My New Radio - I Love It!!

I bought my Christmas present a little early this year - a new
Kaito KA-1103 LW/MW/SW/FM portable! I love it! I'm a horrible photographer, so please excuse the blurry images, but I just had to put them on my blog for all to see.

You've probably read all of the reviews that say the KA-1103 is an ergonomic nightmare, but I've found it to be a pretty handy and easy to use radio. The reviews are all well written by very respectable DX'ers, so don't send me nasty e-mails. The reviews are worth the time to read and print out, especially if you buy the radio. I keep my copies in a loose-leaf notebook for quick reference. Here are two of the reviews:


RadioIntel DE-1103 Review


Monitoring Times DE-1103 Review (PDF)

The volume control is unorthodox, but after about 15 minutes using the radio, it's no problem at all.

Here's a better picture - you can see the bottom row of buttons.



The number buttons are all in a row, instead of positioned like a telephone keypad. Those same reviews said this arrangement was bad. But, just as with the volume control, I've found them not to be a problem at all.

I splurged and bought a leatherette/vinyl protective case for the radio. The stock "case" was a velour-like drawstring pouch. I think the case adds extra protection to the radio.



I'd love to hear what others have to say about the KA-1103 or its cousin, the Degen DE-1103.

I'm hoping that over the Thanksgiving holiday, I'll be able to log some great DX with it and post it here!