I participate as a member of a travel site known as the Dyrt and as a result of that sometimes I get to test products which are designed to assist people like myself who travel. For this trip (Texas to DC) I was given the opportunity to test the Midland Two-Way GMRS Radio in the GXT1030VP4 Series.
Pros:
Easy to charge wherever you might be with both AC and DC chargers.
SOS & NOAA Weather features
Battery comes fully charged straight out of the box.
Lengthy battery life
Cons:
Signal can be a bit hindered by terrain and you lose some of the 30 miles you are told you have for communication.
I will say that before I hit the road I did a few tests on the equipment to make sure I fully understood the features. The communication from radio to radio was crisp in my tests up to 10 miles. Although I will say that after that distance I did have a little struggle. I feel like after reading the materials that it had a lot to do with the tree coverage in our area and my lack of previous experience in use to troubleshoot.
With this particular trip I took both radios with me because I would be later meeting a friend along the way, but for this campsite I was most interested in using the radio for its NOAA weather alert feature. Recently, in Arkansas there have been a lot of flash floods in remote areas such as the one in which I was staying. These particular Midland Radios are ideal for allowing you to know when one of these is coming your way so you can seek shelter immediately.
I scanned several times through the 10 NOAA stations and it did in fact pay off just before bedtime when I was warned of a severe storm which would be passing through. Had it not been for this I would have more than likely taken my rain fly off my tent for improved circulation since it was so hot and humid.
In addition, I always make sure to keep something in my tent and on my day pack for emergencies and safety. I usually have a tool or some kind or a knife, but adding the Midland Radio to that for its SOS Alert was a perfect way to make me feel a bit more secure in my travel. The alert is a loud substation noise which can be heard for quite a distance when you simply press and hold down the SOS button located on the front face plate of the radio.
I was a little worried about the battery life of the radio and leaving it on for the duration of an evening to feel secure. I fully tested the battery life when camping at Lenox Marcus, turning the radio on steady at approximately 8 p.m. and not off until 6 a.m. The charge not only held but was still full when I returned it to its carrying space in my front cup holder of my car. This was in addition to being turned off and on throughout the day when I would exit my car to explore sites.
All in all, the Midland Two-Way GMRS Radio has made its way into my travel pack for more adventures. The features go on and on as to how it can benefit my hikes with friends, improve my overall awareness, bring efficiency to charging through both AC and DC connections and of course provide that SOS Safety net. I would give the Midland Two-Way GMRS Radio 5 bunnies!
PROGRESS NOTE:
I found that over the use of this item during this trip I did in fact begin to rely heavily on the weather scan option. More than once it did let me know about terrible weather coming my way, first in Arkansas then again in Tennessee. Because of these alerts I was able to secure my belongings and prepare for a rough night in one instance and in another I was able to flee north to avoid a tornado.
While I realize this is only one of the many functions this radio serves it was the most notable when solo traveling on this particular trip.