Fifty years ago this month, the September 1967 issue of Electronics Illustrated carried a review for a handsome shortwave receiver that I had never seen before, the Eico 711 Space Ranger.

The set tuned 550 kHz to 30 MHz in four bands, and included a BFO, S-meter, and bandspread. The power supply included a transformer, making the set somewhat safer than the AC-DC supply included in many budget receivers of the day. It was available for $49.95 in kit form, or $69.95 assembled.

The review warned that the set probably wasn’t an easy project for someone who hadn’t built a kit before, and noted a few shortcomings in the assembly instructions. But for someone with some kit building experience, the set went together fairly easily, and the author reported that he had it assembled in about 20 hours.

The author did warn that the set was not aligned, and would require a signal generator for alignment. Performance was described as comparable with other receivers in the price class, with sensitivity dropping off sharply above 10 MHz.

I do agree with the author’s observation that the set “is smartly styled; you wouldn’t hesitate to leave it in your living room.”

You can find pictures and description of a nicely restored specimen of the set at this link.