The trouble with the old 27 MHz band, and the reason why they went for UHF, was the tendency for the channel to pickup all the noise on skip (ionospheric reflection) which drowned out local signals. Having said that, there's no reason why you can't use them, just be aware of the limitations. The better the antenna, the better the unit will work. It should be OK at the moment as we're in a sunspot minimum but it will get pretty noisy in about 3 years' time. You might look at noise reduction on your vehicle, too, as the old 27 MHz CB was also prone to picking up car ignition, switched-mode power supplies, fluorescent lights, you name it.
I think Jaycar still has them, but might depend on the store.
Really old ones are probably 'had-it' as the filter capacitors tend to die after about a decade of use.
Cheers...
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