Realistic Navajo TRC-459 feedback ...

[AudioShockwav]

The original owner paid $439.95 for mine - the Radio Shack price tag is still on the box.


73's

Most CB users today would be surprised at what was paid for solid built radios back in the day.
I bought a 23 ch Midland 13-895 SSB mobile/base and paid almost $400 for it NIB.

73
Jeff

 

[PunaPhil]

The TRC-459 was my first real base radio, before I was using mobile units with a battery. I fell in love with this radio the first time I saw it! Being a High School student I couldn't afford the almost $400 price tag so when it came on sale for $199 I ran to my local RS only to be told they didn't have any in stock........I begged and pleaded no luck.
I started calling other stores and found one In Reno NV (at the time I lived in the Monterey Bay Area). The store manger would transfer to my local store as long as the manger sent in the request so back to my local store for more begging and pleading. The happy ending is I got my dream radio and still have today! This radio actually worked very well for me, Maybe because it was pushing thru a Moonraker 4 element quad beam on a 30' tower. I could receive and talk great distances late into early morning hours. Thanks

 

[Slowmover]

The TRC-459 was my first real base radio, before I was using mobile units with a battery. I fell in love with this radio the first time I saw it! Being a High School student I couldn't afford the almost $400 price tag so when it came on sale for $199 I ran to my local RS only to be told they didn't have any in stock........I begged and pleaded no luck.
I started calling other stores and found one In Reno NV (at the time I lived in the Monterey Bay Area). The store manger would transfer to my local store as long as the manger sent in the request so back to my local store for more begging and pleading. The happy ending is I got my dream radio and still have today! This radio actually worked very well for me, Maybe because it was pushing thru a Moonraker 4 element quad beam on a 30' tower. I could receive and talk great distances late into early morning hours. Thanks

Great story. Thx.

 

[Rick330man]

The original owner paid $439.95 for mine - the Radio Shack price tag is still on the box.

The TRC-459 to my knowledge was never sold by Tandy here in Australia, so it is a rare one here, which adds to its appeal to me.

The earlier Navahos were sold here, of which I have a TRC-490, and they have become collectible.

73's

I purchased my TRC490 in 1981. It is still alive and kickin' and in pretty good health. I ran it for years with a Turner Super Sidekick, but have more recently been using the old Johnson desk mic, which I'm told is just Turner +2 guts inside the +3/Super sidekick shell.

Occasionally, somebody will offer me some lowball offer to sell it. You can conclude from that there is a following for them here in the U.S., too.

 

[Ghosttracker]

I see by the date on the last post that this thread ended in oct 2014. Well I am a collector of radioshack cb radios. Always have been a radioshack nut. I just found a trc-459 on eBay in real nice shape for $100 shipped. It arrives today from Oregon I think. I have all the cool bases that we all drooled over but could not afford back in the day. I do my own recap and repairs. The features on the 459 are just too cool to pass up. I do not like the angled plastic face plate as it always looks smuged and dirty. My Kia soul has that sloped, dust catching, glare reflecting, face on the radio and I never liked it. That's one of the reasons I always passed on the 459, but, when you can score one for a $100 bill in minty condition it's a no brainer to pick it up. I do not collect 23 channel radios, never liked them since the 40's came out. My first radio was a realistic 3 channel, crystal mobile radio with a back of the set antenna and a radio shack power supply, that I talked on with my buddies on the south side of Chighetto il. Circa 1975.

 

[Retro CB Guy]

Yeah they are kinda a bitch to work on and most folks don't like them too because they tend to collect dust too easy in the slide controls amoung other reasons LOL...

Me I like them, and own more than one but finally found one with more than one switch added for uppers and lower extended channels and unlocked clarifer hehe...

Thankfully it worked decent 73, Retro

 

[Tokin]

http://www.cbradiomagazine.com/Radio Reviews/Realistic TRC-459/Realistic TRC-459.

Dead link

 

[w9cll]

It was live when I posted it over a year ago. The owner of that site posts here.

 

[Tokin]

I had a 458 with a digiscan on it. Ran it 12v in my 1978 dodge aspen 2 door slant 6 while I delivered pizzas back in the late 80's in Kalamazoo Michigan. It sat on my passenger floor board with a d104 tug9 mic. Thats how I got my handle Pizzaman.
I checked out the 459 but after owning the 458 it didnt interest me. I didnt like the slide controls, they dont like dust and didnt like the speaker for the same reason. The keypad looked like something that belonged on a police scanner not a cb base station. Some folks like them but then some folks liked the AMC Matador too lol.
I say poo on what others think, run what you like!

 

[Locutis 59]

I am looking for user manual on RS TRC-459
Just User type. Thanks

 

[AudioShockwav]

I am looking for user manual on RS TRC-459
Just User type. Thanks

I have the service manual but no user manual.
If that will help I can post it.

73
Jeff