Kaito Electronics Inc. KA1102BLK Digital AM/FM/SW World Receiver with SSB
by Kaito Electronics Inc.
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Kaito Electronics Inc.Model: KA1102
Color: Silver or Black
Product features:
- Dual Conversion Technology
- FM - 70.0-108.0 MHz ( Step 10K/50K/100K Hz)
- MW - 522-1710 MHz ( Step 1K/9K/10K Hz)
- SW - 3.00-29.99 MHz (Step 1K/5K Hz)
- 190 MEMORY PRESETS ( Dynamic memory on 19 Pages)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kaito Electronics Inc. KA1102BLK Digital AM/FM/SW World Receiver with SSB
Customer Review: Fell in love with this little radio within 5 minutes of using it
Summary: 5 Stars
The Kaito KA1102 (Degen DE1102 in Asia) is absolutely fantastic! It certainly lives up to all the positive things reviewers have said about it.
It is as good as my 14 year old Panasonic RF-B45. The Kaito outshines the Panasonic with its 'wide' and 'narrow' bandwidth. The shortwave frequencies match the Panasonic for selectivity, although, perhaps, it's reception is a bit clearer. MW is a bit better overall. In Malaysia however the selection of MW stations is not as numerable as in the US; nevertheless, I was able to pull in a station in Vietnam that I could not get on my Panasonic, plus several Thai, Indonesian and Chinese stations. FM is more selective than the Panasonic as well. Bass and stereo reception may be heard with the earphones on FM.
Some reviewers fault the ergonomics (i.e. paging system), but I find it no more confusing than some 3G cell phones. As for the push button volume control, well, again, it's like so many cell phones; you get used to it. I only find that it's not as loud as the Panasonic, but I suppose after-market speakers could remedy this. The blue backlight and rechargeable batteries are an asset too.
The deciding factor for me over the Kaito KA1103 Worldband Radio/Degen DE1103 was its continuous tuning (3.10-30.00 MHz). The KA1103/DE1103 tunes only international shortwave bands, i.e. 75 meters, 60 meters, 49 meters, 42 meters, 31 meters, 25 meters, 21 meters, 19 meters, 16 meters, 13 meters. With continuous tuning, the KA1102/DE1102 catches stations outside these meter bands.
As for cons, it overloads when an external wire antenna is hooked to the whip aerial, but this may be because it is amplified. When using an internal wire antenna of similar length plugged into the antenna jack there is no overload. With the Panasonic, it does not matter whether it is hooked to the whip or jack.
The radio is about the size of a postcard. Reminds me of the old pocket transitor radios back in the 1960s. It will definitely be a keeper whenever I travel overseas.
As for the price, it's definitely worth it. You get a lot of radio for the buck. I bought mine (Degen DE1102) from China and it was a lot cheaper than what you'll find elsewhere on the web. If you opt for this and you live in the US, you might consider getting a 110 volt power adaptor.
My only hope now is that it gives me as many years of listening pleasure as the Panasonic RF-B45.
POST-SCRIPT (30 March 2007)
Six months on and this little dynamo is still functioning...and I have been pretty aggressive with it. From Malaysia, I have logged shortwave stations from Austria, Canada (CBC), Czech Republic (Radio Prague), Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey (Voice of Turkey), the Netherlands (Radio Nederland), South Africa (SABC) Sweden (Radio Sweden), North Korea (Radio Pyongyang) and South Korea (KBS), New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International), Iraq (Kurdish speaking station), Voice of Africa (Libya), Iran and Taiwan -- all rather difficult to receive at times. Of course, BBC, Voice of Russia, China Radio International, NHK, Deutsche Welle, Radio Australia, Radio Thailand, Radio Indonesia, Voice of Vietnam, Radio Singapore, All India Radio are flame throwers in this part of the world. The single greatest asset of this radio remains its wide/narrow filter; it does a superb job of reducing powerful stations next to weaker ones. This portable SW PPL radio is still No. 1 in my book!!!
POST-SCRIPT (20 March 2008)
This little dynamo is still active and pulling in stations all over the world. Still the best buy around!
POST-SCRIPT (11 APRIL 2009)
The radio is still functioning and pulling in amazing signals. Just a few weeks ago I logged Spanish National Radio, Madrid, Spain. Still one of the best portable shortwave radios in its class.
POST-SCRIPT (19 FEBRUARY 2010)
The radio is still working and pulling in some rather exotic stations in this part of the world (Malaysia). In the past few weeks I have logged the Voice of Mongolia, Radio Bulgaria, Radio Tirana (Albania), Radio DMR Pridnestrovye (Moldova), Radio Romania International and Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Everything is functioning, even the batteries still hold a good charge for hours. It remains an excellent buy for anyone interested in the hobby of short-wave listening.
More Kaito Electronics Inc. KA1102BLK Digital AM/FM/SW World Receiver with SSB reviews:
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Description of Kaito Electronics Inc. KA1102BLK Digital AM/FM/SW World Receiver with SSB
The Kaito KA1102 is a dual conversion portable radio covering AM/FM and Short Wave. The special designed PLL circuit has a very high sensitivity and low noise levels. Thanks to the dual conversion technology, the KA1102 has a super sensitive radio bands. AM coverage is from 522 - 1710 kHz. The AM reception is impressive. It is able to pick up weak signals very well. The FM band covers 70.0 - 108 MHz (including the Japanese FM band and Russian FM band, if traveling in these areas). The FM reception is overall quite good. The SW frequency covers from 3000 to 29990 kHz. However, the short wave is what makes the KA1102 shines. The SW reception is exceptional due to the dual conversion circuitry. It is able to pick up weak signals with just the built-in antenna. It can decode SSB Single Side Band broadcasts with a 1 kHz fine-tuning steps. It is better than most other radios costing much more and in a smaller size. Overall, you get an excellent world receiver and the price is right. Auto scan and memory (ATS), Start page preset Alarm/Sleep Manual Tuning / Scan / Preset / Direct Entry Clock/Sleep/Lock Electronic Volume Control Smart Charger with Count Down Timer SSB Receiver with FINE Tuning Control Meter and Frequency Convert 3 Kinds of Backlight Mode Signal Strength Indication Front and Rear Power Output for Both Speaker and Earphone Super Bass Selection 3 Alarms for ON/OFF Two Alarm Modes - Beeper and Radio Auto Reset Function, Never Dead Locked Extra Long Telescopic Antenna for Reception Exit Button for Wrong Key In DX/Local Select for SHORTWAVE Reception Mono / Stereo Selectable Tone Select - Music and News Battery Power Indicator Battery Charge Auto Backlight Screen Local / DX Switch Line Out Jack External Antenna Jack Radio actual size - 5.6 x 3.5 x 1.1 inches (143 x 88 x 28.50 mm)Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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