Midland GXT800VP4 22-Channel 26-Mile GMRS 2-Way Radio (Pair) Reviews

• First month with the 800's

  
  By A2XIG4LYH2YGUF on 2007-12-17
  I have owned several of the top rated Cobras and Motorolas. I already owned a pair of Midland's older "5 watt" radios, but I purchased the 800's to get the longer antenna and any improvements they might have made to the transmitter and receiver sections. The 800's have no great surprises. Range is very good for a GMRS consumer radio but we all need to start disregarding the outrageous published claims by the manufacturers on range and output. They are largely irrelevant. If you want more accurate information on output and range, browse through the very helpful two-way radio forum at: http://www.twowayradioforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=4
  
  According to the FCC, actual radiated power from these units (at the antenna) is a bit over 1.6 watts, but that's very good when compared with most other brands of GMRS radios on the market. In terms of usable range in a suburban environment, think in terms of 5 miles at the outside; less where there are hills, buildings or trees. Less yet from car to car.
  
  The radios are a bit bulky but manageable. Sound quality is reasonably good, and volume is only OK. All in all, a good investment for the money and a 3 year warranty is one of the best. Based on my experience, I can recommend these radios for most consumer applications.
  
  

• Don't let the waterproof fool you.

  
  By A12HO2B007IIN4 on 2007-06-24
  I do a lot of kayak exploring and thought it would be a good idea to purchase radio's that not only have the NOAA Weather Alert, but also be waterproof in case of a mishap. The radio's work great, and the weather alert has really come in handy, but the waterproof feature leaves much to be desired. The radio only says it meets JIS4 specifications. What is JIS4? I have no idea, but I can say it's not much. My radio was accidently droped in the water for just a second but was never submerged. The battery compartment got wet and the display fogged up. This caused the radio to stop functioning properly. After a few minutes under the hair dryer, it seemed to get better, but now I realize waterproof to JIS4 specification must mean it can only withstand damp air. I will be much more carefull next time. Good sound, good features, but don't let the waterproof fool you.
  
  

• Midland Radios

  
  By A3V1S4U8YX2DJO on 2007-09-13
  As another buyer noted, the volume could be improved. The radios are a little bulky and not for the novice user as there is a lot of technical setup and options just to get started. I don't know what the waterproof specification is that is advertized on these radios, as the battery pack cover most likely will not keep water out if dropped in a pool of water. Reception wise they don't go even a mile in the city on high power. I have yet to test them in open terrain. The combination over the ear piece and microphone are not very flexible and do not move independently, so if you get the over the ear part to be comfortable, the microphone may not be in the best usable position. I wouldn't buy these again having seen the size and compactness of other models on the market. Just not real impressed. The kids can still have fun with them though in the neihborhood and are good for on the same property communications, ie. from my house to my workshop. Battery recharger does not shut off, so you can easily over charge the batteries if left on for more than 24 hours. When the batteries begin to get low, there is little warning before they run out.
  
  

• Good bang for the buck.

  
  By A140CTCZP7FFC2 on 2007-08-07
  Good: {Range, price, features}
  Bad:{Initial defect, charger}
  As all GMRS the posted range(26miles) is under unrealistic conditions but the GXT800 do provide best range I've experienced for a consumer product.
  The radio has all features you'd expect for GMRS plus it has weather(NOAA) which is a cool bonus. The radio "feels" a bit cheap compared to the Motorola but remember you didn't pay the price of a Motorola either.
  It takes 12 hours to replenish the batteries and the charger DOES NOT turn itself off when charging is complete. This means if you forget your radios in the charger for a few days you will damage your batteries. My hearing is not as good as it used to be in loud, crowded places (Malls, amusement parks...) I would have liked the volume to be adjustable to a louder setting, but the ear piece can compensate for this (if you can bear wearing it...). I ordered 2 pairs (4 radios) and in one pair both radios did not charge in the charger, getting them replaced was a hassle because ANTOnline was distributing them and the have TERRIBLE customer service.
  
  Recommended cheap improvements to manufacturer:
  {louder speaker volume, charger with auto-off}
  More expensive improvements:
  {fast charge charger, more ergonomic casing}
  
  

• Good product

  
  By A2NN7PUVZ9NJX2 on 2007-07-23
  These radios work well. You just have to take the advertised distance with a grain of salt. In real life conditions, the range is nothing close to 26 miles. It is more like a few miles.
  
  
• Average Performers
  By A3UPHAMYXVCLPU on 2007-08-08
  The features and design of these radios are decent enough. The range claims however, are vastly inflated. I bought these radios in hopes of getting better range than my old 2 mile Cobra radios. I was to be disapointed. These radios did no better than my old radios reaching out only 1-1/2 to 2 miles on a recent fishing trip to a nothern flowage.
  
  
• Waterproof radio for bike to bike communication
  By A3RSYTSQDACOY7 on 2007-10-05
  I purchased this radio mainly to be used as a way to talk to other motorcycles. Initially it was tricky to adjust the VOX as I had 2 - the one on the radio and the one on the bike communicator that the radio connects to. But once I got both adjusted it seem to work ok but I wouldn't say perfect. Two of my friends had Motorolas and those seem to work well, but those were not waterproof.
  One of the main reason I picked this model was that it is advertised as waterproof, but so far I did not get a chance to test that feature.
  Another thing to be aware is batteries. It seem to use them fairly quickly. On an all day ride I used almost 2 sets. Luckily it also uses AA but that can get expensive, and in my case carrying a bulky charger is not my first option. I wish they had a compact cell phone type charger available. Charging time also seems long at 12 hrs. I guess I'll get a set of rechargeable AA's.
  Radios seem to be well built and of good quality.
  
  
• Midland GXT800VP4 22-Channel 26-Mile GMRS 2-Way Radio (Pair)
  By A3CPRGB2M4A0MX on 2008-01-12
  Overall a very good product for the price. Audio on receive is a little soft- a design issue. As a ham radio operator, the claim of 26 mile range is very deceiving. Yes this is possible if you have line of site communications. For example mountain top to mountain top without any obstruction. Actual range will be approximately 1 mile in a flat wooded residential area and 5-7 miles over water and a few blocks in a big city. Another deceiving issue is that this product is not waterproof, it is splash resistant. If you want a waterproof radio get one with IPX7 standards-3 foot immersion for up to 30 minutes. The ear bud with boom microphone is a bit flimsy. The charger and stand is ok, but note this is not a smart charger and it is possible to overcharge your rechargeable batteries unless you manually unplug the charger after a timed cycle. The battery is a Nickel Metal Hydride battery. One should know that NiMHydride batteries have a high discharge rate when not in use and you will have to charge the radio before use or perform a float charge on a weekly basis to maintain these batteries in a charged state. I am sure the next generation radios of this class will incorporate Lithium Ion batteries as the price comes down. The grip feel of the radio is not as ergonomic as other brands but acceptable. I do like the ability to tone encode your transmissions. Overall this is an excellent product for the price and I would recommend it with the above limitations. If you want some waterproofing, put the radio in a sandwich bag.
  
  
• Midland GXT800P4 22-Channel 2-way radios
  By AY9ZBNPHG7LGF on 2007-08-06
  The radios work as expected. We have not tested them for distance on the family channels as yet. One caveat is that the charger light stays on when the units are seated. We would hope the lights would turn off when to tell you that the units are fully charged.
  
  
• miles not true
  By A35VRWTSRW6WNT on 2007-08-08
  OK...so it's a good product.... little chunky.... but it'd fine. Used mainly at Disney in Florida. It's OK within a park, but park to park forget. The 26 miles pure marketing hype. For those of you who know, with someone in MGM and some onein the Dolphin hotel, the recetion was near dead.
  
  Epcot to MGM foget..... and its not more than 5 miles...
  
  So they are GOOD radios, nice and clear and no issues with belt clip etc as reported in other reviews..... but just don't do what they say on the cover... or even close to it. Having said that, I'd be surprised to find anything that did
  
  I would buy again.
  
  
  
  
• Good, except around hills
  By AZDCCMYLOEU3X on 2008-04-05
  We got these to use around the farm so when one of us is down with the animals, we can still communicate with the other person in the house. For this, they work great. They have more features than we need so, if we were to buy 2-ways again, we'd probably go with a cheaper model. The reason we sprung for this more expensive set is that we figured if we were going to have 2-ways, we could also carry them with us when walking our dogs on the back of the property in case one runs off or somebody gets hurt, we could call to the person back home. But even just a quarter-mile from our house (let alone the 26 miles it's billed as working over), we can't communicate with each other. There's a hill between us, but again, it's just a quarter-mile of distance. I would've thought these could handle at least that, but no.
  
  
• Excellent, durable transceiver
  By A1ZCPTFTHYD58P on 2007-11-29
  Out of 4 sets of FRS/GMRS radios I've had over the last 10 years, these, by far, are the best. They are well made and powerful (for a GMRS radio). The ability to customize the units through the settings is very good. The only very, very minor downside is the slightly recessed PTT button. It makes it slighty more difficult to push the button and can take a while to get used to. Midland likely did this to prevent accidental transmissions. Again, you won't go wrong getting this set.
  
  
• Midland GXT800 Review
  By A2IMN17YKREL2I on 2008-02-13
  I can't say enough good things about this product. Working in construction we had a choice when it came to buy new radios for the site. We could purchase the older type Motorola like we were using at a cost of $400-600 ea with mediocre reception or try something new. We 1st purchased just a pair of the Midlands GXT800's to try with the crane and rigging crew and they worked out great. Now we have over 20 pairs on site and they have performed better then expected. Radios transmissions are clear and make communication between groups on site a breeze. We still find dead spots and areas where transmission is garbled but that was the same case with the more expensive Motorola radios. I was so impressed with the performance of these radios I purchases a pair for personal use.
  
  
• Great reception and signal strength
  By A21O7DV42BCP7H on 2007-10-15
  I purchased these radios to communicate between cars when our Corvette club takes cruises. We recently got back from a trip to the Berkshire Mts of Western Massachusetts. We had no difficulty talking to one another at distances up to 2 miles and in the mountain terrain. The radios performed exactly as advertised.
  
  
• nice
  By A97DC8PT3HLKE on 2007-09-28
  I have own other radios and this set is very clear and easy to hear...The best set I have...
  
  
• I love these things!
  By ASKUPF3Q39SR0 on 2007-07-19
  These are a fantastic product! Well made, great range, very clear audio. You can't go wrong with these and I would definitely recommend this product.
  
  
• Best product for the money
  By A32KNDP80CTKR6 on 2008-03-05
  I did a lot of research before I bought a pair of radios. I was looking for an affordable, dependable radio with good quality. I always ended up back at this model.
  
  Most radios say they will perform 20+ miles, but from all the research I've done, that's just not true. Not even under perfect conditions will they work over a distance of 20 miles.
  
  I bought these for camping up in canyons around Oak Creek and the surrounding areas of Sedona, AZ. For what I use them for they work great. We are generally never more than 3 miles apart, but even at that distance in the canyons we can still clearly hear each other.
  
  Being able to take out the battery and toss in some "AA" batteries is great since when you are out doors you can't always plug in the charger.
  
  I use them while fishing and they do live up to the claim of being water proof. They've been soaked in the rain, splashed, and everything just short of being dropped in the water and they never failed.
  
  My one wish is that the charging base would have different colored leds to show when it was charging and when it is complete. As it is the red light stays on all the time.
  
  Overall, this is the best radio for the price range.
  
  
  
• Excellent Product
  By A3HT079Z9UG6PW on 2007-12-31
  These are outstanding units. Excellent reception 10-12 miles through trees. They are used in a barn by trail guides who take very good care of the horses and not very good care of these. But they have held up flawlessly. I highly recommend them, they are what they say they are.
  
  
• Not a bad product
  By ACAYDFZ6PS248 on 2008-01-07
  I own a liquor store and needed two way radio to talk to the manager on the floor. It works great in the store. I use high ch 22, then you will hear less people on that ch. You can put the privacy on but then you have to hold the ppt push button for couple of seconds before start talking through the mic else other person only will hear click or half of message. PLEASE DO NOT EXPECT THIS TO WORK 26 MILES. I am in the city and it goes about 1/3 of the mile.
  
  Overall not a bad product. Thanks.
  
  
• not for distance
  By A5G4J7O5F5N4Y on 2007-12-15
  Used them for the first time for hunting season and they were very clear and fit the use I purchased them for. We went for range a test with putting them in different cars and going down the road. Basically they were good for about two and a half miles before the static took over.
  
  I think the Midland company tests these units at the top of some mountain with nothing between the other person "26 miles" away. I would love to know how they come up with the rating "26 Miles"?
  
  
• Great range
  By A3TL92X5Q29PSE on 2007-12-31
  I tested these radios in hilly terrain in the Missouri ozarks. Voices were clear and easy to understand up to 5 miles. I was impressed with that distance. The earbud and microphone work fine but do not stay on your ear very well. The NOAA radio works satisfactory. I haven't run them long enough to test the rechargeable battery life but having the option to put in regular AA's is nice. I wish the battery packs could be charged without having to be in the radio. That's a flaw. It would be nice to have the option to charge the pack whil you used the radios with regular batteries.
  
  
• Motorcycle Radio
  By AK76NBR3Z8DGB on 2008-01-07
  Features are numerous and work as expected. Using to communicate between motorcycles with good results and a range of about 1/2 mile on the FRS side. The headsets had to be replaced with the midland AVPH-1 and the reception has been very clear. Have not tried the GMRS side for distance but I'm sure it would be satisfactory. Other riders have purchased the same units with the same results. Would buy again.
  
  
• Don't waste your money
  By A2T7GTADQ23M87 on 2008-05-10
  This product is not worth the price one is charged, this is nothing more than a child's toy! It didn't even get 1/3 of a miles reception, so don't waste your money!
  
  
• A real deal at any price...
  By A1TXB98D2KHGDW on 2007-10-31
  These units work as described, are lightweight and easy to use and have decent range (especially considering their size).
  
  
• Works only in ONE mile range
  By A1R54BQLJVV2TG on 2008-01-09
  I realized that 26 miles on opens space is not 26 miles in town. In reality this radio works poorly even a mile away outside in suburban area without no concrete building on a way or hills. Very disappointed... looks like it's just another looks end toy
  
  
• Midland GXT800VP4
  By AS1XKRXYTWYCF on 2008-03-09
  I did a lot of research before this purchase. This is a great 2-way radio probably more than what we needed it to do, which is keeping track of friends during camp trips and in a ski parks. My only complaint is that there is no bar indicator of extent of battery life. And the battery charger doesn't tell you if the radios are fully charged. You are either charged, or not. After the first charge and first use, I couldn't tell how long to leave it on for the second charge and consequently had a radio that ran out in the middle of a trip. Just before running completely out, the radio, instead of shutting down, appeared to be working . With two radios we could monitor that the weaker one was sending the message but only the stronger radio was receiving. I suppose to be safe the next time we will be charging it for 12 hours regardless of previous usage.
  
  
• good value
  By A33PK98ZRFE2IP on 2008-04-08
  Pros: Good sound quality. Many channel selections so you don't have to share the net with others. I've used them all day long without any battery problems. I can wear the included headset inside my ATV helmet if I cover my ear with my hand as I jam the helmet on. This makes communication with my buddies during an ATV ride much more convenient. I'll eventually buy the headset made specifically for installation in a helmet.
  Cons: The charger doesn't automatically turn off when the batteries are fully charged. The VOX feature was frustrating to use. I tried it at several sensitivity levels while riding ATVs. It would either transmit while I wasn't speaking or not transmit at the beginning of whatever I wanted to say. Perhaps the VOX works fine without the noisy ATVs - I don't know.
  
  Overall, a worthwhile purchase.
  
  
• Not bad, useful for short distances
  By A3EB375V97U06Q on 2008-05-19
  I bought these radios for use for a cross-country move, as we needed to communicate between vehicles. They did the job well, but do not expect to get the claimed 26 mile range. We got a maximum of about 2-3 miles on open highway. The NOAA channels included came in very handy as we experienced tornado weather in North Carolina and Oklahoma. The volume could have been louder as well.
  
  
• Awsome 2 way radios
  By AVZINGUM1BJGS on 2008-05-30
  After lots of research I decided on a pair of Midland GXT800VP4 radios. I think I chose right and they seem to be well built and fairly good range. I can talk to my Brother in law that lives 1.5 miles from me and over a mountain. That's about as far as I need to reach. Switching between channels is my only con as it's alittle tougher than others I've used. But after getting used to it, that con is ok. Overall I'm pleased with these radios.
  
  
• 26 miles? Are you sure?
  By ARMGIEXYFTJOR on 2008-06-04
  I have buyed this 2 ways radio by reading the comments here in amazon. It doesn't worth the price, the max distance it can achieve a real comunication is like 2 or 3 miles. 26 miles may be in direct view and near a lake or something. I still prefer the Motorola radios!
  
  

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