Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

These radios were field-tested in the mountains over a period of two weeks. Sitting basically idle (no transmissions, very little receive) the batteries would become weak enough to cause the radio to automatically drop from Hi power to Low power after 4 - 6 hours of idle "on" time. When transmission was attempted the radio would turn itself off. We found ourselves carrying and changing batteries out in the field. Week 1: 1) Battery - AC Delco alkaline 2) Replaced batteries at least once daily Week 2: 1) Battery - Energizer alkaline 2) Replaced batteries at least once daily Reviewing the supplied owners manual, we attempted to turn off all settings which could consume battery power to minimize battery consumption but the result was the same. Batteries were consumed, rapidly. To validate the test, we carried 5 year old Motorola radios with 25 mile range (theoretical). The Midland GXT1050VP4 did NOT provide greater value over the Motorola other than the NOAA weather capability. We did notice more background noise (hiss) while receiving from other radio transmissions to the Midland GXT1050VP4 than to the older Motorola. The Motorola was much more clear. The Midland GXT1050VP4 radios consumed batteries at a rate of at least one change out per day (4 batteries each) while the Motorola consumed a set of batteries once per week at identical use level. I cannot return these radios to Amazon so I will give them to the kids to play with (using the supplied rechargeable batteries) and will begin the search for a good radio that is not built by a manufacturer with apparent stock in the battery industry.