Radio Shack Realistic TRC "Hidden Gems" of CB Radios

[Foxhunter]

Hi all. I just received an older Radio Shack Realistic CB base station last week. It sat for a few days and just opened it up the other day and was pleasantly surprised by the radio, it's truly nice. Realistic TRC-457 AM SSB CB Citizen's Band Base Station.


Because of the vast and broad collective experiences of our members here, I was wondering if some of you might post what they remember for some of the better "hidden gems" that Radio Shack Realistic once produced, before their eventual lapse into flooding the market with cheaply made mass-produced black plastic novice radios.


Radio Shack Realistic TRC Series radios. (I don't think "Tandy Corp" made any, correct me if I'm wrong). Partially out of ingnorance and also from missing the CB craze, I used to snicker at the mentioning of the words "Realistic" combined with "CB". At the time-----didn't know they once made some nice radios. Sears and Roebuck too as well as Montgomery Ward and JC Penny were in on it back then too.


Anyone fondly remember some of the "good ones" to collect or own? Any that really stood out? Any to keep a lookout for while poking around a flea market or garage sale or sifting through the online listings? Have anything yourself currently that really performs well?

Here's the RadioShack Realistic Navaho TRC-457 (21-1580) 40 Channel AM SSB Base Radio that just came in

Realistic TRC-457 AM SSB.jpg

Foxhunter 351 NJ

[drdx]

You're probably studious enough to know this, but if you Google "radio shack catalog" you'll see a site that has the catalogs you can check out for free. It is like a time machine. There are many years there of the catalog with good coverage of the real cb years.

-drdx

[Foxhunter]

You're probably studious enough to know this, but if you Google "radio shack catalog" you'll see a site that has the catalogs you can check out for free. It is like a time machine. There are many years there of the catalog with good coverage of the real cb years.
-drdx

Wow well thank you and no that was a good recommendation I appreciate it. Just added it to my IE Favorites. I quickly visited the site and will have to go back when I have some time to sit down and view. Excellent.

Radio Shack Catalogs
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Now I have been into the Radio Shack website many times and if you click on "help" in the upper right corner it takes you to another page called the "Radio Shack Help Desk" . Right on the right side of the page is the "Legacy Support Information" link, which is a treasure trove of downloadable/printable owners manuals and instruction booklets for many of the old Realistic CB radios, meters and pretty much everything. I've found a few items not listed, but still so much of it is there.

Here is just one segment:
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Radio Shack Realistic Citizen's Band radio manuals
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I know opinions vary and but still wondered what Realistic TRC radios guys here have found to be very fine choice units. Anyone? Maybe the shift has gone so far to the Connex Galaxy RCI culture that few enjoy these older solid rigs anymore but a minority.



Foxhunter 351 NJ

[polecat]

That is funny you post this . I just bought one of those . It was Realistic's best radio by leaps and bounds . I am waiting for mine to arrive . As for hidden gems from that generation I own the ROBYN SB-540D this is ROBYN'S top of the line great radio very rare . I also own the Midland 78-999 this is Midlands best and very rare . ARF2001 rare radio but I constantly have problems with it and it is hard to work on . If you see any of these radios at a decent price grab them .To many others radios to mention .


cheers POLECAT

[Watermelonman53]

SEARS HAD SOME SUPER SWEET SIDE BAND RIGS AND HAD THEM OLD 858 CHIPS THAT YOU COULD PLAY ALL DAY WITH . THE ROADTALKER SERIESYES SIR THE GREAT DAYS IN THE CB DESIGN ARE PAST I FEEL.

[TheCBDoctor]

Hi,

Radio shack had a number of companies make there radios. The only ones I though were any good are the ones made by Uniden.

Some of the early Navaho Bases were made by Uniden. You can always tell because the board or the Transformer said Uniden. The rest of the CB's were made by Cybernet. Who is making them now I have no idea? I don't even know if they still sell CB radios. Boy, has that place gone down hill from being an experimenter's paradise, to a high end cell phone and crap store.

Respectfully,

[polecat]

I agree Watermelonman53 I have theRoadTalker 40 base station with AM/SSB with the slant face . Built like a tank and a great talker . These were very underrated radios .

Cheers Polecat

[Foxhunter]

[ external image ][ external image ] [ external image ]
Am I the only one who's ever noticed this? I think of it when I watch the History Channel. Hey, if they could build this, I'm sure they also built some really good CB radios ! Kidding. Still, look at the resemblance. To elaborate a little in case anyone's interested, the last photo to the right is the tail section of the Enola G-a-y.





Where exactly does the term (and company name) "radio shack" come from anyway ?

Origins of the term "radio shack"
In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed.

When radio was first adopted by the U.S. Navy, a small, wooden structure placed on deck to house the ship's radio equipment became known as the "radio shack". The term was soon adopted by military and hobbyist alike to describe any form of radio room. Today, amateur radio operators use the term to describe the space occupied by their radio gear, usually a room, but for some the entire "shack" may consist of a hand-held radio or two while others may operate mobile equipment in a vehicle.

In 1921, Theodore and Milton Deutschmann chose the name "Radio Shack," for their radio parts retail and mail-order business in Boston, Massachusetts in order to appeal to radio enthusiasts. The enterprise has since grown to the multi-billion dollar retail chain RadioShack Corporation.

Some of you know I like to post under the category of "other" quite a bit. It's why I hoped some of you would (and will) post your thoughts on some of the best Realistic Citizens Band radios made by (or should I say "for") RadioShack. Please do.



Well I can only list a couple of offerings on a few of the "better" Realistic TRC Series CB radio models that I would consider a hidden "gem" of a radio and not too often discussed. Because of that I called them "hidden" in the thread title. And to this day, there are many who don't realize that a number of Realistic radios were actually quality radios.


Todays image of RadioShack as an iPhone store or offering mass-produced black plastic mini-cb's has tainted the image that many CB operators have of Realistic. Most employees know nothing about "radios" at all! But hey----as far as CB radio enthusiasts not recognizing the older Realistic radios as decent ? Not everyone in the hobby today was around back then in prime years, to remember the CB boom and when Realistic actually had decent products out on the market. I know I wasn't aware or around back then.


Without going down in the bunker and counting them, I'm pretty sure I have about 10 Realistic CB's. Since I've got a few of them now and have done some preliminary testing on several, I found I liked what I saw and heard so far. I could kick myself for all the ones I passed by over the years, simply because I basically thought "bah humbug" (out of ignorance) because they carried the Radio Shack Realistic label.

Here are a few below that I could now say have good potential and plan on using regularly, they would be:



Radio Shack Realistic Navaho TRC-457 (21-1580) 40 Channel AM SSB Base Radio


Radio Shack Realistic Navaho TRC-458 (21-1581) 40 Channel AM SSB Base Radio
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[Please login or register to view this link] (CBRadioMagazine review)


Radio Shack Realistic Navaho TRC-449 (21-1562) 40 Channel AM SSB Mobile Radio




There are a couple other smaller Realistic base radios that are "a little better than average" compared to some of their other units once offered.


Radio Shack Realistic Navaho TRC-431 (21-1546A) 40 Channel AM Base Radio
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Radio Shack Realistic Navaho TRC-432 (21-1544) 40 Channel AM SSB Base Radio


Now I think it's modifiable (almost sure but honestly haven't checked) and not truly a CB but worth mentioning is another Realistic mobile radio:


RadioShack Realistic HTX-100 (19-1101) 10 Meter Mobile Radio
[Please login or register to view this link] (Eham review)

I do have one and a second one as a nearly complete parts chasis. I've never tried or tested it to see if it even works. I think that it was "chipswitch" modifiable like the Uniden HR2510. I know nothing about this radio online or from personal use.


Some interesting cool vintage Realistic CB base station photos are here at page on the link below
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Looks like someone altered this TRC-458 clarifier knob with a gym locker combination lock[ external image ]


This is my actual TRC-457 and it looks good. For some reason my TRC-457 photo here is posted all over the net
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This video is nothing much and is very short from CBRadioMagazine but shows two of the TRC-449 radios and they look great
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Realistic HTX-100 Ham Amateur Radio
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Realistic Navaho TRC-431 Base CB Radio
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Realistic Navaho TRC-432 Base CB Radio
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I'm sure there are several others that are considered good, solid radios. I believe the TRC-490 was another very popular radio although very similar to the TRC-458 I think. If I'm not mistaken it had a newer and higher power final transistor. Or maybe it was the TRC-492 ? It would be nice to have some of you add what you know on these Realistic CB's, what are the best ones that the rest of us should keep an eye out for in the "for sale" ads.



Foxhunter 351 NJ

[drdx]

Related story for you there Foxhunter:

I haven't thought about this deal in a while:

I had the pleasure of living within driving distance to radio shack's home in Forth Worth, tx. They have an outlet store there. But the best part, as recent as 10 years ago, once a month, early on a Saturday, at their warehouse they would sell off PALLETS of returned and discontunued items, some items still new but had faded boxes or slight damage. CBs, phones, tons of remote control cars, all for one proce per pallet. At 6am, they would open the door and we'd all RUN to a pallet and hug it. Then, the employees would come around and bid it. You had a choice of whether or not to buy it or not, and if not, folks were right behind you. A 4x4 shrink wrapped pallet would be priced anywhere from $40 to $100 and you couldn't open the wrap until it was yours, and you had to buy it all. We'd buy 50 remote control cars on a pallet and swap parts to make good ones and sell them when I was in college. If we happened to get an expensive return item, we'd drive way across town and return it to a Radio Shack for store credit. My buddy had $3500 in radio shack credit from doing that in about 1992 or so. I was a little scared to do it myself very much as they always asked for ID. The shack later caught on and it became impossible to return stuff. They called that deal the 3rd Saturday Tandy Sale. It was very popular here and outside hours before the sale, we'd have probably a 50 table free fleamarket/radio trading deal. This was in the early export days and was a blast. I don't know if it still happens or not.

Another event was birthed in Dallas and still goes on today, only it is all computers now It is the First Saturday sale. It started at Ross and Central expy (75) in Dallas and began as the Heathkit Sidewalk Sale. Heathkit had a store there and right next door was a ham only store. Heath started it with a simple store sidewalk sale and it got so big that 100's of tables and thousands of attendees came every month. We would set up on our car hoods and park under the overpasses. It was a truly good time. It got so big that it started happening Friday at midnight and ran through Saturday at about noon. Years later, radio faded, and businessmen picked up on the idea that they could start charging for parking and setup, so now it is like a 1 day a month fleamarket downtown. I haven't been in years but last time I went they had concession stands and everything. It was much more fun when it was just people, radios, and flashlights at 2 am doing deals. It started in the 70's and radio really faded there in the mid 90's.

And that's just 2 more stories of our now faded hobby.

Here is a link to my old sidewalk sale in Dallas. The story of how it started is a little different, not crediting Heathkit, but the ham store next door. I remember it being named after heathkit but some memories differ from mine, and in this case who is going to debate them over it. The link talks about selling under the overpass and how it was a big city topic at one point.

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-drdx

[Sheriff Bart]

that HTX-100 kinda resembles an HR-2510 doesn't it , but the TRC-427 is a good number for Radio Shack transceivers too. Impressive audio, makes me think of the Tram D-40.


3's with ease

[drdx]

In typical recent shack fashion, they shot themselves in the foot with that HTX-100. It only had ssb and cw, no am or fm and was not easily modded. If it had that, they would have OWNED the export market just based on availability alone. HR2510's were hot until the chipswitch issue, then the 2950's mashed them in that category, then the Lincoln rolled in but too late. An easy to mod radio available on every corner would have changed export history drastically.

-drdx

[Black Lightning]

TRC-427. It's pretty much a Cobra 25 GTL. I have two of them, both rock.

[Foxhunter]

Well after the Realistic TRC-427 being mentioned at least twice now, I looked at some pic's online and that's a different looking radio. I'll have to keep an eye our for it in my travels now. It does remind you of a Cobra 25LTD type radio I see what he meant, from it's outward appearance and features.

Realistic TRC-427 (21-1534)
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Realistic HTX-100 (19-1101)
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I bought that Realistic HTX-100 as an "impulse buy" (kinda like some guys got married lol) only vaguely remembering reading "something" about it, kept my fingers crossed and hoped it was good haha. Really I could tell by the way the seller was, if I looked it over too much the price was going to start going up, so I said alright. Guess it's a SSB-only rig for me then, drats though I hoped it had AM so I could be a 10-11M AM devil. I had already noticed the resemblance to my canibalized Uniden HR2510 I have under the desk and never did know if the HTX-100 was modifiable or not really. I learn something all the time and will have to do some more reading. At least it's not an HTX-10. After an initial first check, there are two mods for either 26.000 - 27.700 or 27-30mHZ at this webpage below:
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There is also a seemingly popular scanning mod that keeps coming up when searching the HTX-100. Interesting:
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drdx that was one interesting story. Did you raid the dumpsters there too (see I was paying attention 9 months ago and learned a new trick heh heh) ? I did enjoy reading that and followed the link you provided as well. That must've been a good time there, I'd have been in my element and parking there late friday night doin' deals. Like alot of things they get big and become ruined. Now let me tell you I'd have taken advantage of the warehouse returns too I could see gleaming goodies from the pallet loads and selling the rest. I'll bet those "returns" of the broken items to other stores helped do that whole deal in. Had a good thing going too. But nothing lasts and it sounded fun. RadioShack, Realistic, Tandy---they put out some stuff over the years.


One other radio that I've tested but haven't fully gone over and looks like will be a fun base driver radio is the RadioShack Realsitic TRC-495 (21-1579) . It's a smaller single meter base radio. The one I have has a deadkey of 10W and (I think) a PEP of 22W if I remember correctly. I did test it out but for some odd reason didn't attach an ID spec label to the chassis like I normally will. This one must've been modded as it has a cooling fan built into the top of the radio case. From the factory it has a handy CB scanner feature to monitor the channels. I'll put it back on a Termaline and re-check it for output as well as see what it shows on a counter. Not many pictures online of them.

Realsitic TRC-495 (21-1579)
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Foxhunter 351 NJ

[Sheriff Bart]

I once owned a TRC-459 that had channel scanning and you could also lock 5 channels in memory and just scan them if you wanted. I just couldn't get it to scream with audio. I believe it needed a larger power supply

[gunrunner98]

I just signed up for this forum in order to read this thread, and find I have a bit to offer. The TRC-52 is a Cobra 21 23 channel with crystal synthesis. The TRC-152 and TRC-452 look the same as the 52 and are PLL synthesis 23 and 40 channel versions of the Cobra 77X. And since the cat is already out of the bag, the TRC-427 is indeed a Cobra 25. I've scored several on E-Bay in conditions ranging from bad to new-in-the box for reasonable prices, and have yet to find one that wasn't working or that I couldn't repair and make work. I have to believe that there were more "Cobra's with Realistic front panels" made, and hope someone else can fill in the gaps.

[Foxhunter]

I just signed up for this forum in order to read this thread, and find I have a bit to offer.

The TRC-52 is a Cobra 21 23 channel with crystal synthesis.

The TRC-152 and TRC-452 look the same as the 52 and are PLL synthesis 23 and 40 channel versions of the Cobra 77X.

And since the cat is already out of the bag, the TRC-427 is indeed a Cobra 25.

I've scored several on E-Bay in conditions ranging from bad to new-in-the box for reasonable prices, and have yet to find one that wasn't working or that I couldn't repair and make work. I have to believe that there were more "Cobra's with Realistic front panels" made, and hope someone else can fill in the gaps.

Hi there gunrunner98-----so you joined up because of this thread ? Great very glad to hear that thanks! Also glad to see another Realistic fan also, for sure. On a semi-related note, some of those old Sears and Roebuck radios were indeed fine rigs too. But I really appreciate the explanation of the similarities of the Cobra CB's and Realistic CB's. And if I'm not mistaken, since Uniden made most of Cobra's radios in that era, then several of the Realistics should be near identical to the Unidens too. Anything at all you have or want to share or post about on Realistic radios in this thread---please do! It's great to see all the replies and postings on this topic.


If you'll take a look, I'm having trouble right now (I think maybe bad relay) with one of my Realistic Navaho TRC-458's and I just posted it in another thread here:

Realistic TRC-458 Problems -- Relay Chatters No TX
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Now I'm going to post the following excerpt I recently posted in another thread, since it's very much related. No one ever did answer my specific question posted, so I wrote in to an expert in these particular model radios and found out for myself.


***********************************************************************************

thats a good unit i have the trc 458 w/one meter always wanted a 457 to match it my 458 has extra channels and talks all over the place they can be fixed up nicely for sure i saw one with a freq.counter in the channel display also

I wish you came around a little more there Mr. Reverend Ike. We exchanged via Paltalk a while back one night, I'm not sure if you remember. Posted here since I now have the matching set you were talking about, both the Realistic Navaho TRC-457 and Realistic Navaho TRC-458 (have a 458 pair one stock one modified). These are reputed to be *great* radios and there are a few websites that consider them both top contenders.

N9EFJ
If you have a TRC-458 you have the most modifible CB radio ever manufactured. It would be possible to use the 458 mainboard as a base for operation on any portion of any HF band (VHF is also possible) available for use as an amatuer radio operator. Say you needed a 10 meter rig. One hour of modifications would permit you to operate over the complete 10 meter band with channelized (10 kHz) operation from 28.005 to 30.045 mHz. This can be done with 3 external switches to reprogram the 858 PLL chip. After tweaking the RX and TX circuits you could work AM 4 watts and LSB/USB with 12 watts output.

Only one radio appears to be a clone of this exceptional CB radio. That is the TRC-490, also made by Realistic. At first clance they look identical but you can quickly look for a CH9 indicator on the channel display - top left. The similarity ends right there. The two radios do not share the same main board. The TRC-490 has a much smaller board, a smaller power transformer and overall it lacks the robustness of the SSB858 board in the TRC-458. The PCBoard for the TRC-490 is a the same as the Cobra 142GTL base radio and the Cobra 148GTL mobile unit. There are perhaps a dozen other brands and models that use the same board. The same can be said for the TRC-458. The Cobra 139XLR, Cobra 138XLR and many others used the famous SSB858 board made by Uniden.

Note that the mate to the TRC-458 is the TRC-457. This unit does indeed have the same main board and boasts a digital clock with twin analog meters to monitor the radio's operation. Although the TRC-457 is larger in size, the performance of either is identical.

I've seen the website with the ultra cool built-in frequency counter in place of the channel indicator that you are talking about and just quoted from the site above. He calls the version depicted "The Realistic Navaho Eagle Black Indian TRC-458" . If any of you have a TRC-458 then visiting the site should be required reading, as well as the other two pages being informative for good reading.

"The best looking CB radio there ever was"
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The above modified rigs are currently for sale by this gentleman. He is an Advanced Class Amateur as well as a CB buff. His main interests are Ham Radio but he took a real liking to the Navaho's, probably the most informative website on the TRC-457 TRC-458 TRC-490 on the web. And you know it, he thinks the series (especially the 458) was one of the better rigs ever made. Here below is the link to his Realistic TRC-458 radios currently for sale. Along the lines of The CB Doctor with his refurbished Cobra 2000GTL radios, I'd certainly rather pay more to have them from model-specific, specialist expert hands like Carl N9EFJ Old Hickory TN-----than from any typical "unable to test it" type clueless Ebay seller. These look like beautiful rigs, he's only got about 10 left and when they're gone, they're gone and that's it. He's talking about the possibility of making a modification kit for the TRC-458 for competent owners, the whole deal. Still, it'd be nice to get one from someone who knows these radios inside out. If you get a chance, check out and visit the great websites below.

The ULTIMATE CB Radio - TRC-458 by Carl N9EFJ Old Hickory TN
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TRC 458 N9EFJ
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(You really have to click around this website. Each time I've visited I've found even more as the links lead to other links elsewhere on the site not visible from the home page).

N9EFJ Website
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His radios have continuous tuning which is VERY NICE INDEED. No "switches" and "roadmaps" and all that other stuff and/or schemes. I'll say that is quite RARE for 11M radios such as this, almost unheard of. Although I sort of hate permanently altering something original (and that's collectable)----I think I'd love to get one of mine done this way. Really sharp looking. I have a TRC-458 already quite heavily modified it seems, and at the same time has a weak/dim channel LED display where the frequency counter would go. So maybe that could/would be the one to do it to and the way to go.


Here are a few good URL's on the radio for some rainy day reading or if you just want to see what all the talk is about on these radios:

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From the thread:

Realistic Navaho TRC-457
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Foxhunter 351 NJ

[Haku]

Here is my TRC-433 in operation, I think it works great for a 1985 radio.
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[Nightshade]

IMO the reason a lot of older radios were so good was that few were built in China during that time period unlike today. The component parts were better quallity as well as the assembly process.

Chinese radios IMO are marginal at best all around but that's all that is for sale with very few exceptions.

[Flat-Top]

I recently got back into the CB hobby after several years away from it. I have been searching Ebay for good deals on some base CB radios. I am a fan of the Radio Shack brand and have been looking at several RS base radios. Over the past (2) months I have acquired (2) TRC-492 radios, (1) TRC-495 radio and (1) TRC-447 radio, all were dirt cheap, one of which was only $3.58 and in excellent condition. I use the TRC-495 to scan and monitor the channels in my area, one of the TRC-492 and the TRC-447 have separate base antennas to talk on separate channels to the local CBers. I am looking for some good mods for these radios to really get out there, any suggestions? I have been looking at the KL series amps as well as the RFX-75 bolt on. Both are fairly inexpensive but which would be the better choice for the TRC base radios or TRC-447 mobile radio? The RFX-75 claims a PEP of up to 110 watts while the KL series amps on average claim 35-70 watts. Any advice guys? I am starting from scratch and just looking for a good inexpensive setup to really get out there and talk. Thanks!

[JimmyShotgun]

Does anyone have any recommenations on what the best realistic cb to buy? I'm looking to get my first mobile and not sure which one to get.

[ussixtysix]

So is the Realistic HTX-10 a bad one? I can get one for a pretty good deal. Should I be buying this?

[Night Crawler]

So is the Realistic HTX-10 a bad one? I can get one for a pretty good deal. Should I be buying this?

The Realistic HTX-10 would make a nice QRP rig for 10 meters running 7 watts on AM, 25 watts on SSB and FM with the ability to split the receive and transmit frequency which you would need to work the offsets for the repeaters on ten meters.

It is similar to the Magnum 257 with the difference being that it uses a different CPU so if your intention was to use it below 28.000mhz it can not be modified for 11 meters.

There are modifications floating around that give step by step instructions on how to program the microprocessor to expand it's frequency range all of which do not work and could cause it to go up in smoke.

The Realistic HTX-100 which is a SSB/CW rig is able to be modified to expand it's frequency range and is often mistaken for the HTX-10 for that modification.

[ussixtysix]

Thanks for the info Sir. That's a lot of good info. This is really turning out to be a really good thread.