Typically I sell general coverage communications receivers on Ebay and have little experience with Ham radio receivers. However, I was presented with a transceiver that is currently on Ebay (TR-4CW) that will be running for a few more days and this Drake R-4C receiver. Both are vintage units and I have not had experience with either one of them until these listings. It has been a pleasure getting to be familiar with this receiver and I was especially delighted to learn that it has general coverage capabilities.
This R-4C unit was manufactured by Drake from 1973-79 and was a final installment in the popular Drake series of R-4 receivers. Called the "C" line, it was designed using a combination of tubes and the new technology....semi-conductors....and is a triple conversion unit. I assume that many of you reading this already know quite a bit about this unit, so ask for your forgiveness while I elaborate the details for those that may be less informed. The information I have gathered comes from some detective work on the internet and my playing with the unit over the course of a couple of evenings on my desktop.
Operation of this R-4C is pretty straightforward and I actually used it without the advantage of a user manual that I later located for this listing. I have owned a Drake SPR-4 for a number of years and it was one of my first receivers when I was a teenager in the 70s. The SPR-4 operates similiarly and is a joy to use as is this R-4C.
I am happy to report that the R-4C works well and is sensitive on 5 bands from 80 meters up thru 10 meters. There is a postion for 160 meters, but I could get no reception on this band and suspect that it may not have a crystal in position for it to receive. It was fun playing with this vintage unit as you have to tune in the frequency and then adjust the preselector for maximum sensitivity. It sort of reminds me of driving a car with a clutch. If you like only automatic transmissions, you will not understand. But if you like the hands on approach, it is a lot of fun to operate.
Operation impressed me as in owning the SPR-4 without passband tuning or selection of filters, this R-4C had those features. Thus, this R-4C offers some neat user features that were fun to explore. This particular unit has the option to choose between .25, .5, and 1.5 filters for CW, but based on what I see on the back of the unit, the .5 filter is installed and this is perhaps the best choice for most CW work being neither too wide nor too narrow. Everything seemed to work well and as it should based on my time with it, but I could not get the calibrator to work even though a glance through the top shows it to be installed. It may be that the contacts have oxidized as it is hard for me to imagine that much could go wrong with one of these units otherwise. Additionally, the bulb on the main tuning dial is burned out, but should be easy to replace with a new one available from Radio Shack. FYI, the sensitivity of this unit is listed in Osterman's book "Shortwave Receivers Past and Present" at an amazing .25 uv!!
The R-4C has other features like a notch filter, choice of 3 RF gains and manual position, and the possibility of 15 more crystals giving this more general coverage possibilities or options of picking up the WARC bands that were not considered when this receiver was manufactured or even the international shortwave bands from 1.5 to 30 mhz. It's nice that the RL Drake Company designed the flexibility within this receiver and current users are the benefactors of this flexibility. The owner of this R-4 C will need to purchase whatever crystals they desire as none are installed at this time. Fortunately, they are easy to locate and purchase.
One of the nice benefits of this R-4C is that due to the popularity, there are some MODS online to improve operation if interested. Another is that it parts, if necessary, are much more common and thus easy and inexpensive to find. I don't know how the serial number is dated, but basically this unit is about 30 years old. Alignment may make a slight improvement, but I can't say for sure. What I can say is that this unit has lasted with flying colors and will easily work for another generation due to the great Drake design and the availablity of parts.
Cosmetically, this R-4C is very nice and the unit does not have any major scratches, gouges, nicks or other visual flaws. The pictures do not always come out as crisp as I would like, but do show accurately that this unit is above average. It had been stored by a ham in box so had been unused for a number of years and the appearance on the outside looks to be excellent showing that this unit may have seen limited use. I suspect that the owner may have either lost interest and packed it away or upgraded with a newer model and packed this up rather than trading it. Collectors should be interested as the outer cabinet looks nearly perfect with only a couple of very minor marks that are nearly invisible. The front panel looks to be perfect and the unit looks nearly new in appearance.
Today, these vintage units have interest among collectors who are looking to equip their shack with good quality units before all the digital readouts and computer controls were available. Some prefer to use the older equipment as the hands on approach makes it fun to use and these older Drakes with their attractive blue dials have a unique look that is no longer available in manufacturing....American or otherwise.
This R-4C comes with a copy of the manual and a CD of the manual on PDF in the event that it is more convenient for you to use. The serial number is 26084.
This R-4C is set up for use on 120 VAC, but can be operated on 240 VAC so can work with power in other countries, if desired. It should be noted that this unit requires an external speaker using an RCA plug and I used the one that I have with my SPR-4 receiver. RL Drake made an MS-4 that works with this, but many other speakers will work equally well. Dial accuracy of the R-4C is capable down to 1 khz with proper callibration.
The R-4C is given high marks by various users as can be seen here on eham. net:
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2626
There are 10 reviews and only one gave it less than a stellar 5 out of 5!
There are a number of sites that offer MODS and other info on the R-4C series receivers. If you do a google search, you will be amazed. In addition, there is a nice history of the RL Drake Company by Bill Frost who is the manager of Drake's service dept. You can read the detailed history with product releases here:
http://www.hamradio.no/la3tq/drakehis.htm
I am happy to try to answer any questions you may have regarding this receiver. Most questions will likely center around shipping cost. I will place the information in the calculator so that if you live in the USA, you can get immediate costs for shipping. However, you are welcome to pick up this rig at my home where I can demonstrate it for you and answer any questions.
International bidders are welcome and I typically ship about half of my auction items overseas with excellent results. You are welcome to email for a shipping cost to your location.
Payment is requested within 10 days and may be via cash (if picked up), check, or money order. I also accept paypal although it is not my preference due to the extra fees charged to the seller. If using Paypal, I request payment within 3 days. Insurance is optional, but is required if using Paypal.
Penna residents are reminded that they are responsible for the 6% state sales tax.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my Ebay auctions!
