Way out in the middle of nowhere, where language,
water, food, culture, animals... where everything is
different.... it is a wonderful feeling to tune in the BBC or
Voice of America and listen to news from half a world
away.
A good shortwave radio can be the difference between
unbelievable frustration - yes, almost to the point of
tears - and that touchstone with the familiar that allows
you to continue on your journey.
We had a Radio Shack Shortwave on our last trip that
Amanda had found in the trash. It was good, but was a
little big and could be better.
Then I came across the Degen DE-1103. It is
exceptional....why?
Phenomenal Reception: There is nothing more
frustrating than hearing a glimpse of a station, then
having it disappear into thin air. This radio somehow
pulls in stations from far far away. For instance, I am
listening –right now- to the traffic report from an AM
station in San Francisco. Considering I am nearly 800
miles away south, near the border with Mexico, makes
this remarkable.
Internal Battery Charger: Leave it to our Chinese
friends to do the unthinkable…to design a radio that
actually recharges it’s own batteries when plugged
into the socket. Why doesn’t every radio do this? I
purchased bike lights that use the same rechargeable
AA batteries so I can use the radio to keep all the
batteries topped up. It’s also got a built in battery
meter.
Presets: It’s got a remarkable number of presets
(268). When the power is disconnected the memory is
stored – even when the batteries are removed.
Size is Everything: This radio is tiny (165 X 105 X 29
mm) (6 ½� X 4� X 1� inches)
Sound Quality: The sound that comes out of this tiny
thing is bright, crisp, and flawless.
It Scans: Shortwave stations can be difficult to find when
using a manual tuning radio. The Degen scans through
the band digitally and pauses automatically when it finds
a signal.
It tunes by 1: Our other Radio Shack shortwave (which
was excellent) tuned by 5 units in shortwave. This radio
tunes by 1 unit for precision tuning.
SSB: It is also a single side band receiver. I do not know
what this means but real radio heads get excited about
it.
Clock: It’s got a clock, two alarms, and a countdown
shutoff.
External Antenna: It comes with a regular whip antenna
and a extra-long, plug-in wire antenna.
Downside: You have to order it directly from the
manufacturer in China through eBay. To me this
seemed dicey...but the radio came without any problems
and works great!
water, food, culture, animals... where everything is
different.... it is a wonderful feeling to tune in the BBC or
Voice of America and listen to news from half a world
away.
A good shortwave radio can be the difference between
unbelievable frustration - yes, almost to the point of
tears - and that touchstone with the familiar that allows
you to continue on your journey.
We had a Radio Shack Shortwave on our last trip that
Amanda had found in the trash. It was good, but was a
little big and could be better.
Then I came across the Degen DE-1103. It is
exceptional....why?
Phenomenal Reception: There is nothing more
frustrating than hearing a glimpse of a station, then
having it disappear into thin air. This radio somehow
pulls in stations from far far away. For instance, I am
listening –right now- to the traffic report from an AM
station in San Francisco. Considering I am nearly 800
miles away south, near the border with Mexico, makes
this remarkable.
Internal Battery Charger: Leave it to our Chinese
friends to do the unthinkable…to design a radio that
actually recharges it’s own batteries when plugged
into the socket. Why doesn’t every radio do this? I
purchased bike lights that use the same rechargeable
AA batteries so I can use the radio to keep all the
batteries topped up. It’s also got a built in battery
meter.
Presets: It’s got a remarkable number of presets
(268). When the power is disconnected the memory is
stored – even when the batteries are removed.
Size is Everything: This radio is tiny (165 X 105 X 29
mm) (6 ½� X 4� X 1� inches)
Sound Quality: The sound that comes out of this tiny
thing is bright, crisp, and flawless.
It Scans: Shortwave stations can be difficult to find when
using a manual tuning radio. The Degen scans through
the band digitally and pauses automatically when it finds
a signal.
It tunes by 1: Our other Radio Shack shortwave (which
was excellent) tuned by 5 units in shortwave. This radio
tunes by 1 unit for precision tuning.
SSB: It is also a single side band receiver. I do not know
what this means but real radio heads get excited about
it.
Clock: It’s got a clock, two alarms, and a countdown
shutoff.
External Antenna: It comes with a regular whip antenna
and a extra-long, plug-in wire antenna.
Downside: You have to order it directly from the
manufacturer in China through eBay. To me this
seemed dicey...but the radio came without any problems
and works great!
| Degen DE1103 it is also know as the Kaito KA-1103 |
