Kaito KA008... forget it
 

Some time ago I posted here that if I had to
buy and emergency dynamo (crank) power
shortwave, I'd get a Kaito KA008
Please forgive me for running my mouth like
that.

My curiosity got the best of me and I
ordered one. "Emergency" is the appropriate
word here... that's the only time I'll use it
other than playing around. My initial testing
showed that it's pretty sensitive, but let me
tell ya... the analog tuning, with digital readout,
is so out of calibration I'd have no clue what
I was hearing unless I knew the bands and
stations. For instance... BBC on 5.975 tunes
in (with lots of interference from stations I've
never heard on good shortwave radios) with
the digital readout showing 6.000. On MW
I get 990 kHz, but see the number 1020.
FM is not off as much... 88.3 shows 88.5 on
the dial.

It has pretty good sound, and would come in
handy if I had no power, no batteries and no
other radios. Sensitivity is ok, but who cares
when it's bleeding other stations into your signal
and you have to tune off the desired frequency.
Totally bleah as far as selectivity is concerned.

I highly recommend you pass on this model
unless you find it for $20 and want a new toy
to play with. In my opinion it is worth nothing
close to the prices being asked, even on sale.