Also known as: PRO505XL, PRO 505XL, Uniden 505
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The Uniden PRO505XL is the cheapest name-brand CB radio: a genuinely tiny 4 W AM-only mobile that streets around $50–65 and fits in Jeeps, side-by-sides, and consoles nothing else fits.1 One honest caveat up front: it’s dealer-reported discontinued — new stock remains at around $60 while it lasts, and it keeps our “most affordable” pick exactly that long.
Key takeaways The $60 trail beater. 40 channels, legal 4 W AM, very compact (7.5"×4.9"), simple and reliable. No weather channels, no SWR meter, no FM — you’ll need a separate meter to tune the antenna. Reported discontinued (dealer-listed, not officially confirmed) — a while-stock-lasts buy. License-free (Part 95D). Want more radio? The Bearcat 880FM is the step up. Full rankings: best CB radios.
Overview
Every roster needs the radio you can bolt into a trail rig, forget about, and not mourn when a branch takes the antenna. The PRO505XL is that radio, and it has been for years: dirt cheap, very small, and simple — up/down channel buttons, a backlit LCD, squelch and volume, instant channel 9, a PA function, an S/RF meter, and an external-speaker jack. That’s the whole list, and for trail comms and glovebox-emergency duty, it’s enough.
The engineering honesty: at this price the filtering is bare-bones, so receive is noisy at highway speed — ignition hash and adjacent-channel splatter that a Bearcat 880FM or McKinley II would suppress comes through. The internal speaker is tinny (external speaker money is well spent). And with no built-in SWR meter, you need a separate meter at install time — skipping antenna tuning is the number-one way people conclude “CB doesn’t work.”
On the discontinuation: a major CB dealer lists the PRO505XL as discontinued and sold out, while others still hold new stock (~$60). Uniden hasn’t said so officially that we’ve found, so we’re flagging it plainly rather than calling it dead: buy it while stock lasts, or don’t wait. Uniden’s own PRO520XL shares the compact Pro-series chassis and adds ANL if the 505 dries up — though it’s an aging model too.
License note: none. CB is licensed by rule (FCC Part 95D) — no exam, no fee. 4 W AM is the legal carrier limit, and that’s what this radio makes. It’s AM-only: no FM (2021’s newly legal mode) and no SSB.
What you get — and don’t
- 40 channels, 4 W AM only, Part 95D certified, 12 V DC.
- Backlit LCD, instant Ch 9, PA, S/RF meter, external-speaker jack, up/down channel buttons.
- Very compact: 7.5" × 4.9" — the fits-anywhere CB.
- Not included: NOAA weather, SWR metering, FM, SSB, noise-canceling mic. That’s the $60 trade, stated plainly.
GopherTrunk alternative
We make free monitoring software, so here’s the disclosure: GopherTrunk can’t help you with CB. CB is 27 MHz analog AM — below an RTL-SDR’s native tuning range unless you use direct-sampling mode or an upconverter, and analog AM voice is outside GopherTrunk’s trunked/digital focus. If you want to hear your local channel 19 before spending even $60, a scanner with CB coverage or an HF-capable SDR is the listening path — channel list in our scanner frequencies reference. To transmit on the trail, this radio is the budget answer.
Who it’s for
- Buy the PRO505XL if you want the cheapest real CB for a trail rig, work truck, or emergency kit — and buy soon, since stock is a question mark. View on Amazon →
- Buy the Midland 75-822 instead if you move between vehicles — it’s a handheld that converts to a mobile — or the Cobra 75 All Road if the problem is dash space rather than budget.
- Spend up to the Bearcat 880FM (~$140) for weather, FM, a real display, and built-in SWR metering — it’s the better radio for anyone not optimizing purely for price. Full rankings: best CB radios.
Sources
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Uniden PRO505XL product page — Uniden America, on the 40-channel 4 W AM feature set, compact chassis, instant channel 9, and PA function. Discontinuation status is dealer-reported (retailer listings), not an official Uniden announcement. ↩
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license for the Uniden PRO505XL?
No. CB is licensed by rule under FCC Part 95D — no exam, no fee, nothing to file. The PRO505XL transmits the legal 4-watt AM limit out of the box.
Is the Uniden PRO505XL discontinued?
Dealer-reported, yes — at least one major CB retailer lists it discontinued and sold out, though Uniden hasn’t made an official statement we’ve seen, and several dealers still hold new stock around $60. Treat it as a while-stock-lasts buy; the PRO520XL is the closest same-chassis alternative.
Does the PRO505XL have weather channels or an SWR meter?
Neither. No NOAA weather, no SWR metering — you’ll need a separate SWR meter (or a friend’s) to tune your antenna at install, which you should absolutely still do. At this price, those omissions are the deal.
What's the range of the Uniden PRO505XL?
The same as any legal 4 W AM CB with the same antenna: realistically a few miles vehicle-to-vehicle. The radio is not the limiting factor on CB — antenna quality and SWR tuning are. A $60 radio into a good tuned antenna beats a $200 radio into a bad one.
Is the PRO505XL good for a Jeep or side-by-side?
That’s exactly its niche. At about 7.5 by 4.9 inches it fits roll cages, consoles, and dashes nothing else fits, it’s cheap enough to not mourn on the trail, and trail comms don’t need more than AM channel traffic. Budget for an external speaker — the internal one is tinny.