Midland Information Index

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Radio Equipment
Compiled by Mike Morris WA6ILQ

Click on the image above or here to go to the Midland web site (then click on "Land Mobile")

To jump down to the Midland Amateur Radio products click here

Midland Land Mobile (commercial) products:

The Midland commercial repeaters, mobiles and portables are showing up in the used market in increasing larger quantities. Repeater-builder.com is looking for information on the various models and would like to have someone supply an overiew of the products - i.e. just what is a Syntech, or an XTR, or a 70-045, or a 70-342, or a 70-7030, or a 70-565, or a 70-1340B? We have a model chart below, but it's short on overview information - what makes one particular model better over another (maybe a better front end?)We'd like to present some combination of:

How to read a model number - i.e. what the differences are between the various models
Frequency ranges and which ones are crystal or synthesized
What makes one particular model better over another (i.e. which ones are the turkeys)
What it takes to move them onto amateur radio frequencies
If they aren't crystal controlled, information on how to program them (i.e. hardware programmer, PC program or front panel programming) would be appreciated, as well as what PC software do you need (and how to get it)

We'd like information on programming the radios, and what it takes to move one onto amateur radio frequencies. The programming article can cover what software you need for which models (and how to get it), what hardware it takes on the older ones that use a programmer rather than a PC, and if there are any tricks that need to be done to move them into the ham bands.

Lastly, information on any "gotcha's" (i.e. you can't get the PA transistors for a model XXX, or a model YYY needs DOS-based software to program where a model ZZZ uses Windows based software) etc.

If you have something to contribute, don't worry about your writing ability, your speling, or anything else. Just write something up, even if it's just an email, and send it to us. We'll do the rest.

Examples:

an email that became an article web page
an excel spreadsheet that became a reference web page
(yes, it's a Bendix King model chart, but it arrived as an Excel spreadsheet. It's just an example of what can be done to reformat data).
a plain text file that became a how-to web page

Midland Commercial Equipment

There is a YahooGroup email list for almost every brand of radio, and sometimes, as in Kenwood, there are model-specific groups. Midland is no different.
Click Here to go to the Midland LMR email list

One rule of thumb: The Syntech I radios use Eprom Modules and a hardware programmer while both the Syntech II and XTR radios program with a PC like modern radios.

Bridgeman Communications has been building after-market power and control cables for most of the Midland LMR radios since early 2004.

They have a complete list on their website. This mention is intended as a service, not an endorsement by Repeater-Builder.
Contact:
   Dennis Bridgeman KCØFWN
   Bridgeman Communications
   202 Seventh Street
   Carmi, Illinois 62821

Green County Communications is owned by Bob Gass N4FV (n4fv-at-yahoo-dot-com) and they offer a programmer kit for the XTR and Syntech II that is the electrical equivalent of the 70-1308A. Cost is $15 for a printed circuit board and $30 for a complete kit (including shipping via first class mail). A photo of the programmer is here. Since several people have asked for a source of Midland programmers, this mention is intended as a service, not an endorsement by Repeater-Builder.

The Midland 70-1308A Programmer - Here's the schematic of a Syntech II and XTR programmer courtesy of Brett Kitchens KF4SQB

Does anyone have any information on the Midland Programming Interface 70-1052A ?
It is used to program the 70-045 / 70-065 / 70-165 / 70-265 / 70-166 / 70-266 series portables.
Or of the 70-1080 Programmer ?

Midland base, repeater and mobile model table - courtesy of Bill Janes, N9SII

Midland portable model table - courtesy of Michael James KC5JDG

The Midland 70-201BD radio is a relabeled Maxon SD-125 UHF.

The Midland / Icom relationship:

The Midland 70-154A and B handheld are clones of the Icom H16 (16 channel highband, front panel programmable) - identical except for the color of the plastic and the name on the housing. The 70-254A and B is the clone of the U16 - the UHF version. The programming instructions for the H16 and U16 that are on the Icom page at this web site will work for the Midland clones.

The Midland Basetech series (maybe the entire product line) is made in Japan by Hitachi.

Midland Amateur Radio Equipment

Since Midland is out of the amateur radio market, and no longer offers any amateur radio equipment manuals for sale, if someone can PDF the service manuals for these older radios it would be appreciated. The models that we do not have include the 13-500 (2m crystal) mobile and all of the amateur handhelds. The donor can remain anonymous if they would prefer.

All of the amateur market Midland radios were carrier squelch only, but they had a multi-pin accessory connector on the rear of the radio, and the signals available included switched +12vDC on transmit, transmitter audio in and PTT in. Some folks used the connector for powering DTMF encoders, some for CTCSS encoders, some (like me) for both. The most common CTCSS encoder used was by Communications Specialists, commonly known as Com-Spec, and they have their own page at this web site. I used a model with a rotary switch).

The Midland 13-500 was a twelve crystal controlled channel, 10 watts or 1 watt mobile. No manual on file (anybody want to loan theirs for scanning ?).

The Midland 13-509 user manual 9.3 Mb PDF donated by Ray Wolfe K9RI front panel photo
This radio is a 220mhz version of the 13-500, and also was marketed as the Clegg FM-76 and Cobra Model 200. This PDF file is the manual that was shipped with the radio. The schematic is inside the back cover. They were made with three different colors of front panel: black, tan and chocolate brown (shown in the front panel photo above).

The Midland 13-509 service manual 1.73 Mb PDF donated by Eric Lemmon WB6FLY
Yes, this file is smaller than the owners manual, but that is due to a better scan and better compression. This is the manual that was sold by Midland as a service manual - for two dollars plus postage.

Notes on a repeater based on the Midland 13-509 1mb PDF by Chuck Adams WB5WRR

Midland radio Conversions for links and repeaters by Karl Shoemaker AK2O of the Spokane Repeater Group (http://www.srgclub.org) (offsite link)
While this web page is oriented to the 13-509 220 MHz radio much of the information is applicable to the 13-500 2m radio as well. The theory and comments are well worth reading.

A simple modification (two caps and 1 resistor) that results in much better squelch action on the 13-509 or 13-500 Donated by Bob Dengler NO6B

A simple modification for making the low power setting 5 watts for link duty on the 13-509 and its variants Donated by Larry Clore, WB9F

The Midland 13-510 manual (2m, 1w / 10w / 30 watt synthesized. Manual donated by A. Nony Mous 6mb PDF (combination owners/service manual)

The Midland 13-513 manual (220mhz version of the 13-510) Donated by A. Nony Mous 3mb PDF (combination owners/service manual)

Midland Consumer Equipment

The Midland Weather radio model WR-300 (and probably other WR series receivers) is not suitable for use as a source of the weather "Watch", "Warn", or other type of alert message in a repeater system. The SAME protocol that is broadcast by the NOAA transmitters has digital trigger codes for each geographical area in the country plus a "turn off" code that is sent at the end of the alert time period. The intent was that the "Watch" or "Warning" signals unmute the speaker, and the radio would talk until the "turn off" code was received. An indicator (usually a red LED) would stay illuminated until reset with a pushbutton.

The decoder design of the WR-300 does NOT support the "turn-off" code, hence once the receiver squelch is opened by a "Watch" or "Warn" signal the receiver just chatters for 5 (or so) minutes and then mutes the speaker when the timer expires. If a long message was received, or a second "Watch" or "Warn" signal was received the timer could mute the audio right in the middle of it.

Anybody have any info on the Midland 74-109 Weather radio ??
Is it timer based or does it understand the "turn off" code?

There is some additional Weather Receiver info on the Radio Shack page at this web site.

Plus there is a another web page devoted to generic Weather Receivers, including detailed info on the SAME system.

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This web page, this web site, the information presented in and on its pages and in these modifications and conversions is © Copyrighted 1995 and (date of last update) by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors. All Rights Reserved, including that of paper and web publication elsewhere.