are owned by a British Investment Group

AND based in 'Murica!

[nokones]

6 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

AND based in 'Murica!

Right in Kansas City, MO

[WRWE456]

LOL! I guess we need to define just what a CCR is. Midland and Wouxun are both made in China MXT-500 and KG-1000G are about the same price. And if the Midland is not "cheap" then neither is the Wouxun. So neither is a CCR? Is it where the company is based that matters?

[WRDJ205]

12 hours ago, WRWE456 said:

Midlands are also CCR's

John Fogerty approved…?