GMRS Install

[mirey]

First change from stock. Today I installed a Midland MXT275 radio and a Midland MicroMobile MXTA26 Antenna. Following is my equipment list:

Midland MXT275 radio
Midland MicroMobile MXTA26
Mountains2Metal Bronco Antenna Mount
Mountains2Metal Under Dash Mount for Amp/Radio
12' CAT6 Patch Cable
Amazon - InstallerParts CAT6 RJ45 Female/Female Feed Thru Coupler

I replaced the 12V outlet in the center console with the RJ45 Coupler and used the patch cable between the radio under the dash to the coupler. The antenna cable was routed through a grommet on the drives side.

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[C6ZZGT]

I like it,except for the mic in the console. Rolling around with the lid open is just asking for it to get broken somehow.

 

[mirey]

I like it,except for the mic in the console. Rolling around with the lid open is just asking for it to get broken somehow.

Getting a mic dash mount for wheeling. This is to keep it out of sight day to day.

 

[Baja Bronco]

Wired straight to the battery?

 

[Mlarv]

Where did you mount the unit? I am not understanding it.

Also do you get any interface with the radio when you talk on the GMRS?

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Getting a mic dash mount for wheeling. This is to keep it out of sight day to day.

Hats off to you for a creative install.

To be honest, I gave up on this project. Still have the Midland in the box, but spent the last year with handhelds and recently upgraded to the Rocky Talkie GMRS 5w. Have Midland handhelds, but they’re primitive and the battery life is terrible, then there’s the charging which is pretty bad as well.

The Rocky Talkie was pricey, but is pretty rugged, long battery life, I can take it out of the truck, and has USB-C charging.

I still may pay someone to do the install one day using the glove box option, but would then need a Magnetic Mic mount and buy a new 67 Designs arm to hang it on and I just can’t. May do an arm to hold the handset, but not sure.

 

[mirey]

Wired straight to the battery?

No, we wired it to AUX6. We used a brown accessory wire behind the glove box to the 10A AUX6 under the hood.

 

[Baja Bronco]

No, we wired it to AUX6. We used a brown accessory wire behind the glove box to the 10A AUX6 under the hood.

Best to wire it directly to the battery. You’ll probably get glitches.

 

[mirey]

Where did you mount the unit? I am not understanding it.

Also do you get any interface with the radio when you talk on the GMRS?

The radio is mounted up under the dash behind the glove box using a Mountains2Metal Under Dash Mount for Amp/Radio. The patch cable is then run from the radio, routed through the center console back to the RJ45 pass through.

Good question on the radio, I had the same thought. I do not use much AM/FM so it would not affect me if there is transmitting interference.

 

[mirey]

Best to wire it directly to the battery. You’ll probably get glitches.

What kind of glitches? Are the AUX switches known to have bad electrical connections?

 

[Baja Bronco]

No, nothing to do with the switches. Radios pull too much power, and need to be wired directly to the battery, similar to a good GPS like Lowrance or Garmin.

Glitches can vary, can’t transmit, can’t hear, can hear but your incoming transmission fades in and out. Same as transmitting, receiving trucks hear broken up words, or just garble. Doesn’t happen all the time, but it happens.

 

[murphtron]

I have both GMRS and Ham handhelds cause, well, different groups use different coms. Kind of a pain. In Baja it’s all Ham.

Anyhoo it’s easy enough to manage with handhelds cause they are small. But range is an issue if you’re in a large group.

Do any of you have multiple high power console radios? How do you transition between them? I like the M2M under dash mount but that’s a pain to swap radios. Another option is to have a rooftop molle panel and mount there. Would make it simpler to swap.

Anyone also facing this issue?

 

[edernest]

No, nothing to do with the switches. Radios pull too much power, and need to be wired directly to the battery, similar to a good GPS like Lowrance or Garmin.

Glitches can vary, can’t transmit, can’t hear, can hear but your incoming transmission fades in and out. Same as transmitting, receiving trucks hear broken up words, or just garble. Doesn’t happen all the time, but it happens.

I've got mine wired to aux as well for the past year or so and have seen what I would call a 'glitch' on occasion. In my case, the issue shows up when I first start the vehicle and all I hear is static over the loud speaker regardless of what buttons I press. The only fix seems to be turning the radio off (I use the aux switch to cut power) and then turning it back on after a minute or so of driving.

Not the end of the world, though I did contact Midland and they advised me to direct wire to battery to avoid that trouble. My only concern would be potential for battery drain when vehicle is not running, not sure the best way to prevent that.

 

[Baja Bronco]

I've got mine wired to aux as well for the past year or so and have seen what I would call a 'glitch' on occasion. In my case, the issue shows up when I first start the vehicle and all I hear is static over the loud speaker regardless of what buttons I press. The only fix seems to be turning the radio off (I use the aux switch to cut power) and then turning it back on after a minute or so of driving.

Not the end of the world, though I did contact Midland and they advised me to direct wire to battery to avoid that trouble. My only concern would be potential for battery drain when vehicle is not running, not sure the best way to prevent that.

When the radio is wired directly to the battery, it doesn’t drain it at all when it’s off. I’ve had my radio wired for over a year, no problems. I only turn it on when I’m off road. I “think” that’s what you’re saying? If not, not sure?

 

[edernest]

When the radio is wired directly to the battery, it doesn’t drain it at all when it’s off. I’ve had my radio wired for over a year, no problems. I only turn it on when I’m off road. I “think” that’s what you’re saying? If not, not sure?

I like to leave mine powered while I'm driving to receive weather alerts. I'd guess that some might not be interested in that feature but it's one of the reasons I installed mine. So my preference would be to have it power on each time I start my vehicle. Would be nice if the Midland unit provided relay circuit built in, but apart from that would an external relay just result in the same trouble?

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