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| Reviews Summary for Kaito KA1102 |
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Reviews: 24
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Average rating: 4.5/5
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MSRP: $99.00
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Description: This high quality world receiver is made in the best radio factory in Asia and it receives all the stations in shortwave spectrums , plus side bands, SSB.
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More info: http://www.kaitousa.com/KA1102.htm
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JOLLYROGER
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 28, 2006 00:01
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Very impressive
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Well, i got this little radio for Christmas and at first I was surprised at its size. It is relatively small, about the size of a post card, and it did not look like it would deliver much in terms of performance. Being a newcomer to the SWL, i was able to pull voice of Russia, family radio (Florida) and several other broadcasts on the SW without any difficulties. The page system that this radio uses is pretty straight forward and after referencing the manual for a couple of times, im extremely happy with the performance. Sure, SSB can be only accessed from page 9, but once you know where things are you'll be amazed at the radio's functionality. The only "weird" feature that is not very well implemented is that once the radio is turned on the shut-off feature is set to 99 minutes. This happens every time you turn on the radio, and there is no way to permanently disable it. Sure, once the radio is on you can turn it off, but it has to be done every time you power on the radio.
Otherwise, it's an excellent radio. I like the backlight function, which will illuminate the lcd screen and all the buttons. great sensitivity. Well built, comes with 3 rechargeable batteries and a wire antenna. Not that difficult to use like some of the users have reported (page system). At $69.00 it is a bargain. I would definitely recommend this radio to anyone who is looking for a great radio at a killer price.
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KC9ERB
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 15, 2006 08:49
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very nice
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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A definite performance winner and excellent choice for new SWLs. The price is also very friendly. Be sure to purchase from a reputable dealer (like Universal Radio) because, as Larry Magne notes, quality control is hit-or-miss. I had to return mine for a new radio because it totally lost its mind within one week. But like I said, use a friendly dealer and you'll be okay. Sensitivity is very impressive on all bands. I wish it tuned below the MW band, but I can live with it. Also, the keystroke routines are about the most boneheaded I have seen. It is really annoying to have to cancel the shutoff timer each time you turn the radio on. Oh well. There are many useful features such as two bandwidths, SSB, and ability to use an external antenna. Try the Kaito portable loop.
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K3ZOR
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 24, 2006 08:12
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Excellent radio - Fantastic price!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Let's start with what the KA1102 is NOT. It is not your $300-$800 SW receiver and it is not your TS-2000, IC-746 or any other HF/General coverage receiver with a dipole at 50 feet. To compare the KA1102 to these radios for anything more than general test information does the radio a severe injustice.
What the KA1102 IS, is an $80 SW/HF receiver with SSB capability and AM/FM broadcast bands that will fit in your coat or jacket pocket and works incredibly well for $80.
Minor (in my opinion) drawbacks: SW/HF coverage is 3000Khz to 30Mhz, so listening to the 160 meter band or between 1710Khz and 3000Khz is not possible. And, not being overly critical, but as others had stated, there is (what I believe to be) a very small amount of drift on SSB if you are listening to a particular station for any length of time. In my opinion, the drift is very minor and is not a detriment considering that my use of the KA1102 is for casual and portable listening when I can't be in the shack.
I tested the KA1102 (stock telescoping antenna) against my Realistic DX-440 (with stock telescoping antenna) and my Icom-IC-746 with a Carolina Windom 160. These comparisons were done only for testing what I was able to hear with all things considered. I am happy to report that the KA1102 heard everything that the DX-440 did and that the KA1102 heard all of the moderately strong stations that I heard on the 746. Received audio is quite good and with the wide/narrow filter, Hi/Lo tone switch (that Kaito refers to as 'Music/News') and a Local/distance switch, you can contour the received signal to however it sounds best to you. I have also found that the KA1102 makes an excellent AM broadcast DX receiver too.
The KA1102 uses 3 AA Alkaline or rechargeable batteries and the rechargeables can be charged via an internal circuit that you can program to give the batteries a full charge or just top them off if needed. The display and all buttons on the face of the radio are back-lit with blue LEDs and controlled by a photo sensor just to the right above the speaker so that the backlight will only come on in low light and conserve the battery power. If the backlight is needed in less than dim light, simply place a finger over the pinole (that is part of the speaker 'grill') and the backlight will illuminate with each touch of any button. This 'pinhole' is visible in the pic in the link at the top of the eham review page here or the link that I have attached below. It has a jack for connecting an external antenna as well as a headphone jack and has a 4 (red) LED S-meter as well. There is also a flip out stand on the back that holds the radio at just the right angle to operate it and view the display if it is sitting on a desk top.
The KA1102 comes with 3 AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries, wrist strap, AC adapter/charger, stereo earbuds, and a longwire antenna(maybe about 12 feet long) that can be plugged into the exteranl antenna jack. For another good online view including the specs, display, controls and information go to the below link.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/1102.html
To sum it all up, this is probably the best $80 I have spent in over 30+ years in the radio hobby. If you are looking for an inexpensive, pocket size, rechargeable, AM/FM/ SW-HF receiver with SSB, excellent battery life, that's size (L & W) is the size of a QSL card, and all the amenities mentioned above, I'm sure you'll be as happy as I am with the Kaito KA1102. It rates an easy 5 in my book!
73,
Jim - K3ZOR
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K4IDX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 30, 2006 17:51
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EXCELLENT
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I'm giving this little receiver high marks to everyone I know who's in the market for a new SW radio. I've said for awhile that there's really only two company's left making quality products, Sony and Kaito/Degen. The 1102 further proves my point. This has one of the best FM receivers I've heard and it does an almost perfect job where I live in an area with 3 broadcast towers within 5 miles! It really performs better than the 7600GL on FM. Shortwave is just as impressive, with great sensitivity and a nice filter (Local/DX). Previous reviewers stated that the Page system was complex, but I had no difficulty after reading thru the manual only one time.
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KC2HWG2006
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 22, 2006 12:54
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SWEEEEET!!!!!!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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just ordered mine from universal radio and got it a few days after....after considering a sangean or a sony, i went with this puppy..I'm glad i waited out and found something simple and worthwhile..I too read the radio-intel reviews and looks at the guts pics....nice ferrite loopstick...probably as good or better than the cult popular GE 7-2887 or superadioIII...and a lot smaller too...great rx and i use it with a intensitronics select-a-tenna and it really wakes up the s-units on receive...i have a freeplay radio too and it kicks butt also ( the eyemax model)for my emergency radio....call me nuts but I really think this radio the kaito 1102 is fabulous and so is the degen version 1102, the kaito is more shipped to u.s.a. than the degen or tecsun equivalent...I just wanted a good all around little am/fm /sw radio and this one is the best bang for the dollar, sorry if im repeating the other reviewers words.... i agree great rig!!!!!! KC2HWG BILL OUT------
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KG6RPX
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 30, 2006 18:03
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Outstanding performance, Great Price
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Positives: The Kaito KA 1102 (~$69 US). The KA1102 is a PLL FM/MW/SW dual conversion receiver with excellent sensitivity and selectivity. It has an admittedly complex digital and paged user interface. Has a convenient flip out back support for tilted up operation. The 1103 uses an odd number (three) rechargeable AA's and the battery door remains attached so you can't loose it.
Negatives: Complex digital interface, you really have to read the manual and reference card. Can’t say its intuitive for my mind, maybe for yours.
We also tried the less expensive WRX911 you can refer to that review on this site, relative to the KA 1102, the WRX911’s performance was disappointing (in our application) but may be more suitable for urban users.
The performance delta between the 911 and 1102 was very evident when directly comparing station-for-station performance in the FM band of the WRX911 with the more sensitive/ expensive Kaito KA1102 the WRX 911 couldn't pull in weak FM signals at all. The performance delta between the two closed a bit when comparing selected AM and SW stations/signals with the WRX911 having adequate audio but the KA1102 having better overall sound quality.
We live on a hilltop in the foothills of an urban fringe area (30-40 miles out) and FM radio reception is understandably problematic in shadow areas. We need sensitive, selective FM receivers for family members to get reasonably “listenable” reception w/o going to satellite radio and its unique equipment and in the long run, costly subscription rates.
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KC2JFS
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 30, 2006 17:25
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Just Buy IT !!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Are you kidding me? This baby is a little dynamo. Small but with big ears. I am amazed at what this receiver picks up. If you are afraid of overload then pick up a Yaesu FT 1000 MP ( which I have ) however the Yaesu is a little big to be portable. BUY THE KAITO. Green Hornet says it's great!
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DB2EH
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Rating: 2/5
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Apr 5, 2005 19:44
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good for it´s price
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This neat little radio is very good for it´s price. Low PLL noiselevel and proper sensitivity
make it a nice "go everywere" partner. As it shows
warbling/FM-effects on CW/SSB it is not first choice for a ham, (as the SONY 7600GR and the SW100 is not). If you compare this TECSUN, DEGEN or KAITO with SONY´s 2010 or the famous PANASONIC RF-B65 you`ll know the difference regarding "rock stable stable CW/SSB reception and other experiences. Of course the SON and the PAN need AGC-modification also, just a little extra tantalic and SSB sounds smooth, (Attacktime). I´m using the second 1102, beside the negative FM-effect on SSB this one shows a remarkable LO-drift during use. That´s not a must for such receivers! Hoping TECSUN as the manufacturer will read this. I would like this radio very much after some mods.
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MARK1218
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 29, 2005 13:30
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Not good for newcomers
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I will rate the '1102 as good. More experienced listeners would rate it as a solid 5. This thing is definately a proven performer. Again as a newcomer to the SWL hobby, I found the '1102 to be very confusing to operate. The whole "page" thing was just more of a pain in the neck than anything, and the way Kaito asigns multiple functions for one button. You'll spend more time looking at the instruction manual than you will anything else. And what's the deal with this SSB only available on page 9? I actually returned it in exchange for the much easier to operate and less expensive '1101 model. Again being a SWL "newbie", I really have no use for or any interest in SSB, and 190 memory presets. I actually ordered the '1101 and was told they were on backorder, so I opted for the '1102 based on good reviews. And by the way, the folks at Universal Radio are awesome to deal with! Yes, I ate the return shipping costs, but they waived the 15% restocking fee for me, and sent out my '1101 same day. So, in a nutshell, I'm sure the '1102 is a fantastic performer, but for a hobby newcomer like myself, it was a little too much radio. Just figured I'd save someone in my shoes a little hassle.
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W1PPJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 3, 2004 15:53
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Outstanding Receiver
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Outstanding Radio! Blows away my New Seagean 505P
Highly Recommended. Rock Stable SSB/CW . Works per all Specs. Paid $48.00 on eBay. I bought 2!
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