Swan electronics
Encyclopedia
Swan Electronics was a manufacturer of amateur radio
gear located in Oceanside
, California
, USA.
s in a garage in Benson, Arizona
during the winter of 1960-1961. At that time, the only other SSB transceiver on the market was the well known Collins KWM-2, selling for considerably more money. Production continued into the 1970s with thousands of units being produced in Oceanside California. At its peak Swan produced as many as 400 radios per month.
Needing more capital and engineering resources for Swan's rapid expansion, the company merged with Cubic Corporation in 1967 and Johnson continued managing the Swan subsidiary until 1973. Johnson founded his second company, Atlas Radio, in 1974. Atlas produced a line of compact, rugged radios that became popular for mobile communications from cars and boats. The Swan line of equipment was mostly vacuum tube
type design, and through the years more than 80,000 transceivers were sold.
Many Swan radios remain in service today, restored and operated by vintage amateur radio
enthusiasts.
equipment market consisted of transceivers
primarily designed for the newly popular single sideband
(SSB) mode of voice transmission, and covered only those portions of the amateur radio bands where SSB could be used.
The first ten transceivers Swan produced were serial numbered from 101-1 to 110-1, with the first nine being model SW-120 operating on 20 meters (14 MHz), and the tenth, 110-1, being the first SW-140, operating on 40 meters (7 MHz). The SW-175 then covered the 75 meter band (3.8 MHz).
Following the single band transceivers, Swan introduced the model 240, which covered all three bands in one unit, and then the model 400, which covered five bands (adding 21 and 28 MHz) and had a VFO in a separate unit.
Later, in the mid 1960s, Swan introduced the more full-featured models 350 and 500 transceivers. The Swan 500 was a more costly version of the 350, with higher output power and more operating features. Although they lacked the higher selectivity and tuning accuracy of higher priced transceivers, each performed solidly as a basic SSB station. They both used an outboard AC power supply with a built-in speaker, the model 117C and its variants. Improved versions of the 350 and 500 continued to be released into the early 1970s and were Swan’s best selling models.
One of the distinguishing design features of that generation of Swan transceivers was their dual rate, gear-driven tuning dial. A front knob provided slow rate tuning while a metal, outer collar tuned much faster enabling rapid frequency changes across a band. Improved models of the two transceivers were periodically introduced well into the 1970s along with accessories, including a remote VFO (for separate control of receiver and transmitter frequency) and the Mark-I and Mark-II linear amplifiers.
Two additional single band transceivers were also made to operate on bands not included in the 350 and 500 but with similar styling and features. A 6 meter (50 MHz) transceiver, the Swan 250, was introduced in 1965, and the Swan 160X was built to cover (not surprisingly) the 160 meter (1.8 MHz) band. They were high and low frequency bookends to the mainstay, five-band 350 and 500.
In 1969 Swan brought out the slightly smaller model 260 transceiver which could be operated from either 110 V AC or 12 V DC permitting either fixed or mobile operation in one unit. Also named the “Cygnet”, it resembled the earlier Swan 240 but with a different color scheme. It was followed by an improved model 270 which could only operate from AC power and required an accessory power supply for DC operation.
In the 1970s, the Swan 500 was upgraded again and became the model 700 and 750, and underwent a styling change in later versions after the merge with Cubic.
Swan also designed a matched, separate receiver and transmitter pair, the 600R and 600T, which together offered better performance, higher output power and many more features than the tranceivers could. They were produced in far fewer numbers, however, and are therefore harder for collectors to find today.
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
gear located in Oceanside
Oceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA.
History
Swan Electronics, then Swan Engineering, began as a one man operation with Herbert G. Johnson, W6QKI, building the first ten single sideband (SSB) transceiverTransceiver
A transceiver is a device comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver. The term originated in the early 1920s...
s in a garage in Benson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
during the winter of 1960-1961. At that time, the only other SSB transceiver on the market was the well known Collins KWM-2, selling for considerably more money. Production continued into the 1970s with thousands of units being produced in Oceanside California. At its peak Swan produced as many as 400 radios per month.
Needing more capital and engineering resources for Swan's rapid expansion, the company merged with Cubic Corporation in 1967 and Johnson continued managing the Swan subsidiary until 1973. Johnson founded his second company, Atlas Radio, in 1974. Atlas produced a line of compact, rugged radios that became popular for mobile communications from cars and boats. The Swan line of equipment was mostly vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
type design, and through the years more than 80,000 transceivers were sold.
Many Swan radios remain in service today, restored and operated by vintage amateur radio
Vintage amateur radio
Vintage amateur radio is a subset of the amateur radio hobby, considered a form of nostalgia much like antique car collecting, where enthusiasts collect, restore, preserve, build, and operate amateur radio equipment from bygone years, most notably those using vacuum tube technology.Popular modes of...
enthusiasts.
Amateur radio products
Swan’s entry into the amateur radioAmateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
equipment market consisted of transceivers
Transceiver
A transceiver is a device comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver. The term originated in the early 1920s...
primarily designed for the newly popular single sideband
Single-sideband modulation
Single-sideband modulation or Single-sideband suppressed-carrier is a refinement of amplitude modulation that more efficiently uses electrical power and bandwidth....
(SSB) mode of voice transmission, and covered only those portions of the amateur radio bands where SSB could be used.
The first ten transceivers Swan produced were serial numbered from 101-1 to 110-1, with the first nine being model SW-120 operating on 20 meters (14 MHz), and the tenth, 110-1, being the first SW-140, operating on 40 meters (7 MHz). The SW-175 then covered the 75 meter band (3.8 MHz).
Following the single band transceivers, Swan introduced the model 240, which covered all three bands in one unit, and then the model 400, which covered five bands (adding 21 and 28 MHz) and had a VFO in a separate unit.
Later, in the mid 1960s, Swan introduced the more full-featured models 350 and 500 transceivers. The Swan 500 was a more costly version of the 350, with higher output power and more operating features. Although they lacked the higher selectivity and tuning accuracy of higher priced transceivers, each performed solidly as a basic SSB station. They both used an outboard AC power supply with a built-in speaker, the model 117C and its variants. Improved versions of the 350 and 500 continued to be released into the early 1970s and were Swan’s best selling models.
One of the distinguishing design features of that generation of Swan transceivers was their dual rate, gear-driven tuning dial. A front knob provided slow rate tuning while a metal, outer collar tuned much faster enabling rapid frequency changes across a band. Improved models of the two transceivers were periodically introduced well into the 1970s along with accessories, including a remote VFO (for separate control of receiver and transmitter frequency) and the Mark-I and Mark-II linear amplifiers.
In 1969 Swan brought out the slightly smaller model 260 transceiver which could be operated from either 110 V AC or 12 V DC permitting either fixed or mobile operation in one unit. Also named the “Cygnet”, it resembled the earlier Swan 240 but with a different color scheme. It was followed by an improved model 270 which could only operate from AC power and required an accessory power supply for DC operation.
In the 1970s, the Swan 500 was upgraded again and became the model 700 and 750, and underwent a styling change in later versions after the merge with Cubic.
Swan also designed a matched, separate receiver and transmitter pair, the 600R and 600T, which together offered better performance, higher output power and many more features than the tranceivers could. They were produced in far fewer numbers, however, and are therefore harder for collectors to find today.
See also
- Collins radio
- E.F. Johnson
- EicoEicoEico was a manufacturer of electronics kits located in New York City, New York, USA.-History:EICO was established in New York City in 1945 to manufacture electronic test equipment in kit form...
- HallicraftersHallicraftersThe Hallicrafters Company manufactured, marketed, and sold radio equipment beginning in 1932. The company was based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.-History:William J. Halligan founded his own radio manufacturing company in Chicago in late 1932...
- HammarlundHammarlundThe Hammarlund Manufacturing Company, founded by Oscar Hammarlund in New York City, New York, USA in 1910, initially designed and produced short wave radio equipment.-History:...
- National radioNational Radio CompanyThe National Radio Company, headquartered in Malden, Massachusetts, USA was an American manufacturer of radio equipment from 1914 to 1991.-History:...
- R. L. Drake CompanyR. L. Drake CompanyThe R. L. Drake Company is a manufacturer of electronic communications equipment located in Franklin, Ohio. It is also known for its line of equipment for amateur radio and shortwave listening, built in the 1950s through the 1980s.-History:...
- Signal/OneSignal/OneSignal/One was a manufacturer of high performance SSB and CW HF radio communications transceivers initially based in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. - History :...
- Vintage amateur radioVintage amateur radioVintage amateur radio is a subset of the amateur radio hobby, considered a form of nostalgia much like antique car collecting, where enthusiasts collect, restore, preserve, build, and operate amateur radio equipment from bygone years, most notably those using vacuum tube technology.Popular modes of...