Customer Reviews

Midland LXT480VP3 Two-Way Radios

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When we went up to a cabin in the mountain last month with lots of foliage around, we were pleasantly surprised at how well these walkie talkies work. We were able to keep in touch within a mile from the cabin. We are aware that these will not provide the distance listed, especially in steep terrain with lots of trees blocking the signal. That being said, these work really well, and the sound is clear. The double-charger base is a nice touch. If I leave the radio on, even without using them, the battery lasts about 24hrs. They are certainly not the smallest/most-portable radio around, but for the price you can't beat it.

The Midland LXT480 Series GMRS/FRS Radios are professional quality. They have 22 transmitting channels, however, channels 1-7 and 15-22 require an FCC license. To obtain a license, contact 1-888-CALL FCC and request form 605. Serious penalties could result for unlicensed use of GMRS channels.

I might be safe transmitting high power on GMRS in the Avatar (Hallelujah) Mountains, but Big Brother has a mighty long arm. I'd rather not risk it unless faced with a genuine emergency. In such a case, forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission.

This leaves 7 transmission channels for unlicensed users like myself. The power setting for transmitting on these 7 channels (8-14) is permanently set to LOW at the factory per FCC regulations.

Channels 1-7 and 15-22 can be set on high power.

On the bright side, each channel has 121 privacy codes.

Therefore, the remainder of my review covers only 7 channels set on low power.

In spite of the limitations, I am pleased. In several tests with both radios inside of brick houses one mile apart, separated by woods, a hill and a few other buildings, the audible was consistently clear and sharp. This is all the distance I needed. Another desirable feature is the vibrating call alert. This is great in more ways than one when silence is important. In normal call mode, press the call button on one radio and the other radio rings like a telephone. This is a great option. In regions of the country where many cell phones find dead zones, these radios can be life savers.

Every company I've ever dealt with from automobiles (gas mileage) to radios (range) advertise the extremes of their products under ideal conditions. Since I'm unable to verify these claims while orbiting the earth or in the or the Bonneville Salt Flats, I'm compelled to go with 5 stars until I can prove otherwise.

I purchased a set of these walkie-talkies with the eye towards having an alternate means of contact should the cellphones not work in a disaster scenario. What is NOT mentioned in the product review is that a federal FCC license for GMRS walkie-talkies is REQUIRED, and that said license cost EIGHTY FIVE ($85) DOLLARS! You also need an FCC call sign - issued at the time you pay the license fee - that you MUST use every time you transmit on the radio. Otherwise you have only the use of a few channels that can be accessed by a cheap $10 pair of walkie-talkies. Trying to use these radios without the FCC license is playing with fire - the fine is in the thousands of dollars and you are very easy to find.

For someone who intends to use these radios infrequently if ever - just as a second option in an emergency - paying $85 is simply absurd, and Amazon should INFORM prospective buyers of the fee and license requirements to use even half of the available frequencies.

Before you purchase these, you'll have to think about your own personal needs and what you want to use them for. Let's face it, you need to be realistic in your expectations. If you live in rugged terrain, you cannot expect these radios to transmit in a twenty-four mile range, the maximum these radios will transmit under optimum conditions. By "optimum conditions" Midland means there is little or no obstruction such as rural fields or water. You also need to consider setting it to a GMRS channel, set your radio to Hi power, and make sure your batteries are well charged. There is a visible "Battery Meter" that indicates the power level and has bars like a cell phone.

How do they work? I'd say for the money, they can't be beat. I've traveled on foot within a mile or so of my house within a medium to major obstruction area, meaning there were houses, trees and at least one large concrete/metal based building in between the two radios. I was quite surprised when the ringer sounded and when we conversed on the radio it was loud and very clear. The only obstruction in sound was a slight static when vehicles passed by. I decided to try these on a more distant location, with major obstruction, eleven miles away. By major, I mean buildings, hills, rocky ledges, etc. Both parties could hear the ring, answer it, but not really have a conversation. I was surprised we even connected. I won't go into every feature, but will list a few for general interest ...

* 36 GMRS/FRS Channel

* 121 Privacy Codes (38 CTCSS / 83 DCS)

* VOX

* Selectable CALL Alert

* NOAA Weather Scan

* NOAA Weather Alert

* VIBRATE ALERT

* SCAN Function

* MONITOR Function

* Roger Beep Tone

* Silent Operation

* Key Pad Lock

* Power High / Low Settings

* Power High / Low Settings

* Speaker / Microphone Jacks

* Battery Meter / Battery Low Indicator

Once again, keep in mind your reason for purchase and be realistic. One other thing to note is with the LXT480 series that when you use channels 1 - 7 or 15 - 22, you will need to have a call sign (FCC regulations). Of course if one person is licensed, the second one can be third party. We are extremely satisfied with not only the transmission, but also the quality of these Midland two-way radios. These are the best bargain purchase we've made in a long time!

but my wife is about half a mile away at home, I am in a very large office building and we can hear each other very well. Easy to use, lots of features - tremendous value! I give 4 stars because of the claimed 24 mile range is booooooogus!

I purchased these in March this year. I live in heavily forested country. The range of these little radio's is just about 1 mile if the weather is good. I have not had the opportunity to try them over open water yet, but so far, I would say "do not waste your money" like I did!

I lost all range and reception after I walked more than 3 houses away. They work great in my backyard but that's about it. For a product that claims over 20 miles, granted under prime and optimal conditions, I should be able to go past 3 houses and still use the walkie talkie. Very disappointed.

These radios work very well, we purchased these for use while at SeaWorld San Antonio. The units have an actual range of about 3 miles in dense city building, and are VERY clear. The unit has built in NOAA weather alerts, it alerted us while testing that I was under a flash flood watch that my local radio broadcast over an hour later! We found SeaWorld used channel 3 and we listened to trainers talking about different random things lol. The units are very well built, they were dropped several times and were wet during the shamu show and several water rides. They lasted without charging for about 14 hours of moderate use as well... We are looking into getting a second set for friends when we all go to the lake! The manual did tell us that we would require a FCC GMRS license for certain channels. The FCC grants 5-year renewable licenses for GMRS Systems. The current fee for a new GMRS license is $75. Try []

to verify current fees.

Radios still not the range we were looking for, but better than old Motorola's. Like the rechargable feature and stands. Size is nice to carry in shirt pocket.

This is the first system we bought, therefore we are not sure how does it stack up against other systems. It gave a good reception for 1.5 miles in city with no tall buildings and then died off. I expect it to cover larger area in rural setting.