The Midland Regatta is a mid-sized no-frills entry level marine VHF radio from a world-leader in two-way radio communications.
Operation of the Regatta is very simple. There are no menus to dig through. Almost everything on this radio is operated with a single button. They include: making a DSC distress call, entering DSC mode, quick selecting channel 16 or 9, Tri-Watch scanning, transmitter power selection, all channel scan, setting the channel group, and turning PA mode on or off.
Midland Regatta
Channel selection is made with up/down arrow buttons located on the radio front panel.
The only operation that has any semblance of a menu is the DSC function. You have two choices here after you press the DSC button; both are made with the Select button. Small rotary knobs located on the left side turn the radio on or off and set volume and squelch levels.
Regatta has basic hailer, called Public Address in the manual, to provide voice over a public address horn. The system is enabled by pressing the PA button.
Performance
The Regatta performed well in our testing. It earned an excellent rating for transmitter power stability and a good rating for transmitter frequency stability. Receiver sensitivity was rated as good too, while selectivity carries a manufacturers specification of 70 dB. With a measured audio output of 91 dBA it bested all radios in its price range.
Compare Prices for VHF Radios.
Regatta has a large display measuring 2.2 inches long and 1.5 inches high. Channel numbers display in very large block-style numbers on the right side with the Midland logo in the bottom left. Onscreen icons appear for transmitter power, channel group, transmitting, scan, and Tri-Watch. There are no channel comments or alpha listing. We rated the display screen good.
Scanning
Regatta has two scan modes, Tri-Watch and all channels. Tri-Watch will monitor channel 16 and 9 and whatever channel you were on when you press and hold the Tri key. The radio will also scan all channels in order by pressing the Scan button.
Digital Selective Calling
The Regatta has very limited DSC capability and classified as an SC101 radio. That means it has a single receiver listening for both voice communications and DSC digital data coming in over channel 70. This radio will send and receive distress, individual, and all ships calls. There is no call directory so to make an individual call one must enter the MMSI number, one digit at a time, then make the call. In our opinion, this effectively negates it use for making routine calls to others using the individual call.
Compare Prices for VHF Radios.
Final Thoughts
This Midland radio carries a 3-year warranty and the tough JIS7 waterproof rating. The latter means it will survive submersion to one meter for 30 minutes without sustaining damage.
The Midland Regatta bested the competition in its under $100 price range in overall performance and was easy to operate.