UnidenBEARCAT 980 40- Channel SSB CB Radio with Sideband NOAA WeatherBand,7- Color Digital Display PA/CB Switch and Noise Cancelling Mic, Wireless Mic Compatible

For the hard core CBer I assume this would be a prize radio. As for me, I am a ham radio operator; my use for a CB to my surprise came when we bought our Motorhome. The CB is a necessary tool on long trips, cross country journeys to listen to truckers on Channel 19. CB is handy to hear traffic reports, weather and local chatter than one would not normally be privileged to. Ham Radio would not have the arcane yet gruff world of trucking yet I find incredible utility and use when traveling with my CB. That said, the Uniden Bearcat CB Radio, is a smart system of technology.The sleek design with user-choice multiple colored display looks sharp and compliments the dashboard / cockpit of my 2016 year class A motorhome. The ease of tuning the radio without the need for an external meter - was a plus feature that I was not expecting from a radio of this class, yet Uniden always impresses me with their unique equipment options with users in mind. I use Uniden scanners and handheld radios; this CB radio is no exception, it's design is first class. I like the weather push button option, quick easy way to check the local weather from NOAA wherever you are. The microphone is high quality with a push button that feels like a team of designers decided to make this one last. Personally I like the look of the mic as it has this sort of space age look to it. The radio performed well on our last 4000 mile journey across the USA. The sound is that CB sound, that cuts through road noise but easy to squelch out if desired, signals boomed in from far away and my signal reports, combined with the Firestik CB antenna, were stellar.

*** UPDATE *** 9/24/14I have been using this radio for 2 weeks now, have made contacts all over the US of A on SSB and locally on AM. I am getting great feedback on the audio quality using the included mic, and everyone says it is very clean sounding. The scan feature is a huge plus for finding our local forestry and logging operations, to communicate with log truck drivers and heavy equipment operators when hunting. The WX channels come in better than my table top unit as long as "scan" feature is used to pick the best station. Good to have different display colors to pick from, the red for night driving is a very nice touch. All in all - this is possibly the best radio from Uniden (Bearcat) since the PC-122.This radio has really outstanding reception, good noise rejection is very stable on frequency output. Compares nicely against my IC-736 Base HAM radio for reciving weak signals, only way I beat it is by turning on my preamp. The radio transmission on AM and SSB is close to perfect as one could ask, minimal adjustment to bring in clearly and zero drift. Audio output with stock mic is as expected, but improves dramatically with power mic. Is slightly smaller than my Cobra 29LTD (original version) and slightly larger than my PC-122 it is replacing, is much more sturdy considering SMD devices that have been used through the build. Talk back is interesting, does nothing for transmissions but does allow you to hear your audio to make audio adjustments as needed. Using 5' FireStik antenna, FireStik coax with premade end for stud mount vs. PL-239 ends, 18' length. Waiting on FireStik 3/8" stud to complete the radio build out. Going with the coax / sealed stud end for weather protection as mount is on front window gutter of my truck. Wish they would have powder coated the mounting bracket, the bright gold metal finish is standing out like a sore thumb, sending out for paint next week.

I like the display on this radio and the audio is clean. Transmit is clear and has talkback feature in it. Size is compact for todays autos. Easy to install even can use cigarette lighter plugs to power up. Functional for cb channel 19 trucker info on highways and the wx radio for weather forecast. Perfect for traveling and want the range ssb provides as well as that dx encounter!

Nice Radio, just a couple of criticisms. The Display; even with brightness full on, the Red, Blue & Green are still too dark.Also, Uniden and other Brands as well, should stick to the standard 4-pin configuration. A 6 to 4 adapter is included but it's on a 4" length of cable.The Mic Connector is a 6 pin but upon inspection inside the microphone plug, only 4 pins are used. #4 and #6 are not. So it makes no sense! A basic 4 pin connector would have been perfectly adequate. I was able to purchase a 6 pin and wire up one of those SuperStar DM-1000 Echo Mics. Make sure that the mic-gain on the radio is no higher than 2 or 3 otherwise it only transmits an annoying squeal.The mounting plate is a bit flimsy and does not hold the radio very well. Fortunately I still have the bracket for an old Royce CB from 1975. It fits perfectly and is much more solid.You might want to order an adapter that is just a short metal tube looking thing. Good reception and surprisingly good transmission, considering that my antenna is only 24" I have no experience using SSB so I can't really make any comments about that.I'll update my review with some pics at a later date.