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1967-1974 R. L. Drake SW-4A communications receiver

Drake SW-4A

A hybrid communications receiver, using six tubes and seven transistors. Unlike most receivers in its day, this set was crystal-controlled, giving it a dial accuracy of +/-2 kHz, better than many other sets at the time. The SW-4A's band coverage is divided up into eleven 500 kHz tuning ranges: 150-500 kHz, 500-1000 kHz, 1000-1500 kHz, 6-6.5 MHz, 7-7.5 MHz, 9.5-10 MHz, 11.5-12 MHz, 15-15.5 MHz, 17.5-18 MHz, 21.5-22 MHz, and 25.5-26 MHz. The SW-4A requires an external speaker, and it has no BFO for cw/ssb reception.

Something pretty hard to overlook on the SW-4A's cabinet face is the emblem stating, "Designed especially for Radio New York Worldwide." As Bill Frost explains on his page, "The History Behind The R.L. Drake Company", "Shortly after the R-4A [amateur radio receiver] had reached the market, the company was approached by Radio New York Worldwide to build a low cost International Shortwave receiver for their own use. The SW-4 was designed primarily from the R-4A concept and was to receive AM only."

"Radio New York Worldwide" was short wave station WNYW, broadcasting from Scituate, Massachusetts, formerly WRUL -- the call letters changed in 1966. Here's a page by Lou Josephs detailing the history of WRUL/WNYW, including many photos: http://www.stellamaris.no/wnyw3.htm



Drake SPR-4

The hybrid SW-4A and a later unit, the all-transistor SPR-4 communications receiver



Drake SPR-4

SW-4A brochure page 2


Drake SPR-4

SW-4A brochure page 1


....... more galleries: . SW receivers . ham QSLs . great graphics . LW/MW . tropical bands . Cold War QSLs . antenna towers .......


....... QSL cards ....... station log ....... some ephemera ....... more galleries ....... about this site .......


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