73 Amateur Radio Today - Free and Open Source Software

73 Review
by Bill Clarke WA4BLC
The Drake SW8
World Band
Shortwav e Rece iv e r
A constant companion, at home or on the go!
' ;.J
I
There are table-top 8WL re­
I cetvere and there are
portable 8WL receivers. Being
a hardware hound, r was never
very much impress ed by
portable SWL receivers. They
always seemed lack ing in
size, weight, sound, etc. Then
along came the new Drake
SW8, a semi-portable SWL
receiver.
What is a semi-portable receiver?
First, the term semi·
portable is mine, not that of
the A.L. Drake Company,
manufacture r of the SW8.
Second, It is a receiver equal·
ly at rome on my radio operating
table as it is on a picnic
table at a campground, on the
roof of my car at the airport. or
in a motel room .
Physically, the SWB is not a
lightw eight (it weighs a little
38 73 Amateur Radio Today. August, 1994
over 10 poundS with batteries) and it certainly
won't fit in your shirt pocket. But, it will perform
on a par with most table-model World
Band receivers costing at and above its price
class.
For portable use, the SW8 uses a built-in
41" whip antenna or other external antenna of
the user's choice, and is powered by six "Dcells.
For fixed use, the unit is powered by an
AC adaptor and connected to the world via
any number of antenna types that can be
connected via PL-259 coaxial connector, or
by wire-type terminal connector.
Features
The $ W8 comes loaded with top-of-theline
features, yet Is so very simple to look at
and operate. The front panel consists of an
ON/O FF VOLUME control, TONE control,
TUNING knob and a multi-purpose key pad.
It's similar to its more expensive relative, the
R8, but don't let the simpl icity fool you-this
is a very powerful receiver.
The Liquid Crystal DiSplay (back-lit, amber-
R.l. Drake Company
230 Industrial Drive
Franklin OH 45005
Telephone: (513) 746-6990
Fax : (5 13) 743-4576
Price Class: $599
colored) shows: frequency, bar-graph-type $meter,
band, AG C, memory, cl ock, mode,
bandwidth, and more. Readability is excellent
due to the generous size of the display.
T he SW8 rec eives the shortwave, AM
broadcast, FM broadcast, and AM aviation
bands (Air Band).
Receive bandwidths are panel-selected at
2.3, 4, and 6 kHz, making it easy to limit adjacent
cnannet interference.
There are 70 programmable memories
wtJjctJ will store all user-selected parameters
including mode, frequency, bandwidth, and
AGC. These memories can be selected by
number or tuning control, and they can be
scanned.
A selectable AM synch ronous mode reduces
the effects of fading .
There is selectable (tasl/sIow) AGC.
A large carrying handle doubles 10 hold the
front of the receiver up, tor viewing ease .
There is AM squelch for the aviation band
(on the rear apron).
Direct digital frequency entry is possible
via the keypad.
It has an FM stereo headphon e jack ancl
an external mono speaker jack.
Antenna selector switches on the rear apron
allow the use of several different antennas.
The Manual
The operator'S manual for the $W8 is adequate
for most users, but it is lacking in specific
technical information, block or schematic
drawings, and an explanation of the th9Of)' of
operation. However, the operational instructions
are very complete, and at no time was I
at a loss in the operation of the receiver.
A convenient log for listin g the programmed
memories is included in the back of
the manual.
Operating the SW8
I found the SW8 very easy and enjoyable
to operate. Simplicity is the best word to de-