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Sanjaya wrote:
"homepc" wrote in message ... I was looking at the Kaito KA1102 advertised at http://www.shortwavestore.com/kaito-ka1102.html What do you think of this radio? Is it sturdy enough to take back and forth to work? I want a good radio that will work in an office with lots of pc's and concrete. Is this radio easy to use, or is there a steep learning curve? Save some money and get the Degen OEM version DE1102 http://stores.ebay.com/V-COM-COLLECTIONS For better sound and sensitivity get a DE1103 Both are excellent, but if I could have only one of the two I'd pick the 1103. I looked up Passport 2005 review for the 1103 and the pic shows a radio with a combined analog/digital readout and the review mentions that it doesn't have a volume control. I'd rather not have to mess with an analog dial, even if it does have a digital component. The 1102 comes supplied with an external wire antenna that plugs into the side, greatly helping performance. This would be a big plus in an office building. I can vouch for the seller at the above link (Liypn). He sells the latest version of the improved 1103 and he tests the radios before shipping. I can't say either will work in your office with the pc's going. But if you're near a window you might improve reception by placing the radio in the sill and passing the included external wire out the window. The 1102 comes with the needed 220v step up transformer, the 1103 doesn't (from Liypn). He sells it separately for that radio. But if you have your own battery charger and at least 2 sets of AA batteries you won't need the transformer for either. It's my humble opinion that the plug is there for charging the batteries (rechargeable batteries are supplied) and that the radio is meant to directly run off batteries, not the plug. I run my 1102 off alkaline batteries from the grocery store. Just don't try to charge alkalines. :) Another excellent choice for your purposes is the Tecsun PL200. Known as the Eton E100 in the US. It doesn't have SSB like the other two, but it does come with the step up transformer. Note that I am using facts about the seller Liypn. I don't know about other sellers of these fine radios. Liypn is an excellent choice to order Degens from. The 1102 I got from him had a mfg date in January 2004, and I got it in March, so he keeps his stock moving. He's located in Hong Kong, and the Degen factory is in Shenzhen, which is just outside the Hong Kong border in China itself, so Liypn must get the radios factory direct. The Degen manual has one side in English and one in Chinese, as does the box. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
tommyknocker wrote:
I looked up Passport 2005 review for the 1103 and the pic shows a radio with a combined analog/digital readout and the review mentions that it doesn't have a volume control. This seems strange. Could you please explain it? mike |
"m II" wrote in message news:1Nfod.14134$l65.14116@clgrps13... tommyknocker wrote: I looked up Passport 2005 review for the 1103 and the pic shows a radio with a combined analog/digital readout and the review mentions that it doesn't have a volume control. This seems strange. Could you please explain it? mike Hi Mike. I don't know what TK's reference means.. Maybe he means the radio doesn't have the usual up and down buttons, or "wheel", to adjust volume. The 1103 does have a volume control. To increase/decrease volume one presses the volume button and turns the tuning knob. The volume "steps" appear on the LCD as you hear the volume going up or down. Some people find this counter-intuitive, but I don't mind it at all. It works fine for me. The radio is indeed digitally tuned, and has a digital readout on the display. The display also has a *simulated* analog pointer that imitates an analog dial. It's for show only. Frequencies are accurately displayed by the digital readout above the simulated pointer. Some people don't like that either, as the analog simulation takes up lots of space and causes the number buttons to be laid out in a horizontal single row instead of the usual "keypad" fashion we are used to. Again, I've had no problem getting used to that. I can easily enter frequencies with the numbers in a row, and I think the simulated dial look cool. Others would rather have the standard layouts we're used to. I've had no problems with the ergonomics of the DE1103, no "learning curve" so to speak. I guess it's a matter of taste. What I'm concerned with is performance and the 1103 gives me that. |
Sanjaya wrote:
"m II" wrote in message news:1Nfod.14134$l65.14116@clgrps13... tommyknocker wrote: I looked up Passport 2005 review for the 1103 and the pic shows a radio with a combined analog/digital readout and the review mentions that it doesn't have a volume control. This seems strange. Could you please explain it? mike Hi Mike. I don't know what TK's reference means.. Maybe he means the radio doesn't have the usual up and down buttons, or "wheel", to adjust volume. The 1103 does have a volume control. To increase/decrease volume one presses the volume button and turns the tuning knob. The volume "steps" appear on the LCD as you hear the volume going up or down. Some people find this counter-intuitive, but I don't mind it at all. It works fine for me. Quoting from Passport's review, page 118: ------ Frankenvolume Not only the keypad and weird LCD compromise ergonomics. Incredibly, there is also no separate volume control. No knob, no up/down buttons-not even a little stick. Instead, to adjust volume you first press a key, then quickly start turning the tuning knob until the desired level is reached, then wait about three seconds; alternatively, you can enter the desired volume level (0-63) on the keypad, then press the volume key. In time you'll probably come across somebody who proclaims, "Hey, that doesn't bother me!" He's probably the same guy who likes bee stings. ------ I'll pass. The radio is indeed digitally tuned, and has a digital readout on the display. The display also has a *simulated* analog pointer that imitates an analog dial. It's for show only. Frequencies are accurately displayed by the digital readout above the simulated pointer. Some people don't like that either, as the analog simulation takes up lots of space and causes the number buttons to be laid out in a horizontal single row instead of the usual "keypad" fashion we are used to. Again, I've had no problem getting used to that. I can easily enter frequencies with the numbers in a row, and I think the simulated dial look cool. Passport's review compares it to the Sony SW40, and notes that the 40 has been a weak seller, since people see it and automatically decide it's analog tuned. Others would rather have the standard layouts we're used to. I've had no problems with the ergonomics of the DE1103, no "learning curve" so to speak. I guess it's a matter of taste. What I'm concerned with is performance and the 1103 gives me that. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
To me, the volume control on the 1103 seemed pretty weird as long as I used
the knob, but someone else recommended that it's much easier to adjust the volume by pressing 1-5 Volume for volume level 15 or 2-0 Volume for volume level 20. This works so naturally now for me that I don't even think of the 1103 as having any other way of setting the volume. Besides, most of my listening is done at the same volume, so it hardly ever gets changed anyway. |
"tommyknocker" wrote in message ... Sanjaya wrote: "m II" wrote in message news:1Nfod.14134$l65.14116@clgrps13... tommyknocker wrote: I looked up Passport 2005 review for the 1103 and the pic shows a radio with a combined analog/digital readout and the review mentions that it doesn't have a volume control. This seems strange. Could you please explain it? mike Hi Mike. I don't know what TK's reference means.. Maybe he means the radio doesn't have the usual up and down buttons, or "wheel", to adjust volume. The 1103 does have a volume control. To increase/decrease volume one presses the volume button and turns the tuning knob. The volume "steps" appear on the LCD as you hear the volume going up or down. Some people find this counter-intuitive, but I don't mind it at all. It works fine for me. Quoting from Passport's review, page 118: ------ Frankenvolume Not only the keypad and weird LCD compromise ergonomics. Incredibly, there is also no separate volume control. No knob, no up/down buttons-not even a little stick. Instead, to adjust volume you first press a key, then quickly start turning the tuning knob until the desired level is reached, then wait about three seconds; alternatively, you can enter the desired volume level (0-63) on the keypad, then press the volume key. In time you'll probably come across somebody who proclaims, "Hey, that doesn't bother me!" He's probably the same guy who likes bee stings. ------ I'll pass. The radio is indeed digitally tuned, and has a digital readout on the display. The display also has a *simulated* analog pointer that imitates an analog dial. It's for show only. Frequencies are accurately displayed by the digital readout above the simulated pointer. Some people don't like that either, as the analog simulation takes up lots of space and causes the number buttons to be laid out in a horizontal single row instead of the usual "keypad" fashion we are used to. Again, I've had no problem getting used to that. I can easily enter frequencies with the numbers in a row, and I think the simulated dial look cool. Passport's review compares it to the Sony SW40, and notes that the 40 has been a weak seller, since people see it and automatically decide it's analog tuned. Others would rather have the standard layouts we're used to. I've had no problems with the ergonomics of the DE1103, no "learning curve" so to speak. I guess it's a matter of taste. What I'm concerned with is performance and the 1103 gives me that. I gave my honest opinions of the DE1103. I like the radio and find no difficulty with the ergonomics. Each of us... you, me, Passport, RadioIntel.com, etc., has our own opinion. I respect your feelings about what you've read, and your choice not to purchase it. Best wishes and much good listening to you. |
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On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 06:35:41 GMT, m II
wrote: tommyknocker wrote: I looked up Passport 2005 review for the 1103 and the pic shows a radio with a combined analog/digital readout and the review mentions that it doesn't have a volume control. This seems strange. Could you please explain it? it has a volume control, but it is a bit strange....... |
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