Review on Enhanced Midland 1001LWX 40 Channel Mobile CB featuring ANL, RF Gain, PA, and Weather Scan by Darnell Golden

I have recently purchased a Midland 1001LWX through Revain and as expected the item arrived in excellent condition and very quickly. I just started using it and I think it's pretty effective. It's small, comparable in size to the Cobra 19 Ultra III, maybe 1/2 inch longer (front to back) than the Cobra and just a little narrower. Despite the stated dimensions they are basically the same size as both suggest they are not that tight. It is almost impossible to find a CB radio with as many features as the Midland 1001LWX in such a small package. It's a very clear LCD with a very bright red backlight that is not dimmable. I'll probably get a piece of variable window tint to see if I can tone it down a bit as it's very much in my setup. That's my only real complaint about the Midland 1001LWX: the lack of backlight control. System of where you are in relation to the transmitting antenna and the terrain. So far I haven't had any major issues with this feature and not enough to lower my overall score on the device. I chose an Astatic 636L noise canceling microphone as I have with my other established CB radios. The 636L is available in a "standard 4 pin configuration" to fit Cobra, Uniden, Maxon and a few others. I ordered a rewired one for a Midland radio and found it didn't work with the Midland 1001LWX. I tried using the included Midland mic with my new Midland radio and it worked, proving that the radio was fine. I was trying to rewire the astatic mic in a Cobra radio, thinking the company I ordered messed up the Midland rewiring, but I had the same symptoms as trying to wire the astatic mic to Midland use: no transmission and no beep. Whenever I pressed the PTT button. Instead of waiting for a new Astatic 636L I went to the local truck stop and found there was an Astatic 636L in stock on the shelf. I bought it and tried it right away with the Midland 1001LWX and it worked. It looks like this Midland radio is at least wired for a standard 4 pin mic configuration and NOT a typical Midland mic configuration. I have an old Midland 79-290 which I am hoping will work with my newly assembled Astatic. If not, I'll reset it back to stock and get a replacement. EDIT: I used my radio with an 18ft RG-213 coaxial cable and a 5ft Wilson FGT-5 antenna. The radio is mounted on the upper center console of the four-door sedan, the antenna on the rear bumper. Most of the usage in recent months has been driving up and down the east coast. I will still say that this is a really good radio, ESPECIALLY for its price. I've found it to be just as effective as my Cobra 29 that I've been using for so long. The initial setup of the antenna took some time, but after some work and a Vanco SWR meter, the SWR is between 1.5:1 and 1.8:1. The display backlight is not annoying at all, even when driving at night. My initial complaint about the lack of backlight adjustment turned out to be no problem. Unlike others, I found the NOAA Weather Channel feature to work very well. It scans, but if you press the PTT button on the microphone in "Wx" mode, you can manually switch between the weather channels. Each press of the PTT button increases the channel selection by one channel. After that, the radio stops searching. Reception is clear and strong most of the time. After using the Midland 1001LWX I am convinced that Midland has put together a great product. I feel I got a good deal and overall the radio is good value for money. I think this is a good choice for people like me who want a fully featured CB radio in a small form factor.