Midland's 2010 FRS/GMRS Radio Lineup

Buy Two Way Radios is pleased to announce the 2010 lineup of Midland two way radios. This year, Midland has made some minor refinements to previous models. We don't have all the details yet, but we decided to go ahead and post what we do know for now. We will continue to make updates here at our two way radio blog as we get more details and prices.

Channels and Privacy Codes

In 2008 Midland added extra "channels". While we were skeptical originally about what these channels were, the added privacy, or more accurately filtering, feature was an interesting addition. In 2009 some models then had up to 8 more privacy channels (for a total of 28 privacy channels). They also upped the number of privacy codes on some models (all of the way up to 387 privacy codes on the GXT1000). This year though it appears that the number of channels and privacy codes stay unchanged.

Not a Surprise

Readers of this site know that for years now there has been a steady increase in the claimed effective communication range of radios being made by many of the manufacturers. While the stated maximum range is technically accurate, we were very impressed last year by Midland's decision of keeping the advertised range unchanged. Well, this year they added two more miles to the claimed range on most models. Regular readers of this blog know how we feel about that.

Not Many Changes to How They Look

The backlit LCD screen for all of the radios is now the hunter orange color introduced last year. The GXT760 and LXT385 have new faceplates, but otherwise there are very few cosmetic changes.

New Model Specifics

Here is a look at the highlights of each new GMRS model. The new models should available in May/June (subject to change). Pricing information is not yet finalized. Of note, the popular GXT1000 and GXT1050 models stay unchanged this year.

GXT795 - Camouflage, "42" Channels, 142 Privacy Codes, 10 Call Alerts, Weather Scan, NOAA Channels/Alerts, Vibrate Alert, VOX, 5 Animal Calls.
GXT760 - "42" Channels, 142 Privacy Codes, 10 Call Alerts, Weather Scan, NOAA Channels/Alerts, Vibrate Alert, VOX
LXT490 - "36" Channels, 121 Privacy Codes, 5 Call Alerts, NOAA Channels/Alerts, VOX
LXT385 - Camouflage Faceplate Section, "22" Channels Hi/Lo Power Settings
LXT380 - "22" Channels, Hi/Lo Power Settings
LXT114 - "22" Channels

Posted by Jeff on January 14, 2010 1:34 PM | Permalink