Mack CB radio?

[Freightrain]

I came across this on FB marketplace.

They want $250.  Was this a real factory deal?

 

[mrsmackpaul]

WOW, never seen or heard of one of these before

 

Paul

[cruiseliner64]

Wow...hows that for a great must have if it genuine....

Paul

[mowerman]

ive never seen one,,,,but seems quite expensive for a used radio

[tjc transport]

same here, never saw one either. and i must be rare, because even the internet says there is no such thing.

[mowerman]

lol Alrity then google baby they have an  answer for everything I think I’ve seen a Kenworth radio

[cruiseliner64]

After doing some research Iv discovered that Mack did offer a Mack branded CB radio.They were made by Pana-pacific with Mack branding.......

Paul

[mowerman]

Thanks for that I actually found a couple of them myself Google search I think parts finder for some reason they all want a fortune for them. You can buy a brand new cobra in  a box for about $110 if you’re looking for a CB radio in the hell of a deal I ran cobra radios for years had a galaxy for a while, but I think the cobra holds up better. Bob

[cruiseliner64]

Back in the 70/80s when CB radio became popoular in Ireland the President AR7 was the biggest seller followed by Cobra and Motorola.Like the US nobody uses them now.....Sadly

Paul

[mowerman]

Yes, it is sad towards the end of my career. My run was 530 miles and I would hear absolutely nothing all the way except for a few of our drivers that still ran radios and still talked and yes, I also had a Motorola and a Midland and a president and yes, back in the day the radio was so busy sometimes you couldn’t even squeeze in to get a word in edgewise and that’s the God  honest truth everybody’s gone to cell phones and XM radio

[other dog]

Yessir, back in the day riding all night long and there was always something on the radio to keep you going. That's when I learned that truck drivers were the smartest people in the world, because you could bring up any subject and ask any question and there would always be an answer. You could ask whether it was legal to put ketchup on a hot dog and the discussion might go on for hours. 

I ran several Cobra radios, 25s and 29s. I always thought they were a hard radio to beat for the money. I had a 150 watt linear on the Cobra 25, it was the talkingest radio I had. I had the linear on the 29s too, but it just never seemed to get out like that 25 did. The 25 was in a cab over. 

I had a Connex 3300HP too, that didn't need a linear, it kicked ass barefoot. I bought that when I got the Peterbilt. I ruined that one myself when I crammed it in the overhead compartment in a Kenworth that was a little too small and shorted it out. So then I got a Stryker that was smaller and made to fit in the compartment. I still have that one, it's in the Mack now.

[tjc transport]

i ran a uniden for many years detuned and hooked to a texas star 400 watt linear. then trucks went computerized and anything over around 200 watts would shut down the truck computer. 

so i switched to a Galaxy DX 88HL. ran that for better part of 20 years until i got the new Kenworth T880 in 2019 and the 88 would not fit in the overhead due to the side mount mike, so i picked up a Connex 3300HP. it works well, but will not fit completely in the overhead because it is a smidge too big as other dog pointed out. so i leave it locked on first click, and the mount sticks out about 1/4 inch from overhead. 

we mostly use the cb to talk to asphalt plants and loader operators, plus the other trucks we are running with.

[70mackMB]

56 minutes ago, other dog said:

That's when I learned that truck drivers were the smartest people in the world,

How do you tell the difference between a fairy tale and a truck driver's story? A fairy tale starts off with "Once upon a time". A truck driver's story starts off with "This ain't NO shit!!".      .....Hippy

[other dog]

1 hour ago, tjc transport said:

i ran a uniden for many years detuned and hooked to a texas star 400 watt linear. then trucks went computerized and anything over around 200 watts would shut down the truck computer. 

Several of us had linears at the time, Todd Moore had a 600 watt Texas Star. I don't know what he ever did with it, probably sold it.

At one of the last stop lights leaving Charlottesville going north on 29 there was a big electronic sign at a bank with the time and temperature on it. I could sit at that light and just key the mike and the temperature on the sign would drop a few degrees. And the lady in the store at the traffic circle in Amherst sent word that we should watch our language when we went through the circle because if we were talking she could hear us on the video machines in the store. Of course it wasn't an issue for me because I didn't cuss.

[Brocky]

1 hour ago, 70mackMB said:

How do you tell the difference between a fairy tale and a truck driver's story? A fairy tale starts off with "Once upon a time". A truck driver's story starts off with "This ain't NO shit!!".      .....Hippy

SO TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is why the have to use a Bobcat and manure spreader to clean the field at Macungie!!!!

[tjc transport]

1 hour ago, other dog said:

Several of us had linears at the time, Todd Moore had a 600 watt Texas Star. I don't know what he ever did with it, probably sold it.

At one of the last stop lights leaving Charlottesville going north on 29 there was a big electronic sign at a bank with the time and temperature on it. I could sit at that light and just key the mike and the temperature on the sign would drop a few degrees. And the lady in the store at the traffic circle in Amherst sent word that we should watch our language when we went through the circle because if we were talking she could hear us on the video machines in the store. Of course it wasn't an issue for me because I didn't cuss.

when they first put in digital scales i used to mess with people i did not care for on quarry scales by turning power all the way up and then keying up when behind them. scale would read around 5,000 pounds heavy. they would start cussing out the loader operator for intentionally overloading them as they went to dump off some as the quarry's were not allowed to let a truck leave if it was over 70,000 lbs for tandem, or 80,000 lbs for triaxle.. then they would hit the scale again to see they were 2-3 ton under weight. so they would then have to go back to the pile to get more on the truck. when you get paid by the load or ton, this was a waste of about 1/2 hour, which meant you would loose 1 load delivered that day, or force you to run extra hours without pay. especially of i was near them for 2-3 loads over the course of the day. 

after doing this for a few months, the scale master pulled me aside one day and politely asked me to stop doing it unless he gave the thumbs up for a "difficult driver"

 

yes, i was being a prick, but i dont get mad, i get even when people are a prick to me.

[mowerman]

ya back in the day you could key up and say something to some one and of coarse they would reply and you would continue on talking untill someone got off the road,,,just about everyone i keep in touch with,,,i met on the CB through the years....i see these freight haulers out there now at night and dont know how they have any friends passing the same trucks every night and no one talks,,,,and to brag my best setup was a uniden with a 240 watt kicker,,,,that thing would stretch out 40-50 miles all the time,,,,one time someone heard me talking 120 miles away,,,,miss the old days,,,bob

[mowerman]

i  still have the uniden its packed away somewhere the kicker burned up years ago,,,,i also have 23 ch cobra i got from my passed on fatherinlaw im planning on hooking up someday in my garage and try to see if it will do anything put an antenna on the roof,,,,and TJ i love your story

[Geoff Weeks]

I had a CB as it was almost required for O/D loads for communication with the escort cars. I kept mine around for the weather radio function mine had. 

even before I did O/D I didn't spend much time on the CB.

Some customers wanted CB to bring marshaled trucks in, had to sit in a remote lot until called.

[mowerman]

i believe that still goes today,,,but they probably just call you now,,,i had alotta fun on it for years,,bob

[mowerman]

hey im pretty sure we had this conversation before,,,but there are a few new faces here,,bob

[mrsmackpaul]

4 hours ago, 70mackMB said:

How do you tell the difference between a fairy tale and a truck driver's story? A fairy tale starts off with "Once upon a time". A truck driver's story starts off with "This ain't NO shit!!".      .....Hippy

Im Australia the bull shit story starts with "I know for a fact"

Radios are only used for Over Sized and loading and unloading, very little other talk these days 

Paul

[mowerman]

around here,,,,mostly hay and cattle drivers all run them

[navypoppop]

I always had Cobras and ran twin antennas. I had my radios tuned for best output and reception. I gave my Cobras # 25, 29 and 148GTL to son who now uses one or the other in his career with ESTES.

[mechohaulic]

On 4/23/2026 at 12:31 PM, Freightrain said:

I came across this on FB marketplace.

They want $250.  Was this a real factory deal?

 

never saw one. find it interesting the word Mack is in bolder print. must be real ??