Midland GXT600VP4 18-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)These radios work very well in the thick woods of northern Wisconsin. They work for up to about 2 miles. Compared to the Motorola 1 watt radios which only worked over a distance of about 1/2 mile they are much better. For all of the people who don't like these, first of all manufacturer claims of 5, 10, and even more miles of reception are not realistic unless perhaps you are out on the open waters of the great lakes with excellent atmospheric conditions. That is just the nature of all radios of this type. A few watts (5 watts in this case)will not get you very far. Just consider that your average nite lite bulb runs on 4 watts and this will help you to put it into perspective. These radios need to convert your voice transmissions into sound so for them to do it over a distance of 2 miles in thick woods and do it loud enough so that you can hold a conversation is a pretty good accomplishment in my book. In other words, if your radio does not work up to your expectations then a. you need to realize that it is the laws of physics, energy, and matter that govern their performance and b. of course companies tout the virtues of their product under excellent conditions i.e. that's marketing so get used to it. You get what you pay for. Considering what I paid for these I would recommend them to everyone. They are an excellent purchase. I'm buying 2 more. By the way the only reason I gave them 4 stars and not 5 stars is the fact that Midland advertises them as having 18 miles of reception. I've heard of marketing (see point b. above) but even to me this is a bit much.

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Product Description:
The Midland GXT600VP4 5-Watt 22-Channel GMRS with NOAA All-Hazard Weather Alert provides a range of up to 18 miles and includes the NOAA All-Hazard Weather Alert that offers weather updates 24/7.
The Midland GXT600VP4 allows for hands-free use and includes 121 Privacy Codes give you up to 2,662 channel options to help you block other conversations. Other features include five call tones, a keypad lock that locks your selected settings, and a battery save circuit. The auto squelch removes annoying background noise and the auto battery save provides longer battery life. The backlit display provides for easy nighttime viewing.
Additional features include a channel scan that automatically checks channels for activity and a monitor that checks for any activity on your channel. A silent operation feature allows you to turn off all tones for quiet operation. The vibrate alert provides silent page/call notification and the switchable hi/med/lo power allows you to adjust transmission power. A roger beep indicates call completion. The GXT600VP4 is also water resistant and includes microphone and headset jacks and a volume knob.
Note: An FCC licence is required to use the Midland GXT600VP4.
What's in the Box
Two radios, two rechargeable batteries, dual desk charger, AC adapter, belt clips, and two headsets.

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Three-Way Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Splitter, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this 3 months ago and I plugged my GPS, my FM transmitter, and my Ipods charger in all at the same time.I was sketchy on getting this because everyone said it blew a fuse but that never happened with me.Maybe you just can't have too many things using power.Your lighter outlet is only made for a certain amount of watts.Like an electrical outlet, if you have too many things plugged in, it's going to blow a fuse.So you can't be upset at the product.Cigarette lighters are meant to run small things.

Another plus for me is that it sticks out since the cigarette lighter in my 90 New Yorker is a little pushed back.

UPDATE:

After having it for about a year now it still works fine!

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Product Description:
Convert and increase your car cigarette lighter from 1 to 3 sockets. Simply plug into car's cigarette lighter socket. Run multiple accessories at one time. Very convenient and easy to use. USB charger output to 5V, suitable for cell phone, GPS, iPod, and PDA. Triple socket with 12V / 24V output. LED charging indicator.

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Dakota Alert MURS Alert Transmitter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Dakota has a good concept here, but has not provided the quality needed. Having used these for three years in Northern NH, I have had to send all four units back to the factory for repair or replacement, some more than once, in the warranty period. And they are very sensitive to weather.Foggy and rainy weather cuts the effective distance down considerably and has caused water penetration around the antenna. Cold weather will sometimes kill a unit.To Dakota's credit, they repair or replace with no questions asked if the unit is in the warranty period.Personally, I would prefer a higher quality unit the works without any problems.

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Product Description:
- Dakota Alert MURS Alert transmitter- Offers the ability to monitor activity at remote locations- Utilizes passive infrared sensor technology that will send an alert signal to the MURS transceivers in order to notify you that someone has entered a monitored area- The M538-HT and M538-BS transceivers can also be used for two way voice communications- Capable of sending 4 different alert messages to the transceiver- Alert signals will be in spoken English and are easily selected at the transmitter so that separate zones can be monitored at the same time- Will give you real time monitoring of remote locations up to several miles away- Many different applications; it can be used by security guards, small businesses and also by hunters monitoring game trails; any scenario that requires immediate notification when someone or something enters a monitored location- Authorized by the FCC, MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) is a license free service that allows the user to transmit voice and data- MURS also allows a maximum of 2 watts of output power; which means greater range than other license free radio servicesDKMAT

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Midland AVPH4 Ear Clip Headsets for Midland GMRS (Pair) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Looks and feels okay, but it is hard to hear someone talking from this unit.
You need to get close to the mic and talk pretty loud to be heard. If you need to speak softly you can't use this unit. Also interference/loud alerts can hurt your ear. But if you don't want people to know you have a radio on this is the way to go. But it's not perfect.

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Product Description:
The Midland AVPH4 Ear Clip Headsets for Midland GMRS feature a wrap-around ear clip design with a speaker, lapel clip and an inline VOX PTT switch. The pair of AVPH4 is compatible with all GXT, LXT and G-series Midland models.
What's in the Box
Two ear microphones and two push-to-talk buttons.

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Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile 2-Way Radio Pair Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The T9500 radios are great radios and are the best I have used in the GMRS/FRS consumer family of radios for under $100.These radios have a great quick release belt clip and seem to be well built.The weather channels are a plus and sound clear through the T9500's speaker.I like the way the transmit button works.It has two switches built in.Press the button on the bottom and your radio transmits on low power (.5 watt).Press it on the top and your radio will transmit high power (2 watts on GMRS frequencies only).

Ok power, yes the T9500 transmits at 2 watts max power.It was hard for me to find this little known fact as this site and Motorola's own site conveniently neglect this info.I had to search the web and finally found it advertised on REI's web site.I am assuming the Motorola marketing folks thought this was a smart move as most consumers falsely believe more watts equates to longer transmission range.

I used to think watts were like horse power, the more the better.If you took two identical handheld radios one radio putting out 2 watts and the other radio putting out 5 watts you would get about a ? mile increase in transmission range under real world conditions with the 5 watt unit, all things being equal.But things are not equal from brand to brand and thank goodness for Motorola that this fact holds true.I have discovered over the years after using many different handhelds that what matters more is the quality of the electronic components, good circuit design, antenna elevation and electromagnetic conditions.Mostly what people will find with those other company's 5 watt units is they will use their battery up faster. If you think by getting an FCC license ($85) and a nice fancy new 2 - 5 watt high power GMRS radio you are going to see some massive improvement over your old .5 watt FRS radios think again.You will be lucky to get double the range of a FRS radio all other conditions being equal.I had the 5 watt Midland radios and took them back to get these and could not be happier with my decision.I don't see any difference in transmission range between the two sets and the Motorola's sound better and have better features.

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Product Description:
The Motorola Talk about T9500XLR is the ultimate communication tool for the serious outdoor enthusiast. With a range of up to 25 miles and loaded with features, you are ready to tackle the great outdoors.

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Cobra MR HH125 Compact Waterproof Marine Handheld VHF Radio with 1 or 3 Watts, All Weather Channels, and Weather Alert (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a short-term review, as it has only been in use for less than a month.I also have a Uniden MHS350 radio, which is a much heavier duty VHF radio that this Cobra model.Comparison between the two:The Cobra is about 1/2 the cost

Cobra is about 1/2 the weight, and smaller in size - much easier to clip to your PFD or jacket/belt while on the water.

Cobra is "splash resistant" while Uniden is "water proof - submersible" which means that you probably should carry the Uniden unit in a plastic baggie if you are using it on a kayak (where things tend to get wet frequently).

battery life is moderate - using AAA batteries, it lasts for a full day or so before needing fresh batteries.The MHS350 on the other hand, will last a week or more of all-day use with its NMh battery pack, and it includes a back-up battery and dual-slot charger.Feature-wise the Cobra does a good job of covering the basics - a full channel selection for all VHF channels, plus NOAA weather.The squelch is not infinitely adjustable, but has a couple of "steps" controlled by a single button.There is no scan feature (unlike the Uniden, which will scan as many channels as you choose in memory on a continuous basis).

Bottom line, if you want to add the safety of having a VHF radio with you while you kayak, I recommend the Cobra unit based on its price and its small size and weight.I would not recommend it for heavier usage (like daily on a boat) because it is definitely made from cheaper materials, and will also not go very long on a charge/set of batteries.

Update 9/29/09:
I just got another one of these for a friend, and after the second outing, it started acting up (it would operate fine for about 10 minutes, then "lock up" and would not respond to any commands or inputs from the buttons.The unit has been sent back to Cobra, and based on past experience, I am hopeful that they will replace the unit without any fuss.I'll update the review when I hear back from them.

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Product Description:
The Cobra MR HH125 is a compact, waterproof, Marine Handheld VHF Radio with 1 or 3 watt power options for short and long communications. The unit works for all U.S., Canadian, and International channels, allowing operation on any of the three different channel maps established for these areas. It also has instant national access to all the NOAA weather Channels which provide information on hazards and weather 24 hours a day. This feature is further bolstered by the Weather Alert function which alerts with an audible tone and visual alarm if threatening weather is nearby. Other features of this unit include: instant channel 16, a large illuminated LCD display and keys, scan option, signal strength meter, key lock, a speaker/ microphone jack, and a battery charge jack.Accessories included are a wrist strap, DC adapter plug, and rechargeable NiMH batteries.

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Uniden BC72XLT Handheld Scanner (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As they say, "a little bit of knowledge goes a long way..."If you live in or near a big city, this scanner will do absolutely no good because large metropolitan police forces use a trunk communication system due to the large number of units at work at one time. These systems aren't actually scrambled, but due to high volume of calls, it would be hard of a single scanner unit to keep track of them so while you might be able to hear one end of the converstaion, you won't necessarily be able to hear the other.

This unit is perfect for smaller cities which use frequencies betweem 153.0000 and 169.0000 for their police communications. The unit is also good for tracking airport traffic and, as you know by now, NASCAR events. The best thing to do when scanning for new frequencies is to have access to a code book for your area so you'll know what you're listening to at the time.

If you're technologically-challenged in any way, you're better off letting someone who knows what they're doing program the basic channels for you. I like the fact that's it's a lot smaller and not as heavy as its predecesors. It's a conspicuous as a mobile phone and a lot easier to carry on your belt without it getting in the way.

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Product Description:
Versatile, compact, and easy to use, the Uniden BC72XLT handheld scanner offers a simple way to monitor the "action" bands, including police and fire channels (including rescue and paramedics), NOAA weather transmissions, business and industrial radio broadcasts, utilities, marine and amateur (ham radio) bands, air bands, and more. In short, the scanner keeps interested parties in the information loop. Of course, scanning the 32,000 available frequencies can be time-consuming and frustrating, which is why Uniden added such functions as Close Call capture technology, which instantly tunes to signals from nearby transmitters to help you detect and identify local signals, and a comprehensive memory that holds up to 100 programmed channels (10 per bank).
The scanner also offers six preset service banks, with preset frequencies for police, fire/emergency, aircraft, ham, marine, and weather, making it easy to locate specific types of calls. And should you want to regularly monitor a few specific channels, you can designate them as "priority" channels. The BC72XLT will then check those channels every two seconds while it scans each bank, so you never miss an important transmission. Other scanning functions include 10 programmable search ranges for finding unlisted frequencies in your area and a two-second scan delay that lets you hear any replies to the original transmission before moving on.
A scanner is fairly useless if you can't decipher the transmission, which is why the BC72XLT is outfitted with triple-conversion circuitry. The technology virtually eliminates any interference from IF images and clarifies the selected frequency, so you needn't strain to pick up certain words or phrases. And thanks to the key lock, you won't accidentally change the programming while carrying the scanner in your pocket. Add in a memory backup that preserves stored frequencies even if the scanner loses power and an easy-to-read, backlit display and you're ready for virtually any scanning situation.
The scanner comes with a flexible antenna with a BNC connector, ensuring adequate reception in strong signal areas (a separately sold external antenna will further improve reception), along with an AC adapter. As an alternative, you can power the scanner using two AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries (the latter can even be recharged while in the scanner). The unit measures 2.75 by 4.5 by 1.25 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's in the Box
Scanner, AC adapter, flexible antenna, belt clip, frequency guide, user's manual.

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