WRYZ926 Posted Friday at 04:10 PM Report Posted Friday at 04:10 PM I've went round and round with Siri and whenever I have called her a dirty name, she just laughs at me and really messes up what I have types. Siri is pure evil. The issue I had with the MXT500 I owned was that it had low power even set to high. And I don't care for how the Midland radios with everything in the hand mic cannot be programmed using a computer. That is more of a personal preference for me since they are pretty easy to program through the radio itself. Midland radios are fine for those that want a simple radio that works right out of the box and they don't want/need all of the bells and whistles. I'll stick with Wouxun radios for Part 95 certified radios as they have all worked well for me. PS: I double checked everything to make sure Siri did not change anything before hitting the reply button. SteveShannon 1 Quote
WRYS709 Posted Friday at 07:22 PM Report Posted Friday at 07:22 PM Negative experiences with Midland Radios seems to be a popular tooic on this Forum; and they are so expensive, too! They seem popular with the “Jeep Crowd” here! Quote
wayoverthere Posted Friday at 07:37 PM Report Posted Friday at 07:37 PM 8 minutes ago, WRYS709 said: Negative experiences with Midland Radios seems to be a popular tooic on this Forum; and they are so expensive, too! They seem popular with the “Jeep Crowd” here! They market to the Jeep crowd, including via event sponsorship. Excluding some quality issues with a couple of the recently introduced models, it seems like more of the complaints boil down to the limitations of the radios than something actually being "wrong" with the radios. Some of this may be attributable to their marketing, or just unmet expectations. Midland has their marketing down pat, and they do the simple "plug in and go" pretty well, and while they've improved on it with some recent models, they're still somewhat limited feature wise, especially for the price point....if they work for you as they are (and you're okay with the price), they aren't a bad choice. marcspaz, WRUU653, AdmiralCochrane and 1 other 4 Quote
WRYS709 Posted Friday at 08:21 PM Report Posted Friday at 08:21 PM 41 minutes ago, wayoverthere said: …they're still somewhat limited feature wise, especially for the price point....if they work for you as they are (and you're okay with the price), they aren't a bad choice. So you’re effectively saying: “if you desire to pay higher prices for limited features, these are the radios for you!” Maybe years ago… There are just too many cheaper, more efficient alternatives available to continue to follow this practice any more! Quote
wayoverthere Posted Friday at 11:03 PM Report Posted Friday at 11:03 PM 2 hours ago, WRYS709 said: So you’re effectively saying: “if you desire to pay higher prices for limited features, these are the radios for you!” Maybe years ago… There are just too many cheaper, more efficient alternatives available to continue to follow this practice any more! I'm not saying they're the BEST choice, but hey, if someone wants to pay that price for simplicity, that's on them. they're low on the list of what i'd be likely to suggest. that said, i have owned a couple, because it was what was easy to find on the shelf at the time. (handhelds, and a mxt115)...gave them away to a coworker with a jeep to use with her daughter. Quote
marcspaz Posted yesterday at 12:11 AM Report Posted yesterday at 12:11 AM 3 hours ago, WRYS709 said: So you’re effectively saying: “if you desire to pay higher prices for limited features, these are the radios for you!” Maybe years ago… There are just too many cheaper, more efficient alternatives available to continue to follow this practice any more! People are willing to pay for easy out of the box and reliable. wayoverthere, AdmiralCochrane, WRYZ926 and 2 others 5 Quote
OffRoaderX Posted yesterday at 12:20 AM Report Posted yesterday at 12:20 AM 3 hours ago, WRYS709 said: So you’re effectively saying: “if you desire to pay higher prices for limited features, these are the radios for you!” Maybe years ago… There are just too many cheaper, more efficient alternatives available to continue to follow this practice any more! I think it is hilarious how "some people" so are completely incapable of grasping the simple fact that just because they dont like something, nobody else on the planet possibly could like it. As @marcspaz noted, many people are more than willing to pay for a simple, easy to use, no frills/no bells&whistles, "americanISH" product. Just because it is not the right choice for you does not mean it's not the right choice for someone else. Hoppyjr, WRUU653, PRadio and 2 others 5 Quote
73blazer Posted yesterday at 01:19 AM Report Posted yesterday at 01:19 AM I'll throw my 2cents in...every Midland HT or mobile I've every had ... sucked. From poor audio quality on TX and RX to poor output (it says 40w mobile on business freq but you test and it's much closer to 20w). That and they seem to have a knack for not communicating well with other than their own. It'll be a few years before I try another Midland. Quote
WRYZ926 Posted yesterday at 01:50 AM Report Posted yesterday at 01:50 AM It's always nice to have choices. Midland radios are not for me but I also won't knock someone that likes them either. Nor will I degrade others for buying what they like or what they can afford. We all have different budgets and income levels. Go with what you like and don't worry about what others think of your choices. I see the same snobbish attitudes on the different firearms forums too. I'll stick with my Hi-Point carbine that is cheap, FUGLY, yet accurate and very reliable. WRUU653, OffRoaderX and marcspaz 2 1 Quote
OffRoaderX Posted yesterday at 03:05 AM Report Posted yesterday at 03:05 AM 1 hour ago, WRYZ926 said: Nor will I degrade others for buying what they like or what they can afford. But if you dont degrade others, how are you going to make yourself feel superior to them and show everyone how much of an expert you think you are? Sonicgott, marcspaz, WRYZ926 and 1 other 4 Quote
WRTC928 Posted 18 hours ago Report Posted 18 hours ago 14 hours ago, WRYZ926 said: I see the same snobbish attitudes on the different firearms forums too. I'll stick with my Hi-Point carbine that is cheap, FUGLY, yet accurate and very reliable. Hi-Point is the Baofeng of the firearm world (although less ubiquitous). Cheap, fugly, not respected, but it puts bullets downrange and if that's all you need to do, you'll be happy with it. Baofeng is cheap and not respected (not necessarily unattractive, though), but if all you need to do is put signals downrange, it will do the job. There's a lot of talk on the ham forums about how lousy their signals are, blah, blah, but every single time I've requested a signal report on mine, I've been told it's strong and clear. I don't know anything about Midland, but if it puts out a strong, clear signal and has all the features you need, it's a good radio. For someone else, it might be a lousy radio. Okay, actually I do know one thing about Midland. Their Ghost antenna works far better than I expected it to. I wish they'd make one for 140/440. WRYZ926 1 Quote
WRYZ926 Posted 18 hours ago Report Posted 18 hours ago The main issue with Baofeng radios is not the transmit quality. The issue is the receive quality. They are more susceptible to frontend overload and interference when compared to other radios. But yes the Baofeng radios do work as intended and have allowed many people to get into amateur radio and/or GMRS without spending a lot of money. The same thing can be said about Hi-Point. Granted most of my experiences has been with their carbines. They are cheap, no frills firearms that work reliably. Again they serve a purpose that they allow people on limited budgets to be able to have a firearm for self defense. It doesn't matter what we talk about when it comes to radios, firearms, or anything else. Prices and quality range from very cheap to very expensive. And even the more expensive stuff will have their quirks and/or issues. Go with what you like and also what fits your budget. Don't worry about what others say. Quote
H8SPVMT Posted 17 hours ago Report Posted 17 hours ago 15 hours ago, WRYZ926 said: It's always nice to have choices. Midland radios are not for me but I also won't knock someone that likes them either. Nor will I degrade others for buying what they like or what they can afford. We all have different budgets and income levels. Go with what you like and don't worry about what others think of your choices. I see the same snobbish attitudes on the different firearms forums too. I'll stick with my Hi-Point carbine that is cheap, FUGLY, yet accurate and very reliable. Go with what you like and don't worry about what others think of your choices, yea! I don't like all them other radios, and therefore, I DON'T TALK TO THEM!!!! I sleep with my Midland radio and it keeps me warm at night!!!!! With all the people I can talk to on mine, I'm thinking of renting out like a HOOKER to keep the local (all other radios) want-to-bes happy! Only thing I dislike is having to turn up the volume but I don't mine half the time I guess, not much is really being said anyway unless it's a Jeep Trail ride...hehehe. I talk and nobody even knows what I'm running anyhow. Stick that into your muddy grippers and crawl on-it! PRadio and Jaay 1 1 Quote
PRadio Posted 17 hours ago Report Posted 17 hours ago I don't own one, but am considering one since they have models that have a remote mount option. I don't really have the space in my car to mount a conventional unit, so a remote mount would be nice. Currently my radio is sitting free between my front seats, but cannot be actually be mounted there. It is less than ideal to say the least, but it "works." Quote
WRYS709 Posted 17 hours ago Report Posted 17 hours ago 18 hours ago, wayoverthere said: ...they're low on the list of what i'd be likely to suggest. Exactly my point! 17 hours ago, marcspaz said: People are willing to pay for easy out of the box and reliable. Except that these "Midland" threads are about the "unreliability" of Midland radios for one reason or another! 17 hours ago, OffRoaderX said: ...Just because it is not the right choice for you does not mean it's not the right choice for someone else. I will defend to YOUR last breath someone's right to buy Midlands that are overpriced, unremarkable and consistently criticized on myGMRS! I just won't recommend them when there are other alternatives just as easy to operate out of the box and not overpriced! I guess the deciding factor is that I do not earn any commission on my recommendations! "AmericanISH?!?" Don't quit your YT job! Quote
RIPPER238 Posted 17 hours ago Report Posted 17 hours ago 7 minutes ago, WRYS709 said: Exactly my point! Except that these "Midland" threads are about the "unreliability" of Midland radios for one reason or another! I will defend to YOUR last breath someone's right to buy Midlands that are overpriced, unremarkable and consistently criticized on myGMRS! I just won't recommend them when there are other alternatives just as easy to operate out of the box and not overpriced! I guess the deciding factor is that I do not earn any commission on my recommendations! "AmericanISH?!?" Don't quit your YT job! What model would you suggest? I have a MXT275 that i purchased because of the well known quality and controls on the mic, even with the less than stellar functionality. Been thinking of upgrading but the next bast thing seems to be a Wouxun. What are your recommendations? Quote
WRYS709 Posted 16 hours ago Report Posted 16 hours ago 1 hour ago, RIPPER238 said: What model would you suggest? I have a MXT275 that i purchased because of the well known quality and controls on the mic, even with the less than stellar functionality. Been thinking of upgrading but the next bast thing seems to be a Wouxun. What are your recommendations? Let me review the specifications of the MXT275 and be back to you… RIPPER238 1 Quote
nokones Posted 15 hours ago Report Posted 15 hours ago 17 hours ago, 73blazer said: I'll throw my 2cents in...every Midland HT or mobile I've every had ... sucked. From poor audio quality on TX and RX to poor output (it says 40w mobile on business freq but you test and it's much closer to 20w). That and they seem to have a knack for not communicating well with other than their own. It'll be a few years before I try another Midland. If you are checking the RF power output of your radio connected to antenna, what was the reflected power? It would be a more accurate reading by transmitting into a dummy load using calibrated watt meter that did not come over on a boat from Pandaland. I can get 48 watts out of my MXT500 using a calibrated Bird 43 with calibrated slugs. What was the cable loss with the cable you were using and the VSWRs and/or the center freq resonance of the antenna? Quote
marcspaz Posted 15 hours ago Report Posted 15 hours ago 1 hour ago, WRYS709 said: Except that these "Midland" threads are about the "unreliability" of Midland radios for one reason or another! I don't recall seeing any significant amount of threads from actual owners complaining about reliability. I have owned and used several and installed hundreds of them over last 4 or 5 years. I haven't heard a single person complain to me. If they were really unreliable, I think their sales would suffer and as a person who deals with them regularly, I would have had at least 1 person complain to me. The reality is, every Midland owner who came to me for service, either had antenna or coax problems. I've never seen someone come back to me who actually had a failed radio. SteveShannon 1 Quote
WRYS709 Posted 15 hours ago Report Posted 15 hours ago 2 hours ago, RIPPER238 said: What model would you suggest? I have a MXT275 that i purchased because of the well known quality and controls on the mic, even with the less than stellar functionality. Been thinking of upgrading but the next bast thing seems to be a Wouxun. What are your recommendations? This request falls right into my personal experience: I purchased the Anytone AT-779UV ($99.95) and LGR Mag-Mount ($19.95) from Let's Get Ready Radios based here in Los Angeles, with fast free shipping in the USA: Out of the box easy use in GMRS, 18 watts, Repeater Channels, Microphone controls, cigarette lighter plug for easy installation and removal, NOAA channels pre-programmed. It is also known as the Radioddity DB20-G for more money from Amazon and others. These radios have been heavily supported here on myGMRS with only a few scattered criticisms. I purchased a 2nd one to use in my home! I have no affiliation with LGR other than that of a satisfied customer! RIPPER238 1 Quote
WRYS709 Posted 15 hours ago Report Posted 15 hours ago 15 minutes ago, marcspaz said: I don't recall seeing any significant amount of threads from actual owners complaining about reliability... "Just this once I will let you ask me about something you could easily research yourself" (with apologies to Michael Cortleone in The Godfather!): I don't think Midland radios are very good Midland MTX500 Programming Midland MTX275 Issue Midland MXT275 Mic Issue Midland MXT275 Transmit Issue Midland MXT575 Programming Software? Midland MXT575 Channel Stability Issues etc etc etc... Quote
RIPPER238 Posted 13 hours ago Report Posted 13 hours ago 1 hour ago, WRYS709 said: This request falls right into my personal experience: I purchased the Anytone AT-779UV ($99.95) and LGR Mag-Mount ($19.95) from Let's Get Ready Radios based here in Los Angeles, with fast free shipping in the USA: Out of the box easy use in GMRS, 18 watts, Repeater Channels, Microphone controls, cigarette lighter plug for easy installation and removal, NOAA channels pre-programmed. It is also known as the Radioddity DB20-G for more money from Amazon and others. These radios have been heavily supported here on myGMRS with only a few scattered criticisms. I purchased a 2nd one to use in my home! I have no affiliation with LGR other than that of a satisfied customer! Very helpful. Definitely looks like a better option to the Midland I have and smaller. Also really good to know Anytone is Radioddity on Amazon. LGR looks like a good place to buy from too. Ill take a closer look. Thank you! Quote
WRYS709 Posted 13 hours ago Report Posted 13 hours ago 33 minutes ago, RIPPER238 said: Also really good to know Anytone is Radioddity on Amazon. Ill take a closer look. Thank you! You’re welcome! There are even more benefits to this radio but I did not want to confuse the issue of its abilities vs Midland. Only on this radio is Radioddity a clone of Anytone. RIPPER238 1 Quote
Jaay Posted 7 hours ago Report Posted 7 hours ago 9 hours ago, H8SPVMT said: Go with what you like and don't worry about what others think of your choices, yea! I don't like all them other radios, and therefore, I DON'T TALK TO THEM!!!! I sleep with my Midland radio and it keeps me warm at night!!!!! With all the people I can talk to on mine, I'm thinking of renting out like a HOOKER to keep the local (all other radios) want-to-bes happy! Only thing I dislike is having to turn up the volume but I don't mine half the time I guess, not much is really being said anyway unless it's a Jeep Trail ride...hehehe. I talk and nobody even knows what I'm running anyhow. Stick that into your muddy grippers and crawl on-it! I Tried to sleep with mine, but it's just too lumpy and tries to throw me out of bed ! I woke up in the morning with the mic cord around my neck ! Quote
marcspaz Posted 7 hours ago Report Posted 7 hours ago 7 hours ago, WRYS709 said: "Just this once I will let you ask me about something you could easily research yourself" (with apologies to Michael Cortleone in The Godfather!): I don't think Midland radios are very good Midland MTX500 Programming Midland MTX275 Issue Midland MXT275 Mic Issue Midland MXT275 Transmit Issue Midland MXT575 Programming Software? Midland MXT575 Channel Stability Issues etc etc etc... Out all the threads you quoted, one guy "may have" had a bad mic, but no resolution was shared. The rest of them were end-user problems. I would hardly call that an abundance of evidence that Midland products are unreliable. Especially compared to their reported revenue of over $19 million a year from their consumer markets. That's a lot of radios sold compared to a few threads from people who don't understand narrow band vs wide band, don't know how to use a computer, or no one will talk to them. SteveShannon and WRUU653 2 Quote
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