NOTE: In order to remain within Ebay's listing policies and to avoid potential keyword search spamming, we have added an asterisk * where necessary in the text below. Thank you!

This sale is for a Drake SW8 desktop / portable receiver manufactured by Drake and is the 69th unit produced in December of 1996 (year-month-product id-production#) during the production run of 1994-2000.  It is a later serial number 6L12950065 that is desired and in demand from hobbyists wanting the enhanced version of this receiver.  

Since this SW8 is one of the later post 1995 manufactured units, it includes a number of RL Drake upgrades such as:

• Extended coverage into the longwave band. Earlier units would cover down to 500 KHz. This unit covers down to 100 KHz
• Better antenna matching of the telescopic antenna for stronger signal gain.  RL Drake upgraded the reception for the receiver when using the telescopic antenna with improved antenna matching from 1995 onward
• Sideband selectable synchronous detector. Earlier units had a respectable sync detector, but after 1996 RL Drake upgraded the SW8 to include a sync detector that would use either the upper or lower sideband.  This feature is especially helpful in avoiding side channel interference.  If your bandwidth filter does not allow for reduction of interference from an adjacent station, you can engage the sync detector, and in combination with the bandwidth, generally avoid most or all of the interference from the offending station.

The SW8 is a wonderfully made American product that performs exceptionally well in so many different areas.  Because it can be used with either the telescopic antenna or connected to a fixed station antenna, it has a lot of versatility.  Some people refer to it as a portable R*8 receiver.  While this is not actually true, there are some similarities allowing for such a comparison.  Let us review some of them for you and give you a little background on the SW8.

We have fully tested this Drake SW8 and it works perfectly with no issues or shortcomings.  Sensitivity was good when tested using both the onboard telescopic antenna and an external dipole antenna.  There are normally a few issues that need to be verified upon considering the purchase of the SW8 receiver.

• One of the common issues with these SW8 units is the display not showing proper contrast due to poor contacts with the LCD display against the front panel. This receiver did not have that issue. 
• The telescopic antenna on SW8's are known to slide out of the base.  This antenna was extended and retracted and did not show any issues with operation, but owners are to be cautioned to not pull out to strongly when extending the antenna from the bottom section/base.  (The SW8 antennas can fail over time if care is not taken as the base crimping will weaken and the antenna can fully separate if not careful.)
• Wear on the front panel especially so that the lettering is rubbed off is another item to be watchful of.  The lettering on this radio is good overall with no noticeable wear.
• These SW8's can make use of 6 D cell batteries.  The battery compartment is made of plastic that can break if the batteries are shipped inside the compartment.  We have had to replace a couple of these battery holders in other SW8 receivers.  The battery compartment is in beautiful condition and has the original paper insert inside the compartment.
• Handle can be broken and fail to lock into position.  These SW8's have a handle that can lock into position for carrying or to prop up the receiver during use.  The handle on this unit locks properly and securely to enable the receiver to be tilted up toward the user during operation.

We have taken some time to detail clean the SW8.  Upon observation, we noticed only minor marks and signs from previous ownership.  Please review our pictures for specific cosmetic condition.  The price of this SW8 has been set based on overall condition and desirability. 

Included in this sale of the SW8 receiver is:

• low noise AC adapter 
• copy of the Drake SW8 user manual (post 1996 version)
• Passport Whitepaper review
• QST review Oct 1994 (amateur radio magazine)
• Electronics Australia review July 1994
• Passport review 1995 (Passport To World Band Radio)
• Passport review 1996
• Passport review 1997 (retested)
• Passport review 1999
• Short Wave Magazine review May 1994
• WRTH review 1995 (World Radio and Television Handbook)
• EEB catalog page copy (Electronic Equipment Bank)
• Passport Advertisement copy 1995
• Passport Advertisement copy 2000
• Drake SW8 brochure copy #1
• Drake SW8 brochure copy #2
• Drake SW8 brochure copy #3
• Universal Radio advertisement
• CD containing over 414 MB of documents and information.  These documents and CD is offered for free with this sale and not sold separately (please do not email and inquire).

The R.L. Drake Company was established in 1943 during the height of WW II and proved to be an innovative leader in the engineering and design of amateur and shortwave radio products. Mr. Robert Drake produced a unique amateur radio sideband receiver and took the plans to Hall*icrafters and Nation*al Radio.  When these firms showed no interest in his design and product, he built the radio under his own name.  The first order for 100 units was placed by Universal Services, now known far and wide as Universal Radio.  Thus, the R.L. Drake Company had a very modest beginning, but eventually their product line grew wider as they showed a knack for great designs.

The Drake Company discontinued their line of amateur and shortwave radios in the early 1980's when Japan flooded the market with portable units that had digital readouts (like the S*ony ICF*2001 and ICF*2010 to name a couple) and concentrated on the home satellite market.  However, the hunger for sturdy, well-designed amateur and shortwave equipment never went away and Drake once again entered back into the market in 1991 with the announcement of the R*8 receiver.  The success of this unit was then followed by the SW8 and then upgrades to the R*8 with the R*8A and R*8B.

What makes the SW8 especially appealing is that it is a desktop communications receiver that has portable capability.  This is uncommon for those DXers wanting great equipment, but also with a degree of portability.  The Ya*seu FRG*7 built in the 1970's also offered an onboard DC power supply, but was considerably heavier than the microprocessor SW8 and does not offer digital readout along with many other updated features.  In addition, E*ton manufactured the E*1 which had many features as found on this SW8, but the E*1 has a history of spotty reliability.  Not so with most Drake products.

Thus, if you want a receiver that will give you killer reception, portability, and durability, the SW8 is the ticket.  Because the very handle that props up the radio can be rotated for carrying, this SW8 can be transported to the cabin, the yacht, the RV or any number or places where AC current is not available.  Additionally, the SW8 is an excellent receiver to have for emergencies since it can operate off of readily available D cell batteries.  The SW8 takes 6 D cells in the bottom compartment and the dial lamp turns off after 15 seconds to extend the life of the batteries.

The SW8 is capable of receiving transmissions from 100 KHz to 30,000 KHz and can be used in AM or lower or upper sideband. This means that it can tune into AM radio, marine, amateur radio, and international shortwave broadcasts. If that weren't enough, this receiver is also capable of picking up both the 88-108 MHz FM band and the 118-137 MHz air band. This is unusual for a serious receiver to pick up all of these frequencies. Typically, desktop units will not pick up broadcast FM transmissions. That makes the SW8 especially attractive for you can listen to whatever receiving band strikes your fancy at the moment.

For our personal use, we don't believe that we have ever tuned using the air band.  We live in a rural area and air traffic is sparse.  However, we really enjoy shortwave listening.  Here in the States, we have been raised on TV to a great extent and AM and FM to a lesser degree.  The world of shortwave is a well kept secret and that is a shame.  On any given night, we generally tune into about a half dozen broadcasts from overseas that are broadcast in English and that give great news, commentary, drama, cooking lessons, travel info, interviews, language lessons, music, and much, much more.  The music alone can keep you entranced as we will frequently tune into Radio Romania or Voice of Turkey for music and then re-tune later in the evening to Cuba for some late night island sounding club music.  While shortwave is broadcast in a wealth of languages, many of the programs are in English and thus you as the listener are offered the opportunity to hear music other than oldies or FM top 20 hits.  The best way to describe international broadcasts are PBS style programs offered with an international twist.

The SW8 is equipped with some great features:

• 70 memories to capture your favorite frequencies
• keypad for direct entry of frequencies
• backlit display illumination
• headphone jack
• tone control to shape the sound to your preference
• great sounding internal speaker (uncommon for communications receivers)
• dual clock / timer for local and international time
• convenient up / down step tuning
• choice of 3 IF bandwidths to avoid side channel interference and balance fidelity
• scan feature to select stations from the memory
• synchronous detector (sideband selectable on the later SW8's such as this unit)

One of the nicest features is that Drake built the SW8 with a synchronous detector. During broadcasts, it is quite common to get what is termed selective fading or distortion.  No problem here...just hit the AM Sync button and the station signal often improves noticeably.  As already mentioned, this sync is one of the later versions that offers sideband selection. Thus, if you are listening to a station and getting side channel interference, you can choose the side of the band that is not being interfered with for optimum listening enjoyment.

Keep in mind that if you live in an apartment or plan to use the receiver in an RV or boat, you can use the on-board telescopic antenna.  While this antenna will not offer the very best reception that one might experience using an external antenna, using the telescopic antenna still provides respectable reception.  If you live in a place where you can erect an outside antenna, the reception of the SW8 will knock your socks off.  The antenna does not have to be fancy as even a random wire about 30 or 40 feet long will make a huge difference.  Thus you have 3 antenna options...a PL-259 connector for coax cable, terminals for plain wire, or the on board telescopic antenna.

If you would like to do some more research on this receiver, you may want to look at eHam where 13 reviewers give it a 4.7/5.0:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/600  (copy and paste this link into your internet browser)

Dxing.com offers some basic information about the SW8, but also rates it a 5 out of 5.

http://www.dxing.com/rx/sw8.htm  (copy and paste this link in your internet browser)

Please use the Ebay shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost.  This cost includes proper packing materials for safe delivery and insurance cost against damage or loss.

Those buyers living outside the USA are also welcome to purchase from us.  We have shipped to 112 countries during the past 24 years on Ebay and we are happy to ship virtually anywhere in the world.  You may use the shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost.

We ask that you remember that this cost may not include any import, customs, or VAT fees.  If you are uncertain of these costs, we ask you to check with your local post office prior to making a purchase from us.  

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to look at our Ebay items!