|
|
|
#1
11-16-2005, 06:27 PM
|
||||
|
||||
GE P780 Potable Radio
Just got a nice version of this radio today off Ebay. Cosmetically its a little nicer than my first one. My Uncle got one to use in the Adirondecks in the 60's. No radio worked during the day. It developed in the late 50's by Conrad Jutson at GE. He fixed radio equipement for the British Navy before coming to the states.
GE put Jutson in charge of developing a radio that outperformed the best tube radios of the period. Its very heavily made. My first one only needed a cleaning and a touchup on the IF's to get a lot of volume out of it. Pretty good for a radio that 35 years old. The P780 is an eight transistor AM only model. They did produce a AM-FM version thats hard to find. The "P" stand for portable in the GE line. It uses 6 "D" batteries and run for 500 to 700 hrs on a set of the old flashlight batteries. Who knows how long a set of alkalines will last? I have the first set that I put in March of this year (2005). I never took one apart until this year. Had one in high school. Mom tossed it when they sold the house in the 70's. The IF's are huge. Has four of them with a three gang tuner. Its heavy with a big chrome face. The speaker is a heavy 5 inch mounted to that nice chrome face. The case is made out of ABS plastic with dimples on it to cut down on the finger prints. You can hook up an outside antenna to it. I'm sure GE sold a bunch of them during the Cuban Missile Crisis back in 1962. One of the things I like is it was designed in Utica NY at GE's Radio Receiver Dept. and made in Rochester NY. I keep it on my nightstand. Great for listening to AM740 from Canada and 1520 from Buffalo as well as Yankees Baseball on CBS Newsradio 88. You can find out more by going to Sarah Lowery's web site. She collects radios and her site is great place to find model numbers on radios I know of but dont know the model number. Visit her at: http://www.transistor.org/feature/jutson/feature.html A fun site  I will try to post a pic. I have a new cam and I am not sure how to reduce the pics on it.Eric Last edited by stereofisher; 11-16-2005 at 06:34 PM. 
|
|
#2
11-16-2005, 06:45 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
When I was a little kid my Dad's jewelry store carried GE radios and appliances (that was common back then) and I remember the AM-FM version of that radio. I wanted that sucker soooo bad!
__________________
 Let me live in the house beside the road and be a friend to man.
|
|
#3
11-16-2005, 07:29 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I'd like the AM-FM version in my collection but...
they get bid up on EBay.
 They do sound great. The second one is very nice cosmetically and plays great!! Got it going. Goes to the nightstand. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night. Damned sinus's.  I pop on AM 740. It booms in at 2:00 AM!! A couple of songs and back to sleep.Eric 
|
|
#4
11-16-2005, 07:53 PM
|
||||
|
||||
Picture of P780 Radio
Lets try it again....Eric
|
|
#6
12-01-2006, 07:24 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mmmmm Mmmmm Good.
Just got mine working today (delivered yesterday) and I'm in love. The absolute best AM radio ever made. . Radio K
|
|
#7
03-27-2008, 10:46 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Been there, done that.
I have two of the P780's, AND one of the AM/FM models, superior receivers, probably the BEST signal pulling ability I have ever seen.
Heavier than hell, especially with a full battery load, bulletproof metal chassis. Enjoy, Bob.
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
