Midland MXT500 Review

[WSGL709]

I  bought this radio in January and after 3 months, I still really like it. This radio gives you what you need. High power of 50 watts, mid power 20 watts and low power 5 watts. Using a dummy load, the outputs have been right on the button. It is super easy to operate and easily programmable from the front panel, I have no need for software The transmit and receive audio are very good and, YES, you can choose wide band or narrow band. It does, however, lack a cooling fan and can warm up pretty quickly in a longer conversation. I can only hope that Midland took this into account when working out heat dissipation in the design. It IS expensive, but having fond memories of using Midland gear back in the 70's, I chose to go with them again.

Pete WSGL709

[OffRoaderX]

  On 3/25/2025 at 7:27 PM, WSGL709 said:

lack a cooling fan and can warm up pretty quickly in a longer conversation.

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I was told by a (former) Midland Marketing person that this is by design - the entire chassis is a heat sink so a fan is not needed, but yes, you feel the heat.

Also, beware that "some people" are going to leave ssstupid comments in this thread declaring that this radio "sucks", "is junk", it's too expensive, it's gimmicky, etc, etc, because it does not have the features that THEY think are important. So bear in mind that Midland did not design this radio for them, they designed it for normal people such as yourself that just need to talk to people while driving. Midland did not design this radio for losers that sit in the basement searching for anonymous men to chat with over the radio to brag about how many buttons or knobs their radio has.

[Socalgmrs]

If you have never used a good radio for less then 1/2 the price and get your info from gimmicky advertising then it guess it’s ok. Especially if you like wasting money.  

[AdmiralCochrane]

  On 3/25/2025 at 7:39 PM, OffRoaderX said:

I was told by a (former) Midland Marketing person that this is by design - the entire chassis is a heat sink so a fan is not needed, but yes, you feel the heat.

Also, beware that "some people" are going to leave ssstupid comments in this thread declaring that this radio "sucks", "is junk", it's too expensive, it's gimmicky, etc, etc, because it does not have the features that THEY think are important. So bear in mind that Midland did not design this radio for them, they designed it for normal people such as yourself that just need to talk to people while driving. Midland did not design this radio for losers that sit in the basement searching for anonymous men to chat with over the radio to brag about how many buttons or knobs their radio has.

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My criticism is there are similar radios with the same features that cost less.

[BoxCar]

  On 3/25/2025 at 7:55 PM, Socalgmrs said:

If you have never used a good radio for less then 1/2 the price and get your info from gimmicky advertising then it guess it’s ok. Especially if you like wasting money.  

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NaNa NoNo has spoken.

[OffRoaderX]

  On 3/25/2025 at 9:22 PM, AdmiralCochrane said:

My criticism is there are similar radios with the same features that cost less.

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Available from U.S. owned companies? (another attribute that matters a lot to many) - and remember, the key feature of this radio is the LACK of features (and complications) - So I am curious which you would recommend in its place?

[Hoppyjr]

  On 3/25/2025 at 7:55 PM, Socalgmrs said:

If you have never used a good radio for less then 1/2 the price and get your info from gimmicky advertising then it guess it’s ok. Especially if you like wasting money.  

[WRYZ926]

Every brand of radio will have its positives and negatives. Just like every brand of GMRS radios are all made in China. Having a US company to deal is a definite plus if one needs to contact customer service.

Yes there was a batch of Midland MXT500s that had low power output. But Midland did take care of those radios if the owners contacted Midland customer service.

Midland radios meets the needs of some by being a simple to operate and program radio for those that do not want all of the bells and whistles.

As far as why the MXT500 does not have a fan is probably part of it being IP66 rated for water and dust. And having an IP rating is a plus for use in open cab vehicles such as Jeeps and UTVs.

It's simple, go with the radio that suits your individual needs and don't worry about what the Negative Nancy's  and Nana NoNo's say.

[nokones]

  On 3/25/2025 at 7:55 PM, Socalgmrs said:

If you have never used a good radio for less then 1/2 the price and get your info from gimmicky advertising then it guess it’s ok. Especially if you like wasting money.  

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You get what you paid for. If you buy cheap then it is cheaply built and you're really not saving money and time in the long run and you run the risk of it unexpectantly failing. If that is your style, go ahead and be cheap. I prefer to buy it once so I don't waste my time in dealing with it again. It has worked very well for me in all these decades. I refused to buy cheap Pandaland POS junk.

[WSHH887]

I'm confused, some folks say they won't but Chinese made radios. Others say that all GMRS radios are made in China. 
What brand and models are made in the USA?  

[SteveShannon]

  14 hours ago, WSHH887 said:

I'm confused, some folks say they won't but Chinese made radios. Others say that all GMRS radios are made in China. 
What brand and models are made in the USA?  

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There are no USA made GMRS certified radios. There are commercial radios, certified part 90, and ham radios, which don’t require certification beyond part 15, made in countries more friendly to the U.S.A. which can be programmed to transmit and receive on GMRS frequencies.

Garmin GMRS radios are made in Taiwan. They are probably the most expensive GMRS certified radios available.

[WRYZ926]

Other than Garmin GMRS radios, they are all made in China.

When it comes to amateur band radios, even some Yaesu radios are now made in China.

Unfortunately there is no getting away from Chinese products any time soon. All of our computers, cell phones, tablets, etc are all made there.

[OffRoaderX]

  14 hours ago, WSHH887 said:

What brand and models are made in the USA?

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As mentioned, none.

HOWEVER --

Midland is based in the United States, unlike most of the other low-cost GMRS radio companies.

[RayDiddio]

Look at the Queen of GMRS really on point today. This thread has some good back and forth.