Here is the famous Cobra 2000 base station. Introduced in the early 1980s, this radio has been a favorite of serious CB operators ever since. The built-in frequency counter makes it especially popular with freebanders/outbanders. A very attractive radio, shown here with both matching speakers. Most of the Dynascan 2000s found today on the used… Read More »
The original Cobra CB radios were manufactured by Dynascan Corporation. In fact, Dynascan was responsible for developing the world’s first CB radio. The year was 1963. The new radio was called the Sidewinder. In 1993, the company name was officially changed from Dynascan to Cobra Electronics Corporation. Today, Cobra CB radios continue to be produced.… Read More »
Colt manufactured an attractive line of CB radios. Because the brand was introduced in 1977, all were 40 channel units. This Colt 485 Black Shadow SSB is a full-featured mobile radio which includes single sideband capability. You didn’t often find Colts in discount or department stores. Instead, they were available primarily from CB specialty retailers.
Dating from the early 1970s, the Rebel 23+ was Fanon Courier’s entry-level 23 channel mobile CB radio. Just the basics with volume, squelch, channel selector, and a small meter. This small and simple unit got the job done at a price everyone could afford. If you had purchased one new, you would have paid around… Read More »
This good looking 23-channel mobile is a Craig 4104. Craig CB radios featured unique styling and good performance. Despite this, they were never big sellers. Because if this, you very rarely see them today. Where I grew up in Minneapolis, Team Electronics is the only retailer that I remember carrying Craig transceivers.
This Craig 4201 was the base station version of the 4104 mobile. Like it’s 12 volt DC sister, the 4201 also featured unique, sleek styling and good performance for the money. But since Craig CB radios never sold in large numbers, you don’t see many of them around today. Most of the surviving Craig electronic… Read More »
The DAK Mark III is a 40-channel AM mobile radio. Basic, but effective. All DAK CB radios are very rare finds today as they were only produced in small numbers. Once in a while, one will surface on eBay. Otherwise, you’re not likely to see a Mark III except on the Internet or in a… Read More »
DAK Industries was a mail-order electronics company. The name comes from the initials of founder Drew Alan Kaplan. DAK CB base stations were very large units and strong performers. Relatively few were sold, so they are quite rare today. This DAK Mark IX Radiotelephone base station features 40-channel operation, FOUR large lighted meters, and the… Read More »
A simple but inexpensive radio, the GE 3-5804G featured all 40 channels, volume, squelch, and a lighted S/RF meter. Performance was about average for a CB radio in this price range. Notice the meter does not measure actual wattage on transmit. There is only black for “bad” and red for “good.”
Yes, General Electric manufactured CB radios! Their complete line of several models included this GE 3-5810 23 channel mobile unit. It was one of their more popular models during the mid-1970s. Interestingly enough, some GE CBs utilized a 4-pin female mic plug while others such as this unit used a 5-pin DIN plug.
The 40 channel version of the General Electric 5810 was this GE 3-5811/5811B. The 5811 also utilized the 5-pin DIN microphone plug. Note that while the S/RF meter is the same size as on the previous 23 channel model, the graphics have changed. This meter design was shared with many Colt, Hy-Gain, and Midland CB… Read More »
This is a Hy-Gain Hy-Range I. It was the entry-level model in Hy-Gain’s mobile CB line. A very simple radio that was easy to use with decent receive and transmit capabilities. Power/volume, squelch, and a small meter. Because it was relatively inexpensive, the Hy-Range 1 was a popular choice for those getting started in CB… Read More »
The Johnson Messenger 130, also known as “The Telephone CB.” This was the mobile version. Johnson also made a matching base unit, the Messenger 132. Performance was okay, but transmit audio quality suffered due to the limitations of a telephone receiver being used as a microphone. I could always tell when someone was talking on… Read More »
The updated version of Johnson’s Messenger 130 was the 130A. This model had a short run. Production began in early 1976 and ended later that year due to the new 40-channel units becoming legal for sale on January 1, 1977. The only difference I can see between the 130 and 130A is that the 130A’s… Read More »
This dusty old jewel is a Johnson Messenger 323A. Big and heavy, but well built as were all Johnson CB radios. Solid performance, as you would expect. One disadvantage with this and many other Johnson models is that the microphone was hard-wired, rather than terminating in a plug. If you wanted to add a ‘power… Read More »
This Midland 13-880B was top dog in the early 1970s. It featured all 23 channels AM/LSB/SSB. Plus a large combination S/RF/SWR/CAL meter and a digital clock. The clock was a big deal in those days since they were mechanical, not electronic. This deluxe base station had an expensive price to match: around $400 in most… Read More »
The Midland 13-882C was introduced in the summer of 1976. It looked like it’s predecessor, the 13-882B, but was completely different inside. Whereas the 882B used a crystal synthesizer to generate the 23 CB channels, the 882C used a PLL, or phase lock loop. Because of this, the 882C was a much more “capable” radio.… Read More »
This Midland 13-883B mobile was produced in the early 1970s. A full-featured CB radio with all 23 channels, transmit/receive lights, tone control, and a large S/RF/SWR meter. The 13-883B actually predates the 13-882, though you may guess otherwise because of it’s sequential model number. Due to the advancing age of this unit, they are rare… Read More »
Here’s another of those “telephone” CB radios which were so popular in the mid-1970s. The Midland 13-884 was one of the fanciest available with RF gain control, large ‘transmit’ light, and a lighted S/RF/SWR meter. It also has a detachable handset with standard 4 pin female mic connector. The similar Johnson Messenger 130/130A has a… Read More »
The 13-891 was Midland’s entry-level base station in the early 1970s. Design and appearance was pretty basic. Performance was adequate, but not spectacular. Audio was very good due to the large front-mounted speaker. Midland did not sell a lot of these CB radios which explains why You don’t see many of them around anymore.