Drake Sw8 World Band Shortwave Receiver Manual

							FM / AIRANTENNA  2
ANTENNA  1
EXT DC
INPUT
MASTER
POWER
SHORTWAVE
ANTENNA
SELECTFM / AIR
ANTENNA
SELECTLINE
AUDIO
OUTEXTERNAL
SPEAKERAIR
SQUELCH
9VDC/
1Amp
+
50
300
GND50050
4
EXT  WHIP 1    2   WHIP
MADE IN U.S.A./  8ON      OFF
CAUTION:
BALANCED OUTPUT.
DO NOT GROUND.
BATTERY   COMPARTMENT
Installation, continued     5
LOW IMPEDANCE
ANTENNAHIGH IMPEDANCE
ANTENNA
ORBUILT-IN
TELESCOPING
WHIP ANTENNA
50 OHM COAXIAL CABLE
PL-259
CONNECTOR
PLUG INTO 120VAC,
60Hz AC POWERTO
TAPE RECORDER
INPUT
FIGURE 3 -  INSTALLATION DIAGRAM
- NOTE -
CHECK INTERNAL
BATTERIES PERIODICALLY
IF INSTALLED
EXTERNAL SPEAKER
DO NOT GROUND
NOTE:
Grounding of either speaker
output wire will limit maximum
available audio output and
damage the SW8.
TV/FM
SPLITTER
OR
AC
ADAPTOR
750
MS8 Speaker 
						

							TONE
VOLUME
POWER
  pushH LTUNINGBAND
SSB 5
BW 6
SCAN
MEM
LAMP 9
STORE
VFO
SKIPCLEAR
BEEPTIMER
CLOCK AGC 8 AM
SYNC 4
DEL 0ATT 7 BCB 1
AIR 2
SW 3
F
         AGC S  AM SYNC
METER TIMER

+60
+40
+20
9
7
5
3
1
KHz

     SWM E M

6.0
SW8 World Band 
Shortwave Receiver
6     Front Panel Description
 8                                                     5                                 1  Pivot Point of
Telescoping
Whip Antenna
  7                                                 6                          4                                 3                                       2
1)Display - The backlit, liquid crystal display provides
the current status of the SW8 such as frequency,
mode, bandwidth, etc. Refer to the FRONT PANEL
DISPLAY section of this manual for a full description.
2)TUNING (VFO) - The dial and the 
 and 
buttons are the primary tuning controls of the SW8.
Clockwise rotation of the dial increases frequency and
counterclockwise rotation decreases frequency.  The
dial also incorporates variable speed tuning.  The faster
the dial is rotated, the faster the tuning speed.
The 
 button increases and the  button decreases
the frequency by fixed steps (10 kHz or
9 kHz, selectable on the AM broadcast band, 5 kHz on
the Shortwave band, 100 kHz on the FM broadcast
band and 25 kHz on the Aircraft band) with each
depression.  Pressing and holding either button will
allow continuous stepping up or down as long as the
button is depressed.
3)Program Buttons -
F (Function) - Pressing this button accesses the
secondary functions, printed in orange, on the program
buttons.  Press the 
F button first to display
 
F , then press the desired function button.  With
the SW8 not in the SCAN mode, pressing and holding
the 
F button locks all keypad entries, display
settings and tuning knob entries.
BCB 1 BCB  - Press to select between the AM or FM
broadcast band.  Repeated pressings toggle between
AM and FM.  The secondary function of this button is
the digit ‘1’.
AIR 2 AIR  - Press to select the Aircraft band. The
secondary function of this button is the digit ‘2’.
SW 3 SW  - Press to select the Shortwave band.  The
secondary function of this button is the digit ‘3’.
AM
SYNC 4 AM SYNC  - Press to select the AM mode of
operation.  Successive depressions toggles the synchro-
nous detector on and off.  Press 
AM
SYNC 4 to turn the
synchronous detector off before selecting SSB modes.
The ‘AM/AM SYNC’ modes are not accessed in the FM
band.  The AM SYNC mode is not accessible in the
Aircraft band.  The secondary function of this button is
the digit ‘4’.
SSB 5 SSB - Press to select the SSB mode of operation
(SYNC must be turned off).  Successive depressions
select alternately the ‘LSB’ or ‘USB’ modes as dis-
played.  The SSB mode of operation is not accessed in
either the FM or Aircraft band modes.  The secondary
function of this button is the digit ‘5’.
BW 6 BW - The bandwidth setting can be programmed
to be automatic with mode selection or manual.  The
default setting is for automatic selection.  Press to
select the desired bandwidth: 6.0 kHz, 4.0 kHz or
2.3 kHz.  This function has no action in the FM mode.
The 6.0 kHz bandwidth is automatically selected in the
AM mode.  The 2.3 kHz bandwidth is the default for
the SSB modes.  All three bandwidths are selectable by
successive depressions of this button for the AM
broadcast, Shortwave and Aircraft bands.  To disable
the automatic bandwidth selection with mode, start in
the POWER OFF mode and press and hold the 
BW 6
button while pressing the POWER button to put the
SW8 in the POWER ‘ON’ mode.  To enable the
automatic bandwidth selection with mode operation,
repeat the same procedure.  The secondary function
for this button is the digit ‘6’.
LSB 
						

							ATT 7 ATT - Press to turn on the built-in 20 dB attenua-
tor to reduce the received signal strength in the AM
broadcast and Shortwave bands as required.  The
attenuator is not active in the FM and Aircraft bands.
Successive depressions of the button toggles the
attenuator on and off.  The secondary function of this
button is the digit ‘7’.
AGC 8 AGC - Press to select either the Slow or Fast
AGC setting for the AM broadcast, Shortwave and
Aircraft bands.  The AGC is not selectable in the FM
mode.  The secondary function of this button is the digit
‘8’.
LAMP 9 LAMP - Press to turn the display backlighting on
or off. With internal battery operation, the backlighting
automatically turns off after a short delay following a
function change or retuning of the receiver to prolong
battery life.  Also, the receiver senses Battery or AC
operation, and allows the lamp to remain lit if on AC.
The secondary function of this button is the digit `9.
DEL 0 DEL - Press and hold for three seconds to delete
a selected memory channel.  Audible beep indicates that
the selected memory channel has been deleted.  The
secondary function of this button is the digit ‘0’.
SKIP SKIP - In the memory mode, press to skip the
current memory channel for a Scan operation.  An ‘S’
will be displayed to the right of the selected memory
channel number.  When an ‘S’ is displayed next to a
selected memory channel number, press this button to
restore the memory channel for scan operation.  The
secondary function of this button is the decimal point
(‘.’) which is used when entering a frequency.
CLEAR
BEEP CLEAR/BEEP - The ‘beep’ tone is provided to
indicate that entries have been accepted or to notify of
error.  Press this button to enable or disable the beep.
Pressing the 
F button first, clears an incorrectly
entered frequency or other value.
SCAN
MEM SCAN/MEM - To recall a memory channel at any
time, press the ‘MEM’ button and within three seconds
of the button depression, enter a two-digit number
between ‘00’ and ‘69’.  With ‘MEM’ displayed, other
adjacent memory channels can be recalled by use of the
 /  buttons.  The Tuning wheel may be used to tune
from the recalled frequency of the selected memory
channel.  Please note that digit entries are interpreted as
frequency entries if the ‘MEM’ channel number is not
flashing.  Pressing the 
F button first, starts scanning
of the current block of 10 channels.  The receiver will
stop at each programmed channel for 5 seconds, then
increment to the next memory channel.  Channels
programmed for SKIP will not be scanned.
Press this button to stop the scan operation.
Front Panel Description, continued     7
STORE
VFOSTORE/VFO - Press to place receiver in the normal
variable frequency tuning mode (VFO).  Select desired
frequency, mode, attenuator, Synchronous detector, AGC,
bandwidth, etc.   Pressing the 
F button first, followed
by depression of  the 
STORE
VFObutton, switches the keypad to
the numeric mode.  The ‘MEM’ symbol will flash in the
display.  Enter a two digit number between 00 and 69
for the desired memory channel.  An audible beep will
indicate that the memory channel has been stored with the
newly entered settings.
TIMER
CLOCKTIMER/CLOCK - Pressing this button once will
display the current time of the current clock.  After three
seconds, the display will revert to the current frequency.
Pressing and releasing this button while the time is
displayed will toggle the time display between the two
clocks (local or alternate).  The timer will operate accord-
ing to the last displayed clock time.  See the SETTING
THE 24 HOUR CLOCKS section of this manual.  Pressing
the 
F button first, followed by the TIMER button, will
activate the timer mode.  If the Timer has been activated,
the ‘TIMER’ symbol will be displayed even after the
receiver is turned off.  Receiver will automatically turn on
and off as programmed.  See the “SETTING TIMER ON/
OFF TIMES” section of this manual.
4) VOLUME/POWER - Push in on this control to turn the
receiver On or Off.  With receiver power on, adjust this
control clockwise to increase the audio level from the
receiver’s speaker. Be certain to leave the volume setting
at the desired level for TIMER use.  The POWER switch
may be disabled by the rear panel MASTER POWER
switch.  See the Rear Panel Description section of this
manual.
5) TONE - This control is used to modify the tonal quality
of the audio.  Counterclockwise rotation increases the bass
response.  Flat response occurs at the 12 O’Clock setting.
Clockwise rotation increases the treble response.
6) SPEAKER - This is the opening for the internal speaker
of the SW8.
7) HEADPHONE JACK - This connector accepts a 1/8
stereo/mono headphone connector.  Stereo reception is
possible only in the FM mode.  All speaker outputs are
automatically switched off when using the headphones.
8) WHIP ANTENNA - The receiver has a built-in tele-
scoping antenna that can be used on all bands.  Note that
the pivot point section of the antenna must be exposed
out of its nesting tube to permit vertical extension of the
antenna.  Extend the telescoping sections and position the
antenna for best signal reception.  Be sure the correspond-
ing rear panel antenna select switch is set to the WHIP
position for WHIP antenna reception. 
						

							11) SW   METER -  Indicates the Shortwave
band designators that define a range of frequencies for
each band as follows:
                 Shortwave Band Designators
               120 METER:  2300 - 2500 kHz
                 90 METER:  3200 - 3400 kHz
                 75 METER:  3900 - 4000 kHz
                 60 METER:  4750 - 5060 kHz
                 49 METER:  5800 - 6200 kHz
                 41 METER:  7100 - 7600 kHz
                 31 METER:  9500 - 9900 kHz
                 25 METER: 11600 - 12100 kHz
                 22 METER: 13570 - 13870 kHz
                 19 METER: 15100 - 15800 kHz
                 16 METER: 17480 - 17900 kHz
                 13 METER: 21450 - 21850 kHz
                 11 METER: 25600 - 26100 kHz
12) AIR -   Indicates that the Aircraft band (118 -     137
MHz) has been selected.
13) 7-Digit Readout - This display indicates the
operating frequency of the receiver. The frequency is
displayed in kHz for the AM broadcast and Shortwave
bands.  The FM and Aircraft band frequencies are
displayed in ‘MHz’.  In the clock mode, these digits
indicate time in 24 hour format i.e. HH:MM. In the
TIMER mode, indicates time in 24 hour format i.e.
HH:MM.  L Indicates that Local Time is being dis-
played in the clock mode. If the L is not illuminated,
alternate time is  displayed in the clock display mode.
14) SCAN 
S -  Indicates that the receiver is in the
memory channel SCAN mode and displays the number
of the currently scanned channel, from 00 to 69.  In the
MEMORY mode, the S illuminates to indicate that a
particular memory channel will be skipped over when
the SCAN operation is activated.
15) 6.0  4.0  2.3 -   Indicates which IF filter is selected.
There is no indication in the FM mode.
16)       ST       - Indicates that a stereo FM broadcast
station is tuned in when stereo headphones are
plugged into the receiver’s headphone jack. 1)  Bar Graph - This bar graph display indicates the
relative received signal level in S-units and dB above S9.
Each S-unit between S1 and S9 equals an approximately
5 dB change in received signal strength.  Each S-unit
above S9 equals an approximately 10 dB change in
received signal strength.
2) TIMER -  This annunciator indicates the state of the
Timer as either Active or Inactive.  Refer to the
CLOCK AND TIMER FUNCTIONS section of this
manual.
3) LOCK -  When illuminated, this annunciator
indicates that the Main tuning wheel and keypad are
not active.
4) F  Indicates that the 
F button has been pressed
on the keypad to enable the alternate functions
(printed in orange) of the keypad buttons to be active.
5) MEM 
 -  This annunciator indicates current
memory location from 00 to 69.  MEM will light when
the receiver enters the memory mode.  Refer to the
MEMORY FUNCTIONS section of this manual.
6) BATT -  When operating on internal batteries,
BATT blinks to indicate a low charge on batteries.
    ATT Indicates that the built-in attenuator is acti-
vated.
7) AGC SF - Indicates the AGC setting, Slow or Fast.
8) AM SYNC -  Indicates that the AM mode of recep-
tion is on.  If SYNC is also illuminated, then the
synchronous AM mode of detection is on.
9) USB -  Indicates that the Upper sideband mode of
detection is  on.
    LSB  Indicates that the Lower sideband mode of
detection is on.
10) FM -  Indicates that the FM mode of detection is
on.  This mode is selectable only on the FM broadcast
band (87 - 108 MHz).
8     Front Panel Display
                   16             15           14                                                 13


BATT AGC SF AM SYNC USB FM
METER TIMER
ON OFF+60
+40
+20
9
7
5
3
1
KHz
MHz
AIRSWM E M
SCANS LOCK
F
6.0 4.0 2.3S T
L
              1       2         3            4                 5         6                7                8                9        10
 11
12 
						

							Rear Panel Description     9
         1        2            3               4                       5          6          7        8         9
FM / AIRANTENNA  2
ANTENNA  1
EXT DC
INPUT
MASTER
POWER
SHORTWAVE
ANTENNA
SELECTFM / AIR
ANTENNA
SELECTLINE
AUDIO
OUTEXTERNAL
SPEAKERAIR
SQUELCH
9VDC/
1Amp
+
50
300
GND50050
4EXT  WHIP 1    2   WHIP
MADE IN U.S.A./  8ON      OFF
CAUTION:
BALANCED OUTPUT.
DO NOT GROUND.
BATTERY   COMPARTMENT
         10
1)  EXT DC INPUT - Connect the AC Adaptor wall
transformer output cable to this connector.  The SW8
requires 9 VDC power at approximately 1 Amp
current.  With external DC power applied, the internal
batteries are not used.
2) ANTENNA 
1 - This connector is used when
attaching receiving antennas with coaxial feed lines of
50 ohm nominal impedance.  Accepts a standard
PL-259 plug.  If selected by the ‘Shortwave Antenna
Select’ switch (Item 5), this input operates for the AM
Broadcast and Shortwave (100 kHz to 30 MHz) bands
only.
3) FM/AIR Antenna - This input is designed for either
an unbalanced 75 ohm input connection that is encoun-
tered with coaxial feeds, for example, or, for a two
terminal balanced antenna feed with 300 ohm nominal
impedance.  Connect to the FM connection of a TV/FM
outdoor antenna feed (splitter), if available.  Folded
dipoles or coaxial antennas will also provide good
results with this input for reception of the FM broad-
cast and Aircraft bands.  Depending upon the particular
type of antenna feed, connect to one of the ‘FM/AIR’
terminals and the ‘GND’ terminal for an unbalanced 75
ohm input, or, connect to the two ‘300 ohm’ terminals
for a balanced 300 ohm input.  If selected by the ‘FM/
AIR Antenna Select’ switch (Item 6), this input operates
for the FM broadcast (87-108 MHz) and the Aircraft
(118-137 MHz) bands only.
4) ANTENNA 2 - This connector can be used to
attach either a low impedance (50 ohm nominal) or
high impedance (500 ohm nominal) antenna.  Use the
‘GND’ and ‘50 ohm’ terminals for a 50 ohm antenna;
use the ‘GND’ and ‘500 ohm’ terminals for a 500 ohm
antenna.  If selected by the ‘Shortwave Antenna Select’
switch (Item 5), this input operates for the AM Broad-
cast and Shortwave   (100 kHz to 30 MHz) bands only.5) SHORTWAVE ANTENNA SELECT - This switch
selects one of three possible antennas to be used for
the 100 kHz to 30 MHz antenna input.  The WHIP
antenna is built-in to the receiver and is located at the
upper left-hand corner of the receiver’s front panel.
‘ANTENNA 1’ and ‘ANTENNA 2’ are described in
Items 2 and 4 on this page.
6) FM/AIR ANTENNA SELECT - This switch allows
selection of either the built-in WHIP antenna, or the
external 75 ohm antenna or 300 ohm antenna connect-
ed at the ‘FM/AIR’ terminals (Item 3) for the 87-108
MHz and 118-137 MHz frequency ranges.
7) LINE AUDIO OUT - This RCA connector provides
a constant low level audio source that is independent of
the front panel volume and tone control settings.  It is
designed to interface to a tape recorder, CW/RTTY
demodulators, amplifiers, etc.
8) EXTERNAL SPEAKER - This connector accepts a
standard 1/4 diameter, 2-circuit, (monaural) phone
plug for connection of an external 4/8 ohm speaker.
DO NOT GROUND!
NOTE:  Grounding of either speaker output wire will
limit maximum available audio output and damage the
SW8.
9) AIR SQUELCH - This control is operational only for
the Aircraft band.  The control allows muting of the
receivers audio when no signals are present.  Adjust
the control until background noise just disappears
when no signal is being received.
10) MASTER POWER - This is a master power switch
which protects against accidental activation of front
panel power control.  If the receiver is operated on
batteries and is not to be used for an extended period
of time, set this switch to the OFF position.  For
normal usage of on/off power control from the front
panel, set the MASTER POWER switch to the ON
position.
4/75 
						

							TONE
VOLUME
POWER
  pushH LTUNINGBAND
SSB 5
BW 6
SCAN
MEM
LAMP 9
STORE
VFO
SKIPCLEAR
BEEPTIMER
CLOCK AGC 8 AM
SYNC 4
DEL 0ATT 7 BCB 1
AIR 2
SW 3
F
         AGC S  AM SYNC
METER TIMER

+60
+40
+20
9
7
5
3
1
KHz

     SWM E M

6.0
SW8 World Band 
Shortwave Receiver
LSB
GENERAL OPERATING INFORMATION
The SW8 has been designed for ease of use. Please
take a few moments to read through this section and
familiarize yourself with general operating information.
MICROPROCESSOR RESET
A power-up reset routine will be activated anytime
after the SW8 COMPLETELY loses power, either
internal batteries or external DC input. This will be
observed by the front panel display illuminating all
annunciators for 3 seconds, followed by the clock
display. However, short term power failures of up to
30 minutes are masked by an internal back-up capaci-
tor. This will allow ample time for battery replacement
without loss of the internal clock. Note: Any
programmmed memory locations will NOT be lost
under a power-up reset due to the memory design of
the SW8.
BEEP TONES
The SW8 responds to all key depressions with an
audible beep unless the beep has been disabled by the
CLEAR
BEEP button.  No beep is generated under any
condition for depressions of the TUNING keys.  Beep
tones indicate the following:
One short tone for a key depression.
One long, high tone when storing a memory channel.
One long, low tone for any illegal key depression.
GETTING STARTED
Please refer to the front panel illustrations and set the
controls as shown.
1) Install 6 “D” batteries or connect AC adaptor.
2) Fully extend whip antenna, adjust to a vertical
position and engage in holder, or connect an external
antenna to appropriate rear panel terminals.  Set rear
panel ANTENNA SELECT switch(es) to appropriate
position(s).3) Press POWER and adjust VOLUME to comfortable
level. (NOTE: Be sure the MASTER POWER switch
on the rear panel is in the ON position.)
4) Select the desired band by pressing one of the
BCB 1 , AIR 2 ,  or SW 3 buttons.
5) Enter the desired frequency by using one of several
methods covered below.
DIRECT FREQUENCY ENTRY
Direct entry of a desired frequency is possible using the
orange numeric keys 0-9 and decimal key. While
entering a frequency, if an incorrect frequency is
entered, pressing the 
CLEAR
BEEP button will clear the entry
in progress and return the SW8 to its previous settings.
** The second depression of the decimal 
SKIP button
acts as an ‘ENTER’ and causes immediate response to
the entered frequency. If you do not press the decimal
SKIP button a second time at the end, the SW8 will
automatically enter the frequency after a slight delay.
Press the 
F button to shift keyboard to numeric
entry.
Enter frequency as follows:
A) Shortwave and AM broadcast enter in kHz (kilo-
hertz).  A maximum of 6 digits may be entered.
Example:
700 kHz
Press 
FATT 7DEL 0DEL 0 SKIP SKIP
29660 kHz
Press 
FAIR 2LAMP 9BW 6BW 6DEL 0 SKIP SKIP
10     Getting Started
Power/Volume Tuning KnobTuning Keys Numeric KeypadTone Whip Antenna
** ** 
						

							Getting Started, continued     11
SHORTWAVE ‘METER’ BAND DESIGNATOR
ENTRY
To facilitate tuning to particular sections of the short-
wave band that contain many worldwide broadcasts of
news, information and music, the SW8 permits entry of
the ‘METER’ band designator.  In some cases, the
worldwide broadcast station may not announce its
exact operating frequency, but will announce the
‘METER’ band in which it is operating or to which band
it will move to improve worldwide reception at a
particular time of day.  By entering this ‘METER’ band
number, the SW8 automatically tunes to the low
frequency end of the corresponding ‘METER’ band.
The search for the new station location is thus limited
to a particular smaller section of the entire shortwave
band spectrum.  The Shortwave Band Designators and
corresponding frequency range is as follows:
                 Shortwave Band Designators
               120 METER:  2300 - 2500 kHz
                 90 METER:  3200 - 3400 kHz
                 75 METER:  3900 - 4000 kHz
                 60 METER:  4750 - 5060 kHz
                 49 METER:  5800 - 6200 kHz
                 41 METER:  7100 - 7600 kHz
                 31 METER:  9500 - 9900 kHz
                 25 METER: 11600 - 12100 kHz
                 22 METER: 13570 - 13870 kHz
                 19 METER: 15100 - 15800 kHz
                 16 METER: 17480 - 17900 kHz
                 13 METER: 21450 - 21850 kHz
                 11 METER: 25600 - 26100 kHz
Press the 
SW 3  button to enter the shortwave band
tuning mode.  At this point, you can enter a frequency
with the numeric buttons, or use the Tuning wheel
and’ or 
   buttons to change frequency.
To enter a shortwave band ‘METER’ designator, press
the 
SW 3  button a second time to display a flashing
‘METER’ number entry prompt.  Enter one of the
listed two or three digit numbers corresponding to the
desired ‘METER’ band designator using the numeric
buttons.  While the METER annunciator is flashing, the
 and  buttons can also be used to step
quickly from band to band.  After selection of the
Meter band, use the Tuning wheel or 
 and 
buttons to change the frequency, or press the  F
button followed by the desired numeric frequency
entry.
BCB 1AM
SYNC 4AIR 2SSB 5AGC 8SKIPBCB 1F
14258.1 kHz
Press
OR
FBCB 1AM
SYNC 4AIR 2SSB 5AGC 8BCB 1  *
* When the maximum number of allowed digits is
entered, the decimal point will be automatically placed
between the 1 kHz and .1 kHz digits and need not be
entered.
B) Aircraft and FM broadcast enter in MHz (mega-
hertz).  A maximum of 5 digits may be entered for FM.
A maximum of 7 digits may be entered for Aircraft.
Example:
97.7 MHz
Press  
F LAMP 9 ATT 7  SKIP ATT 7  SKIP
121.9 MHz
Press 
F BCB 1 AIR 2 BCB 1  SKIP LAMP 9 SKIP
** The second depression of the decimal SKIP  button
acts as an ‘ENTER’ and causes immediate response to
the entered frequency. If you do not press the decimal
SKIP  button a second time at the end, the SW8 will
automatically enter the frequency after a slight delay.
Attempting to enter a frequency outside the tuning
range of the SW8 will cause the ERROR annunciator to
flash along with the error beep to be heard. The SW8
will then return to its previous settings.** ** 
						

							                 CARRIER
LSB              USB
interference from
adjacent station
12     Getting Started, continued
alternate sideband if desired.  When AM/SYNC has been
activated, moving the main tuning knob will cause the
SYNC circuit to momentarily disengage (indicated by
‘SYNC’ flashing), then back on again when tuning has
stopped.  AM SYNC does not function on the AIR band,
and will not operate properly on intermittent transmis-
sions such as those encountered on CB radio bands, for
example.  For those types of transmissions, use the AM
mode.  Press the 
AM
SYNC 4 button to turn the synchronous
detector off before selecting LSB or USB modes.
SSB OPERATION
Tuning in a single sideband (SSB) signal can be somewhat
frustrating for the first time listener. In either of the
SW8’s SSB modes, LSB (lower sideband), or USB (upper
sideband), the receiver will select the 2.3 kHz bandwidth
automatically (the SW8 may be programmed to NOT
automatically select a bandwidth. Refer to Automatic
Bandwidth Setting With Mode Selection DISABLE
(ENABLE) in the Special Use Features and Functions
section of this manual). Generally, LSB is used below 10
MHz and USB is used above 10 MHz.  When initially
tuning in the desired station, tune slowly. If the station is
unintelligable, try the other sideband, again tuning slowly.
A station tuned in on the wrong sideband is totally
unreadable but a station mistuned on the correct
sideband may sound like ‘Donald Duck’. Further tuning
will result in a more normal voice pitch.
FM OPERATION
FM reception is perhaps the easiest mode to use on the
SW8. The AGC and BANDWIDTH settings are not used
in FM. In fact, attempting to activate these buttons will
result in an ‘ERROR’ beep.  All FM stations in the U. S.
end in an odd 100 kHz,  i.e., 97.7 MHz, and are spaced
200 kHz apart. The SW8 has the ability to tune in 20 kHz
steps to allow tuning in between stations to help elimi-
nate interference to weaker stations that could be
covered up by stronger adjacent stations. Additionally,
when headphones are used, true stereo reception is
possible. The front panel  
S T  annunciator will light
when a stereo station is tuned in with the stereo head-
phones plugged in.  The SW8 will automatically switch to
stereo and provide left and right audio from the head-
phone jack only. If the headphones are removed while
listening to a stereo broadcast, the SW8 reverts to
monaural audio from the internal or external speaker.
AGC OPERATION
The SW8 provides the ability to select a Slow or Fast
AGC setting. Either of the two settings will permit
automatic control of the receiver’s gain thereby produc-
ing a constant audio output free of distortion. Generally,
the Slow AGC setting is preferred for reception of AM
and SSB signals. The Fast AGC setting allows more rapid
automatic receiver gain adjustment to quickly fading
signal levels.
The AGC does not function in the FM mode.
Display
Resolution
100 Hz
100 Hz
100 Hz
10 kHz
100 Hz Mode
Broadcast
Band:
AM
Shortwave
Band:
AM
USB, LSB
FM
AIRTuning
Resolution
100 Hz
100 Hz
50  Hz
20 kHz
100 Hz10 kHz/9 kHz
5 kHz
5 kHz
100  kHz
25 kHz
Select LSB to
receive this
side only
FREQUENCY RESOLUTION
The SW8 tunes in the following steps:
FRONT PANEL LOCK (UNLOCK)
All keyboard entries, display settings, and entries from
the tuning knob can be locked if desired. First, be sure
the SW8 is not in SCAN. Press and hold the 
F
button. The LOCK annunciator will light indicating the
front panel controls are locked out. Power ON/OFF will
still function as well as volume and tone controls. Press
and hold the 
F button to unlock.
AM SYNCHRONOUS OPERATION
For general tuning and listening, normal AM is best.  If,
however, the received signal sounds distorted, or
interference from adjacent stations is present, AM
synchronous should be engaged.  The synchronous
detector in your receiver can greatly reduce the severe
audio distortion that can occur due to signal fading.  The
detector also permits selectable tuning to either the
upper or lower sideband portion of an AM signal.  Since
most all AM (LW, MW and SW) broadcasting generally
uses double-sideband transmission, detection of either of
the two sidebands results in full reception of the trans-
mitted information.  The selectable sideband tuning and
detection not only aids reception by permitting tuning to
the stronger or less distorted sideband, but also permits
rejection of the sideband nearer to the interfering
signal(s).  For Example:
The synchronous detector will lock to the strongest
signal that is within the IF passband when it is activated.
Most of the time, the strongest signal will be the carrier
of the desired signal.  First, be sure the main tuning is set
to within 1 kHz of the desired station’s transmitting
frequency.  Press the 
AM
SYNC 4 button to activate synchro-
nous operation.   If adjacent channel interference or any
other undesired signal is sufficiently strong, the synchro-
nous detector may lock to it instead.  In that case,  press
the 
AM
SYNC 4 button to turn the synchronous detector off
and repeat the tuning process.  For severe cases of
fading, set the audio bandwidth to 4 kHz.  If interference
is present, press the SSB button to select the sideband
with the least interference.  If the interference is suffi-
ciently severe to prevent reception, select a narrower IF
bandwidth and retune to the desired signal.  After
reception is obtained, select a wider bandwidth and/or 
						

							RECALLING A MEMORY LOCATION
To select a specific memory channel, press the SCAN
MEM
button and then enter a two digit number of the
desired memory channel to be recalled.  Make certain
that the successive button depressions are made within
3 seconds of each other.  Other memory channels may
be selected by pressing the 
SCAN
MEM button and entering
two digit numbers.  If a channel number is selected that
is empty, Error will flash.
The large rotary tuning control may be used to tune
from the frequency that was stored in the selected
memory channel.  The `MEM’ symbol turns off, but
the last memory channel number still shows.  Pressing
the 
SCAN
MEM button, causes the receiver to return to the
last selected memory channel number and the `MEM’
symbol turns on.
DELETING A MEMORY LOCATION
Select the memory channel to be deleted as described
in ‘RECALLING A MEMORY LOCATION’.  Press and
hold the 
DEL 0 button for three seconds.  Beep will be
heard to indicate that the contents stored in the
selected memory channel number have been deleted.
Memory Functions     13
MEMORY FUNCTIONS
The SW8 contains 70 memory locations that can be
used to store and recall commonly monitored frequen-
cies.  These 70 locations are divided into blocks of 10,
ie. 00-09, 10-19, 20-29, etc.  This allows convenient
grouping of frequencies.  As an example, 00-09 could
be AM broadcast stations, 10-19 could be FM broad-
cast stations, 20-29 could be various time stations such
as CHU and WWV, etc.  With memory locations
programmed, you can use the scan function to auto-
matically monitor desired memory frequencies.  The
following operating parameters may be stored in any
memory location:
1) Frequency  2) Mode   3) Bandwidth  4) AGC setting
5) Attenuator  6) Synchronous detector
MEMORY LOCATION PROGRAMMING
First, be sure that the SW8 is in the VFO mode (MEM
or SCAN not displayed).  If required, press the 
STORE
VFO
button to place unit in the VFO mode.
A) Select the desired frequency, mode, bandwidth, etc.
B) Press the 
F button and then the STORE
VFO button
(switches keypad to the numeric mode).  ‘MEM’ will
light and the memory channel number will flash.
Within three seconds, enter a two-digit number from
00-69.  A confirmation beep is heard.
C) The SW8 will return to the VFO mode and the last
used memory location is displayed in the ‘MEM’
portion of the display.
TONE
VOLUME
POWER
  pushH LTUNINGBAND
SSB 5
BW 6
SCAN
MEM
LAMP 9
STORE
VFO
SKIPCLEAR
BEEPTIMER
CLOCK AGC 8 AM
SYNC 4
DEL 0ATT 7 BCB 1
AIR 2
SW 3
F
         AGC S  AM SYNC
METER TIMER

+60
+40
+20
9
7
5
3
1
KHz

     SWM E M

6.0
SW8 World Band 
Shortwave Receiver
LSB 
						

							14     Scan Functions
The SW8 provides a time scan function of programmed
memory channels using the 
F button and
SCAN
MEM button.  Scan will begin and end within a 10
channel block of programmed memory channels as
indicated by the most significant digit of the selected
memory channel number.
The receiver will stop at each programmed memory
channel within the block for 5 seconds and then
increment to the next memory channel.  Memory
channels that are programmed to be skipped will not
be scanned.  The ‘SCAN’ symbol will be displayed for
the duration of the scan action.  Scanning will continue
until the 
SCAN
MEM button is pressed again.
Example for SCAN:
Suppose that memory channels 30 through 39 are
programmed and it is desired to scan these channels.
To initiate the scan action,
Press the 
SCAN
MEM button followed by the two-digit
channel number entry (can enter 30 through 39 for this
example).
Press the 
F button followed by SCAN
MEM.  The receiver
will begin scanning from the selected memory channel
and continue scanning in sequence: ‘30’ - ‘31’ - ‘32’ -
etc.
Press the 
SCAN
MEM button to stop the scanning action.
Note that if channels 29 and 40 were stored, they
would not be included in a scan of the channels starting
with a ‘3’ as the most significant digit of the channel
number.Block
Number
0
1
2
3
4
5
6Memory Channel
Scan Range
00 - 09
10 - 19
20 - 29
30 - 39
40 - 49
50 - 59
60 - 69
MEMORY CHANNEL SKIP
A memory channel can be skipped for scan operations.
While in the MEMORY mode, press  the 
SKIP button.
The display will indicate that the ‘SKIP’ function has
been stored for that particular memory channel
number.  An ‘S’ will be displayed to the right of the
memory channel number on the display.  Repeat the
same sequence as described to remove the ‘SKIP’
function from a memory channel number.
Example for MEMORY CHANNEL ‘SKIP’:
Refer to the previous example on this page.  Suppose it
is desired to skip the memory channel number ‘34’
from the scan action:
From the normal variable frequency tuning and
reception mode (VFO) or from the Memory mode,
press the 
SCAN
MEM button followed by the two-digit
number ‘34’.
Press the 
SKIP button.  An ‘S’ will illuminate to the right
of the displayed ‘34’.  When the scan action is initiated,
all channel numbers 30 through 39, except 34, will be
scanned.  Note that the memory contents of channel
34 still remain, it is skipped over only in the scan
sequence.
To allow channel 34 to again be included in the scan
sequence,
Press  the 
SCAN
MEM button followed by the two-digit
number ‘34’.
Press the 
SKIP button to remove the ‘SKIP’ function
from channel 34 for this example.  The ‘S’ indicator in
the display will turn off.