Re: [drakelist] R4B vs R4c

[W9DCQ]

I have owned Drake A-line, B-line and C-line equipment.  I acquired a Heath SB-300 while I owned the B-line and was shocked to find the Drake's selectivity was noticeably inferior to the SB-300's selectivity.  This was due to Drake's use of an L/C network to achieve variably selectivity, while the Heath receiver used crystal lattice filters for this purpose.  The C-line, especially the later models (serial numbers above 14,000) solved the problem by replacing the L/C circuit with high quality crystal filters comparable to those used in the Heath equipment.  However, I have always been partial to the dial and PTO drive used in the B-line and, hence never upgraded to the T-4XC to match my R-4C.  One admittedly gives up the phased-lock loop of the C-line, which assures precise transceive frequency matching between the transmitter and receiver.  I find this a minor drawback since the Drake PTOs are so stable and hold transceive alignment for years and are very simply brought back into alignment when they shift apart perceptibly in frequency.