Midland Micro Mobile GMRS and the Operator G1 System

When the official communication infrastructure fails, the best and most effective means of alternate communication is amateur radio, such as that promoted by the International Amateur Radio Union. However, not everyone needs this level of communication, and many are unwilling to put in the time and effort to study for and pass the licensing exams. 

For those who don’t want to become amateur radio operators; the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) can be an excellent communications system for survival and remote area operations. When most people think of GMRS radios, hand-held "walkie-talkie" radios come to mind. These hand-held radios can provide local area communication for a distance of a couple of kilometers. The advertised communication range for these radios of 20 - 30+ miles is the best that is possible under perfect conditions. You should not plan on being able to establish effective communication with hand-held GMRS radios at distances greater than a couple of kilometers; and you should not rely on communications ranges that you have not personally tested. Many companies make GMRS hand-held radios, and you can expect to get the same basic performance from radios made by each of the major manufactures.  My personal choice for GMRS hand-held radios is the Midland GXT1000VP4, but you can choose any brand that has the style and features you prefer and get the same basic communication capability as the Midland GXT1000VP4.

The major weakness with hand-held GMRS radios is the non-detachable antennas. With 5 watts of transmitting power and a good antenna raised a few meters above the ground you would have good area communications for your bug-out camp, or for working in a remote area beyond the range of cell-phones. Thankfully Midland has comes out with a series of radios that allow you to do just that.

The Midland Micro Mobile GMRS radios, available with 5, 15, and 40 watts transmit power, and using an external antenna that can be raised five meters or so above the ground, make your GMRS radio a truly effective communication tool. For survival use, the 5 watt MXT105 radio can be paired with the Operator G1 by Hardened Power Systems making a self-contained communication system that has been specifically designed for survival use.

The Operator G1 is designed to be used with the MXT105 (and the previous MXT100), but for larger radios, such as the MXT400, you can buy other power boxes from Hardened Power Systems.

The Midland MXT105 and MXT115 both come with an external antenna. The MXT400 does not include any antenna, but for all three radios I recommend adding a top quality GMRS antenna such as those made by DPD Productions.  

For survival use the MXT105 combined with the Operator G1 power system will likely meet all of your communication needs that can be met by GMRS radio. Remember that the purpose of GMRS radio is to give you local communications capabilities. Having a radio that will transmit from Vladivostok to Moscow has its place, but probably not so much in a wilderness survival situation. Keeping the radio transmit power low keeps your signals from being easily intercepted, thus revealing that you are in the area, and possibly giving away the location of your bug-out camp.  

If you have a need for the 40 watts MXT400 in your bug-out camp, you have a need for amateur radio. That being said, the MXT400 is an excellent choice for mounting in your vehicle, or even for setting up as a GMRS base station in your home.