Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | On advice here and elsewhere I ordered and received a pair of Midland GXT 1000 walkie talkies for use on the farm. The main use is between the grain cart and the combine and really wouldn't get used that much. The radios work fine but actually too well in the sense that I hear occasional static or conversation from others. An actual conversation would not be so bad but the static from radios "almost" in range can be irritating.
My first thought was to just pick a different channel on both radios. The problem continued since apparently others are doing the same thing and I found the occasional static on other channels. I notice that these radios have a Privacy Code option. Apparently 142 different privacy codes are available which can be used on channels 1-22. It seems that there are two types CTCSS and DCS. There are 38 CTCSS codes and 104 DCS codes.
Both radios would need to be set to the same channel and privacy code. This seems straightforward enough and one would just need to a pick a channel without much activity and a privacy code. My understanding is that we would then not be bothered by these other conversations or static. We would not be able to talk on the channel if someone else was using it but that shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm thinking that one would pick a channel and privacy code and try it. If this didn't work then a different combination would tried until a satisfactory combination was found.
Is there an advantage to picking CTCSS versus DCS or is it just a matter of compatibility if one wanted to work with a non Midland radio? Is there some method of picking a channel and a privacy code or is it just a trial & error thing.
Later edit:
I called Midland and the lady confirmed my suspicions. She said the reason for the two types of privacy codes is that the CTCSS was first (analog) and that the DCS came along later (digital). Either should be fine as long as both radios are set the same. Trial & Error might be needed if by chance someone else in the area has picked the same combination that I picked.
I mentioned that the radios are quite new and that one holds a charge longer than the other although they are both charged together overnight and used the same amount. She said one of the batteries may be less than ideal and is sending me two replacement batteries. I was happy with their response.
Edited by tedbear 11/15/2019 12:42
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Privacy Codes for Midland GXT series Walkie Talkies
