Review of the Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio

When it comes to two-way radios I always keep my expectations low to start. There are so many factors that influence radio performance and as we all know they never provide the advertised "best case" range. After receiving these radios I put them through my unofficial test to see how they would perform for me and my needs. To my delight the Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios performed very well and are one of the better consumer radios available.

My goals for using this radio include:

1. Use when hiking in a desert or mountain environment
2. Use in an urban residential neighborhood
3. As a back up form of communications for disaster preparedness

Following were the tests I conducted:

Test 1: ½ mile line of sight, flat ground with no obstructions
Performance: Extremely loud and clear

Test 2: One mile line of sight, flat ground with no obstructions
Performance: Extremely loud and clear

Test 3: Half mile in residential neighborhood with many obstructions
Performance: Extremely loud and clear

Test 4: 2/10th of a mile from inside my home with many obstructions
Performance: Very loud and clear

Test 5: Drove in my vehicle 1.5 miles in an urban environment with many obstructions
Performance: Was able to hear with some static. I did notice that the vehicle had a negative impact on radio performance. I stopped to exit my vehicle and the radio performed significantly better where I was able to hear the transmission loud and relatively clear although there was static.

For my needs this radio performed flawlessly. Granted, I am not asking for a lot of range but I don't need them to perform over a long range. I also did not expect the radios to perform well in an urban residential neighborhood with a lot of obstructions such as numerous one and two story homes. The ½ mile residential distance with obstructions still provided crystal clear clarity.

Pros:

+ Has a lot of functionality
+ Comes with 50 channels
+ Great sound clarity and very loud
+ Has direct call and dual monitor functionality
+ Good size and feel
+ Excellent battery life
+ Excellent belt clip
+ The "Whisper" function works very well
+ Ability to use AA batteries when the NiMH rechargeable battery pack runs out of juice
+ Accessories are available such as a speaker mic and headset
+ Backlight is bright
+ Icons are easy to see
+ Can scan weather channels from NOAA and has a NOAA weather alert function
+ Has scanning function although it does scan very slowly

Cons:

- Instructions are printed in a very small font
- The battery charger does not indicate when the battery is completely charged
- The headset that comes with the radio does not work well or stay in place
- Setting up the Group Mode has a lot of steps

Keep in mind that this radio has 50 channels of which some are GMRS and require a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). I have a GMRS and amateur (ham) radio license so I can enter the GMRS frequencies into my ham radio which is 5 watts. This is a great benefit if you have a GMRS license.

Overall Assessment:

I researched just about every consumer FRS/GMRS radio from Midland, Motorola, and Uniden and find this Midland radio to be one of the better consumer radios available on the market. All of the radios have some benefits as well as some flaws. The key is finding one that works for your needs and will function within your expectations. There is definitely a significant difference between consumer radios and professional radios and I would like to see these companies upgrade their radios to a more professional level for the consumer market. Even if the cost increased I think this would be a benefit to end users. A more rugged case and stronger buttons would be very nice. A rugged 5 watt GMRS only radio would also be a nice option to have. There is an open market for two way radios that are between the consumer and professional level radio that is wide open for a company to come in and dominate. Even if they only had one or two choices of radios at this level it would be nice to see.

The Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios fit my needs very well and performed to my requirements. Keep in mind that radio performance is impacted by a host of factors. Overall, I am very satisfied with these radios and will purchase an extra set.

I highly recommend these radios.

You can get them on Amazon.com: Midland GXT1000VP4

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