3 Tips to Help Find the Perfect Antique CB Radio

The Citizen Band or CB radio has been around since its inception in 1945, with the first consumer model being released in the early 1960s. The FCC created what’s called the Citizens Radio Service or CRS with the intention to regulate mobile radio telephones, the very first wireless telephones of any kind. Even though CB radios are still used today, there have been many changes within the last 75 years or so. We’re going to dive into our tips and tricks for finding the perfect vintage radio for your collection.

1. Places to Find Antique CB Radios

With the inception of the internet, it has become leagues easier for sellers of niche products and antiques to connect with interested buyers from around the world. There are many sites that bring buyers and sellers together and while they might not specialize in vintage pieces, many vintage items can be found if you’re familiar with where to look.

The most popular and arguably the safest online marketplace would be eBay. Not only do they have the widest selection of used goods on the internet, but when you complete your purchase with PayPal, the entire transaction is protected. You can easily find and search for phrases like “vintage cb radio” and find quite a few options. With lots of buyers on eBay, there is increased demand for products, which can sometimes result in higher prices.

If you’re looking to score a great deal on a vintage radio, another great place is Craigslist. If you’re not already familiar, Craigslist is a bit of an online-swap-sheet-meets-garage-sale sorted by locale. Most of the items for sale were put there by normal folks, not by businesses selling products. Most finds here won’t be labeled with “antique” or “vintage” in the titles, but if you know what you’re looking for, you can find some really great deals.

2. Operational CBs by Today’s 27MHz Standard

Today’s CB radios operate on what’s known as service Class D or the 27MHz frequency band. This band ranges from 26.965MHz to 27.405Mhz. When first invented, CB radios only operated on Class A and Class B, which operated in the 460–470MHz UHF band. There was no Class D until September 11, 1958.

I know it all sounds a bit technical, but you may need to refer to this if you’re looking for a unit that’s both vintage AND still operational. If the CB radio was manufactured before 1958, then you know for sure it will just be a showpiece. You will not be able to hook it up to an antenna and use it to communicate with other CB radio operators.

Class D CB radios were not the standard until the mid-to-late 1960s. So, if you’re looking for a radio that still functions and was manufactured between 1958-1970, you will need to make sure that it is labeled as operating in the 27Mhz range.

3. Makes and Models of Vintage Radios

When it comes to history or nostalgia, any radio made by the Citizens Radio Corporation would be among some of the most notable. Founded by Al Gross, the first CB radio was invented in 1945 and sold over 100,000 units, primarily to farmers and the US Coast Guard.

For a showpiece that you can plug in and actually speak on, some of the first models that operate by today’s CB radio frequencies and standards include the Lafayette HE-20C and Royce 639 AM. Cobra, Midland, and Uniden primarily dominate the CB radio market today, but they do have some older models as well that could be of interest.

Given how long the CB radio has been around and how widely used it has become, there is a lot of history and fun to be had around this legacy technology. For more information about the current CB radio technology and its history, please visit our friends, No Wires Radio.

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