CB Radio Showdown: Bearcat 980SSB vs President McKinley Which One is Best???

Narrow isn’t a bad thing, especially in noise, wider audio is more broadcast style close range

McKinley, all the way. SIZE matters when ya drive a Toyota Echo.

They are both cool. I’m leaning towards pres.

You are waaaay more advanced than I am. I need some help.

President walker III all in.

I have a ham license.

i use the Galaxy DX 959B it works very good

Interesting what is the program are using on the computer

I Got A Bearacat 980SSb At Yard Sale For 50.00 Looks Like New Only 12 Watts On Sideband And Can Still Talk Good . I Like It Going To Order The Mike Adampter So I Can Run My Astatic 4 Pin Mike

President, I use SSB.

I would have to invert the display on the President, its one of a few reasons why i bought the Uniden (that and the price). I do believe the updated version of the President also has FM as well.

Quite pleased the George II has just been released. It's bought down the cost of a used Mckinley to a price I can afford. Just bought it & delivery tomorrow 😁. I do like the look of the Bearcat though.

The president frequency is spot on out of box..

Uniden bearcat. Frequency is little off.. out of box...
Bring to cb shop get it lined up. On frequency ..then it will be a rock star. Star 🌟

Just ordered me a new uniden bearcat 980 ssb and. Bearcat 20. Speaker getting back into. Ssb after 15 years. Hope gen 2. Is better then gen one. Bearcat

Well thanks to your superb review here. I am very pleased to know. Since my younger, 64-year-old brother, dropped dead. A few months back. I inherited his car and his numerous, 2 way radios. Mostly all 2 meter ham stuff. But there is also this, President McKinley, CB Radio. There is a box for another different unit. Also looking very nice. I have not yet located? But the box looks brand-new just like the Pres. McKinley box. And the Icon 705. And numerous walkie-talkies of GMRS variety I think? Though could also be 2 meter units? I have no idea? I haven't been into this stuff for, well over 50 years. When I was a teenager. Playing with Ham and CB Radios. While, on the air, overnights at Baltimore's #1 FM Album Rock Station. Back in 1976. Just a couple of weeks ago. Or so it seems? I think I am now fully senile? And everything is working great. Hi my name is Remy what's yours? What did you say your name was again? What do you mean I've already asked you 50 times? No you didn't I am.

Yes I am boning up on my future senility. I want to be able to make the least amount of sense possible. And that is very difficult for me since I am no sense at all. And so in the paper with ice cream there are always pencils to be trapped. When senility takes full hold of your shrinking brain. As it has,, mine. And Donald Trump's. Most definitely. Yes we can see for ourselves. Clear through. From one ear canal to the other. He has nothing left inside his Orange Jesus.

Without a care in the world. He adjusts his petticoats and heads out the door.
RemyRAD

Of course everybody lies where you request a radio check. So they don't hurt your feelings. That your radio has been missed tuned and sounds like total crap. Because you cannot broadcast a 5 Watt, carrier wave. At full power. And expect to modulate anything more? When it's only rated for 5 Watts of output power. You do not tune, 0% input to cover 100% output. That's stupid! So don't do that. That's not right. That doesn't sound good that way. You get inverse backwards modulation. You get negative modulation. Everybody will hate you for being negative.. They will say you are negative, negative, negative! They are not just talking to you about how you feel about women and Democrats. No! They were referring to some Demo Cats they were thinking of purchasing? They were very cute and fuzzy. I think there must've been a, Modulation Insurrection? The modulation sucked in words. Instead of inwards. As it did not understand what you were trying to say to the words? As words have no, ears. Even though they are words. You'd think? Whenever it is half, past, 12 notions. Without buckling.

Non sequiturs R US.
RemyRAD

Hello! For me, the choice (between these two) is definitely the MC Kinley....

I held off on the Bearcat 980SSB, something about it bugs me. No idea what... I went with the McKinley II FCC. My first non Uniden made radio.

Thanks for the vid! It was very informative. I am trying to decide which one of these to get to replace my 40 year old Realistic SSB base station radio. I had decided to get the Bearcat, but the McKinley comes with CB FM, which I have in the car. I am not convinced that FM really makes much sense in a base station, especially as I use GMRS and a repeater for my local communications (and the McKinley costs $90 more!) So I’m your opinion is FM really worth it in a base station setting? If not now, in the future? Hopefully my new CB will last as long as my old one!

fantastic video! subscribed!

The front firing speaker always wins out for best audio quality………Mark

I really REALLY miss my old "PRESIDENT 2510" ..... great comparison video bro, thanks for posting.

Take all the foam and screen out of the front of the bear cat stock microphone and it sounds like a power microphone! WR038 also UDX038 JohnBoyUtah 🇺🇸😎📡🎙

Also with a small Phillips screw drive, such as used. For cellphone repair there are pots in the radio for alc and dead key! Video are out there ! WR038 aka UDX038 Utah.

Peak both those radios and they are the same! Also get the bearcat up off the desktop because of the bottom speaker!

McKinley, mucho Denaro

The McKinley just sounds better in every test. IMO.

I think I would like the President McKinley better it had yhe more punch suited more for the type of talking I do

I have a 980 SSB given to me by a friend of mine who bought a stryker radio. I will never buy one due to the screens fading out on them

Never asked them where they were,, so you don't know how many fars.

I bought the 980 on my fuel points. It's a nice ssb radio and stable. The problem is that you can't see the display in the day time. In your test, I think the McKinley has a warmer tone than the 980. The 980 is tinny. A back lit lcd display would definitely be better in a mobile environment. I have the 980 in my hamshack, and I don't regret owning one. It's a great addition to leave on 38 lsb and use as a propagation beacon for 10 meters. There's hardly any activity on 10 because hams, think the band is not up.

Back in the 70s i had 3 president cb raidos ar7 jfk and grant. All very good raidos. I regret getting rid of them.

I wonder how the President George would measure up.

That Bearcat mic looks retro, like an old Astatic or Electro-Voice studio mic or something from Flash Gordon!


At this point, being in observer mode, I'm working on a scanning SDR setup. After that, I'll see if I want to transmit anything.

Kudos on your collection, especially those two Drakes. I always loved those.

İ hear really bad things about the bearcat 980 SSB. İ rather have the EU version President MCKinley. Not the bearcat 980ssb!

I have a 980 ssb and i do like it in my shack.

what antenna was that

I own both of these radios. They have both failed within a week after purchasing (two separate vehicles)

Honestly I think they are both cheap junk. The mckinley is back at walcott being repaired or replaced. My local shop fixed the 980ssb and so far it's doing okay

I'd have to go with the Mckinley for sound quality

Love the Bearcat..! Real good wee radio..!

What additional hardware and software is suggested to transform a smartphone into a CB radio nowadays (just civil broadcasting for bi-directional communication)?

i hope the Mic Gain is Down... you eating the Microphone....

I did pretty good with the 980 SSB

President MCKINLEY

McKinley is waaaaaay better! I have both along with many others🤣🤣

Anytone. AT 6666 PRO

I had a 980SSB in my one ton Ram, decent radio, tucked under the dash out of the sun but the screen still faded over the years, lasted 4

When I went to replace it I went with the McKinley and an RM Italy KL203P linear amp, It's perfect when I go remote and hear a friend chime on 21.

This was a great review of both radios, very comprehensive with added real world feedback from a truly non-biased participant.

I have an old SSB rig. When I was on the road, I found SSB traffic on 15 most places. I also have a 2m SSB rig that needs dome TLC, got to call in one of the radio guys in the area for some help with that and a 6m rig that may or may not be recoverable.