Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Eric McFadden (WD8RIF) and Randy Moore (KS4L) who share a link to this rare find on eBay: a New Old Stock (NOS) Drake SW4A.
The seller provides this short description:
New in original box and packing, R.L. Drake Short Wave Receiver – model SW.4A. With manual. Old stock, never used. Stored in a safe/dry place.
Being sold AS-IS!
The seller doesn’t have a deep history on eBay, but 100% positive feedback.
I fully expect this price to rise way beyond a figure I could appropriate, but I would certainly love to purchase it. I know this: I wouldn’t leave it in the box for long. After carefully checking it and bringing the voltage up slowly, I would put it on the air. What a beautiful receiver.
At time of posting, the price was $322 US (free shipping) with one day, 10 hours to go. Click here to view.
Went for $855, thought it’d go higher. These were not inexpensive radios at the time.
Really like these posts of Ebay finds. Hope the seller gets a good price and the buyer gets the radio which is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Amazing what people have stored away for decades. Would be interesting to get in the time machine and go back to when and where this radio was originally purchased from. I would say it was the disco era perhaps?
Thanks for posting. These Ebay finds are always so interesting. Definitely putting this one on the Watch List.
Ahhh the joy of listening to Radio Australia on 9580 but it didnt have the 60m band for the south americans and the polynesians. Remember getting up early for grayline to catch to catch Solomon Islands on 5020?
Getting your Pennant from some low power columbian broadcaster on 4880 or something? What got me to sell mine as I was a Drake bigot with my sweet C-Line was the lack of coverage. When I got into VLF stuff I just needed another radio and the Icom R71A was a nice addition to my R70 especially with the CIDX mods Don Moman was the modder for that great radio. This will sell for more than $400 to a collector. the copper is still shiny. Who the F leaves a radio in a closet for 40 years????
His 100% feedback is as a buyer. He’s not sold anything yet.
But the SPR-4 mentioned here last week is a more capable receiver. It has BFO, so it’s a more general coverage receiver than this one, which is AM only. This was intended for listening o shortwave broadcast. I don’t know how they differ performance wise. The SW-4A uses tubes, while the SPR-4 is sold state.
Both of course were limited to 500KHz tuning ranges, a new crystal for each segment. Unless the broadcast bands have changed, this one is fine since tuning ham bands without a BFO won’t get you much. The SPR-4 was aimed at broadcast listeners, but with the BFO could be used for anything.
Michael
The rips in the plastic with the knobs protruding are a positive sign there was ventilation, the crystals are shiny’ the knob skirts are silver . I seen well sealed packages that had the electrolytic’s leak and out-gas putting a brown film over everything. I purchased a video camera this way and all the optics need serious cleaning.