Midland micromobile GMRS radios-is the 40 watt version worth it?

[haaken675]

Hey everyone. I am looking into getting one of the micomobile radios for my truck. Had a CB in the last rig, never used it once aside from listening to idiotic convos on my way to the office and testing it with my dad once. It seems as if people are phasing out the use of CB, and the range is garbage, even with my linear amp.

My big question is would the 40 watt version (mxt400) be worth the $125 premium over the 15 watt versions? Part of me always thinks bigger is better, but realistically I have been learning over time that spending for the sake of the "better" version isn't always worth it. I like the idea of GMRS as now i have two trucks that we would potentially be taking out, and a radio finally seems worth it again. I think the big reason for wanting the additional power is potentially communication via repeaters if something bad happens with no cell service. I realise HAM is better, but im not going through the licensing process...

 

[Kent R]

@Prerunner1982 @M Rose Can you guys help this member out.

 

[TroutRunner]

With GMRS you will still need to get a license through the FCC. You just have to apply for it and pay the fee.

 

[haaken675]

With GMRS you will still need to get a license through the FCC. You just have to apply for it and pay the fee.

Yes, i understand the government wants money on top of all of the taxes they steal from me every year...

 

[TroutRunner]

The licensing for getting your HAM is really no big deal and it gives you a lot more options in terms of use and repeater selection. The only issue is your second vehicle you mentioned would have to have their HAM license as well in order to operate the radio. With a GMRS license it covers immediate family members.

 

[haaken675]

The licensing for getting your HAM is really no big deal and it gives you a lot more options in terms of use and repeater selection. The only issue is your second vehicle you mentioned would have to have their HAM license as well in order to operate the radio. With a GMRS license it covers immediate family members.

Not going through any testing, nor will my wife be. I don't care that HAM is better, I do not have the time to study for an exam for something that shouldn't exist in the first place...

 

[TroutRunner]

Yes, i understand the government wants money on top of all of the taxes they steal from me every year...

Yes the government does like its gratuity. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to pay our taxes on all the programs we support and not send money to programs we don’t.

 

[Prerunner1982]

For convoy/trail comms and via a repeater the 15 watt version should be fine. Antenna placement is also important and higher is better. 40 watts may help get you through some foliage but to me the additional price wasn't worth it. Communication distance is also limited by the curvature of the earth.
I also liked the form factor of the 15 watt MXT275 better, Midland is supposedly coming out with a 50 watt version of the MXT275 but it's already over a year past due. If you are ok with the price of the 40 watt Midland then check out the Wouxon GMRS mobile it is a better radio by specs.

 

[haaken675]

For convoy/trail comms and via a repeater the 15 watt version should be fine. Antenna placement is also important and higher is better. 40 watts may help get you through some foliage but to me the additional price wasn't worth it. Communication distance is also limited by the curvature of the earth.
I also liked the form factor of the 15 watt MXT275 better, Midland is supposedly coming out with a 50 watt version of the MXT275 but it's already over a year past due. If you are ok with the price of the 40 watt Midland then check out the Wouxon GMRS mobile it is a better radio by specs.

Part of my thought process on the higher watt radio is we have a cabin in canada only accessible by boat Would be nice if we could call into the cabin miles away and have someone bring us a boat vs having to rely on communication a few days prior and hoping the coordination works out. That is, if trudeau ever lets his people be free again and we get to visit our friends...

 

[Prerunner1982]

The radios aren't legal in Canada if that concerns you at all. If you could put a base antenna up at the cabin you could get more distance. How many miles are we talking here?
I can talk to the International Spacestation on 15 watts at 250 miles, so power isn't necessarily the issue.

 

[haaken675]

The radios aren't legal in Canada if that concerns you at all. If you could put a base antenna up at the cabin you could get more distance. How many miles are we talking here?
I can talk to the International Spacestation on 15 watts at 250 miles, so power isn't necessarily the issue.

That would certainly be news to all the folks up there i know running gmrs radios. Then again, he quebecers do it differently...5-7 miles from landing to cabin in a HEAVILY wooded, hilly area. No cell service, no power, perfect seclusion.

It also seems that more and more enthusiasts are moving to GMRS as it's cheap and easy, and i'm willing to bet i could find a) a repeater, or b) somehone close enough in just about any national forest/park if needed. But that's just a guess. I haven't seen a CB in anyone's truck in years, lol.

 

[M Rose]

If you’re not going to go ham, the 40 watt version might have a better chance of hitting those repeaters over the 15 watt version. Remember that most GMRS repeaters are private, and out here in the Northwest public repeaters are scarce.
Just check the repeater networks where you will be traveling to make sure you will have access.

 

[TroutRunner]

You could check for GMRS repeaters in your area by going to this website. My GMRS

 

[M Rose]

Not going through any testing, nor will my wife be. I don't care that HAM is better, I do not have the time to study for an exam for something that shouldn't exist in the first place...

I disagree that there shouldn’t be testing involved for amateur radio. As for time to study... 1 hour a day for 5 days isn’t that hard to do... if a guy like me can get his General than any one can... upgrading to extra is a little harder and a lot more time involved in studying. If you had your license you would understand why we take the licensing seriously. 1500 watts is a lot of power to abuse by those who don’t care about the bands.

I personally don’t agree with the GMRS licenses... I think they should be just like FRS and CB.

 

[J.W.]

The type of antenna you use is going to make a much bigger difference than 15 vs 40 watts on GMRS.

 

[haaken675]

I disagree that there shouldn’t be testing involved for amateur radio. As for time to study... 1 hour a day for 5 days isn’t that hard to do... if a guy like me can get his General than any one can... upgrading to extra is a little harder and a lot more time involved in studying. If you had your license you would understand why we take the licensing seriously. 1500 watts is a lot of power to abuse by those who don’t care about the bands.

I personally don’t agree with the GMRS licenses... I think they should be just like FRS and CB.

I don't even have an hour a day to do something i enjoy doing.....So no, not going to be bothering going through the HAM license process...If i can't finish either race car, any of my motorcycles, still working on renovating my house, and getting not nearly enough sleep with two kids under 2, i'm not studying for a ham test...

 

[haaken675]

The type of antenna you use is going to make a much bigger difference than 15 vs 40 watts on GMRS.

Considering a 6db whip antenna vs a ghost/low profile antenna on my truck, and a ghost antenna on my wife's LR4.

 

[Jim SoG]

I bought the midland 40 version, we did a group buy of the "package" which included the 6db antenna and mount, I love it and doing the Mohave trail it out performed the lower watt radios as we tested them on the trail for a spell......

I do not recall the group buy price but it was a very good deal and if I remember right we only needed like 5 to buy.....Been a few years so I have brain farts.

Jim

 

[Jim SoG]

For the license it was cheapo for 10 years or something like that..........All done online and easy.

 

[M Rose]

For the license it was cheapo for 10 years or something like that..........All done online and easy.

The license fees are going to be even cheaper come this summer.