On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:45:43 -0700, Dave wrote:

I f you are throwing sparks your house is too dry. Humidifiers are
essential to your health and that of anything made of wood or transistors.

I use a humidifier in the winter, but for obvious reasons put it away
when it gets warm enough outside to open windows. Bottom line is that
you can't always control the humidity of your environment, especially
when you're travelling, and a good radio should have some kind of ESD
protection.

FWIW, it seems the Degen 1103 has been upgraded and now has some ESD
protection.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/de1103/message/1589

"While I was in the case I noted a number of differences to the
original circuit and pictures on this site.
The whip antenna connection now has a couple of back to back diodes
across it to discharge ESD."