Company History
R.L. Drake is a privately held company located
in Franklin, Ohio. The company was founded in 1943 by Robert L.
Drake, a young engineer with a significant background in radio
design for major industry concerns. The company began as a manufacturer
of low pass and high pass filters for the government and amateur
radio market. After World War II, the company applied its engineering
expertise to the consumer market and started producing amateur
or "ham" radio transmitters and receivers.
The preferred product of many amateur radio buffs and celebrities,
the company's amateur products soon became known as the "Cadillacs"
of the ham radio field. Many of the Drake receivers, transmitters,
and transceivers manufactured in the fifties, sixties, and seventies
are still in active use today. Several of the products, built
in "limited" quantities, are considered very "rare".
Collectors and Drake aficionados will often pay twice the original
market price to add such an item to their "Ham Shack".
Drake continued to search for new areas to apply its engineering
expertise, even as they expanded their product line with marine
radios and other reception hardware. In 1981, Drake investigated
the then semi-hobbyist field of home satellite reception equipment.
Drake engineers, under the leadership of founder's son Peter Drake,
completed a prototype satellite receiver in just four months.
The demand for satellite receivers in the 1980's was overwhelming,
convincing Drake to concentrate primarily on the development and
manufacture of satellite communications equipment. This development
led to the manufacture of commercial satellite receivers and distribution
equipment, as well as reception equipment for the international
marketplace.
In 1997 Drake brought its expertise in the RF communications field
to the assistive listening market. The transmitter/personal receiver
system was put into production to help the hearing impaired participate
in venues where traditional hearing aids amplify all sounds, causing
distortion or reverberation of the source audio.
In 1998 Drake introduced video modulators in miniature. Having
produced 19 inch rack equipment for the CATV industry for several
years, Drake sensed the need for smaller equipment, as cable "head-ends"
are typically remote buildings where space is a commodity. The
VMM-600, one of the video mini-modulators, is a high quality fixed
channel heterodyne audio/video modulator that allows one to twelve
units to be mounted in the same amount of rack space required
by two standard size units.
In 2001, Drake took the mini-modular system one step further and
introduced a complete line of digital head-end products. The mini-modular
approach offers the ability to QAM modulate digital signals onto
a cable system using MPEG video, QPSK satellite signals, or off-air
ATSC transmissions. Mini-modules are offered that can translate
off-air ATSC signals to cable in either ATSC or QAM format.
2002, marked the introduction of the SCT860 transcoder. The SCT860,
satellite to cable transcoder, places the digital satellite receiver,
QAM remodulator, and channel upconverter in a single convenient
modular package for QAM delivery of HITS™-QT or DISH Network
programming. An RS232 data connection allows the entire system
to be remotely controlled by a personal computer.
In 2004, several new and innovative products were added to the
digital transcoder product line. The DQT860 provides a means of
multiplexing two off air 8VSB signals or QAM signals into a single
CATV channel for a CATV system. The MQM860 will multiplex two
ATSC ASI transport streams in the same manner as the DQT860. The
QQP860 is essentially a single input DQT860 and is used for DOCSIS
data applications where no change in data rate or timing is desired.
In 2005, the SCT860 digital transcoder was expanded to the SCT1860,
SCT2860, SCT3860, SCT4860. These four models allow transcoding
of QPSK or 8PSK satellite signals, from 16 QAM to 1024 QAM output. The SCTeci, introduced in 2007, provides Internet access to control up to 70 digital transcoders, mounted in RMT150 trays.
Presently, Drake manufactures a wide range of video distribution
equipment and cable television equipment in both the standard
rack size and the mini-modules. Drake also builds complete CATV
head-ends, equipment racks of digital and analog equipment cabled,
and tested, ready to connect to a power source and a satellite
signal.
The assistive listening systems for consumer and commercial markets,
manufactured at the Franklin, Ohio plant, have been expanded to include products public and private school systems. The SRE60 classroom sound reinforcement system is designed to address prevalent school facilities commissions' recommendations. The SRE60 system evenly distributes the teacher's voice at a comfortable listening level throughout the entire classroom.
Drake products are manufactured not only for US markets, but for global markets as well.
Sales and Manufacturing Facilities
The company's main manufacturing facility is located in Franklin, Ohio in a modern brick structure just under 100,000 square feet. Drake's vertically integrated manufacturing facility produces Drake equipment under one roof. Very little outside contract work is performed so products can be monitored to meet Drake standards of excellence. Drake also has a sales, service, and distribution facility in Peterborough, Canada.
Award Winning Service
The company and its products are well known for quality and service throughout the world. Drake is renowned for its rapid and effective servicing, product support, superior technical assistance, and extensive parts inventory.
Company Highlights
