Re: [Drakelist] TR-3
On Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 12:00 PM, lanerda...@yahoo.comdrakelist-requ...@zerobeat.net wrote: Being a relative newbie to Drake equipment, is there any particular areas to consider with the TR3 other than the obvious and general operating condition? ?I don't recall anything negative in particular about this vintage radio. For one, it's a terrible CW radio...if that matters to you. 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA www.aa4ga.com Submit your totals to the unofficial QRP DXCC standings - go to * http://www.aa4ga.com/p/qrp-dxcc.html* for more info! ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] Drakelist Digest, Vol 54, Issue 10
On Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 9:28 PM, John King k5...@yahoo.com wrote: Should you buy a TR3? I think the answer should be given after determining what he plans to do with it. I definitely agree with that. The TR-3 was the first rig I ever owned, but I wouldn't want to operate one on a daily basis - I'm 99.44% a CW op, and the TR-3 doesn't cut if for that mode. I do wish I had never sold the old girl though...but I wouldn't be using it much if I still had it. For the 60s Drake vibe, I've got an R-4 I listen on a bit...and every once in a while use as an RX with a QRP transmitter. 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA www.aa4ga.com Submit your totals to the unofficial QRP DXCC standings - go to * http://www.aa4ga.com/p/qrp-dxcc.html* for more info! ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] Nastiest Drake Gear
On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 8:10 AM, Curt cptc...@flash.net wrote: This rig needs a little TLC. Tech special. Can't test, but previous owner said repair was a simple fix just time to do it. Could be a collector rig with a little work. Or Worked last time I used it! 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA www.aa4ga.com ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] T4XB Question
On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 10:26 AM, Robert Fish rwf...@comcast.net wrote: This guy has a multi-section cap available for the T-4XB. It looks like it may be the correct cap (similar values). I have not done business with him, but I have heard good things about him. I have recently done business with the Hayseed Hamfest, and do recommend them if you want a can cap similar to original equipment. I replaced the three-section electrolytic in my R-4 with no major problems (that Drake chassis is a huge heat sink - make sure you're using a big iron/gun). 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA www.aa4ga.com ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] Re-capping an R-4
On Sat, Oct 8, 2011 at 11:10 AM, Lee Hiers lee.hi...@gmail.com wrote: I picked up an R-4 (no-suffix) about a year ago and listened on it for a while with just a random wire inside the house. Really like the radio. Back in the spring, it developed a hum, and sounded like the radio was zero-beat with a carrier wherever I tuned. I figured filter caps were bad, and probably something in the AGC circuit. Hi folks... Just to, uh, recap... I replaced the can cap along with the two electrolytics included with the Hayseed kit. That completely took care of the hum, naturally, and, happily, the apparent AGC problem. I picked up a 12BZ6 along with a couple 12BA6s, but no need to change 'em. I now have spares. ;-) I'll have to wait to check the rig out on the higher frequencies, but it's doing great on 40/80/160 now and that's where it's going to spend most of its time anyway! Next step: get the Heathkit DX-40 up and running! Thanks to all for the help. 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA www.aa4ga.com ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
[Drakelist] Re-capping an R-4
Hi folks, I picked up an R-4 (no-suffix) about a year ago and listened on it for a while with just a random wire inside the house. Really like the radio. Back in the spring, it developed a hum, and sounded like the radio was zero-beat with a carrier wherever I tuned. I figured filter caps were bad, and probably something in the AGC circuit. I subsequently got married, moved, etc. and figured the repair would have to wait until things settled down a bit. I'm finally getting to where I can look at the rig. I opened it up, and it looks like it's never been touched inside. So, I decided to get a Hayseed can replacement for the filter caps instead of going with discrete caps. Mine has a three section 100mfd/200v can - not the 4 section Hayseed sells as a replacement. No problem, just use the three 100uF sections, ignoring the extra 22uF section. Anyway, to the point... There are about a half-dozen or so paper caps in the rig - should I routinely replace them as well? If so, any particular recommendations? I'm also planning on replacing a few tubes - in the RF am and AGC stages for starters. Any pitfalls to watch out for there? Thanks! 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA www.aa4ga.com ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] First Rigs - If you could do it all over again, what would your first station be?
My first rig actually was a Drake - a TR-3. I was happy with it at the time, it and an AC-3 and MS were pretty cheap back in 76. Knowing what I know now, yes, I probably would have gotten something else. The worst part of the TR-3 was that it was a terrible CW rig: no filter, no break-in (not even semi), no RIT, and no sidetone. I made do by using a code practice oscillator as a sidetone, but the T/R switching was terrible. I got a Yaesu FT-101EE within a year and sold the Drake. The Yeasu was really more fun to operate than the TR-3. But I always liked Drake stuff and used it a good bit at other stations, so I imagine I would much rather have had a pair of Drake twinsOTOH, the price of the TR-3 really made getting on the air do-able. I doubt I'll ever own another TR-3 as almost all of my operating is CW and the TR-3 was just so unpleasant on CW. Which is probably why I've gotten an R-4...same vibe as the TR-3, but much better to operate...particularly when I match it up with a T-4X, which I hope to do someday. 73 de Lee, AA4GA -- Lee Hiers Have dobro will travel...and traveling! ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] New L-4B Article Available
On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 1:54 PM, w4...@aol.com wrote: I was thinking of a similar response but I didn't want to be the one who started the fire. I tend to agree, I wouldn't want to do that to an L-4 either, but as 'HFN says The theme of this article presents *one* possibility in giving the old girl a new life. I can see folks wanting an all-in-one solution...and if they somehow end up with an L-4 RF deck, no problem. Definitely a YMMV topic! 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA www.aa4ga.com ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] DSP Filters
On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 9:54 AM, J. Steven Cochrane w7...@msn.com wrote: If you LOVE the mellow sound you probably won't like the DSP audio filters. That's exactly what I was thinking, although Digital recordings that were originally recorded on analog media sound marginally better to some folks than all-digital recordings. Similarly, photographs taken on film that are scanned in become digital photos, yet they still retain a bit of the original film character that can't *quite* be duplicated in an all-digital workflow. I am really enjoying the sound of my newly-acquired R4 on 40 cw...it sounds better than any rig I've used in the past 30 years - while it may not have the best ultimate performance, the sound is wonderful. I think an audio DSP filter would detract from that somewhat...but I can also imagine conditions where the use of such a device would be an acceptable compromise...and the radio would still sound better thank a newer rig with the same DSP device. Just some rambling... 73 de Lee ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
Re: [Drakelist] DSP Filters
On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:07 AM, Diane and Edward Swynar deswy...@xplornet.ca wrote: Is your R-4 the ...just-plain-ol'-original-R-4 version, with no A, B, or C suffix...? Yes Eddy, it's an R-4, no suffixactually the first one I've ever listened to...I had used a lot of C-lines in the past, but never an R-4 or R-4A...not sure about B-lines. But the sound of this old rx on cw is very nice indeed. 73 de Lee -- Lee Hiers, AA4GA ___ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
