Midland Stories: episode #1

65 years may seem like a lot, but in reality, when you dedicate yourself heart and soul to what you love, they fly by in an instant. Our first episode of Midland Stories gathers the tales of Vittorio, Rodolfo, and Pasquale and the experiences they have lived together with Midland.

Some of you have been with us since the beginning, while others have joined the Midland family more recently. Even if the contexts and years are different, what unites all the people who choose to buy a Midland product is that passion, even a bit nostalgic, to communicate through devices that have a history. 

Vittorio, when being a CBer is destiny 

It was the summer of 1990 in Bari, and Vittorio had just turned 12 years old, but he was already passionate about electronics. By chance one evening, he found himself rummaging through the living room cabinet and found a box: it was the gift he had received for Christmas from FIAT, as the son of an employee of the car manufacturer.

In that box were small walkie-talkies, but Vittorio still didn't know their purpose.

Those walkie-talkies had a very long metal antenna, which Vittorio tried to bring closer to the radiator, when suddenly he heard the very deep voice of a man.

His first reaction was fear: the radios flew onto the sofa, and he ran scared to his mom in the kitchen, telling her what happened.

Even his mother was surprised and had no idea where that voice could have come from: the only solution was to wait for his father to return from the evening shift at the factory to ask for explanations.

That evening Vittorio had waited for his father awake until 10:30 PM to tell him what had happened, but above all to ask: who was that man? 

"It's a CBer"

"A CBer? And who is that?"

Once the initial scare was overcome, curiosity kicked in, but above all the desire to talk again with that mysterious man who, in some way, had entered Vittorio's house with his voice.

Gathering his courage, Vittorio tried again the next evening: he pressed the side button of the walkie-talkie, but no one answered.

Vittorio was despairing for having lost the chance to talk with that man, but after a few days, his father took him to GBC, the most famous electronics store in Bari: it is here that Vittorio became a CBer at only 12 years old, thanks to the purchase of his first Alan Quarantotto the legendary small rig that the store clerk had recommended to him.

With the Alan Quarantotto, Vittorio manages to reconnect with the mysterious man from the walkie-talkie, but not only that.

After a few years, still using the legendary small rig, he starts talking with a girl who called herself Pocahontas. That girl he met through the CB is today his wife.

Sometimes being CBers is not just a passion, but a real destiny, and there are many people for whom the small rig has literally changed their lives.

Rodolfo, from father to son

For those who worked as a trucker in the '80s, having a CB was the only way to communicate with other colleagues on the road, because mobile phones did not yet exist. If today all truckers choose to have the small rig because it is a convenient, reliable, and high-performance tool, in the '80s having one was not just a choice, but a vital necessity.

So Rodolfo tells the story of his father, a trucker who traveled thousands of kilometers in the '80s with his small rig. As a child, he occasionally used his father's CB to talk and meet other people.

Then time passed, and Rodolfo did not use the CB until 2020: during the lockdown, he remembered those moments spent as a child with his father.

This time as an adult, Rodolfo uses an Alan Sessantotto and spends his days in lockdown talking to other people. Even though there is the internet and PCs, according to him, the small rig remains unbeatable (and who are we to contradict him?).

Pasquale and the Fiat 127 

If we say Fiat 127, we are almost certain that memories of trips to the beach with the family, evenings dancing with friends, or on-the-road adventures that today can only be dreamed of will come to your mind.

Pasquale also lived unforgettable moments aboard his Fiat 127, but what made them even more unique was the Alan Quarantotto: his first CB that allowed him to communicate with other people while traveling in his car.

The unique design of the Fiat 127 (not coincidentally, the first series was designed by Pio Manzù, son of the artist Giacomo Manzù), combined with the unique design of the Alan Forty-Eight, are the perfect image of the 1980s that we all remember with a hint of nostalgia.

From Alan Quarantotto to the CT990: today, Pasquale continues to be part of the Midland family, changing products but always maintaining the same essence!

And you, do you have a personal story related to a Midland product? You can share it with us through a written text, a video, or an audio!

Send an email to [email protected]!