IT Blog Today

Having had to return a Motorola T9500 Talkabout because of the tinny, hard-to-hear audio, I bought the Midland GTX900 in hopes that Amazon reviewers were right about its good sound -- and they were. The Midland's clarity was very much welcomed after having to strain to understand the voice through my two sets of Motorolas, and the Midland had better range at 5 watts than did the Motorola T9500 -- better range meaning audible (car to home) at four blocks in a village rather than two and a half blocks. I am pleased with it all the way around.

Amazon still offers a better deal for these 2-way radios. I bought them as a company purchase for some of our job site employees and they seem to really enjoy them. They are pretty durable.

The GXT900-VP4 FRS/GMRS radios. Very good radios. I like the feel of the units. The MENU system is easy to use, except for a slight learning curve to remember the two-letter radio function codes. The SCRAMBLE function is indeed the old fashioned simple AUDIO-INVERT mode, which can be found on other 2-way radios. And can be easily defeated by either using another set of GXT900/GXT950 radios, or other FRS/GMRS radios that also have a SCRAMBLE mode, or you can download a program called INVERT.EXE from the internet (somewhere) and run the app on your computer with a scanner's audio jack plugged into the MIC input of your computer's sound card. Simple AUDIO-INVERSION is one of the cheapest, and easiest to defeat scramble modes in the world. So, it does not really provide SECURE or PRIVATE comms. It will only stop those that have the cheap to mid-priced FRS/GMRS radios and only SOME people with SCANNER radios. Some of the other High-End FRS/GMRS have the SCRAMBLE mode too. They too can be used to monitor your comms.

Privacy Codes...
The CTCSS and DCS codes are refered to as: Privacy Codes. They should NOT be referred to as Privacy Codes. They are NOT. They provide NO privacy at all. They should be called: QUIET CODES. As they silence any distant comms on the channel that do not have the correct Code. This is deception as far as I am concerned. Any other FRS/GMRS radio or anyone with a scanner can still listen to you with no problems. Neighborhood Kiddies-Punks and Neighborhood Old-Farts with FRS/GMRS radios be DAMNED. :)

38 CTCSS tones rather then 51 CTCSS...
It has the standard set of 38 CTCSS tones. And all 104 DCS codes. Very nice. Some FRS/GMRS radios claim to have 51 CTCSS tones. The codes that lay between 39-51 are simply IN-BETWEEN codes. Tones 39-51 are very closely packed between the other CTCSS tones. And can cause problems due to their close proximity. CTCSS tones 39-51 are not needed. The original 38 CTCSS tones are more evenly spaced, and will not cause interferance with one-another. Also I like the fact that the DCS mode silences the END squelch tail. The END squelch tail is so annoying. The DCS mode eliminates it. I wish the CTCSS mode also eliminated the END Squelch Tail. It can be done.

SCAN or SEARCH button...
No FRS/GMRS radio should have ever been manufactured with a SCAN or SEARCH button. This has been one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the FRS and GMRS services. Most people that want to use FRS and GMRS radios want some degree of PRIVACY. Freedom from on-air HARRASSMENT, and on-air STALKERS. Unfortunately, by including a SCAN or SEARCH function, manufacturers have created one of the biggest most serious complaints with FRS/GMRS radio users everywhere. If you want TRUE privacy and SECURITY or freedom from the HARRASSMENT and STALKING from your neighborhood KIDDIES or OLD-FARTs on a short range 2-way radio, go with the Trisquare TSX-300 or TSX-100 (I recommend the TSX-300 with its added features). The Trisquare Radios use 900Mhz, 1-watt of power, and use FHSS Spread Spectrum technology (similar to CDMA used by Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Cricket & US Cellular). There is NO SCAN and NO SEARCH buttons on the Trisquare radios. Trisquare says they will NOT add a SEARCH or SCAN function now, or in the future. SCAN/SEARCH buttons defeat any and all privacy when included on 2-way radio products. If you want to SCAN or SEARCH, buy a SCANNER. That's what they are designed for. But, the Trisquare radios can NOT be monitored by any scanner, anywhere on the planet. They use frequency hopping spread spectrum, and use on-channel TDMA to transmit the audio and data signal on the same channel. Its a combo of FHSS (CDMA) and TDMA in-one. The ultimate in privacy and security.

Best feature of the GXT900/GXT950...
And now, the best feature of the GXT900/GXT950 radios. The GROUP mode. What a powerful feature. It extends on the whole CTCSS/DCS Quiet Code feature. It quiets or eliminates any other Radio type from being received when the GROUP mode is ON and programmed into the desired user's radios. Also, another nice thing is that the END Squelch Tail is eliminated when in the GROUP mode. Nice, very nice MIDLAND.

5-watts...
Very nice. 3 RF power settings, HI-MED-LOW. Very nice. Thank you for allowing us to adjust that feature. So many GMRS radios do NOT allow adjusting the power output. I am indeed a licensed GMRS user, and having the 5-watt output, cool. Thank you MIDLAND. Though, for most of my uses for the radio, it will usually sit on LOW power mode. Most of the time.

One final important note...
Do NOT operate the SCRAMBLE mode on the GMRS channels. This is NOT a suggestion. This is an FCC requirement. And you must obey it. You can operate SCRAMBLE legally on channels 8-14. And on channels 1-7, only if you switch the radio down to the LOW power mode (which is 1/2-watt). This is the maximum power allowed on channel 1-7 if you want to comply with the FCC's FRS operation. If you want to use the SCRAMBLE mode on channels 1-7 legally, keep the power level on LOW power ONLY. SCRAMBLE mode is allowed on FRS. It is forbidden on GMRS channels. You have the obligation to comply with this rule regardless if you get a GMRS license or not. There are no exceptions to this restriction. You're bound to this rule, regardless. Keep yourself legal, stay at 1/2-watt on channels 1-7 if you use SCRAMBLE mode. 1/2-watt is strictly enforced on the GXT-900/950's channels 8-14. Don't even think about using SCRAMBLE mode on channels 15-22 ; regardless of your power level. You will be tracked down. Fox-Hunting RF is a wonderful hobby all itself. And they can and will find you easily. All we do is measure the PHASE of your RF signal to determine distance, and a small array of antennas to determine exact location. Its as easy as that. GPS works because of it. Same technology is used to fox-hunt RF signals. It is easy to do.