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Reviews For: Kaito WRX911

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Kaito WRX911
Reviews: 16MSRP: 34.99
Description:
Super high sensitivity AM/FM/SW1-9 World Receiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.kaitousa.com/WRX911.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00164.1
AB7JK Rating: 2006-10-01
Acceptable analog Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
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.

KG6RPX Rating: 2006-03-26
Marginal FM reception/sensitivity - suggest KA1102 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
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.
K4IDX Rating: 2006-01-19
BEST deal in a mini!!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
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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Earlier 5-star review posted by K4IDX on 2005-02-16

For $20 you can't beat it! I totally agree with the previous review and can add that this little radio beats the Grundig Mini100PE hands down! I did a side by side comparison last night and the Kaito is superior in construction, receiving, and ease of use. I bought mine to carry backpacking and travelling instead of my YB400PE or Sony SW7600GR and I can see that this little gem will more than satisfy. I had low expectations and am extremely pleased in all aspects. The blue is a really cool color too!
SLIDERULEX Rating: 2005-07-11
Kaito kicks SW butt! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Title says it all. I bought this off of ebay for $22.00 and am VERY pleased! I bought it mainly for SW listening, and I'm not disappointed. I live on the West Coast and SW is sometimes finicky here to pick up. I can get all of the strong SW stations with it like the BBC, VOA, Radio Netherlands, Deutsche Welle, etc. And, I can get WWCR and other weaker stations too.

It's easy to handle and I like the size and fit in my small hands. I like the large tuning knob and its tension is just right as it easily tunes to and locks in your station of interest. It has 9 SW bands with good coverage and so you won't likely miss out on your favorite programs. For the price, small size, solid construction, SW performance, and ease of use, I confidently recommend it.
SCHWAGER Rating: 2005-02-25
Low price Cheapo Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well after reading the other reviews I decided to try one of these little blue pocket radios. I suppose I should not be too critical for the price but I will. Overall sensivitity is poor, Especially the upper half of the FM band. While you can get some stronger SW signals there seems to be alot of noise as well. I have a Old Radio Shack DX-342 that I paid $15.00 for when the Shack was closing them out, that blows its doors off. It is a nice looking radio and cosmetic quality is good. I wonder if the other Kaito products are dissapointing as well. I got this one on ebay for just under $20 . I suppose for a toy thats not that bad.
K7FD Rating: 2004-10-11
Mini SW RX Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
OK, so how good can a micro-sized shortwave portable radio be? Especially when it can be found for less than $30? Well, amazingly enough I'm sitting here right now listening to Radio Moscow...Radio Korea...and others boom in on its mighty telescopic whip!

A little bigger than a pack of cigarettes, the WRX911 delivers uptown sensitivity and audio quality -- especially so while wearing my Bose Tri-port headphones. But can you dx with this thing? In the right hands, I'd say one could log quite a few countries...

Construction-wise, the WRX911 is finished quite nicely. I have both the blue and black models (hey, Radios4you threw in the 2nd one for twenty bucks! It'll make a great gift...) and all controls have a crisp solid feel to them...even the analog tuning is smooth with no sloppiness. You tune it with a slide rule dial...no kiddin'...just like in the good ol' days. The dial face is extremely cool looking with all the frequencies displayed right in front of you...

The bottom line is you get a lotta bang for the buck...hours of fun for peanuts. I like to go sit in the park...& now I can and tune around the shortwave bands with a radio that fits in my pocket. It runs on a couple of AA's...for days on end from what I've read so far.

It covers all the AM SW bands, 4.5MHz to 21.95MHz. You get standard broadcast AM and FM mono to boot. Its performance on AM/FM is nothing to sneeze at either...stations all over the place and I live in the boonies.

One for the glove box, the other as a gift to the grandkid. I like that idea and that's what I'm doing with mine...

Did I mention it has a neat green LED 'glow in the dark' signal strength indicator? How much fun can you handle!

73 John K7FD
http://webpages.charter.net/peanut