Latest Find: GE P780A
 

I just found on of these in good condition on Ebay and it arrived yesterday. This unit was either used little or well cared for because it is in great cosmetic condition with no battery corrosion. Never having seen on of these in person, I was surprised just how big it is and heavy. It truly is built like a tank. The set works but will need some attention. The RF sensitivity is unbelieveable. The sound quality is indistinguishable from a tube radio. It has a very warm yet clear sound. I will post pics when I open it up. I think this is going to become one of my favorite radios. :banana:

YES! one of my favorite radios... I always think of it as being the *first* GE superadio, ie "Superadio 0" ... great AM Dxer :thmbsp:

Nice find! I had one once; but, sold it on epay for a few dollars (like an idiot). Now, the ones I'm seeing there are going for more than "just a few dollars". Mine was a very good performer with great sound quality.

I passed on many of these although I have wanted one for a long time because of the prices. Because these are becoming collectible they may never be really cheap again. I also have a Superadio II that I bought new and I really liked DXing on it. I still have the II but it no longer works. I turned it on one day and the AM no longer worked, just static, FM ok. It is now packed in the original box in otherwise mint condition. When I get the 780 reconditioned it will become my primary medium wave DXer. I keep telling myself I'll get the Superadio II fixed one day.

And, GE made an AM-FM portable in this same case.

Too bad they didn't make an AM & shortwave version. This would have been a good set to do that with.

Well, I opened up the GE today. It looks quite good inside. I have the four electrolytic caps for it. I think this radio has never been opened before. I did find that when I tried to pull off the volume knob it had been glued in place. It must have broken some time ago and been glued on. Needless to say the knob is broken and I will have to find a replacement. Does anyone have a spare? The volume knob is not the same as the tuning knob. The volume knob fits the smaller D shaped shaft since it has a concentric tone control. The set should clean up just fine and is in good condition otherwise. It really represents the quality that once went into these things.

I just found another P780A on Ebay. It was incorrectly listed under tube radios and I was the only bidder. I know I've paid more that I probably should have for these sets but at least now I should have all the parts I need and some spares. I only had the radio for a couple days before partially disassembling it but I actually miss using it already.

What is with these things?
 

The second P780A I just received has the same problem with the volume knob. It was epoxied onto the shaft. This time there was so much glue that the concentric tone control was glued to the volume knob. I do have enough parts now to make a pristine working example of this great radio - minus the volume knob.

Are these knobs particularly fragile? I find it strange to get two in a row with glued knobs. Anyone have an extra or can suggest a suitable replacement?

I'm going to fix this radio up, get it working perfect and when I find a knob, I'll just slide it on.