RHF wrote:

The technology still needs work to be truly cost
effective and durable for normal consumer use
and oh yes Bright Enough To Read By ! ~ RHF

I admit I am not in one of the best places in the world for old technology.

I recently purchased a used Drake SPR4. Being far too expensive (and too
highly taxed) for a native to buy, it was bought by an immegrant from the
US who thought he was going to listen to the news in English on shortwave.

In 1976 or so when he bought it he proably was right, but the radio looked
like by 1980 it had been placed on a shelf and ignored.

I searched around for #47 bulbs for the dial lights. These are the small
bayonet 6 volt bulbs that were in almost everything up until grain of wheat
bulbs and LEDs became common.

I found what was probably the only box in the country. I could have ordered
them from the US, but the cheapest box I could find was over $25 after I
included postage.

Someone recommend a place called SuperBrightLeds.com on another mailing list
I am on. They sell replacement bulbs with LEDs instead of filaments. These
bulbs work on AC or DC, and can be used by themselves or in series.

The best point for me was they put them in an envelope for $5 shipping.

The drake uses 2 bulbs with a blue filter and one without. I replaced the
bulbs that were filtered with blue LED bulbs and the unfiltered one with a
white LED bulb. Quite a spiffy result. :-)

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
I do multitasking. If that bothers you, file a complaint and I will start
ignoring it immediately.