Outdoor Adventure USA

I've had the Cobra 75 -WX ST compact CB for 4 years now and it has been quite reliable and easy to use. The internal speaker went out last year but I went ahead and mounted a remote speaker instead of having it repaired. Now that I fried the wiring in the remote power supply I am considering replacing it with the same unit or I am considering the Midland 75-822. Both are compact 40 channel low watt units but the Midland has the advantage of being a completely portable unit due to the fact that a 12-volt cigarette lighter plug, a PL-259 external antenna connector, a portable antenna, a battery box for using six "AA' batteries, and an AC adapter are part of the package. It also has 10 NOAA weather channels versus 5 for the Cobra.

I think a few of you guys have or had owned the Midland and may have previously owned the Cobra as well, I would love to hear your opinions before I make a purchase.

And for those of you Hams who wonder why a CB... because there are still a ton of folks out there that run CB only.

I've had both, and I sell both.

They are functionally equal. The Cobra allows you to add an external speaker, while the Midland does not. The Midland lets you connect a headphones, the Cobra does not. The Midland can be completely portable, while the Cobra cannot. Regarding weather channels, you'll only need one in the western region, so unless you're traveling cross country, it's a non issue. The Midland is advantageous to someone who doesn't what to permanently mount the radio in his vehicle - you can plug it in the 12v outlet, and hook up a mag-mount antenna, and go - the Cobra needs to be installed, and the power must be hooked up directly to the vehicle wiring system.

So, I think you'll do fine with either radio - and then put your focus on getting your ham license, so you can really communicate...

cruiserlarry wrote:I've had both, and I sell both.

They are functionally equal. The Cobra allows you to add an external speaker, while the Midland does not. The Midland lets you connect a headphones, the Cobra does not. The Midland can be completely portable, while the Cobra cannot. Regarding weather channels, you'll only need one in the western region, so unless you're traveling cross country, it's a non issue. The Midland is advantageous to someone who doesn't what to permanently mount the radio in his vehicle - you can plug it in the 12v outlet, and hook up a mag-mount antenna, and go - the Cobra needs to be installed, and the power must be hooked up directly to the vehicle wiring system.

So, I think you'll do fine with either radio - and then put your focus on getting your ham license, so you can really communicate...

Who else could summarize so succinctly the pros and cons of both radio's, thank you. As you know I bought the Cobra and all it's peripherals from you so it seems I will be calling for another.

This is a nice and efficient thread. Question, clear answer, response. This can be a model for all advice threads out there. Well done both of you.

I bought a Cobra 75-WX ST and I never will again.

My speaker died after 6 months. I bought an external and used that for 6 months until the mic died.

I sent it in under warranty, and received a new one. 6 months later the speaker went out again.

I bought one for a freind as a present, his speaker died on the first trip out.

I know at least 6 people that have this radio, and on ALL of them the speaker died with a year. That's a 100% failure rate in my book.

socal_rubi wrote:I know at least 6 people that have this radio, and on ALL of them the speaker died with a year. That's a 100% failure rate in my book.

If I had 6 out of 6 with problems, I wouldn't buy one either...but we've been selling / installing these for 10 years or so, and never had one come back, so our experience is definitely different...

I had the Cobra in my FZJ80 for 10 years without issue (it's still being used in that vehicle by the new owner), and I've now had the Midland in the FJ for 4 years with no problems, either....so, for me, it was a wash...

cruiserlarry wrote:

socal_rubi wrote:I know at least 6 people that have this radio, and on ALL of them the speaker died with a year. That's a 100% failure rate in my book.

If I had 6 out of 6 with problems, I wouldn't buy one either...but we've been selling / installing these for 10 years or so, and never had one come back, so our experience is definitely different...

I had the Cobra in my FZJ80 for 10 years without issue (it's still being used in that vehicle by the new owner), and I've now had the Midland in the FJ for 4 years with no problems, either....so, for me, it was a wash...

Larry,

One note on this comment. How often do you actually use your CB? Those that are not Hams use their CB as their primary comms so the heat them up a lot more than we do. Since I've become a ham I think I can count the minutes of total CB use time on less than one hand. This may be why Braden is seeing a higher failure rate. I used my Cobra for less than a year and I remember that thing getting crazy hot in my hand when I used it for extended transmit periods. Maybe this has something to do with it?

This isn't a poke but just throwing out some factors for some thought.

OLLIE wrote:Larry,

One note on this comment. How often do you actually use your CB? Those that are not Hams use their CB as their primary comms so the heat them up a lot more than we do. Since I've become a ham I think I can count the minutes of total CB use time on less than one hand. This may be why Braden is seeing a higher failure rate. I used my Cobra for less than a year and I remember that thing getting crazy hot in my hand when I used it for extended transmit periods. Maybe this has something to do with it?

This isn't a poke but just throwing out some factors for some thought.

Actually, I think that's a very fair comment, and it deserves a response.

While CB is definitely not my primary means of communication, my Midland is on every minute I'm on the trail, and usually in camp as well, in order to be able to relay information from one group to the other when needed. In fact, on our last 100 mile outing at BorregoFest, I was the tailgunner to your lead, transmitting ham received comments and directions to those with CB's on our run. So, while many hams may not use a CB often, I find I have it on, and in use, virtually every trip I take. In fact, I'd venture to say I use the CB more than some with CB only.

The failures that were mentioned were not the radio's transmit or receive circuits, but the actual speaker in the handset. That is likely due to the unit getting bounced around in the vehicle when not in use, as it is a very small speaker with very small (I think 24 gauge) wires attached, and most folks I've seen do not mount the handset - it's put in the glove box, or center console, until they hit the trails. Either way, I agree it should not fail, but I think it is due more to the abuse the radio takes physically, than to the use the radio gets electronically.

Ham radios tend to be built to a higher standard of components and construction - so this could be one more reason to entice those with a CB only to acquire a ham license, and invest in a ham radio...

My Cobra's internal speaker also went out, albeit after a year of solid use. Mine has always been dash mounted but it has bounced loose a few times and hit the rubber floor mats. If Cobra received enough complaints hopefully they corrected the design issue. In there defense they offered to replace the speaker or handset if necessary at no charge.