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The CB or Citizen Band has been for quite some time the gateway to the hamradio hobby, in which many made contact with their first radio equipment, such as the Super Star 3900, which has undoubtedly been one of the best-selling and longest-lived CB radio throughout Europe.

Over time, many other models have appeared and disappeared on the market, but the Super Star 3900 has remained one of the icons of the CB.

With the exception of very slight aesthetic changes, this transceiver has maintained its image, without introducing new functions and, except for the necessary reforms at the time of its homologation and later for its adaptation to European standards, technically it has been almost the same device of its origins. Despite the technological changes that have occurred during all this time, it has remained one of the most valued devices by CB users.

What is the reason for its success? What is it about the Super Star that has been able to maintain itself for almost four decades? Surely some of its keys are: its ease of use to operate with it, its generous dimensions that allow you to locate a powerful speaker that offers great sound quality, or perhaps others such as its classic design, or the unique touch of its buttons.

Of course, the Super Star 3900 is a radio with a more than proven operation and with features that many operators can answer for, but even so, its ability to overcome weather and storms and to have resisted the push of other models is to be admired. some, by the way, simple copies.

A bit of history:

The first 3900 came to the Spanish market as an alternative to the 3600, which Ranger manufactured at the time. This one was already a descendant of the 360 that was actually the first Super Star to appear. There were three versions of the 360, the H4, the H5 and the H6, which differed by the different diode plates they carried.

The 3600 had an important initial success despite the fact that the CB did not officially exist in Spain, so as to sharpen the picaresque, those first radios were modified to open them to 120 channels. Given the good reception, the circuitry was slightly modified to house a new PLL controller inside and the newborn model was baptized as 3900.

In 1992 the Super Star 3900 was homologated and therefore it could be used legally in all the modes it included. This caused the 3900 to come out of the back room to occupy a highly visible position in the storefronts of specialized stores, boasting of its side band, as one of its characteristics for which it has always stood out.

Whenever something is successful, imitators start to appear, and the Super Star was no exception. There were many two-way radios that were more or less similar, if not practically the same, to which confusing names were given, using a nomenclature similar to that of Super Star 3900. Despite this, the effect that these copies produced was positive, since according to what he confessed at the time Jordi Pi, Manager of Pihernz Comunicaciones S.A. «The copies have not harmed us. What’s more, in a certain way they have benefited us because they have made it even better known ».

Three decades after its arrival on the market, the Super Star 3900 continues to be a desired radio, loved and used by thousands of CB users, which still has a lot of life and history to tell.

The Super Star 3900 has not been available in our warehouses for almost two years now, although we have never lost the desire to bring it back. During this time of absence, we have been surprised by the large number of inquiries received and requests for components and accessories for this equipment. 

Stay tuned to our blog for the latest updates and news about the Super Star 3900.

Article based on the one published in its day in “radionoticias.com”