Drake 2-B
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| Frequency | RX: 80–10 m (3.5–30 MHz in segments) |
| Power | Receiver only |
| Modes | AM, USB, LSB, CW |
| Weight | 6.55 kg (14.4 lb) |
| Connector | 50 Ω coax antenna input |
| Year | 1961 |
| antenna | 50 Ω coax antenna input |
Drake's breakthrough receiver and the radio that put the company on the map. A triple-conversion design with a 50 kHz L-C variable passband filter giving excellent selectivity (3.6/2.1/0.5 kHz). Compact and light by 1961 standards. Ham-bands-only for good bandspread. The 2-B outperformed receivers costing twice as much.
Ham-bands-only; no general coverage. The Q-multiplier accessory is almost required for CW. Band coverage requires plug-in crystal accessories for WARC bands. Some operators find the tuning rate too fast.
Where Drake began. The 2-B proved that a small Ohio company could build a receiver competitive with Collins and Hallicrafters at half the price. Drake's reputation for receiver performance started here.
The Drake 2-B is a classic early-1960s amateur communications receiver from R.L. Drake of Ohio, a compact, affordable, and remarkably capable receive-only set that helped establish Drake's reputation. It covers the 80 through 10 meter amateur bands (with additional 600-kilohertz segments across roughly 3.5 to 30 MHz via optional crystals), receiving AM, CW, and single sideband.
For a modestly priced receiver it punched far above its weight. Its triple-conversion design ends at an unusually low 50-kilohertz intermediate frequency, where a steep-sided L-C filter gives selectable bandwidths of 3.6, 2.1, and 0.5 kilohertz and excellent skirt selectivity, while passband tuning lets the operator slide the passband across a crowded signal and 60-decibel image rejection keeps things clean. The result earned the 2-B a reputation, in its day, for being "as stable as a Collins" at a fraction of the price, a giant-killer that put little Drake on the map.
Beloved for its performance, its handsome looks, and its place in Drake's early history, the 2-B is one of the most cherished vintage receivers; the matching 2-BQ Q-multiplier and speaker were popular companions. It is a discontinued classic. Compare it with the later R-4C and the transceiver TR-4C.