| METSVENEZUELA |
Rating:      |
2006-07-03 | |
| El Gran Kaito KA-1103 the great Kaito KA-1103 |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Hola a todos, hace dos meses adquirí el Kaito KA-1103 gracias en gran parte a estos reviews, es un radio maravilloso es muy selectivo y sensitivo, he sintonizado emisoras en onda corta que antes no había sintonizado como la voz de Turquía, Radio Educación de México y otras que su señal la sintonizaba muy bajas como por ejemplo Damasco, el cairo. en FM es muy bueno y en MW también. Me parece una buena compra por lo bueno del receptor aparte de todos los accesorios que este trae como antena exterior, audífonos, pilas recargables, forro de protección, cargador y hasta me dieron gratis un cargador de pila solar, por todo me parece que es una buena compra este radio...
Hello to all, two months ago I largely acquired the Kaito KA-1103 thank you to these reviews, it is a wonderful radio it is very selective and sensitive, I have syntonized radio stations in short wave that before had not syntonized as the voice of Turkey, Radio Education of Mexico and others that their sign syntonized it very low as for example Damask, the Cairo. in FM it is very good and in MW also. I find a good purchase for the good of the receiver apart from all the accessories that this it brings as external antenna, headsets, rechargeable piles, protection lining, loader and until they gave me free a loader of pile lot, for everything I find that it is a good purchase this radio...
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| KD7RDZI2 |
Rating:      |
2006-03-29 | |
| my technical experience |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The radio comes with an input antenna. Like most of portables the impedance of the antenna input is not specified.. as it was probably designed for the non resonant wire antenna. I think it is a high impedance antenna input. When connected to a T2FD (by Barker-Williamson) antenna high on the roof the signal increased significantly (as if a small amplifier) putting a 50:450 ohm Minicircuits (costs about 5 euros and works great up to 200Mhz!!!!!!) between the 50 ohm antenna and the antenna input of the radio.
Compared to the Darke R8, the receiver OVERLOADS when connected to a big wideband external antenna.. using the 16db attenuator, the problem disappears.. using a rudimental MFJ 956 preselector this problem vanishes without the need of the attenuator in the bands up to 7Mhz (for the frequencies above I would suggest you make a high pass filter that attenuates greately the frequencies below 7.5Mhz).
with the whip Antenna (which is in fact a built in active antenna), the receiver tends to overload more easily.
The radio is very sensitive, has good IF filters, good FM overloading performance (better than the Sangean), good audio. Excellent is listening the SSB signals. It is ok for CW as well. Compared to a tabletop such as the Drake R8 you can feel that the Drake is however clearer.
My unit tunes down to 100Khz, was built in December 2004, and I could not find some flaws mentioned by others. Instead, it happened to me that the sensitivity dropped to nothing. There is a reset hole. If it happens to you, push it for several seconds with a small screwdriver, remove the batteries, wait some minutes switch also the dx switch and the filter switch and power up the radio again. Full sensitivity should come back.
I also have the magnetic indoor loop DE31 (should be known as KA31). The antenna was used indoor so reception was noisier. However I noticed that the antenna is very selective and it is very good as the radio will unlikely overload with such active antenna without using any preselector!!!. This antenna is rather genial and costs almost nothing (paid about 25 euro delivered at home). I think it would be perfect if you can put the antenna under the roof protected from water, in case you live in a attic. It's perfect for traveling and portable use (you can put it on the top of a cheap 7 meters fishing rod). However I found that signal can be increased again putting the 50:450 ohm transformer T9-1 by Minicircuits between the DE31 antenna outenna to the antenna input.
Overall it is a great value! |
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| KU4MO |
Rating:      |
2006-02-10 | |
| Great little radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Just got it and it works great. I put in on a 500 ft loop in "local" mode and the results amazed me. Works well with on board and suppled antenna as well. It's a keeper. |
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| AD6VU |
Rating:      |
2005-12-14 | |
| FB portable |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| After reading the reviews here I decided to order one from Universal Radio and have not been disappointed. It has very clear audio, good sensitivity, and despite its unusual but intuitive controls, I was up and running in minutes. For the money, this is an excellent buy and it comes with a set of NiMH batts, a power/charger wallwart, earbuds, and auxiliary wire antenna. The only downside for me was using my big fingers to stretch the foam earphone muffs over the tiny earphones... wish they had hired some little Chinese gal do that at the factory... Hi |
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| WA3AAJ |
Rating:      |
2005-11-13 | |
| Outstanding |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I read the reviews here and took the plunge. This radio exceeded my expectations. It blows away my Kenwood TH-F6 when it comes to copying SSB on the ham bands. Yes, the volume control is a bit funky but not really an issue after 15 minutes of playing with it.
It is hard to believe you can get a radio like this for the price |
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| AB7JK |
Rating:   |
2005-11-13 | |
| Not for me |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had this little radio for a few months and it had a problem with the low voltage shutoff circuitry. It would run a maximum of four hour on a new set of alkalines before it would shut down. Why Chinese radio manufactures put those screwy circits in their radios I have no idea.
Aside from that the radio was pretty sensitive and selective although the audio was rather hollow sounding compared to other portables. |
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| WB0MZT |
Rating:      |
2005-11-13 | |
| Great |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have compared this little portable to several other portables I have on hand...it is really an amazing little radio. The sensitivity is high, and with just the whip antenna seems to catch some of the weaker stations I like to listen to...Seems very solidly built.
I am not a big fan of the fake analog dial. I never look at it, just the digital readout. It does seem like a waste of a large area...I heard someone describe it as having a digital and analog readout on the same wristwatch...why? But this is not a complaint, just an observation, as I'll take it as they made it...
Really like the tuning, which is very quiet...no chugging as others have pointed out. Also like having an actual tuning dial, and not just buttons.
Having started my radio career in the late 60's as a SWL, I am just amazed at what they can do with the technology they have available to them now. For the money, I would not hesitate to purchase this little radio. It will not disappoint you! |
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| K1REX |
Rating:      |
2005-10-10 | |
| Superb portable receiver! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I am just adding my voice to the chorus of praise for this little unit. This radio sets a new standard in a quality portable. The performance of this receiver is so good that it will startle you! The build quality is excellent. Switches are of high quality and the radio has a substantial, solid feel to it. Sensitivity is simply amazing right across the whole spectrum of coverage, and selectivity is completely adequate for portable use -- even more than adequate for broadcast band DXing, etc. (The standard of excellence for selectivity in these parts [Greater Boston] is to be able to tune in WINS/NY on 1010khz -- up against the goliath WBZ/Boston, 50KW on 1030 khz. The Kaito does this with ease, even in the "wide" selectivity setting. On the "narrow" setting -- 4khz -- stations on 1020 khz and 1040 khz can be clearly heard. SSB/CW reception is also very well accomplished with this receiver.
I travel a great deal and this radio will now go with me everywhere. It is utterly capable of keeping you in touch with anything going on in the vlf, medium wave and hf bands. Add to this the overall high quality of the unit, the fact that it comes complete with rechargeable batteries, excellent earbud headsphones (the quality of these will startle you, too!),an AC power supply, a quality soft case, and even a length of wire if you want to string up a short aerial, and you have a hands-down winner! 5++++!!
This radio is serious.
I also purchased the radio with the optional KA31 integrated portable antenna with preamp for use when in rf-unfriendly structures. the loop just attaches to a window with a suction cup. Plenty of shielded lead is supplied to make the run to the preamp. PLEASE NOTE, however, that the review of the Kaito 1103, above, was NOT made on the basis of using this portable antenna. It's just a useful accessory that is available as part of a package deal with this radio. Also, I am not employed by kaito, no are any members of my family. I do, however, get excited when I see a superior product made available at a compelling price.
Sincerely,
Stephen, K1REX
www.fourriverscounseling.com |
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| WA8KOQ |
Rating:      |
2005-09-28 | |
| Very good rcvr |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I also could not believe what I was reading about this 1103, so I bought one. What caught my eye first was the "NO CHUGGING" while tuning feature.After having the Sangean ATS-103 and a Sony ICF SW77 and Grundig 500 that all CHUGGED I was ready to try anything. It is QUIET!!!! Also the receiver itself is very quiet and a pleasure to listen to.
It hears it all very well and is hard to beat for the price with the NIMH batteries and charger included.
I like the complete lighted dial for using at night because you can see everything your doing, not just some things.The sleep timer is a breeze to set.I like the analog look to it (guess I'm old school)
The tuning is the best though I think. It's fun to tune with the knob without having to listen to a bunch of chunking. Of course, it will scan too.
I don't think you can go wrong with this gem.... |
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| N2DY |
Rating:      |
2005-09-27 | |
| Stunned |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Okay so I didn't believe all of the glowing reviews of this radio and so I had to get one for myself to check it out. Well, these guys were not lying. This is a terrific portable for the price.
I compared the 1103 to my favorite much more expensive Sony 7600, a Grundig Yacht Boy 400, a Radio Shack DX-440 and the Kaito 1102.
The 1103 was just as sensitive as the best of the pack, the Sony. I was shocked at how good it works on all bands.
If there is a weak point, it is selectivity, particularly on SSB. While not bad, it does not measure up to the Sony or the Grundig. That being said, it was quite acceptable for SSB listening as long as you can tolerate a little splatter.
Chinese labor must be awfully cheap in order to sell a product like this at that price. As others have said, you get nice ear buds, rechargeable batteries, a charger, a wire antenna, and a carrying case for a ridiculously low price. If funds are tight, this is the radio for you. If you can afford to splurge, step up to the Sony 7600.
I had also bought the Kaito 1102 because of its small size. It is not bad, but its performance does not measure up to that of the cheaper 1103. It is similar although not quite as sensitive. It even feels cheaper with more plastic.
Stick with the 1103 if you want to buy one of these new cheap portables. What a deal! |
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