Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Brandon Plowden photo
1 Level
1310 Review
73 Karma

Review on πŸ“» Kaito KA110: Compact Digital Radio & MP3 Player with Weather Updates & Micro-SD Card Reader by Brandon Plowden

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Based on the Retekess chassis, the selectivity is good and the sensitivity is average. for radio DSP.

First of all I have to say that I prefer the Kaito KA 580 to this new brand model from Retekess, it suits the DSP radio, I mean it's not as bad as some digital DSP models, but it's not that outstanding due to almost identical ranges and features, apart from the fact that the Kaito KA 580 has multiple power supplies while this one has only one, a BL-5C lithium battery. And the KA 580 has a light (it doesn't) and a siren (again, the KA110 doesn't work). Of course the KA 580 costs $15 more but it's worth it, plus the KA 580 is available in black or yellow and has better reception on bands that require a whip antenna, the KA 580's selectivity is on par with some of the various Tecsuns -Models that usually cost about the same but have SW rather than NOAA weather channels. It's easier to set the sleep timer on the KA 580 as the KA110 forces you to go to the menu to set the sleep time, but be careful with "mode" toggles in other range modes as it doesn't is listed on the button, but when you press the mode button on the KA 110 to enter lock mode. Press it again and the lock icon will clear the KA110's screen. For some reason the KA110 tends to generate static on AM when your hand approaches the top of the radio I don't understand why that happens so I'll try the KA 580 to see if it has the same problem. I just tested the same frequency on KA 580 and it doesn't have this problem. The only downside between the KA 580 and KA 110 is that the KA 110 has the ability to store stations, but I still prefer the KA 580 because I can still hear weak stations at night, but the KA110 doesn't have enough sensitivity to pick up weak ones at night Only this ability can save lives in an emergency. you can tune the desired frequency to KA 110, what's the use if you can't hear the station on that frequency in an emergency? Sure, the KA 580 has a digital display with manual tuning, but at least you can hear weak stations at night and you don't have to deal with the sticky outer rubber that's so common on many Kaito emergency radios. , that's never a problem with the KA 580, it's all plastic, not rubber, which tends to "melt" ozone, causing a sticky coating on the "rubberized" areas of most Red Cross/Emergency radios Kaito leaves. The Kaito KA110 is a good radio for what it does, but I recommend paying more for the KA 580 because I hate wasting money on a low quality radio when a better radio is currently available.

Pros
  • Free for educational purposes
Cons
  • Expensive insurance