I’ve never been one to believe too much in horoscopes as a reliable source of daily information. But once someone did my birth chart and surprisingly it was very much on target with my likes, dislikes and much to the dismay of my mother, a dogged passion for collecting certain things. Thankfully I don’t have an overwhelming drive to collect everything I see —as those people are called hoarders. And mostly my collectibles have a purpose, are useful, and as well are usually quite old.
I’m sure that if you’ve seen the welcome page on this site, you at least have a 50/50 chance of knowing what I like in terms of radios. But if you weren’t paying attention, don’t worry too much about it. Because until about 2 years ago, I never really had a good look at anything made by R. L. Drake & Co. Of course I had heard of the brand on many occasions in my youth. But I’d honestly not even seen one until my friend John had me stop by one afternoon so he could give me a 3-element yagi for use on 6 meters.
While I was there he let me know about a radio being offered for liquidation by the local amateur radio club, of which he is a long time member and officer. It was a Drake TR-4, complete with an MS4 speaker and AC4 power supply. And the price they were asking was only around $300. I took one look at it and knew it was THE radio I wanted for HF. And to sweeten the pot, he let me know that it also came with an extra set of matched tubes for the PA section.
So a few days later, I made another journey to the north side of Cross Lake and brought that deal to it’s new “forever home”. It took me a few days to get the hang of tuning it up properly every time I changed frequency. But soon it became second nature. I began researching all of the Drake sites and forum groups to find out about spare parts, modifications, diagrams, manuals, and Drake history. The more I researched, the more impressed I became with the technology. Soon after obtaining the manuals and diagrams, I decided it was time for an alignment and the addition of a cooling fan, to extend the life of the aforementioned PA tubes.
I’ve always appreciated tube type radios and amplifiers due to the sound quality and ease of maintenance. But Drake takes that to an entirely new level by combining tube technology with some really innovative ideas that rival even the “Rolls Royce” level held tightly by Collins brand radio equipment. And they did this at a really decent price point…even when they were brand new. Nothing I’ve heard coming out of any radio produced in the past 30 years even comes close to the sound coming from a Drake tube radio.
So, I began searching for another one (actually a pair of Drake “Twins” made up of an R4A receiver and a TX4B transmitter). Then another after that (a Drake TR-7 transistorized model, with RV7 remote VFO tuner). And then I added a 1500 watt Drake L4B amplifier. And today as I write this, I’ve just received shipment of a Drake TR-6 to add to my collection.
The TR-6 is a “monoband” radio which covers only the 6 meter band (50-54 MHz). They only made a limited number of those. So with my “collector instinct” in full swing, I began searching for a TR-6 about a year ago. I almost had a deal made on one about 6 months ago. But the buyer apparently decided to back out at the last minute and ghosted me from that point forward. He couldn’t possibly have been upset with the price we negotiated ($1250). So I’m guessing that he simply changed his mind about selling. And if that’s the case, I don’t blame him too much, although rudeness has never been a star quality in my book.
Regardless, I’m very happy to have found one in decent shape. Because it will last for many years to come. And by the time I’m no longer able to remember how to turn it on, I’ll have found someone else who can appreciate these things the way that I do. And that person will end up with one spectacular station with which to enjoy the hobby for a long time to come.
There is something to be said about the yesteryear “glory days”, when private entrepreneurs with talent were able to follow their own hearts, building something worthy that would outlast their own generations and lifetimes. And certainly those things are collectible.
David / N5ZDT
