This type of receiver was produced by Drake between 1978 to 1981 and it’s a favorite among tropical band DXers. My item was produced, what it looks like, in 25 of march 1981. The exact date is a little blurred because of a weak texture on the Quality Control Record Tag on the backside of the receiver.
You can also date Drake equipment by looking at the site: http://www.wb4hfn.com/DRAKE/DrakeSNDatabase-P2.htm
It features: ¼” Headphone Jack, S-Meter, PBT, Preamp, IF Notch, AGC, RIT, Antenna Switch, RF Gain, Calibrator, Counter Input Jack, Recording Jack. The price during the years of production was 1295 to 1549 dollars, in todays value (2017) ca 4110 to 4790 dollars.
Specifications:
Coverage: 10-30000 kHz
Modes: AM/SSB/CW/RTTY
Selectivity: 2.3/_/_/_/_ kHz
IF frequency: Triple Conversion (1st 48.05 MHz, 2nd 5.645 MHz, 3rd 50 kHz)
Voltages: 100/120/200/240 VAC or 11-16 VDC 3A
Physical: W*H*D including feets, heatsinks and tuning wheel,
347*131*360 mm (13.66 x 5.16 x 14.17 inches), 7,9 kg (17.4 lbs).
The R7 is still considered to this day to be an exceptional receiver, even if it’s a bit cumbersome to tune. The only negative aspect is the drift, because it uses a VHF/PTO tracking synthesizer and consequently is no more stable than the PTO that drives it as a reference. The frequency stability is less than 1 khz the first hour, but after 1 hour warm up it is less than 150 Hz per hour.
It is generally considered that the R7 is about as best as it gets without reverting to more exotic and much higher priced units. R7 receivers are not too rare, but they are not often seen because they are hoarded and cherished.
Now this R-7 receiver has been sold (june 2018) to a well known Ebay-advertiser in the eastern USA.
References:
http://www.fenu-radio.ch/Drake_R7-en.htm
http://www.rigpix.com/drake/r7.htm
https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/r7.html
And this is how the external speaker MS7 looks like.
The speaker has now been sold (april 2017) to a fellow in the Stockholm area. He have a huge knowledge in restoring vintage receivers and old sailing boats!