Does anyone have any information on this radio? What chassis is it built on? History? I picked one up and I cannot find much information about it. Does anyone have one? Do you like it? Please let me know.
Thanks,
Thanks,
-
You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
Realistic TRC-448 AM/SSB?
- Thread starter broncoman529
- Start date
Hope this helps;
REC86345
Models include:- Courier Blazer 40D/Renegade 40/Rogue 40/Nightrider 40DR/Ranger 40D, Fannon Fanfare 125F/182F/184F/185PLL/185DF/190F, Realistic TRC448
Uses simple 8 bit binary programming.
Easily modified by changing the loop mixing crystal.
REC86345
Models include:- Courier Blazer 40D/Renegade 40/Rogue 40/Nightrider 40DR/Ranger 40D, Fannon Fanfare 125F/182F/184F/185PLL/185DF/190F, Realistic TRC448
Uses simple 8 bit binary programming.
Easily modified by changing the loop mixing crystal.
its a really good solid radio-- lots of power too with very little effort (for a cb)
you will be able to get some decent power out of it with just peaking it up-- cranks up real easy
Not much for actual mods for it... for extras go with what Peddler said-- thats the easest way
Its a good performer
you will be able to get some decent power out of it with just peaking it up-- cranks up real easy
Not much for actual mods for it... for extras go with what Peddler said-- thats the easest way
Its a good performer
That is a great little Radio.
Bennie over at CBTricks has the VR`s here->
www.cbtricks.com/radios/realistic/trc_448/
Don`t let anyone talk you into cliping the AMC in that radio, just tweaking the VR`s and it is a BOOty SPaNking radio.
I am almost sure It used a couple of chunky transistors in push/pull in lue of the Audio IC that was in most of them at that time.
Smoking SSB for a single final/fcc cert rig.
1306 driver and a 1307 final...
There is a mod to open the clarifier for TX/RX
I have that info somewere ......
I will look around.
73
Jeff
Bennie over at CBTricks has the VR`s here->
www.cbtricks.com/radios/realistic/trc_448/
Don`t let anyone talk you into cliping the AMC in that radio, just tweaking the VR`s and it is a BOOty SPaNking radio.
I am almost sure It used a couple of chunky transistors in push/pull in lue of the Audio IC that was in most of them at that time.
Smoking SSB for a single final/fcc cert rig.
1306 driver and a 1307 final...
There is a mod to open the clarifier for TX/RX
I have that info somewere ......
I will look around.
73
Jeff
BIG difference.
448 came from an entirely different vendor (factory). Pretty sure their name was "NDI", for Nihon Dengyo Inc", or something like that. That's the reason you've never seen that oddball PLL chip in any other radio. NDI wasn't the biggest supplier to USA name brands, but RatShack sold this one, made with the "Realistic" label stuck on the front and back. Parts can be hard to track down. Not many junkers out there to rob for parts.
The '458 is a Uniden product, likewise a "private label" source for RatShack way back then. The same main circuit board appeared in a handful of other brands/models from 1978/79. Has the big, fat "uPD-858" Pll chip, which is not "locked", and can be modded for added frequency coverage. The rest of what's inside is completely different from any NDI radio, but similar to the TRC-457, original President Madison and Washington, the ones with the 4-pin mike socket. President (then called American Radio) also sold a mobile version. The model name? Can't remember. Robyn SB-520D, Cobra 139XLR base radios were also made by Uniden, and had the same main circuit board.
The one heartbreaking weak spot is the tiny Omron MX-3P relay it uses to transfer from receive mode to transmit. A high-mileage radio may have a worn-out relay. Can't get them any more. A sharp horse-trader will know this, and may "harvest" the good relay from a low-mileage radio, putting a worn-out one in before he sells the thing. Look to see if the wire retaining spring is still snapped over the relay. If not, someone could have changed the relay, or removed it to try cleaning the contact points. Seldom helps. Once the thin electroplated layer on those tiny points wears off, no amount of cleaning will make it work for more than a week at a time. A "lost" retaining spring at least tells you someone messed with the relay (for whatever reason), and lost the thing.
The noise blanker is pretty good in these, if it's adjusted right. Tends to bleed from strong nearby stations worse than the blanker found in newer Uniden radios that have the MB8734/8719 PLL chip. Still better than no blanker at all.
73
448 came from an entirely different vendor (factory). Pretty sure their name was "NDI", for Nihon Dengyo Inc", or something like that. That's the reason you've never seen that oddball PLL chip in any other radio. NDI wasn't the biggest supplier to USA name brands, but RatShack sold this one, made with the "Realistic" label stuck on the front and back. Parts can be hard to track down. Not many junkers out there to rob for parts.
The '458 is a Uniden product, likewise a "private label" source for RatShack way back then. The same main circuit board appeared in a handful of other brands/models from 1978/79. Has the big, fat "uPD-858" Pll chip, which is not "locked", and can be modded for added frequency coverage. The rest of what's inside is completely different from any NDI radio, but similar to the TRC-457, original President Madison and Washington, the ones with the 4-pin mike socket. President (then called American Radio) also sold a mobile version. The model name? Can't remember. Robyn SB-520D, Cobra 139XLR base radios were also made by Uniden, and had the same main circuit board.
The one heartbreaking weak spot is the tiny Omron MX-3P relay it uses to transfer from receive mode to transmit. A high-mileage radio may have a worn-out relay. Can't get them any more. A sharp horse-trader will know this, and may "harvest" the good relay from a low-mileage radio, putting a worn-out one in before he sells the thing. Look to see if the wire retaining spring is still snapped over the relay. If not, someone could have changed the relay, or removed it to try cleaning the contact points. Seldom helps. Once the thin electroplated layer on those tiny points wears off, no amount of cleaning will make it work for more than a week at a time. A "lost" retaining spring at least tells you someone messed with the relay (for whatever reason), and lost the thing.
The noise blanker is pretty good in these, if it's adjusted right. Tends to bleed from strong nearby stations worse than the blanker found in newer Uniden radios that have the MB8734/8719 PLL chip. Still better than no blanker at all.
73
Some lady is selling her husband's TRC-448 on EBay. It looks brand new.
The dirty mic plug and white worn off the 'RS' mic embossing might say it's an older mic
The dirty mic plug and white worn off the 'RS' mic embossing might say it's an older mic
Last edited:
Revival of a 7 yr. old thread. I had a TRC-448 about a year ago. It worked good but I guess it wasn't a big talker on SSB or AM....never could get out there when skip was rolling, but it did work. I liked the big meter on the front, reminds me of the Galaxy radios.
The 448 was one of my favorite radios and worked great, spent all of one afternoon cutting the traces on the PLL chip and adding pull down resistors across the cuts so I could control the pins with mini toggle switches.
Separate controls on the board for SSB mic gain, AMC and ALC, the radio worked well with just the stock mic.
Had a good noise blanker, the AGC in the RX worked well.....the down side to the radio was that shitty Mic plug, but overall it was a good little SSB radio.
Bennie over at CBtricks has the service manual and the secret CB files to open the clarifier.
Be careful if you decide to add channels, like Nomad has already said, the PLL is rare and no replacements to be found, same with the driver and final, no longer made.
As for not being a good talker, it was right up there with the best of them, I worked many many contacts with that radio before someone broke the window out of my car and ripped it out of the mount....sad day that was.
73
Jeff
Separate controls on the board for SSB mic gain, AMC and ALC, the radio worked well with just the stock mic.
Had a good noise blanker, the AGC in the RX worked well.....the down side to the radio was that shitty Mic plug, but overall it was a good little SSB radio.
Bennie over at CBtricks has the service manual and the secret CB files to open the clarifier.
Be careful if you decide to add channels, like Nomad has already said, the PLL is rare and no replacements to be found, same with the driver and final, no longer made.
As for not being a good talker, it was right up there with the best of them, I worked many many contacts with that radio before someone broke the window out of my car and ripped it out of the mount....sad day that was.
73
Jeff
I remember buying one of these back in the day. I don't know why, I had a Cobra 2000 at the time as well and didn't use it in a vehicle. I believe I had a single switch in there for different frequencies. One of the better looking vintage mobile radio's from the day.
I have one and it is decent cosmetic shape. It needs new caps. Replaced the driver with a 2sc2166 and the final with a 2sc1969. Receive is very nice and the transmit audio is too from what I've been told.
Nice old radio with a long chassis.
Nice old radio with a long chassis.
The sweet pretty one that lady had ended a couple if days ago. There's more? I got my eyes on a 444&465