[Boatanchors] Drake 2B General Coverage (Addition)

Thu Jul 7 09:10:30 EDT 2011

The 390 is well above the ability (mechanical mostly) of many and was even a 
nightmare at the tender overhaul level in the Navy and Im sure in other 
services and quickly replaced by the 390A.

The R-388 /51J3 or 51J4 would be my choice for a good SWL band cruiser of 
the Collins military family.

The HQ-180/180A is still a good radio and has been the subject of much 
discussion. They dont require recapping and the main problem is SMD in the 
IF cans which is a straightforward fix if/when it occurs. The optional Noise 
Silencer is a plus.
If SSB isnt a big interest the HQ-145 is basically a 180 without the HC-10 
SSB adaptor built in. It still works on SSB the old way.

A real sleeper which has been showing up often recently at a low price is 
the Hallicrafters SX-73/R-274. Superb quality unlike anything else from 
Halli and easy to work on. Same tuning ranges as the SP-600/R-274 of BCB to 
54 MHz but far superior quality and performance.

The SX-62 was designed as an upscale homeowners AM BCB, FM BCB and SWL 
radio. It tunes from 530 KHz to 108 MHz continuous. The downside is that it 
shares with the SX-42 of being the hardest Halli to refurb. My primary 
general coverage all band cruiser is a SX-62A.

Carl
KM1H

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "David C. Hallam" <dhallam at knology.net>
To: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 8:05 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Drake 2B General Coverage (Addition)

> Joe,
>
> You are finding the shorting comings of the 2B as a general coverage
> receiver.  It was designed as a ham band receiver.  For that purpose it
> is excellent.  If it's within your budget and you want to stay with a
> tube type receiver, the R-390, not the R-390A, is the best you can get
> for a general coverage receiver.
>
> David
> KW4DH
>
> On 7/6/2011 8:59 PM, Joe Connor wrote:
>> I should add that another shortcoming of the 2B is that it cannot receive 
>> below 3.5 mhz without a special low frequency converter. That's a shame 
>> because it seems this would be a great set for BCB DXing.
>>
>> Here are some details on the converter: 
>> http://www.dproducts.be/drake_museum/2-lf1.htm
>>
>> If anyone has one for sale, please let me know.
>>
>>
>>                                        Joe Connor
>>
>> From: Joe Connor<joeconnor53 at yahoo.com>
>>> To: Mail List - Drake Gear Drake Gear<drakelist at zerobeat.net>
>>> Cc: "boatanchors at mailman.qth.net"<boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 8:01 PM
>>> Subject: [Boatanchors] Drake 2B General Coverage
>>>
>>> OK, guys, I have been using my Drake 2B as a general-coverage receiver 
>>> for a week now and I wanted to report back on my experiences. This is a 
>>> receiver that you folks helped me out with about a month ago. To repair 
>>> it, I had to install a 6BF6 tube (easily obtained) and replace the 
>>> filter cap can.
>>>> I made it a general-coverage receiver by using the accessory crystal 
>>>> sockets B, C and D. A 10 mhz crystal gives me 49m, a 13.5 mhz crystal 
>>>> gives me 31m and an 8.0 mhz crystal gives me 25m. The stock crystal for 
>>>> 40m includes the 41m band. The receiver's sensitivity and selectivity 
>>>> are very good. The tuning is spot-on accurate. While the audio does not 
>>>> rival that of an SX-28 or NC-183d, it is more than acceptable. I am 
>>>> really impressed. This receiver is a keeper. I have this set in my 
>>>> study and use it for general SWLing as well as monitoring the ham 
>>>> bands. It's a fun set to use.
>>>>
>>>> There are shortcomings:
>>>>
>>>> (1) you have to buy the crystals for each SW band;
>>>>
>>>> (2) it's a royal pain to change crystals. The 2B's top does not open, 
>>>> which would make changing the crystals less of a chore. Thus, I am 
>>>> pretty much limited to the SW bands listed above. This is a significant 
>>>> limitation. For example, I would like to be able to monitor the 19m 
>>>> band; and
>>>>
>>>> (3) I have yet to master the 2B-Q Q multiplier.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>                                        Joe Connor
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