I owned them all. I started with a new R-8A but got rid of it after Drake
couldn't fix internal birdies...some of which were S-8 in the MW Band.
Dumped it on ebay several years ago. Internal birdies generated by the
display and uP chip....internal shielding inside the R-8 series of radio's
is a joke....they're built like Muntz TV sets: no shielding, gobs of long
wire harnesses. Why my 8A was such a problem I can only contribute to the
uP chip radiating like a bitch.

I bought a real nice R-8B with VHF from this Newsgroup for $950 about five
years ago. The selectable-sideband sync on AM is fantastic. I grew tired
of looking at it unused... as I'm not a serious SWL'er and sold it on ebay
for about $1200 about 2 years ago. I liked the 8B alot and probably should
have kept it.

I purchased an R-8 with VHF and MS-8 on eBay for $575 about one year ago.
It is my favorite (believe it or not!). I like "simpler is better". The
"Plain 8" is a fine receiver and an excellent value. I only use it about
once a week, so it does fine for me.

It's safe to say that one model is not any sensitive than the
other....except the Preamp (on MW) is not usable on the 8, it can be enabled
on the 8A, 8B. Not a big deal, though.

I won't discuss the ergo or sync improvement issues on the models...not enuf
time.

Good luck.

Make sure to search QTH.com classifieds. The 8B or 8 is a safe bet in my
book.



"Steve Rabinowitz" wrote in message
nk.net...
Been looking to buy a Drake receiver on Ebay, which one is the most
recommended, the R-8, R-8A, R-8B or R-8E. Thanks.