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write your own review of the GE Superadio III.
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KC2YXU
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 27, 2011 20:23
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Good Sound Quality and Very Selective
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I picked up one of these radios at Goodwill for $7. It was dusty but after I cleaned it up it looked and worked great! It is very selective on th AM BC band and it sounds almost as good on Am as it does on FM. It also is very sensitive on FM. I was able to pick up many stations from Toronto, about 65 miles from where I live. All in all this is a very good radio even for $50.
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KI7F
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 20, 2010 15:01
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Good AM Radio For AM BCB DX'ing And Good Audio Quality!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my GE Superadio III now for almost 20 years and even though it does not offer digital frequency readout or an S-meter, I am still impressed by the receive selectivity that it offers on AM. The 4 tuned IF stages really helps! The audio is very nice on AM (Esp when listening to the radio through my pro quality Sony studio monitor stereo headsets for late night listening.) To enhance the reception, I also use an external passive inductive coupled tunable AM loop antenna with it called the Select-A-Tenna.
The sensitivity on AM appears to be even better than my Grundig Satellit 800 general coverage receiver. (A repackaged Drake R8 receiver)
By the way, I placed a strip of masking tape on the front above the main tuning analog tuning dial and made my own calibrated frequency tuning dial which really helps.
To those not familiar with the radio, it may not look too impressive compared to newer digital tuned radios or some of the new multiband SW portable radios. It is obviously not going to fit inside your shirt pocket like an Ipod as it is kind of big for being a portable! It looks like a typical cheap AM/FM table top portable radio that you might typically find in a dime store. (I bought mine at a K-Mart store in Torrance, California back in the early 1990's.But, don't let the looks fool you. For the money, it is an excellent performer.
For SWL activity, I would of course prefer digital tuning, but, using analog tuning on the domestic AM BCB band is no big deal for me.
I live in an apartment, so there always will be RFI and QRN on the radio during different parts of the day, due to neighbors that use computers, TV's and anything else that causes interference to AM radio reception. Whenever I do any AM band DX'ing or listen to the Hf amateur radio bands, I have to turn off my main desk top computer or else the RFI hash from the computer dual core CPU wipes out much of the AM band, on the other hand, my smaller lap computer does not cause any RFI issues at all.
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KC2OTX
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 17, 2009 20:39
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Very good little machine
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have 2 of these radios and have had them about 10 years ( I purchased them new). They are great at AM MW signals and very directional. They sound great and can really dig out the MW DX if you are so inclined. FM reception is pretty good, but isn't stereo. The batteries, 8 "D" cells, last for a loooong time. I listen to one in my work out room for about 1 1/2 hours a day and last changed out the batteries a couple ( maybe 3?) years ago. I have one in the shack also and I use it maybe once or twice a week and I can't remember when I last replaced them. As for the calibration, I just taped paper above the scale and marked off the frequencies. It isn't all that difficult. This is actually a great radio for the cost. Built like a tank. Regards, Larry, now W2DDG
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N5IVZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 7, 2009 06:21
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An AM Gem
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Found one in an antique store with paint all over it... Slide rule dial in good shape...cleaned it up and its working great!
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WB9YCJ
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Rating: 3/5
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Feb 6, 2009 18:54
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Just O.K.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Non linear slide rule tuning scale (dial)...
What does that mean? In other words, 0ne slight turn of the tuning knob on the upper end of the Medium Wave band may cause the receiver to tune past 50 Khz (5 stations). While the same slight touch of the knob on the lower end of medium wave would cause perhaps 5 khz of change (more appropriate).
Medium wave I.F. response is to wide in the wide position - good for local non DX. And, strange in the narrow setting.
Otherwise a sensitive portable with very good audio. If you can get one at a garage sale for under $20 - go for it.
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RMINER
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 3, 2009 20:02
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Does the job!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought my SR III at a garage sale for $7. I never realized the hype around this radio until I stumbled across a few reviews on the net and on eham.
I keep my SR III at the cabin in Northern Manitoba where the radio is the only link to civilization. The radio is somewhat cheap looking and so I am not scared any one would pinch this radio if they took a peek in the window.
Having said that, long range reception is really where this baby excels. I listen to AM stations at distance of 150 miles+. FM reception is also very good picking up the signal of my XM modulator over 100 ft away.
As mentioned by others, dial calibration is pretty rough, but no worse than any other analog tuner I have used. Battery life is excellent. (6 D cells. Need we say more?)
The AM filter works very well.
Sound quality from seperate woofer and tweeter is very good, the best of any of my radios.
This radio is the real deal. Long range reception, no gimicks.
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N0CRS
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 14, 2008 14:49
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Satisfied with GE III
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned a GE II for a number of years and it
got me NO trouble what so ever. My dad needed a good radio and so it went .
Bought a used GE III at a garage sale for $20
and it has the same great history as my first.
So I think some others may have gotton lemons.
I have nothing to whine about, this radio .
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WA0ZZG
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 14, 2008 14:02
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Unfinished design
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Time owned: months
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The biggest complaint of this reliable design is the lack of dial calibration. Many have gone in and tried to get the dial to track. Don't try. You will only make it worse. Cover the existing dial scales with some nice paper and make your own markngs. I suspect a voltage controlled oscillator was used because it's still inexpensive but is very quiet.
Dave
WA0ZZG
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WA9ENA
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Rating: 2/5
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Feb 14, 2008 11:04
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Great sensitivity and sound, lousy radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I recently purchased a Superadio III, Model RP7887A, which bears an RCA label, as opposed to the "GE" markings of earlier sets. I live in a rural area and wanted a portable radio that offers better sensitivity on AM and FM than other sets I have. The SRIII does fulfill some of the requirements, but it falls far short on others. First, the GOOD news:
- Great sensitivity on both AM and FM bands
- Excellent audio from the pair of built-in large magnet speakers and tone controls that really work.
- External antenna terminals for both bands
- Large AM ferrite rod antenna
- Built-in D cell battery holder for long operation on battery power, plus built-in AC power supply with cord storage
Now, for the BAD news, and this stuff is serious:
As noted by other reviewers, the dial calibration on AM is off by the proverbial "country mile", especially below 1000 kHz. The FM calibrations are fairly accurate. I opened up the set to see why this is so. Well, the SRIII is tuned by a pot, not a mechanical variable capacitor as in days of yore. The pot varies the voltage applied to vari-cap diodes, which then tune the circuits as required. There are trim pots that allow setting of the high and low end dial points, but the SAME trimmers and tuning pot are used for both bands. Thus, you can be accurate on only one band. The makers have obviously chosen FM as the "THE" band to calibrate.
Other reviewers noted that the radio drifts in frequency. Yes it does, and that is something I have not experienced since using super-regen sets of decades ago. The most likely reason for such drift would be varying voltage at the tuning pot input. The problem is offset on FM by use of the AFC function. On AM, especially if the "Narrow" position is chosen on the mode switch, the effect kills the usefulness of a narrow pass band. Add in the fact that AM tuning is very touchy and you have to conclude that the pot chosen for the tuning function has much too coarse of a change on the AM band. It needs to be of a different value or needs a vernier in series with it to spread out the tuning rate. Either way, it is lousy design that shows lack of attention to important detail.
Tuning on my set, as received, was very erratic, especially on AM. The set does have a QC sticker on the back, but I guess that Thomson Consumer Electronics, distributor of the radio, does not consider shipping a radio with a tuning pot that needed cleaner applied as important to the QC effort. Once cleaned, the pot is fine and that problem went away.
All in all, the radio is a disappointment. It does what I wanted, but does its functions so poorly that I can not recommend this radio to anyone else. The SRIII has a long reputation that, from reading other reviews, sounds like was earned by the earlier versions. The present set reflects sleazy design and manufacturing all the way, with little or no respect for the customer. Way to go, Thomson. You have trashed one of the premier names in radio electronics with this turkey.
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VE3ES
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 31, 2007 22:33
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Good radio for what it is.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It's not a fully loaded Drake R-7A but for what it is it's a nice product. Great AM broadcast reception. And cheap. Something like $50 or less at ABC Warehouse in Michigan, about that price at Universal Radio in Ohio.
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