I have a new favorite radio. And that's saying something, because I have a LOT of radios. Calling me a radio "collector" would be putting it kindly. Actually, I'm a radio ADDICT! I've worked in radio (personality, morning man, program director, music director, production director, in-house engineer, computer/tech guru, operations mgr, etc...today I own a radio production company called "The Production Room", with a staff of five. Together we serve as the production department of WKBC AM/FM in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina) my entire adult life, and am a FANATICAL radio listener. AM, FM, Shortwave, XM Satellite Radio, Internet Radio, you name it...I LOVE TO LISTEN!This is my FOURTH Kaito radio. I have the KA007 (solar/dynamo), KA1101, and KA1102. THIS ONE SOUNDS BETTER THAN ANY OF THE OTHERS, including the more expensive digital ones (1101 and 1102). For starters,the 1101, though a great radio, lacks bass response through headphones. Both the 1101 and 1102 suffer from some distortion on AM (MW), and both have charitably "modest" audio fidelity on AM and Shortwave bands. The 1102 does, however, have a GREAT FM section, with good sound quality through stereo headphones. BUT THE CHEAPER, ANALOG KA1107 is BETTER!
I have the Tivoli PAL (Portable Audio Laboratory) which previously was my benchmark for fm performance. THE KA1107 IS BETTER at receiving weak/distant fm stations IN STEREO without hiss or "grunge"! At my house in Wilkes County, NC, I have a strong signal from WFDD (88.5) in Winston Salem, NC, and a much weaker signal from WNCW (88.7) in Spindale, NC. BOTH are stations that I LOVE! MOST radios tune in WFDD just fine, but get TONS of adjacent channel interference when trying to gt WNCW. NOT THE KA1107! After carefully positioning the built-in "whip" antenna, WNCW came in just fine, IN STEREO (this from a 17,000 watt signal almost ONE HUNDRED MILES AWAY!)
On AM I can EASILY pull-in (daytime) WPTF (680) almost 100 miles to my east! In fact, I'm pulling in tons of little small-town AM stations in NC, Virginia, and Tennessee as I write this. Since Clear Channel and Infinity own most of the FM outlets around here (like most places), and they all sound the same. Fortunately the KA1107 lets me pull in all the public stations within about a 100 mile radius, as well as the quirky little AMs that are still locally owned and programmed! Stations like WKSK (580) West Jefferson, WCOK (1080) Sparta, WPAQ (740...with GREAT bluegrass and "old time" music) Mount Airy, WAES (630) Hickory, WATA (1450) Boone, WDSL (1520) Mocksville, and TONS more! ALL AM STATIONS THAT STILL PLAY MUSIC! There are tons of talk stations too, including the "big guns" like WBT (1110) Charlotte, and WSJS (600) Winston Salem. ALL COME IN GREAT ON THIS LITTLE 50 DOLLAR RADIO!
When listening through headphones, I HATE it when left and right volume don't track together at low volumes (I frequently listen to QUIET music on headphones while reading, and late at night). No such problems with the KA1107. A VERY GOOD "pot" is used!
Tuning-dial calibration is better than average...not more tha a few khz off on AM or any of the shortwave bands. The FM dial does compress most of the usable stations too much toward one end of the dial, because it includes the (worthless in this country) Japanese FM Band (starting at 76mhz). BIG DEAL! There's still plenty of tuning room between stations.
So, any gripes? You betcha! The little flap that flips out to tilt the radio when on a tabletop came off in my hand the first time I used it. I was able to snap it back in, but it will probably fall out again. I may put some tape on it so it doesn't get lost. No big deal. It DOES "work". And the tuning knob doesn't move with the "silky smoothness" of more expensive analog-tuned radios. It's perfectly adequate, and more important, there is no back-and-forth "play" when trying to tune among closely spaced stations.
The single IF bandwidth (on AM and Shortwave) seems well chosen...a good compromise between fidelity on strong stations, and selectivity on closely spaced and weak ones. Again, fidelity on all bands using amplitude modulation is VERY good, with low distortion!
GREAT RADIO GUYS!
Mike Walker
Boomer, NC, USA
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Product Description:
The newly released Kaito KA1107 is a dual conversion world band receiver that will keep you connected to a very comprehensive frequency range with analog tuning and readout. This radio has outstanding selectivity and sensitivity and transmits with a minimal amount of interference and feedback. If you plan on traveling with a radio, the KA1107 is a very good choice. You can either listen to the KA1107 via the built-in D77 mm speaker or with the included earphones. One thing unique about this radio is it comes with a quartz alarm clock and a sleep timer, which you can set from 1 minute to 2 hours. You won't find this feature in any other analog shortwave radios. The KA1107 powers on AC or 4 pieces of AA batteries, it also features a built-in battery charger, just plugs it into any wall outlet with the included AC adpator and switch to CHARGE. Frequency Coverage: FM:76.0-108.0MHz;MW:520-1710 MHz; SW:3.75-21.90 MHz; Package includes Stereo earphones, 120 V/AC adaptor, external antenna, carrying pouch and a copy of user manual.
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