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write your own review of the Kaito WRX911.
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ROBWIN12000
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 7, 2009 16:06
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Great Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have had a lot and I mean a lot of shortwave radios in my lifetime . One that I bought a while ago is the Kaito WRX-911 now this radio has a real low price tag . But it is one of the best radios I have bought . Even thou I have owned radios like Sonys 7600GR , Radioshack DX-440 , Radioshack DX-302 , Grundig 400 , Grundig 350 , Nordmende Globetravler , Kaito 1103 , 1102 , 1101 ,,, And a lot more . All Great radios . I like this radio because it is easy to operate and to carry . The sensitivy is very good and if I connect a wind-up antenna , I can hear all the really weak stations also . The selectivity is very good for a radio this size . I also found out that you can connect the wind-up antenna and the AM band comes alive . There are some whistle and image's in a few places on the shortwave dial . But for general listening it is a great radio and there is no muting while tunning around the dial . The radio runs off of one IC which makes the batterys last a long time and gives extra long play time . If you want a real all around radio that is very easy to use and very sensitive this is the radio for you .
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KWV8DA
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Rating: 2/5
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Jul 6, 2009 20:35
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rarely used
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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i wanted to give this one away, but feared it would turn a newbie away from the radio hobby. sw is ok if you can guess where your at. am band needs the alignment offered from the yahoo ultralite group.
fm just ok. universal has alot of nerve asking so much for it.anything over 15.00 is to much. i may just scrap for parts. sorry folks, not my cup of tea here.
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KATZRADIO
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 22, 2009 18:41
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Great little radio
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Small, compact very portable radio. Pulls in some very distant stations, impressive. Once the signal is locked on, it does not fade.
A couple of quirks for me is; When using the earphones, I cannot turn the volume down all the way...guess that part is broken. As others have mentioned, the display chart is not on center, the tuning does not correspond with the frequency printed on the chart.
Other than that, I am pleased. I have two of these, for the money you can't go wrong.
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KB0HAE
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 10, 2008 23:35
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Good value for the money
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just recently bought a Kaito WRX911 for my girlfriend. I know that the Kaito KA1102, and KA1103 are better radios, but I wanted to get her something simple to operate, as she is blind, and would have trouble with the digital radios. The WRX911 is a small, simple analog radio. The controls are not ambiguous in any way. Also, I was not sure how much she would use it.
The radio comes with a cloth bag, ear buds, and a short instruction manual. A couple of things set this radio apart from others in its price/size class. It has a pull-out stand on the back like its more expensive cousins mentioned above, and the whip antenna has a swivel at the base. So the radio can be tilted back without laying down, and the antenna can point strait up in that position. The controls are simple and easy to use. I like that this radio has a separate on-off switch rather than including it in the volume control. The radio uses 2 AA batteries.
The radio has a headphone jack, and an external power jack. The controls are: Volume, On-Off switch, Band switch, and tuning knob. The tuning dial is not very accurate, but that won't bother my girlfriend.
The radio sounds much better when using the included ear buds that when using the speaker. This is because the internal speaker is rather small, and sounds rather tinny.
Reception is good on AM and Shortwave, better than any other radio in this size/price class that I have tried. Its not as good as the KA1102, but the radio is smaller, and costs less than half as much. FM reception is disappointing, as the two 50,000 watt local FM stations bleed over most other FM stations on the dial. FM reception is in mono, even with the stereo ear buds. The radio seems well built, and not flimsy at all.
I would say that this is a good starter radio, kids radio and also good for those who want a small, inexpensive radio to carry with them.
Pros:
Small, easily carried in a pocket.
Good AM/SW reception.
Stand and swivel antenna make it easy to set the radio on a table.
Well built.
Cons:
Poor FM reception.
Inaccurate dial
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RADIODINNER
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 15, 2008 20:37
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Fine Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I heard a lot of good reviews about this one, so I thought I'd give it a try. For $25 you can't go wrong.
My first test of the Radio is AM DXing, which I do on a regular basis. There are stations that serve as a performance tester: WBBM Chicago, and WCBS New York (I live right outside Rochester, New York). This Kaito received both, and with a vengeance. I was amazed to hear WSB Atlanta as well.
Shortwave was OK, this one's not for distant signals. I like to listen to Radio Australia once and awhile, and you have to keep your fingers on the dial, it drifts quite a bit. Regular listeners of the big ones like Radio Netherlands and the Beeb (BBC) will be happy with this one.
FM is fine. No signal conflicts or overloading experienced. The internal speaker is simply dreadful. Tiring to listen to, but what do expect for a radio the size of a box of crayons?
This one was as simple and as user intuitive as you get. No fancy dials, buttons, or crazy ergonomics (as Kaito is apt to).
Overall it's a fine radio for general Shortwave listening, AMDXing, a grab and go radio, and the perfect starter radio for someone new to shortwave.
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CRUNCHMAN
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 12, 2007 08:42
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The Kaito WRX911 provides worldwide listening on a budget. This
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Great radio for the money, $20. Only drawback is it will not receive weak stations very well. Too much drift. Stronger stations like WWCR sound great. If you need a radio that you can put in your pocket and run, this one is it.
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KG6TAG
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 1, 2006 22:14
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For $17 - it's a no brainer
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I picked this little radio up to act as a "disposable" radio on an upcoming vacation trip. If I lose it or break it, I won't be disappointed.
I like to have the WRX-911 (the Subaru + Porsche love child??) in the palm of my hand while walking the dog at night. It is easy to tune, has decent audio for a very small radio and it has good sensitivity. Sure, it is singe conversion with some heterodyne squeals but in general it suits my purpose very well.
It's performance? Well - you'll think I'm crazy, but it seems to be nearly as sensitive as my Sony ICFSW7600G - both using the the built in antennas. Although, the selectivity and audio quality of the Sony was much better, the sensitivity seemed to be about the same, which disappoints me a lot as I perceive it to be a ding against the Sony and not a Pro for the Kaito.
So - I really like this little radio. It looks good, it has nice controls, good battery life, the tuning is accurate enough for me to easily find any station which will be strong enough for me to enjoy, and there isn't any digital noise or other issues.
Would I purchase another? Sure - for $17 who can lose?
-Dave
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AB7JK
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Rating: 3/5
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Oct 1, 2006 16:01
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Acceptable analog
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've never had a Chinese SW portable radio that worked well - that goes for Kaito, Degen, Tecsun - junk - made by slave labor so what do you expect!
They have all had problems with faulty microprocessors (Tecsun), faulty voltage regulation circuits (Degen), poor image rejection (Kaito), battery drain (all of them) so the $22 I paid for this WRX911 wasn't too much of a gamble.
The radio is best for strong signal shortwave stations that are in the clear - not too close to other stations. Otherwise images, howls and squeals beome the order of the day. The audio is very good on SW but sounds somewhat distorted on MW. FM lacks sensitivity for weaker stations.
Right now $22 is about the most I'll pay anymore for a SW set. Most of the good stations have disappeared or curtailed their programming. Most of the stations left in English are from countries that pretty much hate us but still make a small effort to blow smoke up our rear ends (mostly the Chinese).
Maybe one of these days the Chinese will build their radios better - maybe one day after they are through destroying our economy. I doubt it though.
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KG6RPX
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Rating: 3/5
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Mar 26, 2006 11:31
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Marginal FM reception/sensitivity - suggest KA1102
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Positives: The Kaito WRX911 (~$29 US) is good looking, economical, analog dial multi-band(FM/MW/SW) receiver. It is simpler, mono/non-stereo, and slightly smaller than the higher performance/more costly sophisticated Kaito KA 1102 (~$69 US). Has a convenient dedicated on-off switch and a flip out back support for tilted up operation. Uses two convenient AA batteries. KA 1102 (longer description below) uses an odd number (three) rechargeable AA's.
We gave the WRX911 a shot for its simpler analog dial interface and lower price. Hoping to buy several if experiment worked out (it didn't).
Negatives: Marginal FM reception and selectivity. (Note our non-urban operating environment/ situation described below)
Why we tried the WRX911: Several positive on-line reviews and since we were very very pleased with another Kaito product we gave the WRX911 a try. Its 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.
For reference, the KA1102 is a PLL FM/MW/SW dual conversion receiver (with its admittedly complex digital and paged user interface).
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.
Date of Review 26 Mar 2006.
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K4IDX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 19, 2006 14:14
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BEST deal in a mini!!!!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Just a follow-up to my post several months back. After further use and experience with this little radio, I would rate it as the BEST miniature receiver on the market <$20! My Grundig 100PE has already bit the big one...the thumb tuning wheel has developed an increase in tension when tuning the lower end of the bands, making it difficult to pinpoint a frequency, which, by the way, is a whole other gripe! The dial is off and I've had to take the radio apart and correct that. In my previous review I stated that the Grundig felt 'cheap' and now I can prove it. The WRX 911 is a much better receiver with plenty of sensitivity for a $20 radio (I'd hardly consider it a toy). I plan to purchase a couple more just to have on the shelf!
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