The radios by themselves are good, but be careful to read the fine print. The first time I went to use the radios one of them didn't have a full charge on it. No problem, I just used AA batteries. Then we realized we could barely hear each other through the headphones even with the radios turned to max volume. I thought it might be the headphones, but they were very loud when plugged into a friend's radio made by a different company. Midland blamed it on the headphones anyway, but they were not covered under the warranty. So I didn't use the radios again for a few months until we went on another trip and I made sure to place the radio on the charger a day early this time so it would have ample time to charge. Same problem one radio didn't take but half a charge. I contacted Midland on Friday explaining my situation, they got back to me on Wednesday to say there was probably an issue with the battery pack (No duh). I emailed back around 10:30 am and said I figured that much, but how do I correct it. They got back to me on Thursday night saying I needed to buy another battery pack because they are not covered under the warranty either. So what is covered? Turns out not much, not the headphones, not the battery packs, not the charger, not the adapter and not even the antennas. In short if all you need is just the radios and there isn't a problem with them, the radios are OK, but heaven help you if there is a problem with them. It will take forever for someone to tell you that's not covered under the warranty. That large 3 year warranty logo needs to include an even larger asterisk. Radios get 5 stars, everything else including the warranty and service gets 1 star for an average of 3 stars. If I need to buy all new accessories to replace all these defective ones I just bought, maybe I should consider a different brand radio. Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) (Black/Silver)
In the past I have taken walkie talkies to the State Fair and they were unusable because of all the chattering going on. I brought the Midland GXT1000VP4 radios to the fair and randomly selected a channel and privacy setting. They worked perfectly. Not one other person broadcasted on the same channel (200,000 people in attendance). We could hear each other crystal clear. You either get a crystal clear signal or no signal at all with these radios; there is never any static. They lasted the whole day on one charge and the battery indicator still read full.
The only complaint that I have is when putting them on the charger, it takes a bit of menuvering to get the charge light to go on...and I have had it go off after about 15 minutes before. In that case I reseated the one radio again and the light stayed on for the whole charging period.
I recently purchased these radios after our 2-year old Motorolas were stolen. We use the radios exclusively for RVing (communicating between driver and spotter when maneuvering). The audio on these radios is MUCH better than the previous Motorolas. Menu functions seem to be a bit more intuitive as well.
The only negative I have found is "range", or lack thereof. Midland advertises 36 miles. (Yeah, I know, that's on a straight shot with nothing in between, but how many of us really use them under those conditions!) In the real world we were able to transmit about 1 mile.
I knew this limitation going in, so I wasn't disappointed.
The radios work well for our purposes.
The Midland GTX 1000VP4's work great and are easy to use. I have used them for many hours at a time. The low battery indicator comes on long before they quit working. The published range is very optimistic. But it is the best of this class I have used. I took back 2 different Cobras that didn't work well before buying the Midland radios.
i bought this radio to talk to my family when we are out in the wood. The fact it says it works upto 36 miles, that is only if you are in Desert with no blocking mountain or building. however, in the city this radio worked upto 3 miles.
I love the fact that you can use Alkaline batteries or rechargeable. You never need to buy battery. It comes with rechargeable stand which can even charge your AA recahargable batterries beside its own included battery. It has alot of futures. Over all it is nice collection for those who like to go outdoor activity. advertise 36 miles, where it should say 6 miles.
A great two-way radio for direct or simplex communication for campers, hikers or anyone that requires short distance conversation less than two miles. Remember that the distance marketed by Midland and any 22 channels or greater radios is applicable only when you can see the person 10 miles away without any objects including trees or shrubs in between. Unless you are in a flat desert or ocean, you will not get the range as advertised.
One way to obtain longer distance with a UHF radio is by raising its height. If one of the user is at higher altitude such as hills, tall rocks or building, both can communicate at farther distance.
Don't forget to obtain an FCC license to operate on the GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) frequencies for channel 1-7, and 15-22. These frequencies can operate up to 5 watt and you will be sharing the same frequencies with other GMRS users. It is illegal to operate these frequencies without a license though many operate the radios without knowing that you can receive a hefty fine. The license is very easy to obtain through FCC website for Universal Licensing System (ULS)[...].
The license is for 5 years [...]. No test is required for GMRS but you can operate on any of the GMRS frequencies for your entire family under one license. That is your parents, childrens and any close member of the family.
My son is using the Midland GXT1000 when he is at the mall or at the playground with mommy. I can inline skate in the same park and communicate with him at any time. It's a great tool and less complicated than a cell phone. - Walkie Talkie - 2 Way Radio - Midland - Two-way Family Service Radio'
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