Customer reviews from midlandusa.com
Midland - X-TALKER 40-Mile, 22-Channel FRS/GMRS 2-Way Radios (Pair) - Silver/Black
Average customer rating
4.4
(26 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 26 reviews
5 Stars
15
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
1
1 Star
0
92%of customers recommend this product.
(
22 out of
24)
Customer Reviews for Midland - X-TALKER 40-Mile, 22-Channel FRS/GMRS 2-Way Radios (Pair) - Silver/Black
Posted by: WRXXXX9
from Lake City, Colorado
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
This pair of T290's is just over a month old; here is what I have found so far:
The good, first. Noticeable increase in range over my T51A's. Voice is clear. Improved belt/snap clip design. Priced nicely with included headsets - bought from Midland directly.
The bad, next. Dedicated 9v charger is not USB capable. 700 mAh battery that cannot be replaced with AA or AAA's. Supplied headsets do not work in VOX mode. No duplex channel/repeater capability.
The ugly, lastly. Bulky design with one solid day of use battery cannot be charged in the field.
The good, first. Noticeable increase in range over my T51A's. Voice is clear. Improved belt/snap clip design. Priced nicely with included headsets - bought from Midland directly.
The bad, next. Dedicated 9v charger is not USB capable. 700 mAh battery that cannot be replaced with AA or AAA's. Supplied headsets do not work in VOX mode. No duplex channel/repeater capability.
The ugly, lastly. Bulky design with one solid day of use battery cannot be charged in the field.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com
Posted by: Nathan75932
from Alvin, TX
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I own too many radios now! At first, I bought the Midland T71VP3 for my wife and I. After going through the process of getting my GMRS license, I was disappointed that the T71s were not full power. We sometimes have range issues, so I bought the GXT1000s, but they are so much bigger that the T71s, and feel awkward in some places. Plus the T71 is louder and clearer. I often have to alternate which radios we are using based on the situation, but I wanted a set of radios that combined the power of the GXT1000 and size of the T71; the best of both worlds. I was very excited when Midland released the T290. I purchased them in a hurry and here's what I missed:
The T290 is a size between the T71 and the GXT1000. I was expecting them to be small and compact; they are a bit bigger than expected, but they do fit more comfortably on the belt than the GXT1000.
Since the T290 is in the X-Talker series, I was expecting more advanced features like MicroUSB charging, however, the T290 does not have the USB connection like the T71. The T290 does charge quickly, and battery life hasn't been an issue.
The GXT1000s do offer two features I really use a lot: vibration alert and dual channel scan. I use these features on a weekly basis at church on Sundays. I was reading the manual and found that the T295 radios offer the vibration feature, but not dual watch. Plus, you have to live with camo, and I wasn't about to make that sacrifice. I still use the GXT1000 on Sunday, but the T290 fits better in my wife's purse, so it works out fine with two different radios.
Overall, I do like the T290. There are things that I wish I would have known or realized before ordering, but I like the radios a lot. We have repurposed the T71s and I like the fact that I can just grab the T290s instead of weighing size vs. power each time we leave the house. The audio quality is great, and they look sharp. I like the big LCD display and the backlight is impressive. Good quality product.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com
Customer Rating
3
Missing a much needed feature
on August 16, 2021
Posted by: powemi
Bought these as many people do for outdoor activities. Have a GMRS radio in the vehicle wanted a portable version.
Long backpacking trips, hunting, day trips, boating etc....
Have held up to a lot of abuse on my end but also feel it lacks (what I would consider an essential feature after using)
Why can I not charge these without the basestation using a USB cord from a battery bank or solar panel?
It is a feature on the cheaper FRS models; honestly my fault for not looking for a feature that is on the cheaper models. But I was also not looking for FRS.
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com
Posted by: CraigM
from MIchigan
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I purchased this set in advance of buying a mobile unit for my Jeep. The Jeep club I am in is interested in moving everyone towards GMRS and we wanted to compare the features and range to our traditional CB's. Many of our members are new to off-road and finding something simple that everyone could use was a priority. Our first outing was a simple trail ride (actually more of a spring color tour) that consisted of 60 Jeeps. We positioned the hand helds at the front and rear of the caravan. As you can imagine 60 jeeps gets spread out quite a bit. The T290's far out performed the CB's in both range and clarity. It was a very good example that helped us sell the idea to club members and many have already committed or made purchases from Midland. The only real drawback I experienced is that you are not supposed to leave the radios on the charging base. It would be nice to be able to leave them on a 'maintain' setting.
PROS: compact design, pretty easy to use, very good clarity of signal, good 'feel' (doesn't feel cheap), nice range for a hand held device
CONS: charger does not maintain the battery, can't use any other battery source (AA's) other than the rechargeable that comes with it, menu and displays can be hard to understand if you are not familiar with terminology
PROS: compact design, pretty easy to use, very good clarity of signal, good 'feel' (doesn't feel cheap), nice range for a hand held device
CONS: charger does not maintain the battery, can't use any other battery source (AA's) other than the rechargeable that comes with it, menu and displays can be hard to understand if you are not familiar with terminology
Overall I am very pleased with my purchase. I have ordered the MXT275 to mount in my JL Wrangler and I think these T290's will make a great addition on the trail for spotting or just to loan out to those without a GMRS.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com
Posted by: RalphT
from Miami, Florida
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I bought this set about a month ago and was able to test them out almost immediately. I have no official number, but on our Offroad trip we estimated being nearly 8 miles away from each other and hearing the transmissions crystal clear! These badboys are worth their weight in gold!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com
Customer Rating
4
Very good for what they’re intended.
on July 4, 2019
Posted by: gasturbo1
from Norfolk, VA
Gender:Male
This are my first set of handhelds from Midland but my fourth product overall. I purchased the handhelds based on the satisfactory experience I had with my other Midland products (MXT400, MXT275, XT511). Things I didn’t like: The base charger has no LED indication when charging or when charging is complete, which I found kind of odd. The screen is nicely backlit and has good contrast, but the hard buttons are not illuminated. I own cheaper radios from other brands that have backlit hard buttons. These radios are supposed to be the top of the X-Talker line, so I was expecting a bit more. But they perform very well, have decent range and surprisingly good clarity.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com
Customer Rating
5
10/10 to give out on trails runs!
on March 25, 2020
Posted by: Andre15
from LA, California
Gender:Male
I love these things. Its so easy to hand them out to someone that needs a unit while on the trail. They're also super easy to run with on hiking trails. The range is great and couldn't be any happier with my purchase. I still havent even charged them sincei got them!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com
Customer Rating
4
Every radio has a compromise. These are good.
on January 6, 2021
Posted by: Sierra mammoth
Gender:Female
I like this radio a lot. I have the following radios: t290, gxt1000, and the micro mobile 15watt. All connect to each other flawlessly. Exceptional clarity. I use these for property management operations in a small town. The gxt1000 have noticeably better performance. I can get good radio signal through urban environment and trees for about ~2 miles. With the T290’s I can only get good clarity for about 1 mile in urban setting with trees. Ive switch my entire crew to gxt1000 handhelds and installed the 15watt micromobile stations in the vehicles and loaders. I would recommend the t290 for off-roading, camping, recreational activities, short range communication. I would recommend the gxt1000 for more serious operations, 2 mile range in high obstruction, and maybe 5 miles unobstructed.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from midlandusa.comBy MidlandUSA, Customer Service, January 12, 2021
Hello! Thank you for your review! You are correct, as with all two way radios, any obstruction between radios can decrease range but we are happy to hear you have found products that work best for you.
Written by a customer while visiting midlandusa.com