Midland Consumer Radio gxt1030vp4 36-Mile 50-Channel GMRS Two-Way Radio (Black/Yellow)

I am a Military pilot as well as a wildland fire fighter. I rely on radio communication as part of my daily professional life. Unfortunately, my previous experience with FRS/GMRS radios has been disappointing. Admittedly, my expectations are high. My goal was to have a reliable, portable, radio solution for my family along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Storms are common and history has shown that having a no nonsense backup communication platform is an essential part of life. Additionally, the topography of the region is almost ideal for line-of-sight radio transceivers. With a crescent shore, large areas over water to other land (and marine) users have the potential for excellent results. My pair of radios arrived with excellent packaging and ready to go with a partial battery charge. The Good: The radios were of excellent build quality and had enough transmission power to cover nearly 5 miles in the above mentioned environment. My 4-year old daughter had no problem operating basic functionality. Being on the coast, the NOAA radio feature was a huge plus. The “privacy” codes were excellent in squelching non cooperating radio chatter from my daughters young ears. Additionally, we used them while riding personal watercraft along large spans of water in rough/wet conditions. The radios earned their keep and performed flawless while on the water between watercraft and reach back to the shore. I really like the ability to replace the battery pack with ubiquitous AA batteries. The Bad: Nothing significant to report. Areas for consideration: The scan function seemed a little slow. Instead of scanning the 22 common channels, the radio continues to scan the midland coded channels. It appears to me that this is unnecessary since the additional channels are just the first 22 with squelch codes. Keeping the scan on the 22 primary channels only, would allow for a quicker scan at the current speed. This note makes no difference for the functionality of a solid radio. There is no repeater capability with this radio. Its primary goal is reliable point to point communication where it excels! Final Comments: I don't think you will find a better radio at any price point. The lack of repeater capability and slower scan rate, has no impact on the reliability of this radio. I used this radio in conjunction with the Midland MXT275 mounted in my Jeep. Paired with the 15 Watts from the Jeep expanded my range beyond my expectations (>5 miles). I have found that Midland has created such a reliable network for our young family and friends, that we use the technology as a more common place method of communication than we have in the past (previously limited to a child play toy or vacation situations). I am so impressed with the Midland line, that I will be adding an additional mobile transceiver at my coastal home to improve the functionality of the wonderful Midland product line. BRAVO Midland!

Very easy to operate. Clear voice when making a call. Nice sturdy build. Worth what I paid. Would buy again.

I purchased the GXT1030VP4 Two-Way GMRS handhelds for an up coming trail ride a week away! Was a last minute thing and wasn't sure if I would receive them in time. 2days later the were in my hands. Worked great on the trail and it's awesome to have the weather at your fingertips!! Great product!

Range is about 3/4 mile in our neighborhood. I basically just use in around the house and neighborhood for fun. Haven't tried it yet on the ski slopes or open spaces. Battery life seems solid. I can use it intermittently (20 minutes a day every third day) for 1-2 weeks before having to recharge.

Absolutely love the Radios , they look tough and rugged. But most of all love the service behind the product. Bought the radios, had a battery issue with one of them, and Midland absolutely took care of the issue in no time. Sent a whole new battery pack! Soon as they heard I had that issue. Thank you Midland !

I bought this in planning to attend a large gathering/march. At the event my phone died and it turned out the cell signals were sporadic and weak in that location. These radios were a lifesaver. My wife and I got separated in the crowd and were marching in opposite directions. Despite using them for the first time, the radios are user friendly and had no problems operation them. We were able to talk in real time and find each other. A must have backup to smart phones!

Arrived quickly and in great shape. Easy to get started with nice handheld feel and very tactile buttons. I live in a very wooded and hilly area… here are some operation checks: with one handheld in the house I have about 3/4-1 mile range, second test with one handheld outside in the driveway I have out to 4 miles with great reception (4 miles is as far as I've tested so far). Can't wait to check out the max range in varying terrains. Very happy with the purchase and looking forward to using it while camping. I also have a Garmin 755t and these 1030 handhelds pair with it nicely. Waiting on my Midland MXT575 base unit's summer arrival (new model) to round out my communications in the RV.

These radios are very well built they don't feel like cheap plastic. The features are easy to use and the range is good and they sound clear and loud.

I puchased these GXT1030VP4 Two-Way GMRS Radios to go with my MXT275VP4 The walkies are very good up close but have very poor transmission at about a mile on the open road. The battery life on the high power channels is about 3 hours if you are using them quite frequently.

I've had this set for about 4 years now. They are very poor for range not even 1 mile when in 2 separate vehicles. Used them when snowmobiling and work ok but still real bad on distance-range. Looking for alternatives that have better distance than 1 mile.