There is difference's in Radio Shacks Realistic TRC 449(mobile)TRC 457 and 458 they had Uniden use some things that others did not and they left off some things that other's included.Like theres no ear phone jack on a Robyn 520D Which use to make me wonder? And the Cobra138 xlr had a dimmer?.Mic Gain.Anyway I talked to West Germany barefoot on a HyGain Penetrator 525(golden) 32 ft above the ground.and my 458 on lower side channel 36 for months.I still have the QSL Cards somewhere. Thats a cool radio!!! I had the TRC 458 SSB back in 1977 (1 meter)because two paper routes still did not get me the money fast enough!! So I settled for the 458.Of course most know now the the 1976,1977 President Washington,Madison,Adams (and a few AM only) And almost all of Cobra's XLR Line the Robyn 520d and about 100 others were all Uniden's Famous 858.in different wrappers.The TRC 449 TRC 457 and 458 are all the same radio.I put a 449 in a 458 chassis once. I would say this rig is a good radio for a beginner or the expert to have in their collection as they are getting more hard to come by these days. Luckily for this radio it was well taken care of by her last two owners. She is easy to use, nice size knobs, large Signal meter and large SWR meter, and a digital clock(Big Technology for the 70's). On a scale of 1 to 10, i give the TRC 457 a 25. The 457 was known for her audio clarity, signal and staying on frequency on SSB. I have got all sorts of good comments of my audio and signal strength.

On SSB i have talked to the south, mid-west and Canada. I have talked all over the south and sometimes out to the mid-west from here in Upstate NY. I have been using this setup for a couple months now. 64 wave base antenna purchased in 1978 with the 457. After reading several reviews and from using the Radio myself, i was impressed with what it could to. This model was built in 1977 for Radio Shack by Uniden.

Realistic trc 458