GMRS Mobile Radio Showdown: Midland MXT275 vs Retevis RA86 Which one is better for
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Roger that!
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10% OFF Retevis RB17P Handheld GMRS Two Way Radio
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$10 OFF Retevis RA86 Mobile GMRS Two Way Radio
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FRS/GMRS Privacy Codes Demystified:
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Whip Antenna similar to the one I use: amzn.to/45bfRRk
Cable for above Antenna: amzn.to/43P0RHK
Midland MXT275: amzn.to/44L23ND
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Is the mic jack on the Retevis an rj45? Thinking of switching and have a first gen mxt275 now and I use an rj45 coupler to get the mic where I want it to be.
Looks like an RJ45 to me
Although your information is excellent and your presentation is very information rich,. the problem I have with your videos and why I cannot continue watching is the extremely annoying music over your voice. Give this a thought, during your next business or client presentation, when you begin talking have turn on background music to the volume of your voice or slightly below your voice. My guess, your intended audience will demand the music to be turned off. Why, they want clearly to hear you and fully understand you. With music playing over your voice, to hear your presentation they are required to fight the music as well. No, it is not at all cool playing music over your voice.
Someone else mentioned that before too and I appreciate your feedback. I started removing the background music around mid-November. Thanks for watching!
Were the 2 Midland radios of the same age? I ask because last year Midland started enabling wide band on the MXT radios. If his radio had it enabled and yours didn't that would make a huge difference.
Both have the usb-c port and are about the same age and I don't believe wide band is enabled on either
@@ggg4runner The only way to know is to ask Midland. I have one like yours with the USB-C but when I asked them it is a narrow band one. This means that when a radio is setup for wide band, it receives my transmissions quieter than if I had a wide band radio. Hope that makes sense.
Retevis for me after watching this! Thanks!
Thanks for watching and for the support!
I've tried both radios. I like the midland mounting bracket better than retevis, also slightly prefer the channel grouping on Midland better. All the frs (5watt) channels grouped together and the high power channels together. Don't like the fact the 275 is 22 channels only. Cannot add 'custom' channels to preselect repeater settings while traveling cross country. And an even bigger issue is the 275 is narrowband only. As to the Retevis I would like it considerably better if the additional channels could be named in place of channel(31 or whatever). These things seem to be deficiencies on the remote mount radios. My expectation is for 'emergency' situations the operator does not need to have lots of settings to worry about as most will be dealing with other high stress problems and having a default channel (or several) easy to find and ready to go works better. Especially true for users not already familiar with handling a gmrs radio and all the various features. Not to imply someone is stupid but for emergency situations the KISS principle works better.
In the state of minnesota we have 8 repeter channles repter 21 is linked two six repeter's in two countys
all have same pl tone numbers
what the codes do is block another radio from talking to you or your group that is
what it meanes
that is becouse the radio has a half a watt transmitter
ill take that Midland of your hands
Thanks! I just got the Retevis RA-86 and so far i love it. Great video and review. Much appreciated. WRKH707
Glad to hear you like it!
The MTX275 (I have one myself) does have both CTCSS and DCS, and the user’s manual explains how to set them up 👍🏼
Yes it does, however, it has 38 CTCSS codes and 104 DCS vs the Retevis' 50 CTSS and 210 DCS. I found a good website that has a chart for multiple manufacturers instead of going from proprietary number to actual DCS code and/or CTCSS frequency www.k0tfu.org/reference/frs-gmrs-privacy-codes-demystified.html
@@ggg4runner SMART! I will say, in defense of the MXT275, it serves most purposes a GMRS user would need, including being able to use repeaters. It’s not as feature-packed as many other mobile radios, but it’s incredibly user-friendly and pretty much plug-n-play.
Oh for sure! Like I said in the vid, if your whole group is Midland, no reason not to.
His antenna should be on top of the veichle
Nice! I'm still using an older Baofeng BF-88 handheld. I don't go off-road enough to justify a car mounted radio just yet. Thanks for the real world usage test!
Thanks for watching!
I have a 45 watt base I use every day.
I am not a off roaders and I use mine every day and my radio is 45 watts.
Very nice real world comparison. I started with two Midland MXT275 units a few years ago. They worked great.
I got a little tired of having to translate the CTSS and DCS codes and the Narrowband only.
I went with two different radios to replace them with Wideband and split tone capabilities for repeaters that use them.
I like the Retevis in the review and it’s also lower price than the Midland for the same set up.
If I had to buy either, I’d choose the Retevis as well.
Again, great review.
Thanks for watching!
Is the retivis wide band ?
Does the Retevis use the cigarette lighter?
It comes with a cigarette lighter adapter cord. But, you could always snip that and hardwire it if you want.
Put the antenna on top of the jeeps/cars. Why people put the antenna down low and block from the car makes no sense
Yes, it would perform better up there no doubt. I also recently learned that it's better to have a lower db gain antenna for areas with obstacles (mountains, trees, etc.) than higher db gain antennas (more for wide-open spaces). You live and you learn.
Kind of hard to put the antenna on top of a soft top Jeeps. And the hardtops are typically made of fiberglass so not a good ground plane even with a hard top. Obviously you could put your own ground plane up there. Line a 12 inch disc or something. But usually mounting antennas on Jeeps is an exercise in compromise.
On top would also expose it to more potential tree damage.
Great practical review and just in time as I was trying to decide which one to buy. The easier menu screen and extra range maks it a no brainer for me. Thanks again!
Glad it helped and happy trails!
the extra range is on gmrs I talk 29 miles those do two miles thay are set at1/2 watt by fcc rules
Thanks for doing this so I don’t have to 😅. What’s the benefit of a radio? Is it to get into contact with other drivers in the backcountry? Any way I could get by without one in the short term?
Yes, you can get away in the short term. BUT I was just out with a buddy last weekend and had no cell reception. We had Midland handhelds that we could use to communicate and it was very helpful. Plus the NOAA feature can be a good warning for floods/fires in your area. IMO a radio of some sort is a good long term investment.
Instantaneous communications with your group when you're off grid. Even if you have cell signal it's just way faster to use radio comms. If you mostly travel alone (no other vehicles), well then you probably don't need one. But, handhelds are a small enough investment to start off with. I started with just handhelds and I have a comparison video of those coming soon.
@@ggg4runner excellent, thanks brother! Do you have a “minimum viable gear” checklist? All the toys out there can get 💰💰💰
Edit: actually I think you do have a list in your “getting started with overlanding” videos. I’ll circle back and give those another watch. Love what you do, man!
These types of radios come in very handy if you're not in cell range. You can call for help etc in a worst case scenario. It is VERY handy to get in touch with a lot of people simultaneously. A lot of people use the cheaper handheld GMRS or HAM radios. Both require a license, but the GMRS does not require a test. Search Baofeng for the winner of the inexpensive, but good handhelds award. $25-40 each.
@danielbarrett3434
I hate making a list beyond vehicle, food/water and shelter because that's a never ending rabbit hole. But yeah, that video you mentioned will give you some ideas.
Thanks for reviewing!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the comparison. I have had the MTX275 for a couple of years at least and recently moved to where there are different repeaters. I do not want to have to carry the manual in my car at all times to change settings if I travel. The MTX275 is going on eBay and I am getting the Retivis tomorrow so I can not have to worry about remembering how to program it in the future. I use a repeater directory and do not want to "Translate" all the time.
Ohh nice! I hope the Retevis radio works out well for that application!
Yea I’ll buy that radio
I don’t understand how you could hear him when he was tra among with the midland at the furthest point
having trouble understanding your question, can you re-type it?
Thanks for the video. Researching a mobile radio for my wife's Gladiator. The MXT275 is currently $180.00 on the Midland site and the RA86 is $94.00 on the Retevis site. Midland does do pretty good with some of the different packages where you get the antenna and coax. FYI....another UA-cam video tested the power and it came in at about 15 watts. That is the same as the Midland.
Retevis has some crazy deals going on right now and they have packages with RA86 + antenna + cable for the same price as you stated for just the MXT275. As you saw, I don't have the knowledge or background to get too technical and my anecdotal usage showed that it's just as good (or perhaps arguably better) than the Midland. You can't go wrong either way and I just wanted to present another option for people that's less money but still does the job.
Thanks for watching!
my rugged radio comes in at 45 watts at 245 and change.
my hand held's are 150.00 each no toy buttons eather