Review on Silver Kaito KA1103 - High-Performance Worldband Radio by Jeffrey Shatzel

I own a lot of radios and some of them are more expensive and better but for the money the Kaito 1103 is a killer radio. Can't comment much on AM or FM because I mostly use it for shortwave and SSB (single sideband), but from Northern Illinois I can easily reach Toronto and New York at night on AM, plus tons of FM stations. I would like the auto scan to put the detected AM and SW stations in temporary storage, like it does on my Tecsun PL-660, but it works fine. I think Autoscan in FM has temporary storage, but I haven't tried this feature yet. SSB is great. From my apartment in northern Illinois I can hear radio amateurs in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Virginia at night, as well as all the usual shortwave radio stations like Cuba, China, Central America, Slovakia etc. Everything I heard only on the whip antenna. Inside a building, you just need to minimize radio interference. Turn off nearby chargers and LED lights for the best listening experience. The SSB BFO control is a little touchy but works well after some practice. It lacks a central latch, so you have to listen to the dividing line between the LSB and USB. I have the usual complaints about the lack of a dedicated volume knob and the odd keyboard key layout, but the setup is easy to get used to. I'm probably one of the few who likes the faux analog display, but it reminds me of the old days of radio. The two filter options are fine, but the narrow one feels too tight at times. The sound quality is very good for such a small radio, especially with headphones. The construction feels "heavy" and very solid, and feels premium. The radio body is metal, not plastic. Not thin at all in my opinion. For the money you won't find a better entry-level HF and SSB unit, or even for someone like me with better equipment a more portable unit to take with you on trips or just for a few minutes of listening. . At home. Lately this radio has become my favorite radio to listen to at home when I don't feel like reaching for a bigger set.