Kaito Worldband AM/ FM/ SW/ SSB single side band radio,shortwave radio KA1102

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise....
Review: Being a novice at shortwave listener, I really shopped around to find the biggest *bang* for my dollar. Having experienced shortwave first with an old Zenith Transoceanic (which still sits in my livingroom), and then with a mid-80's Unitech, this purchase went above and beyond my expectations...

Despite the cheapness the photo might imply, this is a solid piece of technology...it certainly looks sharper when it's in your hands... Though it's much smaller than I thought it would be, it definately lives up to the hype. Within minutes of installing the batteries, I was receiving Radio Beijing with astounding clarity.

I primarily purchased this radio to listen to at home, but because of it's portability, I take it to work every night...although I work in a pretty high radio interference call center, my AM reception is dimished, but I still get all the major local broadcasters...the FM is absolutely solid (when many of my co-workers can only receive one or two FM signals on their cheap AM/FM/CD players, I can recieve all the channels, and because this unit goes all the way down to 70.0 FM, I get a handful of TV channels also...)

At home, AM/FM reception is stellar...in the evening hours I switch to the shortwave and I can pull in MANY major broadcasters...I've been able to pull in stations as far away as Italy, and India...

Although sound through the speaker is weak, it is acceptible...through the headphones it ROCKS (though not as loud as I would like), and at home, I use the "line-out" jacks to connect to my amplifier..the tuner on this unit is precise...with it's ability to pull in weak channels make it more valuable than my Kenwood receiver...I have yet to find anything on SSB to listen too, but given the reception I've received thus far, I doubt I'll be disappointed...

I would certainly recommend this receiver to anyone who is curious about Shortwave radio, and would like something that's portable. **Also, the rechargeable batteries are a SUPERBIG plus...this radio will actually recharge the batteries! A really big incentive if portability is your thing....

The only detractor I can find is that the manual that came with the radio is a bit hard to understand, and not very clear...but I've had the radio for a week now, and many of the functions are intuative, and became clearer to me with regular use...At this point I don't refer to the manual at all...

Rating:
Summary: Competes Against the Big Boys for Half the Money
Review: Built in a factory in China famous for its radio electronics, the Kaito 1102 has become a beloved radio among techies and radiophiles alike for many reasons. Open it out of the box and you'll notice it's tiny, smaller than a thin-sliced sandwich. Its silver, modern exterior looks as updated as any new Sony or Sangean or Grundig. Then place it against its competition, the Sangean 505 (about 20 dollars more), the Sony ICF SW35 (about the same price) and you'll notice that the Kaito beats the other two for different reasons. First, the Kaito and the Sony 35 have similar, strong reception, on both AM and FM, but the Kaito wins because it has a vastly far superior speaker, crystal clear and capable of good sound for this type of radio. The Kaito and the Sangean 505 have similar good speakers but the Kaito has better reception, especially on AM. My only complaint about the Kaito is the owner's manual which has five different ways of showing you how to use the presets and the "pages," and only one of those instructions (I found out two hours and much trial and error later) is accurate. You must press the M/Lock key to activate your preset option and for some reason the manual only makes this vaguely clear in one of its instructions. But if you don't mind fiddling with the controls and scouring the manual with a patient eye, you'll find yourself in possession of a gem and discover why so many techies consider the Kaito 1102 a real buried treasure that stands up to the far more expensive Sony 7600 and Sangean 909.

Post Script: In the ensuing months I've bought the lesser priced Kaito 1101, almost identical to the Kaito 1102, and have found that the 1101 gets even better FM sensitivity. Many have expressed the same experience with the Kaito 1101. Thus I must conclude that for a PLL synthesized portable radio with presets, the Kaito 1101, which cost me thirty dollars less than the Kaito 1102, is the king of digital portable radios.

Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: I like this radio. The sensitivity is terrific. I compared it with my Sangean ATS 909 and Icom R71A. It was much better than my Sangean and almost as good as the Icom in sensitivity. It's about half the size of the Sangean and with no protruding controls to break off. A really solid feel to the case. There are some operational features that are at first odd, one page only where you can activate SSB e.g., some pages that support auto scan and others that don't. But You quickly sort out the pages the way you want, store your frequencies how you want. The built in charger and the backlite are neat too. Really an outstanding radio.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome portable for the money
Review: The Kaito/Degen 1102 is a fantastic bargain. I paid less than $50.00 for mine and I listen to it all the time. Its many features allow for a wide range of listening options, including all shortwave bands, AM/FM (with excellent performance on both the MW and FM bands) and it has an SSB function which is quite easy to tune and very stable. However, unlike the review above, please note that this radio does *NOT* have synchronous detection.

I have owned many shortwave portables and a couple of tabletop radios in my life, and I must admit that I've never gotten such an excellent radio for such a low price as the DE/KA-1102. Order one; you won't be sorry.