When these radios were first produced in the '60s they were "water resistant". That meant they could have been submerged in water for short periods without suffering any negative affects. 50 years later the cover O rings have all dried out and flattened and time has taken it's toll on them. Leaving them out in the sun they would heat up and the air would expand internally and when they cooled down in the evenings they would suck in everything that was in the air and once that moist air got into the radios it never got out. That's one of the reasons there are so many of them out there that look like they were filled with baby powder at some point. Yes, they are repairable but most techs won't fix them because tomorrow something else will go wrong and nobody likes lifetime warranty radios. A radio that has been taken care of is another story. These radios were designed to be rough handled. Ask anyone who's ever ridden in a jeep offroad! They work well for something of their vintage and with a little care should go on working for some time. BTW, the canvas covers that were designed for the 524s only made things worse. They restricted airflow and caused the radios to overheat ever faster. If you want to keep it clean throw a rucksack cover over it.
With regards to transmitting, they are NOT Citizens Band radios and operate on frequencies the public was never authorized to use. There is one narrow segment of their range (50 - 54 Mhz) that falls into the 6 meter amateur radio band that is usable if you are appropriately licensed. A couple evenings of studying the regs and the license isn't hard to get and by doing so you are allowed to transmit on those frequencies. The 6 meter band was never that popular and with these relatively low power sets the few hams that use them shouldn't be upset by a few random transmissions. Keep in mind that there are protocols for use on the band and offensive language is never tolerated.
