Home
Automotive & Car Care
Vehicle Electronics
Radios
CB Radio
Uniden Bearcat 880 vs Uniden Bearcat 980SSB

Product Comparison: Uniden Bearcat 880 vs Uniden Bearcat 980SSB

Advertiser Disclosure

This site is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and comparison features to its visitors. Please be advised that the operator of this site accepts advertising compensation from certain companies that appear on the site, and such compensation impacts the location and order in which the companies (and/or their products) are presented, and in some cases may also impact the scoring that is assigned to them. The scoring that appears on this site is determined by the site operator in its sole discretion, and should NOT be relied upon for accuracy purposes. In fact, Company/product listings on this page DO NOT imply endorsement by the site operator. Except as expressly set forth in our Terms of Use, all representations and warranties regarding the information presented on this page are disclaimed. The information which appears on this site is subject to change at any time. More info

Uniden Bearcat 880 CB Radio

Check Price

Best Pick

Uniden Bearcat 980SSB 40- Channel SSB CB Radio

Check Price

General Specifications

Brand

Uniden

Model

Bearcat 880

Bearcat 980SSB

Origin

China

About the Product

The Bearcat 880 CB radio gives you the clearest reception, strongest transmissions and greatest range. It features a large, easy-to-read display and channel. The illuminated control panel is easy to use in all light conditions. It also has a noise cancelling microphone that cancels out background noise. This CB radio has 40 channel operation and dynamic squelch control and an extra long mic cord.

The Uniden Bearcat 980 CB Radio brings advanced feature in a modern design. The large digital S/RF / SWR meter lets you check your levels with a glance. Also including 7 different back lights to custom the right color. The Bearcat 980 CB Radio is equipped with all the important features: integrated SWR meter, noise canceling mic, RF gain control, NOAA weather alert, ANL/noise blanker, automatic noise limiter, 40 channels, and more.

Key Specs

Channels

Frequency Range From

26.965 MHz

Frequency Range To

27.405 MHz

Frequency Stability

0.001 %

Frequency Control

PLL Synthesizer

Modulation

AM, USB, LSB

Input Voltage

13.8 V DC

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Uniden Bearcat 880 CB Radio

I have this unit as a base station and have been very pleased for the past two years. I hooked an echo mic to it and have transmitted and received quite well.
Had to remove the headliner (lots of work FYI) to install the antenna then it was perfect. I am an amateur radio operator and had a CB a long time ago, will be nice to get back into the action.
Very useful radio. I use it while off-roading. The speaker is plenty loud for my needs. Aside from the standard CB fare, it looks sharp and you can set your own personal preferences (color, brightness, and so on). Pretty solid radio!
I installed this radio in my car and it works great with my antenna. No problems with the lighting or the extra gadgets. Everything has its draw back. When I turn my ventilation on, the radio picks a signal up but not that much of a problem for me.
I just have one bad note on the Uniden 880; it sounds a bit phony

Uniden Bearcat 980SSB 40- Channel SSB CB Radio

I purchased this for both off-roading and highway road trips, and it's been great so far. Using with a Firestik Firefly 4' antenna mounted on the tailgate of my truck.
The upper and lower sideband really make this radio stand out, more output gets your voice to go farther.
Solid CB mobile radio although the documentation Uniden provides is weak. Every function has performed properly. We have used both AM and SSB with no problems.
I've operated ALL kinds of radio's CB, ham, CB free band and all that, but if you want a clean, clear audio signal on a CB only rig this thing is it! NO drift, rock solid frequency on SSB and clear audio with the supplied stock mic at that!
This little radio will get out about 8 miles I was Abel to get a 1.00 srw that vary good I will bye another to put in my personal truck what ever you do bye a good antenna spend the extra money that will kill the performance of any radio

Size & Weight

Height

2.2 in.

2.25 in.

Width

6.3 in.

7.25 in.

Depth

6.3 in.

7.5 in.

Weight

2.2 lbs.

Transmitter

Power Output (AM)

4 W

Frequency Response Min

300 Hz

Frequency Response Max

2500 Hz

Frequency Tolerance

0.002 %

Power Output (USB/LSB)

12 W PEP

Power Output (AM)
Frequency Tolerance

What customers say about "Transmitter"

Uniden Bearcat 880 CB Radio

It was rainy, sleet and snowy conditions here a few days ago, and I was still able to pick someone up 15 miles away like they were right next to me. And they heard me perfectly fine as well.
Great sound quality, both transmitted and received, easy to use, easy to read display, and nice bonus features such as the colors, weather, and scan. Highly recommend this unit
I can hear roughly 20 miles ahead of me while driving vs my old Convex at maybe 10 miles.
The speaker is nice and clear and can be turned quite loud if you have a noisy vehicle to mount it in.
Works great has a great distance. Great lights I would purchase again

Uniden Bearcat 980SSB 40- Channel SSB CB Radio

The readout is clear and easy to read. It transmits clear and receives strong signals with ease.The weather bands are useful in case of rain or snow and allows time to plan accordingly.
Sounds nice and clear receiving as well as transmitting. Easy to use along with nice lighting day and night. They did get rid of the beep after you transmit that I read about in other reviews.
Transmits and receives great, farthest I've transmitted so far is about 8 miles with a local base station.
The radio needed a power microphone for use on SSB as modulation level is low. The stock mic would only drive the SSB transmitter up to a few watts.
The transmitter suppresses both the carrier and one sideband which theoretically allows all the power output to be transmitted in one sideband thereby theoretically tripling the power output because it is not shared among two sidebands and a carrier.

Receiver

Sensitivity for 10dB (AM)

0.5 µV

Image Rejection

65 dB

80 dB

Audio Power Output

5 W

3 W

Sensitivity for 10dB (USB/LSB)

0.25 µV

What customers say about "Receiver"

Uniden Bearcat 880 CB Radio

The scan feature worked well, and weather radio reception was good (have not tried the weather alert feature yet).
This is a good CB and it get's out there clear an loud, price is good for this, I would expect to pay more any where else for this radio.
However I am greatly pleased with the performance of it and do recommend the 880 to anyone.
Great sound quality and the diognostics are a great feature.
Would give this 5 stars except sensitivity is specified at only 0.5 millivolts. Uniden and Cobra make many CBs with 0.1 millivolt sensitivity, which may help with more volume in a noisy cab.

Uniden Bearcat 980SSB 40- Channel SSB CB Radio

I've hit 14 miles verified from my front porch and the receiver was surprised I was running barefoot since it was such a strong signal.
I didn't intend to go hunting for skip on the road but the receiver is incredibly good!
I was not impressed by the receiver sensitivity or the instruction manual. The receiver in my old Uniden 810E is 10 times better than this one.
The output on the receiving end has very low volume. Everyone tells me they have to turn me way up to hear me, which makes everyone else too loud
WX receive not working at all, in any mode. CB seems to be working OK, AM and SSB.

Features

Display

7-Color LCD Display

Controls

Volume Control knob, Squelch Knob, Talkback Button, MIC Gain Button, Weather Button, Day/Night Button, Channel Selector Knob, S/RF/CAL/SWR Button, CB/PA Button, MEM/SCAN Button, 9/19/NORM Button, NB Button, RF Power Control

Volume Control knob, Squelch Knob, Talkback Button, RF Gain Button, MIC Gain Button, Weather Button, Channel Selector Knob, S/RF/CAL/SWR Button, CB/PA Button, MEM/SCAN Button, 9/19/NORM Button, ANL/NB Button, Clarifier

Weather Alert

Yes

Extras

PA/CB Switch, Noise Cancelling Microphone, Radio Diagnostics, Digital SRF / SWR Meter, Wireless Mic Compatible

Wireless Mic Compatible, PA/CB Switch, Noise Cancelling Microphone, Radio Diagnostics

Weather Alert

What customers say about "Features"

Uniden Bearcat 880 CB Radio

The built in SWR meter is very accurate compared to my standalone. Every feature I could want comes in this radio and doesn't require the manual to figure out how to use them.
Reception is spotty in some more congested areas, such as around buildings, houses, power lines, and malls where I live, but that is to be expected. Once you can separate yourself (partly) from a bulk of that interference, the reception (thanks mostly to the antenna) is outstanding.
Anyway, with the radio, love the large digital display; very easy to read at a quick glance.
Weather channels are awesome. I travel all over the mid west for personal reasons (family and friends) and am very anxious to use out on the highway on one of those trips.
I bought the 880 Bearcat right when I came out and haven't had any problems with it. It's user friendly and the bigger screen is nice.

Uniden Bearcat 980SSB 40- Channel SSB CB Radio

CB performs outstanding with good audio from the stock microphone. Built in SWR meter is a plus. CB noise blanking feature eliminates power line interference along roads.
Good radio right out of the box. It works well and is on frequency for SSB use. This CB becomes very unique with the purchase of the wireless microphone option also made by Uniden (BC906W)
It matches well with the modern vehicles and I enjoy the multicolor options. It performs well. If you're into modding these cb radios I'm not sure what you can or can't do with these.
I don't mind the beeping noise every time you push a button, but the display screen gets scratched very easily, so I recommend leaving the manufacturer's plastic on the face as long as possible.
The display is somewhat difficult to read even when in "Day" mode at the brightest setting when bright sunlight is present.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

2 year(s)

Certifications

FCC

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

Download

Link

MSRP