old Midland cb's

[Pman62]

I was wondering how the old Midland cb's stacked up as far as quality. Models such as; 13-857, 13-882 ect. I'm asking this because I came across a bunch of old cb's in a "lot" of electronics stuff. I know most of them are only 23 channel, but am wondering if they would be worth the trouble of giving them the once over to get them working.

 

[loosecannon]

they are only worth it if you want to own restored midland radios.

if they were mine i would remove any useful parts and toss them.
LC

 

[LeapFrog]

Some, 23 channel vintage, Midland radios were produced by Uniden, such as the PC-300 series Midland 13-893 (virtually same as Cobra 138 (early model) and 139 base station), good for vintage SSB thrills on the cheap, just add a "frequency" mod of some kind and you'd have a banging radio..

In my opinion not all Midlands models are worth restoring though, some really cheap models have been sold over the years; the Midland name is not generally associated with quality or power like the Cobra name and so they tend not to command much money, unless they are desirable models..?!
73

 

[nomadradio]

Not so different from asking if a 1975 car was a good one.

The 23-channel Midland models you mention were made by a contractor named "Cybernet", located in Japan.

Those models were as good as any 23-channel AM mobiles at the time. And there were a lot of utterly JUNK 23-channel radios sold during the 23-channel boom period.

But just because your 1975 Duster was a reliable daily driver for a year or two means nothing 40-plus years later.

The radios won't need tires, hoses, belts, seals, bushings, gaskets, carpet and seat covers.

The mileage would dictate how long one of these radios might work before the first "age-related" breakdown. A true NIB radio might be good for a year. Or maybe a month. Hard to predict.

A radio that traveled 80,000 miles in a dump truck will be a different story.

But making any radio that old into a daily driver will call for replacement of *ALL* the electrolytic capacitors. Moving parts are a wild card. After you clean the switches and rotary controls, one or more of them may still cut in and out. Another mileage kind of thing to consider. A control or switch that cuts in and out after cleaning will just have to be replaced. Wear and tear has a big influence on the life of moving parts.

The question isn't about whether or not it will need "40-year maintenance". It's about how soon. The higher the mileage, the sooner that will be.

73

 

[Turbo T]

The Midlands you mentioned were "ok" and nothing to write home about. Not because of the name but because they were based off of the Cybernet chassis. And many bargain store radios also were. (i.e. Kraco, Colt, Boman, etc)

However some Midlands did use the Uniden chassis such as the Midland 13-893 and it's 40 channel counterpart, the Midland 77-893. Either of these radios weigh quite a bit for a mobile, and have those cool crystal filters inside.

 

[oldgeezer]

I had a Midland 77-838 with 40 channels. It has a good receiver with clear audio (better than Cobra 87GTL base) and clipping one resistor allows forward swing to a healthy 16 watts. It has clear transmit audio too. It drove my two small 6JM6 tube linear to 220 watts! Nice CB set.

 

[Missouri swamprat]

they are only worth it if you want to own restored midland radios.

if they were mine i would remove any useful parts and toss them.
LC

I'd never throw away a Midland that had SSB . In all my 40 plus years of cb I've never seen a bad one .In the early 80s I had a 13-898B that had a Turner 2 and a PAL VFO , almost everyone in town was wanting to hang me because that Midland bled all 40 , and stereos in a 3 block radius

 

[secret squirrel]

Loosecannon and Nomadradio explained best. If you appreciate them then enjoy then keep them. If you need to strip for parts and you have them available then do it. I enjoy the old radios mainly, because of a lot of memories for family and friends. I've given away a few old Midlands that I cleaned up to friends. Easiest way to think of them is like Ted Williams, or Foremost Firearms. Both were made by other companies for Sears and JcPenney. If your father gave you a Ted Williams Model 200 12 gauge pump, you will of course appreciate it. A lot of people would rather have the Winchester 1200. They are the same shotgun. The Midlands have value if someone gives them value.

 

[Tech5]

I enjoy the old radios mainly, because of a lot of memories for family and friends. I've given away a few old Midlands that I cleaned up to friends.

I kept some of them for the same reason and when I get to old and my interest for radio fade away I will give them away for free if someone wants them. I love these old Midland 13-885 which also was my first SSB rig. The very first thing to do with these radios was to modify them to run on channel 24 as well as SSB on all channels and every time I switch them on I remember those times. Took my ham radio license 1974, but I have always had a part of my heart on 11 meter.

 

[guitar_199]

I am collecting for two different reasons...

One, I'd like to have one of everything that I ever had back in the day. So far, the only one I am missing is a Wards Gen-719 ... a 40 channel SSB from Montgomery Wards. My first was a JC Penney (6213) Pinto 23 Channel. I don't have the original but I have one in decent shape. I'd also like to have a Boman CBH-990 if I ever run into one.

The second reason, is to have something to do in retirement. I am picking up hulks anywhere I can... work or not.... doesn't matter. When I hit that time... if they work I will clean them up and align them. If they don't ... I will fix them... THEN clean them up and align them. I guess... I just want to cause "grins and conversations" between my kids when I kick the bucket and they have to clean my stuff out of where-ever I was!!!!!!

But I do have a fondness for old radios.