Authored by VE3EFJ14.0 R-7 RECEIVERS
The receiver is very similar functionally to an Icom R-71A or Kenwood R5000. The R-71A is an excellent communications receiver. The R-71A shares this functional equivelency in the areas of PBT, IF Notch, excellent noise blanker and 100 cycle display. The recovered audio of the Icom is not equal to the R-7(A).
The R-7(A) is still considered to this day to be an exceptional receiver. Its only negative is drift, for it uses the same synthesizer basically as the TR-7. Its a VHF/PTO tracking synthesizer and consequently is no more stable than the PTO that drives it as a reference. The RV-75 PTO is the method of choice to tame this drift. It is generally considered that the R-7 is about as the best as it gets without reverting to more exotic, much higher priced units.
A more modern version, sort of, on a functional basis is the current day Drake R-8A. In ultimate terms, the R-7 is the better receiver, but the two are very specification close. It is the R-7 that has the charisma, however. The R-8A does not drift and has a real syncronous detector, but the notch circuitry is audio, not IF.
R-7 receivers are not too rare, but they are not often seen because they are hoarded and cherished. When one comes up on the market, it usually goes for the asking price unless the seller is greedy. As per the TR-7, it is best if you buy the receiver as loaded up as possible. Be warned that this receiver was expensive in its day, holds its value, is 'rare' and is in high demand. If you want one, you'll find one, most likely, but be prepared to open your wallet.
This is a triple conversion receiver, somewhat like an R-4C. The last IF frequency is at 50 kHz in order to encorporate a notch filter. The signal flow is crudely similar to the receive section of a TR-7 with the following exceptions:
 | Notch Filter |
| Provision for 5 filters |
| Will transceive with the TR-7 |
| DR-7 digital display was optional |
| Built in AC power supply |
| Receiver covers from 0 to 30 MHz w/DR-7 |
| Selectable AGC (off) |
| Selectable 10 db pre amp |
| Came without noise blanker ** |
| The R-7A did have the NB7A noise blanker installed, additional crystal filters and some minor rear panel changes. |
In order to use the ECSS AM detector properly, the optional 4 kHz filter needs to be present.
The R-7/R-7A is a superlative receiver that has genuine charisma. It has one area of inconvenient operation in the area of the UP/DOWN buttons (500 kHz shift from the band switch setting) and it 'drifts' in that it has a free running PTO. The latter is rectified when using the RV-75 remote VFO, since the RV-75 is digital.
