How the Drake TR-7 and Icom 7300 Changed Amateur Radio The Drake TR-7 and Icom 7300 changed Amateur Radio when they came out. TR-7 – Considered the first commercially available solid state HF Amateur radio on the market. 100% solid state circuits. No tubes, no tuning required and a digital display! IC-7300 – Considered by many the first entry level SDR transceiver with knobs. Includes a touchscreen LCD and real time spectrum scope where we see activity on the band! 73, Rich, K0PIR
Have a TR-7A with many of the accessories and just picked up the keyer. Very nice radio. "TR-7 – Considered the first commercially available solid state HF Amateur radio on the market. 100% solid-state circuits. No tubes, no tuning required and a digital display!" Did not take time to do the research but was wondering how close Ten Tec came to making that claim?
Yeah, I don't know. There was Swan too back in the late 70's. This Ham (WB4HFN) has a great TR-7 page. 73!
Ron, WB4HFN has done work for me on both my TR-7A and TR-4cw/rit. Found his work to be excellent and his prices fair. His site is very informative. If you are not aware there is a Drake net on Sunday afternoons on 7.238 1600 EST Ron frequently is the net control or otherwise checks into the net.
I never had a TR-7 but did have a TR-6 for several years. Drake was a great company. I did have a National NCX-5 MK2 with VX-501 Remote VFO, and AC and mobile PS. Built 6 and 2M transverters into an AC supply cabinet with a blank panel I bought super cheap cuz I worked there 1963-69 The rest was on loan and I had to give it back...it was mostly run mobile as I had a CE-100V and a highly modified 75A4 as the main rig along with a NCL-2000 prototype that cost $20. Still have and use all 3. The 100V and A4 got parked for several years as they were no longer contest competitive and a pair of Drake C lines did fine until they became non competitive and were replaced by my first own HF transceiver, a used TS-930 in 1985 or so and another in 87 which morphed into a TS-940 and 930, then a pair of 940's and finally a TS-950SD and one of those 940's. Im seriously thinking about a single TS-890 as that is more than enough these days. Carl Ham since 1955
