[IRCA] Drake R8

[mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx (Patrick Martin)]

Hi Everyone,

I got the R8 back from Drake today and one thing I can say is "WOW".
What a difference. It is like a new radio. The L/C filters are uniform
now, along with the passband tuning. The sensitivity is back up. The
receiver had been bad for sometime. Probably several years. It was such
a slow process, I never caught it until recently when the S Meter
readings had dropped. There were other things too that I did not know
about that were repaired. With the shipping both ways and the repair, it
was $431.00!!! Not inexpensive, but $130 of it was shipping, handling,
insurance, etc. The parts were under $60 and the labor was two hours at
$240. 
For the techs out there, what was replaced:

number keypad (They get gummy and often need to be replaced.

26 pin diodes  (Over half were bad or suspect,so they replaced them all.

2 electro caps in power supply
another filter cap

They did a preamp mode (But is still doesn't work below 1800 khz) 
They replaced the preamp fet

Two resistors, as the passband tuning had drifted off through the years.
Realigned passband

Replace two transistors, as one of the audio jax died. (That was years
ago that I had forgotten about.

Cleaned the switches and pots

KSWB (local) is back up to S9+35DB tonight. I presume they will be at
S9+38 when they boost to 1 KW tomorrow morning.

Already I have noticed two station on 1710 tonight, off the NE EWE, the
Russian pirate with some music station underneith.

By the way, I thought the SPR4 was close to the R8. Well, not so with
the R8 back to factory specs. I wonder how much good DX I have missed
over the past few years, especially the TA openings? If I would have
known this earlier, I would have shipped the R8 back long before now.

I was using a Palstar presellector with the SPR4, as it helps with the
sensitivity. The R8 doesn't need it. If anything, it adds noise. 

I am very pleased indeed!!!

73,

Patrick

Patrick Martin
Seaside OR 
KGED QSL Manager

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