Also known as: 75-822, Midland 75822
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The Midland 75-822 does a trick no other mainstream CB does: it’s a handheld and a mobile in one radio. In your hand it runs on 6 AA batteries with a rubber-duck antenna; slide on the included mobile adapter and it takes cigarette-lighter power and a real external antenna, putting the full legal 4 watts into proper metal.1 Add 10 NOAA weather channels and it’s the definitive glovebox emergency CB, around $90–130.
Key takeaways The only handheld that becomes a real mobile. AA-powered walkie for the trail; cigarette-lighter + external antenna for the truck — full 4 W either way. 10 NOAA weather channels, 5 memories, dual watch, scan. Handheld range is ~1 mile — a 27 MHz physics problem, not a defect; the mobile adapter is where it earns its keep. AM only, no FM refresh. Eats AAs. License-free (Part 95D). ~$90–130. Full rankings: best CB radios.
Overview
Midland has kept this decades-old design in production for a simple reason: nothing else does its job. Off-roaders who ride in different vehicles every weekend, delivery drivers in rotating trucks, and anyone building an emergency kit all have the same problem — a hard-mounted CB lives in one vehicle. The 75-822 lives in your bag. Sliding on the mobile adapter swaps the battery pack for cigarette-lighter power and a standard antenna connection, and suddenly it’s a legitimate 4 W mobile driving a real roof-mounted antenna.
Set expectations correctly for handheld use: 27 MHz hates short antennas. A quarter-wave at CB frequencies is nearly nine feet; a rubber duck is a severe compromise, so figure about a mile handheld-to-handheld. That’s physics, and it applies to every handheld CB ever made — it’s why “handheld CB” is a tiny category while handheld GMRS thrives at 462 MHz. The 75-822’s answer is the adapter: don’t judge it as a walkie-talkie, judge it as a mobile CB that can leave the truck.
The rest of the feature set is honest and useful: 10 NOAA weather channels (with AA power, it works when the vehicle battery doesn’t — the emergency-kit case in one line), 5 channel memories, dual watch, scan, Hi/Lo transmit power to stretch batteries, a backlit LCD, and a headset jack. The knocks: it eats AA batteries in earnest use, and it’s AM only — no FM refresh ever came, and there’s no SSB.
License note: none — CB is licensed by rule under FCC Part 95D. No exam, no fee; 4 W AM is the legal carrier limit and the 75-822’s Hi setting.
Modes & features
- 40 channels, 4 W AM only (Hi/Lo switch), Part 95D certified.
- True 2-in-1: 6× AA handheld with rubber duck, or mobile adapter → 12 V cigarette-lighter power + external CB antenna at full power.
- 10 NOAA weather channels, 5 memories, dual watch, scan, backlit LCD, headset jack. About 3.5" tall as a handheld.
GopherTrunk alternative
The straight answer from a software project: GopherTrunk doesn’t do CB. CB is 27 MHz analog AM — under an RTL-SDR’s native tuning range unless you use direct-sampling mode or an upconverter, and analog AM voice is outside GopherTrunk’s trunked/digital scope. If you want to know whether anyone in your area still talks on CB before buying, a scanner with CB coverage or an HF-capable SDR is the listening tool — the 40-channel map is in our scanner frequencies reference. For an emergency radio that transmits, the 75-822 is the one that works in any vehicle.
Who it’s for
- Buy the 75-822 if you split time across vehicles, want a glovebox emergency radio with weather reception, or refuse to hard-mount anything. View on Amazon →
- Buy the Cobra 75 All Road instead if the radio stays in one dashless vehicle — its hideaway box + wireless handset is the cleaner permanent install — or the PRO505XL if $60 and a bracket solve your problem.
- Skip it for a hard-mounted Bearcat 880FM if you never leave the truck — better receiver, better speaker, FM, and built-in SWR metering. Full rankings: best CB radios.
Sources
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Midland 75-822 product page — Midland Radio, on the handheld/mobile 2-in-1 design, mobile adapter, 10 NOAA weather channels, Hi/Lo power, memories, and dual watch. ↩
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license for the Midland 75-822?
No. CB is license-free by rule under FCC Part 95D — no exam, no fee. The 75-822 transmits up to the legal 4-watt AM limit with a Hi/Lo power switch to stretch battery life.
What's the range of the Midland 75-822 as a handheld?
Poor — expect around a mile handheld-to-handheld with the rubber-duck antenna. That’s physics, not Midland: 27 MHz wavelengths are about 11 meters, and no pocket antenna is efficient there. Slide it into the mobile adapter with a real external antenna and it performs like any 4 W mobile CB — a few miles.
How does the Midland 75-822 convert to a mobile CB?
The included mobile adapter slides onto the radio, replacing the battery pack: it takes cigarette-lighter power and a standard external CB antenna connection. Full 4 watts into a proper roof or fender antenna — a real mobile, not a compromise.
Does the Midland 75-822 have weather channels?
Yes — 10 NOAA weather channels, which combined with AA power is why it makes such a good glovebox emergency radio: it receives weather and CB even when the truck’s electrical system is dead.
Does the Midland 75-822 do FM or SSB?
No — AM only. Midland has never issued an FM refresh of this decades-old design. For FM you want a current mobile like the Bearcat 880FM or Cobra 75 All Road; for SSB, the Bearcat 980SSB or President McKinley II.