Not only did I spend a lot of time talking on the CB radio as a kid, I also spent a lot of time (and money) tape recording the antics of myself and others who happened to be on the channel. Whereas most normal people would have erased and/or discarded these cassettes years ago, I… Read More »
I’ll bet you didn’t know October 4th was a national holiday! It is, thanks to former President of the United States Jimmy Carter. On October 2, 1978, President Carter proclaimed this date to be forever known as “10-4 Day” by issuing the following statement: “This year marks the 20th anniversary of Citizens Band radio. CB… Read More »
The best CB base antennas were manufactured in the 1970s and early 80s. Reason? They were made out of metal. In the early 1980s (1984, I believe), the Consumer Products Safety Commission began requiring that omnidirectional antennas meet certain standards. This was due to the large number of people who had been electrocuted while installing… Read More »
My friend Kathy found this and sent it to me on Facebook. If you just so happened to live in the western Minneapolis suburbs and were active on CB radio during the late 1970s and early 80s, you probably heard her. Kathy’s handle was “Tonka Teddy Bear.” She had a base station and could usually… Read More »
Back in the pre-40 channel days, Dynascan’s Cobra 29 was quite possibly the best AM mobile CB radio you could buy. This radio was extremely well made. Audio was very strong, courtesy of Cobra’s exclusive DynaMike. The Cobra 29 was a very nice looking radio with plenty of knobs, bells & whistles. Power/volume, DynaMike, squelch,… Read More »
The Cobra 85 was Dynascan’s entry-level 23 channel base station. This is a very simple CB radio with only 3 controls: power/volume, squelch, and channel selector. It features a large S/RF meter and standard 4 pin Cobra microphone connector. Though simple, the Cobra 85 was also a good performer, priced right at $150-160 in the… Read More »
This is the Dynascan Cobra CAM 89 base station. It looks like a Cobra 139, but doesn’t have SSB (single sideband.) Basically, it’s a Cobra 29 with the addition of a built-in power supply. That’s not a bad thing since the 29 was a great performer. When 40 channel CB radios became legal in 1977,… Read More »
The mighty Cobra 135! This deluxe base station was top of the Dynascan line in 1975 with a price to match ($400-450.) Features AM/SSB, digital clock and alarm, plus everything else that was available on a CB radio in the mid-1970s. Strangely enough, when 40 channel radios were introduced on January 1, 1977, there was… Read More »
This Cobra 138 is the upscale cousin of Dynascan’s most excellent Cobra 29. These two CB radios are very similar with one important difference: the 138 adds upper and lower sideband capabilities. Appearance and performance are both excellent. This was one of the “Classic Cobras” that made this brand so successful back in the 1970s.
The Dynascan Cobra 139 base station is a 23 channel AM/SSB radio with plenty of features. It was considered to be the next best thing to it’s big brother, the Cobra 135. Shown here with the optional Cobra DynaMike Plus amplified desk microphone. Upgraded to 40 channels in 1977, it’s successor was the Cobra 139XLR.
This is a Dynascan Cobra 139XLR with the addition of a Digi-Scan 400. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, this was considered the ultimate in CB frequency expansion capabilities. Sure, you could buy a Siltronix VFO, but now, you could digitally select the frequency of your choice! At the time, this Digi-Scan was cutting… Read More »
Cobra’s 142GTL was a successor to the Cobra 139XLR. Styling was nearly identical but the electronics were much more sophisticated. Dynascan’s 142 used an advanced PLL which allowed it to be more ‘capable’ of frequency modifications. I used a Cobra 142GTL as my main base station from 1982 until 1984. It was great radio with… Read More »
The Cobra 1000GTL is basically a Cobra 2000GTL without sideband. “Why was this radio ever made” would be a logical question here. Since these radios were fairly expensive, it didn’t make sense to shell out that kind of money and not have USB/LSB capability. It sure looked nice, though. Performance was solid, as you would… Read More »
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 »