"T. Early" wrote in message
...
SNIP.

Degen 1102 it's a must have!

Would I be betraying incredible cynicism in wondering if a few of the
endorsements for this radio might be, shall we say, financially
motivated?


It crossed my mind as well -- but having read Ulis Fleming's review at
http://www.radiointel.com I figured I was going in with my eyes wide open.

I insisted on buying the Kaito version from RadioLabs, because I wanted a US
warranty (from an actual radio dealer) and did not want to hassle with a 220
to 110 adapter (especially because I keep reading about people with
malfunctioning adapters).

The Kaito 1102 really is an amazing little radio. The more time I spend
with it, the more I like it.

I would definitely choose it as the best compact portable available for less
than $220 (which would buy two of these with plenty of money left over --
even after shipping next-day). I do hear people gushing about the sound on
the unit's speaker, and I do have to say that they must not have much of an
ear for quality sound. It's barely adequate. However, it's all relative, I
guess -- the KA1102's speaker does sound a little better than the one in my
Sony SW07, (which is a $300+ radio). Forget it even has a speaker -- it's a
walkman.

The radio is about the size of the typical portable cassette version of
walkman-style radios (just a little bit thinner -- but just as hefty).

This radio is meant for "walkman"-type headphones. That's where it shines.
In fact, the manual even says not to turn on the "FM Bass" feature if you're
listening on the speaker. But when you listen to FM Stereo on headphones
with the Bass feature on -- it ROCKS. So, basically you're getting an
AM/FM/SW walkman that has an unbelievably sensitive whip antenna and truly
excellent memory features (that rival an ATS-909) -- the ultimate
radio-based walkman for radio geeks on the road.

It's meant to be on the move -- It charges its own NIMH batteries (but not
automatically -- you have to tell it how many hours to charge them).

It will load 20 stations (in whichever band you want) into memory page "0"
if you tell it to.

It will get SSB.

It is intuitive to use -- the way things work on this radio make sense.

You can mix different kinds (bands) of stations on the same page -- great
for a "favorites" page, for instance.

It has timers and alarms.

It will switch from 10 to 9 Khz stepping on MW for trips abroad. It will
keep you entertained for hours on end.

It will cost you 80 bucks.
http://www.radiolabs.com/products/ra...02-special.php

-- Stinger