Realistic TRC 457

[Swamp Rat]

I have decided to have a Realistic TRC-457 for my base setup as soon as I'm back in the states , and a Jo Gunn "Hillbilly" for an antenna . The Realistic should last me until I can afford a RCI 2995 . Anyway, is there anyone out there that has had experience with the 457 base ? Any pros or cons ?

[Swamp Rat]

I might as well reply to myself on here , because no matter what I post nobody ever replies .I feel like I'm wasting my time .

[MDYoungblood]

Hello Swamp Rat,

Welcome back to the forum. I would say it's wasn't a waste of time but given CB radio isn't a big thing anymore you will need to give the members a little time to respond, I try to get to most question ASAP, that is if I have a good answer.

I liked the Realistic TRC-457, was a fine radio in it's day but to find one unmolested will be a chore. A lot of CB'ers now a days are getting ham radios for the specs and quality.

Your antenna pick, the Jo Gunn "Hillbilly" antenna isn't bad but I think the HyGain SPT-500 is a true 5/8 wave or a Maco V58, or if you have deep pockets check out the ZeroFive Colossal, this antenna is built like a tank.

3's

Greg

[De_Wildfire]

Hello Swamp Rat... You're not wasting your time. Some times I don't check into the forum for days at a time because of my work schedule. Sometimes I get replies a few days later but not to worry. You are very welcome here and I do respond to posts. Now as for the TRC 457, I never owned one but back in the day when it was made, it was a real good stable radio and everyone wanted the 457's just like the TRAM's Golden Eagles, Cobra 2000's, Madison's and the Washington's. I use an iMax2000 vertical and the Hex Beam for 11 meters and talk all over the country on 12 watts with my Uniden Washington.

[Swamp Rat]

I thought everybody was sleeping because only about 2 or 3 posts a week , I've never seen a forum that quiet, hahaha . But I would appreciate it if I knew how to post pics on here , and it gets frustrating , I want to bounce my cel phone off the wall , lol

[Swamp Rat]

I might go with a Zero 5, I've heard lots of good reports on them. The Hygain 500, not so much, they're not built as good as the original. One bolt per radial compared to 2 bolts in the original .Does anybody know the power multiplication factor on the Zero 5 ? That's 18 pounds of antenna up there swaying in the breeze. I'll have to invest in a good pushup pole .

[De_Wildfire]

The multiplication factor for gain in dBi (decibels over isotropic) is the same regardless of the antenna type, including a Zero Five CB antenna. To convert the gain from dBi to a linear scale, you use the same formula:

Gain (linear)
=
1
0
Gain (dBi)
10
Gain (linear)=10
10
Gain (dBi)
​



For a gain of 5.14 dBi: (The antennas is rated at)

Divide the gain by 10:
5.14
10
=
0.514
10
5.14
​
=0.514
Raise 10 to the power of 0.514:
1
0
0.514
≈
3.24
10
0.514
≈3.24
So, the multiplication factor for a gain of 5.14 dBi is approximately 3.24. This value represents the linear scale factor that the gain in dBi corresponds to.