NEED A RECOMMENDATION ON A VERY SIMPLE TO OPERATE HANDHELD (MIDLAND GTX 67??)

[Guest TOM H]

I am interested in getting into GMRS radios and need some help to pick the right radio. I am not experienced so I need a handheld radio that is simple to use. I did purchase (then returned) an Ailunce unit, but it was too complicated to program. I saw the Midland GTX 67 that looked a lot simpler that sells for about $199. I do want to be able to access repeaters - I live in Florida and with the cellular problems that occur after hurricanes I want to have a backup plan. Anybody have any suggestions or recommendations?

TOM

[GreggInFL]

This is a good start.  The wife and I use them.  Simple and budget friendly.  You can edit them using CHIRP. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CDKMWYGR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8

You'll have tons of other recommendations.  All good.  Just depends on what you are using it for.  I'm in FL also and we had these fired up for the annual hurricane show.

[wayoverthere]

I like the Wouxun KG-805g as a very solid starter radio.  Should come out of the box with all of the channels ready to go, both simplex and repeater, but has 100 or so slots for you to program more if you want.  The software will keep you in-bounds for GMRS, though it's not the nicest application out there, and still lets you program monitoring channels elsewhere in the UHF band.  it's also IP55 rated (water resistant) and $79.  Alternately, there's the KG-905g, with a little nicer display and IP66 rating for not much more money ($99).  they also have a 2 pack with a storage case and charging cables for $209.

If you want to receive VHF as well, it's another step up to the KG-935g, which is still less than the midland ($149), and brings a color display and the same IP66 rating as the 905g.

All three ring in less expensive than the midland, and there's lots of posts on the forum of users' experiences with these three Wouxun radios.

[BoxCar]

2 hours ago, Guest TOM H said:

I am interested in getting into GMRS radios and need some help to pick the right radio. I am not experienced so I need a handheld radio that is simple to use. I did purchase (then returned) an Ailunce unit, but it was too complicated to program. I saw the Midland GTX 67 that looked a lot simpler that sells for about $199. I do want to be able to access repeaters - I live in Florida and with the cellular problems that occur after hurricanes I want to have a backup plan. Anybody have any suggestions or recommendations?

TOM

There are lots of choices for handheld (HH) radios for a lot less than the $200 Midland wants for theirs. Some other brands to look at include Wouxun, Retevis, Radioddity, TID, and BTECH (Baofeng) to name a few. Prices range from $24 for a Baofeng UV-5G to $70 for a pair of Baofeng UV-5R radios on the first Amazon page I pulled up. Personally, I've been reading good reports on the Radioddity and the TID radios along with the more expensive Wouxun units.

[GreggInFL]

34 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

 Alternately, there's the KG-905g, with a little nicer display and IP66 rating for not much more money ($99).  they also have a 2 pack with a storage case and charging cables for $209.

That's a sweet package.  I'll have to keep that in mind.

[WRXB215]

@GreggInFL Your link is to the Baofeng GM-15 Pro. You state that it can be programmed with CHIRP. As far as I can tell, it is still not in CHIRP. Are you able to use a different radio in CHIRP to program it?

Thanks.

[GreggInFL]

3 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

@GreggInFL Your link is to the Baofeng GM-15 Pro. You state that it can be programmed with CHIRP. As far as I can tell, it is still not in CHIRP. Are you able to use a different radio in CHIRP to program it?

Thanks.

Ouch.  My bad.  You are correct, it is not in CHIRP.  I program it with the GM-30 download from Radioddity, which apparently has the same innards.  I see Radioddity has a GM-30 Plus out now, but I can't vouch for that download as I have not used it.

Thanks for catching my mistake.