Customer Reviews

Uniden Bearcat PC78 Elite 40-Channel CB Radio

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This product seems to be built well and Uniden is a good brand in CB radio.

Pros:
* Included ergonomic mic is noise-canceling (cuts out your stereo noise, wind noise, etc.)
* Weather bands are nice and work anywhere
* Wire this straight to your battery and it is nearly static-free on the highway. Very clean receive on this unit.
* PA output is louder than other radios I've tried
* Antenna warning light should keep you from keying up and frying your radio if your antenna system has failed

Cons:
* Have not found anything major yet

Notes:
* DSC is only good for very close transmissions. Leave it off if you wish to hear signals past 1/2 mile
* Delta Tune doesn't really do much so don't waste your time trying to adjust it
* This unit is basically the same as the Cobra 29 on the inside

I have used CB'S for over twenty years, This one is the best I have used in that time. I might add that for me it is the "fanciest" one I have ever bought. I do find the weather channel to be useful as I commute across the country. The ergonomic mike is a pleasure to use, I expect to see copycats on the market soon. You could spend a lot more for a CB and not get any better performance.

Very satisfied with the cb -good range with the antenna - weather info easily accessed - easily mounted permanently - nice mic which fits into my hand - safety plus for driving and really helps with avoiding highway congestion.

This is a good solid radio with all the expected features. I'm really glad to see they put the RF gain knob on this one. This is something I'm sure you'll find very useful once you've used it a little. It allows you to (in a way) turn the noise that is the squelch down to nothing, but when someone who is a ways away, says something, you'll be able to hear them and then respond. To use this feature keep the squelch knob turned all the way counter clockwise and adjust the RF gain knob to where there is little or no noise. If you've never had this function before, I think you'll really like it.

Being able to check the weather any time is also really nice. I've never had this before, and I really like it, although I'm not sure this couldn't cause some kind of interference, by basically having two radios in one unit. I keep this turned off on the station selector knob when not in use.

Any Uniden I've ever owned over the past 18 years has been just a good solid radio. And when it comes time to turn it up, I know I'll be able to go into to my favorite radio shop and they'll have all the room they need to make it do anything I need.

Radio works great including clear reception, when nobody talks, there is little to no static. Only thing lowering from 5 stars was uniden not honoring rebate. They claim no upc included, no way to prove them wrong, my loss.

Great radio for the price, I have used Uniden for over 15 years, and this is one of the better radio I have ever owned.

This latest unit from Uniden lives up to the Uniden tradition. Built solid and rugged. This radio has an awsome look and can be made to scream with the right tuneup. The weather channels are nice to have as well!

This is the best radio I have ever owned! I bought the Uniden PC78 elite about a week ago and installed it in my 1994 Jeep YJ. I'm running a Wilson Silverload 6' antenna. I get nothing but complements on the audio of this thing. The noise canceling mic produces very clear audio with little or no background noise. I love the look and feel of the mic, it fits my hand perfectly, has a metal push to talk button and a really keen metal grill on the face with a Bearcat paw print on it. The volume knob is separate from the squelch knob which is nice, I don't like the two in one style of other radios. I don't think the knobs are plastic either, they feel like steel! The squelch has a neat trait also, when you turn it up enough to blank out the static and someone is talking with a weak signal, you hear them very quiet. The Mic Gain knob is very useful for talking to other sets when they are close by. The Dynamic Squelch is pretty bad, only very strong signals can break through it, I rarely turn it on. Instant channel 9 is kind of a dumb feature nowadays I have never heard anybody talk on channel 9 and I don't think anybody monitors it anymore, I could be wrong though. This unit does not have an instant channel 19 feature which is fine with me, I live in California and the call up channel is 17 here, nobody talks on 19. Instant Channel 19 on my Cobra flashes annoyingly, I doubt anybody uses that feature even where they talk on 19. The bright/dim switch is really neat but I would prefer an adjustable rheostat to a toggle switch. The Backlit Orange display looks really cool at night, all the words and dials on the face light up, this is a favorite with the Ladies! The Noise Blanker/Auto Noise Limiter cuts down on electrical noise from both the power and antenna side. My Jeep has some very loud electric motors that run the windshield wipers and heater fan, the NB/ANL mostly blocks those out and my noisy ignition wires are completely blocked out too! Most of the time I can go to a clean channel and hear only soft static in the background with the radio turned all the way up. I bought my Uniden from Red Monkey in Fresno CA. Lets just say radios that come from them get the "Full Treatment" They tear them open and do a quality control check and test before they send the radio. They do a little "Extra Magic" inside too for no additional charge! Lets just say their radios put out a FULL 4 watts! Don't get me wrong they do charge full price for their radios but to me it was worth it to have the BADDEST RADIO AROUND!

When I ordered the radio, I was surprised to find it being shipped and delivered on time. Very leary about using the internet for unseen purchases as I have almost no experience in it. Very pleased with the entire process and the credit card charge was for the exact amount. The price of the radio was far cheaper than in the department stores and the quality of it is extremely good. I won't hesitate to get another Uniden Bearcat CB radio of needed.

I purchased this 11 meter radio to see if CB technology had advanced any in the 21st century. Wow was I surprised - it has gone backwards.

This radio doesn't hold a candle to my stock Uniden Grant XL (from 1993). I put two antennas on the roof of my truck and played with receive audio for a while. After my first test, I switched the antennas to be fair. Still the same results. I was pulling in nice clear audio on the old Grant XL, but could barely make out every other word on the PC78Elite. At this point, knowing the PC78Elite had the longer/superior antenna, I set the SWR on both and started transmitting to a buddy I had told about my test. He claimed unit B (I didn't tell him which was which except for "A" & "B") sounded much cleaner than unit A. So just to be fair I switched the antennas between units again, set the SWR, and keyed the mics... same results. Needless to say the PC78Elite will not be in my radio collection.

The weather channel from the PC78Elite pulled in great on both antennas (neither claim this capability). I did notice a strange thing though. If I leave the weather channel knob on W7 for example, and switch the rig from WX mode to CB mode, I can still faintly hear the weather channel in the receiver audio. I'm positive the radio is not supposed to do this, so I don't know if I got a bum unit, or if this is par for the course for Uniden now.

If someone is looking for a brand new radio with a factory warranty - it is sad that this may be your best route. In all fairness, the radio does receive and transmit. Just not as well as something I bought 14 years ago. I haven't tried the new Cobra 148GTL (claim to be built like the old ones) - but you may want to try it if you are considering this Uniden radio.