President McKinley USA
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| Frequency | 26.965-27.405 MHz (40 CB channels AM, 80 SSB channels) + NOAA weather channels |
| TX power | 4 W (4W AM, 12W PEP SSB (FCC Part 95 legal limits).) |
| Modes | AM, USB (upper sideband), LSB (lower sideband) |
| Weight | 998 g (35.2 oz) - 2.20 lbs (~998g). |
| Connector | SO-239 (UHF female) |
| Year | 2019 |
| antenna | SO-239 (UHF female) |
| mic | front panel mic connector (electret mic with support included) |
| ext spkr | rear panel external speaker jack |
| pa | PA speaker jack |
| vox mic | external VOX microphone jack |
| dc in | 3-pin power connector. 12V or 24V DC (6 amp fuse). |
| power req | 12V or 24V DC (auto-sensing). Power cord with 6A fuse included. |
Estimated (unverified): Introduction year not documented by independent sources. The US McKinley USA is AM/USB/LSB (no FM); FM is only on the McKinley II FCC. Display is 3-color; US NOAA weather is 7 channels.
An SSB CB suited to in-dash installations. It is DIN-sized with a front-panel loudspeaker, so it mounts cleanly in a standard car-stereo slot with forward-facing audio. 12/24 V operation lets it work in heavy trucks, buses, and construction equipment without a voltage converter. Built-in automatic SWR calibration with audio feedback removes the need for an external SWR meter. A dual concentric fine/coarse clarifier makes SSB tuning easier. The digital design gives good frequency stability (no warm-up drift). It has ANL + NB + HI-CUT, VOX, NOAA weather with alerts, and a 2-year/5-year warranty.
No FM on the original McKinley USA (it does have SSB); the newer McKinley II adds FM. Premium-priced for a CB. It cannot be modified for freeband frequencies (a pro for legal compliance, a con for the freeband community). The 3-color LCD is less flashy than the 7-color displays on some competitors. The external VOX mic is sold separately. The 150 mm depth may be tight in some shallow dash cavities.
A DIN-sized SSB CB for in-dash installs. The McKinley does three things few other SSB CBs do: DIN-sized with a front speaker (clean installation), 12/24 V (heavy-equipment compatibility), and built-in auto SWR (no external meter). For professional drivers, off-roaders, and SSB DXers who want a clean in-dash SSB radio that works in vehicles from a Jeep to a Peterbilt, it is a strong choice.
The President McKinley is, in its US form, one of the few single-sideband CB radios you can still find, and it is built for people who actually install radios for a living. It is a DIN-sized set, the same footprint as a car stereo, with a front-firing speaker, so it drops cleanly into a dash slot instead of hanging under it. It covers the 40 AM channels plus upper and lower sideband, at the legal four watts AM and twelve watts PEP on sideband, with NOAA weather and alerting.
Two features set it apart from the CB pack. First, it runs on both 12- and 24-volt electrical systems, which is why you find it in heavy trucks, buses, and construction equipment that would fry an ordinary 12-volt radio. Second, it has a built-in automatic SWR meter that tunes by audible beep, so you can set up an antenna without a separate meter. Around those it adds a dual-concentric fine and coarse clarifier for precise sideband tuning, ANL, noise blanker and high-cut filters, VOX, dual watch, RF and mic gain, talkback, and a three-color display with a digital S-meter. The microphone is a six-pin front type.
The original "USA" version is AM and sideband only; it does not have FM. A newer McKinley II adds FM, permitted since the FCC's 2021 rule change. The original has been discontinued and is getting hard to find new. For a sideband-capable CB that installs like factory equipment, though, it earned a strong following, and it sits a clear step above AM-only sets like the Cobra 29 LX while staying simpler than a 10-meter export rig. A compact AM/FM alternative from the same maker is the tiny President Bill.