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The R. L. Drake Co. was founded by Robert
Lloyd Drake Sr.. He was the eldest son of four children and also the father of
four children. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he attended the University of
Cincinnati after graduating from high school. At that time, the university was a
city college and he lived at home while attending college.
Graduating in the early 1930's, Mr. Drake was first employed by Dayrad (Dayton
Radio Co.) in the Engineering Department. He later went to work for the Bendix
Corp. in their Aviation Department. Mr. Bill Lear, of Lear Jet fame, hired Mr.
Drake to work for his company, which was Learavia, in the Engineering
Department.
Mr. Drake's hobby was amateur radio. He enjoyed talking to other amateurs on the
"wireless" and had tinkered with the design of different filters to
help improve his reception, as well as his transmitted signal. The amateur radio
operators at the other end of the wireless radio, were very interested in
obtaining these filters for their own equipment.
In 1943, Mr. Drake decided to start his own company and leave his secure
position at Learavia. He gathered three other people to help him design, and
build his products. One of the individuals was Katherine "Katy" Quake,
who worked for the company until 1988. Another was Milton "Milt"
Sullivan, a fellow Engineer and amateur radio operator. The company began at 11
Longworth St. in Dayton, Ohio. The upper level of the building was rented to a
manufacturer of coat hangers.
Products at the time were mainly low pass filters and high pass filters for the
amateur radio operator and for military use. Filters for amateur radio use were
a part of the company's product line for over forty years. A tank jamming device
was also produced for the US military. The military also wanted a filter
designed to eliminate the jamming, but this could not be done due to the method
Mr. Drake had designed. He had a difficult time convincing the government
officials that it could not be done. The tank jamming equipment was successfully
used in major events of WWII such as Normandy Beach on June 6, 1944.
The recession that followed WWII meant difficult times for everyone, the R. L.
Drake Co. included. The Company managed to survive the hard times by continuing
the production of filters and by doing small jobs for larger companies. This
included making table lamps for S. S. Kresge, spring contacts for General
Electric, winding coils and chokes for Delco Electric, and assembling
communication cables for an airplane manufacturer.
Ten years later, in 1953, the company moved its 10 to 12 employees to
Miamisburg, Ohio. The new location was in the once famous Baum Opera House. This
building later became the home of Star City Marine. They say, that if you stand
in Market Square and catch the sun just right you can see the name, Baum Opera
House showing through the faded paint on the building.
The product line now included more accessories for amateur radio operators, such
as Q-multipliers for HRO and National receivers, product detectors for Collins
Radio receivers, and the Drake High Patch phone patch. Being an amateur radio
operator himself (W8CYE), Mr. Drake had modified his own Hammarlund receiver for
single sideband reception. However he was not totally satisfied with the
receiver's performance and knew that he could design a "better mouse
trap."
While recovering at home, from a bad case of hives, partially due to worry about
the survival of the company and its employees, he began the design of the 1-A
single sideband receiver. The receiver was long, thin, and tall like a mailbox.
It was very different to the large box like conventional receivers that were on
the market. This receiver was destined to be the first receiver designed solely
for single sideband reception. All other receivers for amateur radio use
received only on AM (Amplitude Modulation) or were old military AM receivers,
which were then modified by the amateur radio operator for SSB (single sideband)
reception. Single sideband was in its infancy and many amateur radio operators
said it was only a fad and would never last and certainly would never equal AM
operation.
Once the 1-A was finished, he was unsure that he could mass produce such a
product, let alone finance it. He decided to offer his design to well known
receiver manufacturers such as National, Hammarlund, and Hallicrafters. After
many letters were mailed back and forth neither party was able to reach any type
of agreement. A turning point came when Francis R. Gibb or "Gibby" as
he was known to his amateur friends said "You build'em and I'll take the
first hundred." Gibby was a good friend of Mr. Drake and he was a well
known supplier of amateur radio equipment, as he owned and operated Universal
Service in Columbus, Ohio. Another amateur radio equipment supplier, Hyde
"Rube" Rubel, of Srepco in Dayton, Ohio, also supported the 1-A
receiver concept and urged production of the first single sideband receiver.
The first ten or so 1-A receivers were built at the old Baum Opera House
location, then in 1958 the company moved to the present 540 Richard Street
address, as more room was needed. The production of the 1-A was then put into
full force. The 1-A design was based on a simple to operate concept, no bells,
no whistles, easy to service, high quality, and high performance. Cosmetically,
it was plain, the front panel was black, the cabinet was black, and it was soon
dubbed "The Black Box" among amateurs. Receivers prior to the
introduction of the 1-A were large, bulky, had large knobs, large meters, and
were often called "Boat Anchors."
The 1-A receiver was a success, as it was well received by amateur radio
operators. However, amateurs wanted a receiver that had both AM reception and
SSB reception, built with the performance of the 1-A. AM was still the most
popular mode of communication between amateurs, but SSB was slowly growing in
popularity. The 2-A was designed and produced to meet this requirement. It was
soon followed by the design of the 2-B receiver, which included several
improvements. Mr. Drake offered the 2-B receiver design to radio receiver
manufacturers such as Globe Radio and Hallicrafters, as he felt uneasy about
increasing the size of the company. Unable to come to terms, it was decided in
1961, to proceed with production of the 2-B under the R. L. Drake Co. name.
In 1963, the company introduced its first transceiver and named it the TR-3. The
TR-3 was a tube type unit, as were all Drake products at that time. It used a
9.0 MHZ IF, tube type VFO (Variable Frequency Oscillator), and three 12JB6 sweep
tubes as the final output tubes. The sensitivity was excellent and the 300 watt
PEP final output stage gave it the punch needed by the amateur radio operator.
The demand for the TR-3 was tremendous and its popularity grew as did the name
Drake.
In 1965, the Inland Testing Laboratory ( a division of Cook Electric, Chicago,
Illinois) was purchased by Mr. Drake. The name was changed to Dayrad, a name
familiar to Mr. Drake as helping him start his earlier years. Unfortunately, a
few years later, the equipment was sold and the company was dissolved, as there
was not enough work to keep the employees busy. Some employees were transferred
to the Miamisburg plant.
Then in 1966 a completely new line was designed and introduced, which became
known around the world as the "Drake Twins." The receiver was the R-4
and the mating transmitter was the T4-X. Also produced were accessories such as
the W-4 wattmeter, the MN-4 matching network, the MS-4 matching speaker, and the
AC-4 power supply. The R-4A soon replaced the R-4 and the L-4 linear amplifier
was introduced along with the MN-2000 matching network. The L-4 and the MN-2000
proved to be two of the most desired products by amateurs around the world.
These two products are still sought after by amateurs today.
Shortly after the R-4A had reached the market, the company was approached by
Radio New York Worldwide to build a low cost International Shortwave receiver
for their own use. The SW-4 was designed primarily from the R-4A concept and was
to receive AM only. The front panel stated "Designed especially for Radio
New York Worldwide." Again, not wanting to expand beyond the companies
means, the receiver was offered to RCA. Who, at the time, was a leader in
communications type receivers. RCA was at the time producing the CRM-R6A
receiver for the world communications market and declined the offer. The SW-4A
short wave receiver soon followed the SW-4 with several improvements and with
more solid state devices being used instead of tubes.
The C-4 station console was introduced in 1966 and was another first in amateur
radio equipment. The unit was engineered and designed by Ronald E. Wysong, who
was later to succeed Peter W. Drake as president and CEO of the R. L. Drake
Company. The unit housed a phone patch, rotor control, wattmeter, equipment
control switch, ID timer, 24 hour clock, remote antenna selector, and it could
also control the AC power to other units in the "Ham Shack." Thus
turning off the C-4 could turn all of the amateurs' equipment off. It also
grounded the amateurs antenna coax lines to help protect the equipment from the
dangers of a lightning strike.
Also in the year 1966, Ron Wysong was interested in cameras and photography as a
personal hobby. He learned that printed circuit boards involved photography and
negatives. He persuaded the company to invest in the first steps toward a
printed circuit board department. He made an etching table out of plywood and
2x4's, mounted a motor to vibrate the table top, and was soon making progress.
The first printed circuit board to be used in a product was the audio board of
the R4-B receiver. This was the start of the PC Fabrication Department.
In the year 1967, the 2-C receiver and the 2-NT CW transmitter were introduced
which filled the need of a good low cost novice station for many beginning
amateurs. The TR-4 transceiver replaced the TR-3 with several improvements,
including a solid state VFO, and a BFO circuit.
The R4-B, T4-XB and the L4-B were improved versions of the earlier products and
were introduced in late 1967. The production rate was averaging four to six
units per day of most products. More room was needed and an addition was made to
the building to provide office space, an Engineering Department and a lunch room
area. The Engineering Department was sharing space with the Machine Shop in a
small building across the railroad tracks from the main plant. The new addition
would give the entire building to the Machine Shop.
The SPR-4 was introduced in 1970 as a replacement for the ever popular SW-4A.
The receiver was all solid state, could receive both SSB, AM, CW, and RTTY.
Crystals could be added to extend the listening range to meet the needs of the
owner. The two meter FM (Frequency Modulation) band was gaining in popularity
and the ML-2 two meter FM transceiver was introduced. This was the first unit to
be imported and sold bearing the R. L. Drake Co. name. This lead to the import
of the TR-22 portable 2 meter transceiver and the TR-22M portable transceiver.
The TR-22M was a marine transceiver which allowed the company to enter into the
marine communications market. The introduction of the TRM single sideband
transceiver followed and its use ranged from small shrimp boats to the larger
oil tankers. The TR-22C was imported to replace the TR-22, which was later
replaced by the TR-33C. All three units required crystals for each channel,
unlike the synthesized handheld units of today.
The DSR-1 receiver was introduced in late 1971. It covered the complete HF
spectrum and used "nixie" tubes for the digital display. It also
allowed reception of independent sideband as well as single sideband and AM. It
was followed by the MSR-1, a 19 inch rack mount commercial type receiver. The
MSR-1 was used aboard ocean going ships as the mains receiver or primary
receiver. The DSR-2, MSR-2, and the MSR/FMP succeeded the DSR-1 and MSR-1. These
units contained gold plated switch contacts to minimize contact failure in the
salty air.
The ever popular C-line was introduced in 1973 to replace the B-line twins. The
C-line units made use of more solid state components, a dual dial VFO, a plug-in
antenna change-over relay in the T4-XC, and crystal filters replaced the old
reliable Pass Band Tuner in the R4-C. The R4-C receiver and the T4-XC
transmitter are still sought after by many amateurs and held as prize
possessions by others. Accessories included the TC-2 two meter transverter and
the SC-2 receiving converter, the TC-6 six meter transverter and the SC-6
receiving converter. The TR-6 six meter transceiver was also introduced.
The SSR-1 receiver was imported and added to the shortwave receiver line as a
low cost unit covering the complete spectrum from the broadcast band through 30
MHz. A whip antenna and a compartment for eight D-cell batteries made it
portable.
In 1975 amateur radio operators across the world were in mourning as word spread
that R. L. Drake Sr. had passed away. They had lost a very dear friend, a fellow
amateur, and a pioneer of Amateur Radio. The operation and management of the
company was turned over to Peter W. Drake, as Mr. Drake had been training his
son to assume his position for some time.
Drake amateur radio equipment can be found on every part of the globe. If the
equipment is not there, the name Drake is known and respected. Amateur Radio
operators come in all walks of life and at one time or another have owned,
wanted, or used a piece of radio gear manufactured in Miamisburg, Ohio. King
Hussein of Jordan has used Drake gear, as well as Barry Goldwater, Roy Neal, and
Ronnie Milsap.
The amateur radio station aboard the Queen Mary was once a complete line of
Drake equipment. The R. L. Drake Co. amateur radio equipment has been use in hot
air balloon flights trying to fly non-stop across the country or around the
world. An around the world attempt on a sailing yacht used Drake gear, the
details were outlined in an issue of the Smithsonian Magazine. The non-stop
flight of the Voyager was aided with Drake gear. Many far away and remote
islands have been temporary home of DX-peditions using Drake gear to contact
their fellow amateurs. A complete 7-line was taken to China as international
goodwill by a California University. Famous amateurs include James Stewart, Chet
Atkins, Joe Walsh, and Astronauts such as Owen Garriot and Tony England. Marlon
Brando, at one time, wanted to use Drake amateur radio equipment as a
communications link on his island.
In the year 1977, land was purchased in Franklin, Ohio, just off Route 123, to
build a new production facility. The production facility was to be completed in
three phases. The first phase of the building provided 42,500 feet and was
completed in 1978. The Machine shop, PC fabrication department, production
lines, and component assembly lines were moved to this new facility. The office
staff, Sales department, Engineering department, and the Service department
remained at the Miamisburg plant.
Production now included the TR-7, a completely solid state transceiver and a
companion receiver, the R-7. Complementary accessories included the L-7 linear
amplifier, WH-7 wattmeter, and the MN-2700 matching network, to mention a few.
The UV-3 was introduced in 1978, and was another first in amateur radio. It was
a single unit housing a 146 MHz band transceiver, a 220 MHz band transceiver,
and a 450 MHz band transceiver all in a compact, rugged package. It was designed
for mobile operation or for base station use. The MRT-55, designed from the
UV-3, proved to be a viable product in the marine radio market, and led to the
production of the MRT-55C. The RR-3 was introduced in 1981 to replace the RR-2
which had replaced the RR-1 earlier. The RR-1 had gained popularity as being a
very reliable, low cost secondary receiver aboard ocean going ships.
The TR-4310 transceiver and the R-4245 receiver were also introduced as primary
units for ocean going ships. These were redesigned TR-7 and R-7 respectively
with a VRTO (variable rate tuning oscillator), full transmit coverage, and with
all crystal filters installed. They were also standard 19" rack mount units
built for rugged duty. Radio Monaco at one time used four complete rack mounted
stations, consisting of the TR-4310, R-4245, L-77, and the MN-4438. The L-77 and
the MN-4438 were built on the lines of the L-7 and MN-2700 with a face lift to
match the TR-4310 and R-4245.
In the year 1981, it was decided to enter the home satellite receiver market.
This meant a completely new product, which means engineering time, drawings,
board layouts, ordering parts, market analysis, marketing forecasts and
advertising brochures, all of which take time. It is usually two years or more
before all of the pieces fit together and a product is actually on the shipping
dock. The ESR-24 design and production set new standards, as it was in the
shipping department within eight months. Design of the ESR-24 (Earth Station
Receiver - 24 channels) began in May, the first prototype unit was shown at the
Omaha, Nebraska home satellite show in August, and the first units left the
shipping dock in November of 1981. The ESR-24 was the first cosmetically
appealing, professionally built consumer receiver for home satellite reception.
The competition units were either built in a back room or in a garage. It was
designed especially for the home dish owner. It soon became a leader in a very
new and exciting market.
The ESR-24 brought new fame to the company, so instead of offering the design to
other manufacturers, the company was approached by other manufacturers to
produce receivers under their name. The OEM accounts included Channel Master,
Winegard, Conifer, and National Microtech.
In July of 1983, the upper level of a building on Springboro Pike was leased to
the company. The office staff, Sales staff, and the Engineering department were
moved to this new address to become the Corporate Office. This provided the much
needed room for all three departments, which were expanding rapidly.
The second phase of the Franklin plant became reality in 1984. An addition of
50,000 square feet was added, which gave an overall building size of 92,500
square feet. This addition provided the much needed room to move the Engineering
department into the same building with the Production department as well as
providing more area for production lines. The PC Fabrication department now
consumed 11,000 square feet of the building. The equipment was of the latest
technology. It's waste water treatment plant could treat 80 gallons a minute,
removing all heavy metals, and automatically adjust the pH balance properly
before being released.
The postponed, but eventual decision was made to cease production of amateur
radio equipment. The market had all but disappeared, there was a lack of FCC
deregulation, the foreign competition was increasing more and more, and the
dollar was strong.
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