Midland XT511 Dynamo 22-Channel GMRS Emergency Crank Radio

• Specifications
• Product Reviews
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Product Description

• 22 CHANNEL GMRS 2-WAY RADIO
• 7 FRS/GMRS, 7 FRS, 8 GMRS
• 121 PRIVACY CODES (83 DCS/38 CTCSS
• HANDS FREE EVOX
•  BACKLIT DISPLAY
• ALL-HAZARD ALERT-WEATHER RADIO AUTOMATICALLY NOTIFIES OF HAZARDS OR SEVERE WEATHER WHEN AN ALERT IS ISSUED
• 5 CALL ALERT
• BATTERY SOURCE SWITCH TO CHOOSE BETWEEN REQUIRED ALKALINE OR INCLUDED RECHARGEABLE POWER
• HIGH/LOW POWER SETTINGS
• COMMUNICATES WITH OTHER HANDHELD 2-WAY RADIOS TUNED TO THE SAME CHANNEL & PRIVACY CODES
•  CHARGES OTHER MIDLAND® 2-WAY RADIOS WHEN THE BATTERIES GET LOW
• INCLUDES DYNAMO CRANK, WHICH CAN RECHARGE THE RADIO, AM/FM RADIO, CLOCK & ALARM CLOCK
• 3 LED FLASHLIGHT
• WATER RESISTANT
• EXTERNAL JACKS INCLUDE: HEADSET/MICROPHONE JACK & USB JACK TO CHARGE CELLULAR PHONES (REQUIRES USB CABLE)
• PACKAGE INCLUDES: AC ADAPTER, DC ADAPTER, ACCESSORY MIC & RECHARGEABLE BATTERY

Customer Reviews

Reviewed on 2008-07-23 Childs toy at best This radio is a cheap piece of @#!%*&!!! The way it's advertised as a base radio for a sportsman's outing??? No way!! I wouldn't trust this thing to talk across the street no matter trust my life to it! If I had to rely on it in the event of an emergency I'd feel very nervous. Its construction is very light plastic that feels flimsy in your hand. Reception is mostly static. Range is even worse. The hand mic is a plastic joke. I was so disappointed when I received it I boxed it back up in the very same box it came in and returned it that very same day! For the price(100$), I expected a radio of similar quality as the C Crane C.C. Radio. This is a receive only radio but of great quality in the same price range(125$). I was expecting something similar because I have Midland two way hand held radios that I love and they work great? I can't even imagine that the same company made both of these products! My recommendation is to bring extra batteries and use a 5 watt hand held radio as your base radio and leave this radio at the store. Save your money and get an extra set of Midland GTX hand held radios that can be used at base camp or in the field. I've never given a review this bad ever but this product is so bad I thought people needed to know. Especially sportsmen like myself that rely on technology like this.

Reviewed on 2008-06-15 Big features, small performance I have to think that there is tremendous quality control variability with this radio based on the wildly different reviews. I'm a radio geek and have been collecting radios for the last 40 years. When I saw the ad for this Midland I just had to have it. I thought it would be a perfect addition for my camping adventures. The radio seems to be totally loaded with just about anything you would need. It has a GRMS/FRS 2-way radio, an AM/FM radio, a weather radio, a clock with alarm and even a 3 LED flashlight. Add to this the fact that it runs on both alkaline and a wind-up rechargeable battery! Wow. Sadly, none of the functions work very well. Both the AM and FM reception are very subpar. AM reception could only receive the strongest stations and they bled over adjacent frequencies. Many stations that I could pick up on a cheap pocket radio could not be picked up on this radio. FM was worse, only picking up a couple of very powerful local stations. Weather band worked, but only barely. I was able to pick up many more channels on a little Grundig/Eton wind-up. FRS/GRMS radio functions were similarly mediocre to poor. Cranking was more awkward than on other emergency radios that I have used including those by Freeplay and Grundig. On a positive note, the LED flashlight is nice and the clock/alarm is also a nice feature. You also get a lot of accessories, including an external mic, both car and AC chargers and a carrying strap. Overall, I was disappointed by this radio. The fact that others like it suggests to me that there may be a lot of variability between radios. However, in general, I would pass on this radio. There are many inexpensive GRMS/FRS radios that would do a better job. If you are looking for a good emergency broadcast band radio check out those made by Freeplay or Grundig/Eton.

Reviewed on 2008-05-22 Save your money The Midland XT511 Dynamo 22-Channel GMRS Emergency Crank Radio dose not work well and gets poor reception as weather radio, CB and am/fm radio. The very thing it was supposed to do well and the reason I purchased it.

Reviewed on 2008-04-28 Surprise Performer I bought this radio based on Google reviews as I wanted a crank AM-FM primarily. But the GMRS side of this radio is superb, the NiMH battery with additional AA alk options, hand mic/speaker are most welcome. I use FRS/GMRS quite a bit both on the Motorola commercial side, Ham and family. I have used scores of different radios from $10 junk FRS walkies to $1000 commercial 2-way. For the price, the GMRS performance is excellent. Sensitive receiver, credible power (not published; but I'm guessing 2 watts on the GMRS channels), good carrier and PL/DCS squelch systems and all the junk beeps and bops are disabled by default. The weather and other features are icing on a a fine cake. Only downside for my application is that the size of the unit is fairly large. It currently is on 7/24 in my office sitting on GMRS channel 7, PL 22. It is replacing my desktop Audiovox 2000 as my full time monitor radio.

Reviewed on 2008-02-03 Midland has a good idea I just got my Midland XT511 today; This unit pulls in wx signals with clearer and louder reception than my Cobra WXST and my Cobra Microtalk. It also pulls in am and fm frequencies with more clarity and loudness than my Grundig FR200. I also sent out on my familys' GMRS channel a call and in moments got two reports back from my brother who lives about 1/4 mile distance and my father who lives about 1/3 mile distance. Its not actually printed on the box or owners manual that the XT511 transmits at 5 watts output while on Hi, but I will assure you with confidence that 1/3 mile distance with loudness and clarity through homes packed with all sorts of electrical appliances is impressive enough to suggest the full 5 watt output is being emitted from the XT511. Another point of interest that perhaps sets the Basecamp as more of a Basestation above all of the walkies; I've yet to hear the annoying chirp that barks from my Cobras, I believe the autosquelch featured in the XT511 is some nice noise filtering that really keeps the barks and belches from stealing the peace, better squelch than my Audiovox GMRS-2000. On a critical note, I suggest that Midland should enhance thier AVP-7 battery pack and upgrade the 700-mah to something offering longer standby and transmit capability, perhaps 2500-mah or 2900-mah. This surely isnt a 300mw transmit like the radio shack walkies from yester-year and the solid state circuitry offers some loud audio thats going to suck down that old-tech 700mah pack quicker than the avp-7 was designed for. On a side note, the 4AA alkaline slots are a nice home for some 2500-mah energizers that I have charging(seperatly from the unit) as I write; perhaps Midland will make a slight engineering adustment and let you crank-charge the alkaline slots as though it were apart of the nimh system. Nevetheless, the Midland XT511 offers consolidated and refined features; someone or some commitee at Midland must be very happy and proud to be able to brainstorm something into existence that integrates this much form and function into a marketable product. I love my XT511, Thanks Midland.

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