Midland Radio’s new SPK100 external speaker is an excellent component for their radio line when traveling on the trails

“Back in my day,” we installed a CB Radio in every new offroad vehicle we got. For those of you that are significantly younger than I am, a CB Radio is the citizen band communication radio that you likely associate with Smokey and the Bandit, old-timey truckers, and people that say, “Breaker-breaker” and, “10-4 good buddy.” These citizen band radio’s, that originated in 1945, were the go to form of two-way radio communication for years. Well, “my day” was a long time ago and thankfully, for all of us, things have progressed.

From the 1960’s to now, there have been several advancements in the development and use of two-way radio communication. The addition of FRS (Family Radio Service) frequencies and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) frequencies have opened up a wide range of of communication possibilities. Combined with the technological advancements that made devices smaller and cheaper, two-way radio communication is now within reach of the every day citizen…or offroad enthusiast.

Midland Radio has been at the forefront of the two-way communication scene since their inception in 1959. They are the first and oldest manufacturer of CB radios in the United States. In the late 1990’s, Midland expanded their product line to include FRS and GMRS radios, which has become the new standard in two-way radio communication for outdoor enthusiasts. Today, you can find the Midland X-Talker, LXT, or GXT two-way radios and their MicroMobile base units on any trail you go to. In addition to their products, you are very likely to find the people from Midland out there too. If you have been part of the offroad, overland, or outdoor communities for any amount of time, you have probably seen them right in the middle of the action. They attend all of the events, they support the community, and they are enthusiasts themselves.

I recently installed one of their MicroMobile MXT575 radios in my 2019 Ford Ranger. As part of their ever expanding product line, they have developed a 20 watt external speaker that can be paired with their MicroMobile units, and I was able to install that component at the same time.

The Midland SPK100, 20 watt external speaker notes that it is compatible with the following Midland Radios; MXT105, MXT115, MXT275, MXT400, MXT500, MXT575. However, it’s equipped with a standard 3.5mm audio whip and jack which would make me believe you can use it with any radio that has a 3.5mm output connection. You could probably plug it into your laptop to crank the tunes at the camp site, but it does not specifically say you can do that in the literature. The unit comes with the required bracket and hardware, it is IP67 waterproof rated, and carries a one-year warranty.

As I said, we installed the SPK100 in the Ranger at the same time we were installing the MXT575 base unit. The MXT575 has all of the controls for the radio on the microphone which allows you to mount the base unit anywhere you want. The primary speaker is incorporated in the base unit, which will play a part in where you mount it because you will need to be able to hear the communication from the other person through the speaker that is integrated into the base unit. What if you wanted to mount the base unit in a remote location that would impede the ability to hear the sound coming from the base speaker? That is where the SPK100 comes in. With the external speaker, you can mount the base unit anywhere you want without being concerned about the sound. The SPK100 takes over as the primary speaker as soon as you plug it in.

I mounted the MXT575 base unit behind the back seat of the truck, up against the rear wall of the cab. With the base unit itself, I thought the back seat would muffle the integrated speaker enough to make it so you couldn’t hear anything. However, when we tested it, we were really surprised at how loud the speaker was on the base unit and the ability to clearly hear the radio, even through all of the seat material. I was concerned however, that once I packed the back seat with a kid, a backpack, some sleeping bags, and a chihuahua, the base unit would not be able to put out enough sound for me to hear it in the driver’s seat. But, if the integrated speaker was that good, I was confident that the SPK100 external speaker would be the right solution for all of my concerns.

We went around the entire cab of the truck, holding the external speaker in different spots, trying to find the most optimal location. The reality is, the optimal location for my application will be different than the optimal location for yours. That’s the beauty of the SPK100, it has the flexibility to allow you to mount it anywhere you want. The device comes with a pre-attached audio cord with the standard 3.5mm audio jack on it. At one point, we toyed with the idea of installing the external speaker up under the dash, behind the glove box. The factory cord was not long enough to reach back to the base unit. But, no need to worry, it’s a standard 3.5mm jack, remember. I grabbed an audio extension cable from my box-o-cables, and boom, I had enough room to mount the speaker anywhere I wanted.

We ultimately decided to mount the SPK100 under the driver’s seat. There was enough room to install the bracket upright and mount the speaker facing forward, towards the foot well and pedals. The speaker bracket give you the ability to attach the speaker at various angles, so finding a place to mount the bracket and pointing the speaker in the desired direction is really easy. In this position, the factory attached audio cable was long enough to reach the base unit behind the back seat. I plugged it in to the audio jack on the back of the MXT575, and done! This is a passive speaker, which means it does not require it’s own power source. You literally mount it and plug it in.

With the MXT575 installed and the SPK100 external speaker attached, I was able to test the entire system by communicating with my brother on the Midland MXT500 installed in his truck. The first thing we noticed was the clarity of sound. The crystal clear, “it sounds like you are in the truck with me,” vocals coming from the external speaker were surprising. I am no stranger to two way communication and I have used external speakers with the CB radios before. I have used some cheap, Amazon handhelds for a while that “got the job done,” but the MicroMobile GMRS and external speaker where on a level that I did not know existed. The external speaker has enough punch to broadcast the sound clearly through any type of cab noise, including the stereo. We cranked up the Foo Fighters to simulate real world trail running conditions, and the SPK100 was able to get the voice of the person on the other end through the awesome rock vocals of Dave Grohl and into my earholes with ease. I have found a new Valhalla. A world where I can rock out to the most epic band in history while enjoying the beauty of the Southern California trails, and I don’t have to turn down the music to listen to the next horrible dad joke coming from one of my buddies. This is the life.

Am I happy with this set up? Absolutely! Would I recommend this to you? For Sure! Are there any other considerations? Yes.

If you are installing a Midland MicroMobile base unit in your vehicle in a location that is open, easy to get to, and does not obstruct the sound coming out of the integrated speaker, you might not need this external speaker. Like I said, I was very impressed with the sound quality of the base unit. However, I think the SPK100 external speaker is the perfect solution for three scenarios:

• You want or need to mount your radio in a location that will possibly impede the sound coming out of the speaker that is integrated into the base unit. In my scenario, behind the back seat was the perfect location for routing the antenna cable and the power to the unit. I can imagine someone wanting to mount the base unit in the glove box, center console, or under the seat to keep it out of sight from prying eyes in the shopping mall parking lot. With the external speaker, you can pretty much put the base unit anywhere and still be able to hear everything on the radio.
• You have an open top vehicle (Wrangler, Gladiator, Bronco, Side-x-side) and you are struggling to communicate with the people in your group. This speaker is IP67 waterproof rated and can be mounted to the roll bar of an open vehicle like this. Coupled with a remote mount base unit and microphone with all of the controls on it, this would be the perfect solution. If I was driving an open-top rig, this is exactly what I would install.
• You just want more audio power from your system. It seems trivial, but I hate having to turn down my music every time I think I hear something on the two-way comms. I often just turn the music off or I concede that I wont be talking to anyone for the duration of the next good song. With the speaker mounted at my feet and the amount of volume it pouts out, I don’t have to do that anymore. I am confident that I will hear whatever comes over the radio, even the jokes about my inability to lead a group without making a u-turn, and this will make my time on the trail even that much more enjoyable.

It is often an afterthought, but two-way communication on the trail is critical to the safe and enjoyable exploration of the outdoors. We are all guilty of “lights before lockers” or some other form of irresponsible spending on things that are less critical than others. In all honestly, I would put radio communications up at the top of the offroading checklist right along side a first aid kit. If someone in your group gets lost, needs a spot through an obstacle, or gets hurt, you need to be able to quickly and confidently communicate with others to resolve the situation and get back to enjoying the trails. The tested, proven, and high quality products from Midland Radio are there to help you accomplish this. The addition of the SPK100 to your set up means you can communicate, stay safe, and have fun, without having to turn down the Foo Fighters. Welcome to Nirvana!

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