"Dennis Monticelli" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterance to the drakelist gang ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Great summary, Garey. It's worth re-posting every time a newcomer asks a general question.
I have an early R4B I restored and think its just great. It is in daily use. For casual work, I find that the LC filters contribute little to listening fatigue, unlike the tiring ringing of crystal filters. I have also had the opportunity to work on and listen to an early R4A and thought it performed equally well. The bipolar PTO seems quite stable. I don't think I miss having the JFETs in there. Someday there will be a matched TX in the shack. On 10/27/07, Garey Barrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Garey Barrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterance to the drakelist gang > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Eddy - > > Welcome! Always glad to have another one awaken to the great Drake > equipment! :-) > > Here is a little overview of the 2 & 4 Series that might help you. > > The 2-B is an outstanding CW receiver, the dial calibration is a little > coarse by today's standards, but for just getting on the air and > enjoying a CW QSO it works as well as any. It has three (L-C) filter > bandwidths, (500, 2100 and 3600 Hz,) built in along with passband > tuning. The 100 kHz crystal calibrator was optional. The companion > 2-BQ Q Multiplier adds a very sharp peaking filter and a nice tunable > null, both at the IF. > > There is no matching transmitter for the 2-B. > > The 2-C is similar, except the tubes end at the 2nd IF with all the rest > being solid state. Decent receiver but I don't think as good as the 2-B. > > On the plus side, the 2-NT matching transmitter is available, but is a > "Novice" class, crystal controlled, CW only transmitter. No provision > for transceive and no VFO included. > > The R-4 is almost a 2-B, just with a linear PTO and 1 kHz dial > calibration. All tubes. Very similar in operation, and will > transceive with the matching T-4X for an excellent CW station. Passband > Tuner with four filter bandwidths, (400, 1200, 2400 and 4800 Hz,) > passband tuning, noise blanker, LC notch and 100 kHz crystal calibrator > built in. > > The R-4A (early 13 tube model) is an improved R-4, almost identical > specifications. PTO and Band Oscillators converted to solid state. > > The R-4A (late 11 tube model) almost identical specifications. Product > detector, BFO, AGC and low level audio stages converted to solid state. > > The R-4B (early) is very similar to the late R-4A, minor modifications > and crystal calibrator multivibrator for 25 kHz markers. > > The R-4B (late) almost identical except PTO changed from bipolar to FET. > > The R-4C (early) very similar, except IF filters changed to crystal > filters. Only the 2.3 kHz filter is standard, 250, 500, 1800, 4000 and > 6000 Hz BW are available as options. The 4000 & 6000 Hz filters are > normally installed in a special socket under the chassis and are > effective on AM only. Four position filter switch. The noise blanker > was optional. Entire audio chain solid state, tubes used only from RF > to IF, all other stages and oscillators solid state. > > The R-4C (late) same. Five position filter switch. > > The 2-B through the R-4B used L-C filters in the IF. This type of > filter has much gentler slopes, which means that nearby signals are > still heard, just at reduced levels. The crystal filters are steep > sided, more like the crystal filters in today's receivers. > Personally, I prefer the L-C filters for all except heavy duty contest > use. I like to hear what is going on around my frequency, instead of > "listening with blinders on"... > > The T-4 series transmitters are all pretty much the same, the T-4X had 4 > pole crystal filters while the T-4XB and C had 8 pole filters. The > later ones therefore had slightly better carrier and unwanted sideband > suppression, neither of which has ANY effect on CW operation. > ANY 4 series receiver will transceive with ANY 4 series transmitter, mix > and match. There are minor things like the B line had a neon indicator > light under the dial to show which PTO was controlling in transceive > while the C line just turned the dial lamps on or off. The R-4 and R-4A > had neither, so you had to look at the switch! > > My opinion..... The R-4B is probably the best receiver overall. It has > great audio, smooth AGC, all the filters and noise blanker are built > in. The L-C filters are not quite as "drop off the table" selective, > but I prefer that for casual QSOs. > > The R-4C has poorer audio, a little harsher, the "better" (?) crystal > filters are extra, and the noise blanker is extra. > > The R-4 and R-4A are just earlier iterations of the R-4B, and are not > quite as refined, although some say they prefer the early R-4A to the > R-4B because the tube type product detector in the R-4A is "cleaner". > > The 2-B isn't very far behind, except it will NOT transceive with > anything, and the dial calibration is not precisely linear. > > 73, Garey - K4OAH > Glen Allen, VA > > Drake 2-B, 4-B & C-Line Service Supplement CDs > <www.k4oah.com> > > > > EP Swynar wrote: > > Good Day All, > > > > Just welcoming myself(!) aboard this Reflector... > > > > I've been giving some serious thought of late here to do what I > > probably should have done some 24 years ago, specifically, buy a good > > set of Drake Twins. Back in '83, I elected to retire my venerable old > > Heathkit SB-400 / Hallicrafters S-77A combo, in favour of the latest > > & greatest from the Far East... > > > > I've rued that day every time something major goes out with this > > flashy digital winking & blinking contraption. > > > > Maybe I'll learn enough here to know which version of the "R4" series > > of receiver I should have, & the subtleties between all of the > > different variants thereof...I hope so, anyway, & look forward to the > > day that I might have some Twins of my own here to use, enjoy, and > > actually REPAIR myself, as the need may arise... > > > > ~73!~ Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ > > > > ------------------------- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. > > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.12/1095 - Release Date: > > 10/26/2007 7:54 PM > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.12/1095 - Release Date: 10/26/2007 > 7:54 PM > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Submissions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body > Hopelessly Lost: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message > Zerobeat Web Page: www.zerobeat.net - sponsored by www.tlchost.net > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Submissions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body Hopelessly Lost: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message Zerobeat Web Page: www.zerobeat.net - sponsored by www.tlchost.net ----------------------------------------------------------------------
