tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post116831893927012297..comments2023-05-29T06:15:35.077-07:00Comments on cobalt pet shortwave / mediumwave weblog: rp2100 / ka2100 user reviewsweatherallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02060409107575801741noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-72785284615110397172008-03-16T14:25:00.000-07:002008-03-16T14:25:00.000-07:00HiJust got a KA2100 and am impressed so far. Good ...Hi<BR/>Just got a KA2100 and am impressed so far. Good service from Universal Radio. KGO in San Francisco comes in crystal clear 1000 Mi away in BC. Still playing with SW. Anyone know how to turn off the beep when the buttons are pressed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-58428075627991535202008-01-01T10:10:00.000-08:002008-01-01T10:10:00.000-08:00I'm thinking of getting a better radio than I have...I'm thinking of getting a better radio than I have now (a cheap Kaide picked up in HK) and am considering the Redsun, an Eton E5 or a Degen 1103.<BR/><BR/>I must say though, even with the Kaide I could pick up numbers stations - heard a 'NATO letters' (E10 Mossad?) station yesterday at about 6.8Mhz, and today got what I believe was a Russian numbers station at about 6.9Mhz. Maybe these stations are very common in Europe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-67840590159012687812007-10-22T19:53:00.000-07:002007-10-22T19:53:00.000-07:00Thanks Weatherall and Anonymous! I went to ebay a...Thanks Weatherall and Anonymous! I went to ebay and ordered the adapter already. The seller did email me that he was unable to send it until the end of the month, so I gave him my Indonesian address and it's all set. I had a little Sony analog SW years and years ago when I lived in Morocco and loved it! Can't wait to get the 2100 and get back into the world of SW...can't believe I've gone this long without it. Really appreciate the help, guys, thanks again!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06843650545231780007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-52505539501141509762007-10-21T17:20:00.000-07:002007-10-21T17:20:00.000-07:00Has anyone compared the Kaito KA-1103 with the Kai...Has anyone compared the Kaito KA-1103 with the Kaito KA-2100, the 1103 has built in sideband and from other reviews I hear it is very sensitive. Just wondering how it stacks up against the 2100.<BR/>I ordered a KA-1103 and I also ordered a Silicone Scientific #75498 which is an english version of the Redsun RP2000 (not RP2100), NO memory storage, but delivered new for around $60 with a mail in $10 rebate.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08728202326620930814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-63928892102701438602007-10-20T22:04:00.000-07:002007-10-20T22:04:00.000-07:00Hi Karen, the SSB adapter is available on ebay, th...Hi Karen, the SSB adapter is available on ebay, the ebay Auction Item number is: 140138471535. However, the seller notes on his site that he's out of the office through 10/28/07, he states you can send him an email and he will reply. Might want to wait and order from him once you get to Indonesia, seller is in China and can probably ship there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-81165569763462110072007-10-20T11:02:00.000-07:002007-10-20T11:02:00.000-07:00Karen:You can search eBay for "rp2100 ssb"Karen:<BR/>You can search eBay for "rp2100 ssb"weatherallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02060409107575801741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-23712153800258542002007-10-19T17:53:00.000-07:002007-10-19T17:53:00.000-07:00Hi, I'm new to SW and am considering the KA 2100. ...Hi, I'm new to SW and am considering the KA 2100. I like the reviews and the price is right. My question is: where can I buy the SSB adapter? Only one website (radios4you) offers it and they are out of stock...I'll be leaving the country soon to move to Indonesia and want the SSB adapter...can anyone help? Thanks so much!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06843650545231780007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-55743712448430600882007-10-17T00:03:00.000-07:002007-10-17T00:03:00.000-07:00Redsun RP2100 or Kaito KA-2100 owners sometimes co...Redsun RP2100 or Kaito KA-2100 owners sometimes complain of annoying interference from AM radio stations or signals on the shortwave bands, especially when using an external antenna. This is a problem common to many shortwave portable radios. Do yourself a big favor and get yourself an AM high-pass filter like this one: http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/filters/4426.html<BR/><BR/>It works great! Connects into your coax line with PL-259 connectors using SO-239 fittings (adapters are available to fit other connectors). You can use it with any radio on your external antenna and it will zap all AM interference and let you hear your shortwave bands in all their glory.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-25392047779661431782007-10-16T07:57:00.000-07:002007-10-16T07:57:00.000-07:00I also managed to get my long wire antenna up (60f...I also managed to get my long wire antenna up (60ft N/S, with balun) and what a difference in reception. No overloading and great SW reception around the world.<BR/><BR/>I did receive my E1XM the other day. Despite several consults with the dealer over the phone, I could not get the defective LCD to work. So I sent it back and decided to save my money. I know the E1 has many more features, but for my purposes, I am very satisfied with the KA2100.Gypsy Creekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03573419748223792748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-80680704784357984742007-10-12T01:08:00.000-07:002007-10-12T01:08:00.000-07:00OK, another update on the KA2100. Using a 100' ex...OK, another update on the KA2100. Using a 100' external rooftop wire sloper antenna with a balun, from the southwest U.S. the Kaito has pulled in good, audible SW transmissions from Novosibirsk, Russia; Rome, Italy, Brasilia and Porto Alegre, Brazil; Kigali, Rwanda; and Hanoi, Vietnam during day and night listening. <BR/><BR/>On the AM broadcast band at night, using just the KA2100's not 'very big' internal ferrite rod loopstick antenna, I have gotten faint but identifiable signals of 50KW BCB stations at distances (as the crow flies) of 1,150 miles and 1,254 miles away, and a 5KW AM station at 590 miles (station manager reports it's the first reception report he's gotten from my city). Pretty good for $100, no?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-11471667258559716172007-10-08T18:05:00.000-07:002007-10-08T18:05:00.000-07:00I've had my KA2100 for about a week now and am qui...I've had my KA2100 for about a week now and am quite impressed. This is the first shortwave radio I have bought since my Realistic DX200 back in the early 80's. After 25 years, I've decided to start SWLing again and am happy I found the Redsun. For $100, It's amazing. On the downside, I haven't been able to change the time or turn off the annoying beep which goes off every time I use the scan function.<BR/><BR/>I am also ordering the E1 (got the bug again for sure). We'll see if its worth an additional $350.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-38380001840661561922007-10-07T18:01:00.000-07:002007-10-07T18:01:00.000-07:00All I can tell you is that I should have bought th...All I can tell you is that I should have bought the Kaito KA-2100 a LOT sooner. I was concerned from the negative comments on a $100 Chinese-built radio, and I thought the Passport review was less than generous as well. I finally decided the KA2100 might do well anyway after I finished my rooftop SW antenna, since it doesn't appear to overload (or blow internal components!) as badly as the Sangean and Sonys on a high-gain external. Well, this radio flat-out pulls on both SW and FM, right out of the box! The filters and AGC work very well, thank you! MW(AM) is very good, but not quite super: I can get stations a little over 1,000 miles away at night with some interference, and directionality of the ferrite rod is good. But, on SW with just the 44" telescoping antenna, I picked up everything from Radio Pyongyang to the Voice of Turkey, with the radio inside my house and sitting on the coffee table. Very clear reception, and DX work is aided more than you'd think by aid of a large speaker and separate tone controls. Will be trying it out on a balun-equipped end-fed wire roof antenna on SW next, stay tuned.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-47881044135813774882007-06-05T08:28:00.000-07:002007-06-05T08:28:00.000-07:00I bought the Kaito version, with USA warranty, for...I bought the Kaito version, with USA warranty, for about $100 + shipping on eBay. This is the best $100 I have spent in recent memory. THE BEST $100 I've spent!!! That said, I've gotten back into SWL this past year after a long abscence. I used to own those big radios that weighed 75 lbs and glowed in the dard ((boatanchors :)) For me, the RP2100 is a miniature, shrunk-down boatanchor radio. What do I mean? (1) This is the ONLY radio on SW that has "the sound". The wide and narrow filters sound great (narrow is NOT muffled), the bass & treble controls really contour the sound and the speaker has great lows and highs (2) This is the only modern radio that has RF gain - and that matters. It's ahot radio in I live 2 miles from 4 xcast xmtrs. RF gain to the rescue!!! (3) This radio is sturdy and drift-free. Dial-in a frequency and it stays there. If I dropped it, I bet it would still work. It's HOT HOT HOT on AM-FM-SW and very selective. (4) this radio is an absolute steal at $100+ <BR/><BR/>I went a little crazy this year and bought a bunch of portable SW radios, figuring I'd keep two and sell the ones I don't like so much. Well, soon I will be selling my Grundig Sat 800 and Sat 700 and Sony 7600. I will keep the 2100 and the Eton E1. I will sell the E1 one when the 3000/3100 hits the market.<BR/><BR/>And NO, I do not work for Redsun, Kaito, CC Crane, Roberts, etc. I just LOVE this radio. It makes me smile every time I turn it on!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-32593656850764846352007-04-21T19:49:00.000-07:002007-04-21T19:49:00.000-07:00Hello, everyone in katio 2100 land! my name is tho...Hello, everyone in katio 2100 land! my name is thomas sheridan. I ordered the Kaito 2100 on 4 16 2007 and got it 4 18 2007. plugged it in and, using a $10 heathkit antenna tuner HD-1424 I got excellent rx of SW stations with the antenna on the tuner. kind of a funky connector though, but it came with 2 adaptors that I connected to a pl-259 connector on my tuner with a 2 foot long co-ax wire between the radio and the tuner; AM rx is excellent with a tuned AM ferrite core antenna that I made with 4 8" long ferrite rods inserted in a 8 inch long pvc tbe with wire wrapped around the tube terminated both ends of the wire with a 365 variable capacitor for AM band coverage! Stormwise wants $105 for the AM antenna tuner that I made for free. E-mail me at tomsheridan@netscape.com. thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-80221263226471327682007-02-07T22:25:00.000-08:002007-02-07T22:25:00.000-08:00Welcome TulsaJeff! Thanks for your comments - I d...Welcome TulsaJeff! Thanks for your comments - I don't think I've heard any comparisons of the KA2100 and the Eton E5 yet. I'm still a faithful E5 user at this point.weatherallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02060409107575801741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-41859608015053349442007-02-07T12:47:00.000-08:002007-02-07T12:47:00.000-08:00Found your thread and decided to post a comment on...Found your thread and decided to post a comment on the KA-2100. First, I know this sounds crazy but I like my Grundig S350 very much and have it coupled to a homebrew PAC-12 antenna. I get really great reception and the pair makes a nice portable combo. As far as my new KA-2100...I like it too. All except I can't really pick-up CW very well, if at all! I need to get the SSB adapter I guess. Overall, this radio clobbered the Eton E-5 that I offloaded on a friend after my comparison. I am very impressed with the reception off the whip. What a great radio for money. I will still keep my S3-DRIFTY as the drift is minimal. I use a length of coax with an adapter I bought from Radio Shack and it works on the Grundig and the Kaito. I haven't used an antenna tuner yet or an SWR meter but will do so shortly. The PAC-12 was cheap and easy to build and mounted onto a camera tripod is a highly portable antenna. P.S. For all those with iPods, get a really short digital camera tripod, a 1.5" bolt, a nylon washer and a 1/4 coupler and mount a SOLIO charger on it and you are in business. You get a lot of comments about how cool your "antenna" looks. LATER, TULSAJEFFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-88360622045037094932007-01-26T23:24:00.000-08:002007-01-26T23:24:00.000-08:00LinuxSense: a blue light? Oh, now I need one of t...LinuxSense: a blue light? Oh, now I need one of those even if I don't get the matching radio!weatherallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02060409107575801741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-18962434041752067172007-01-26T23:23:00.000-08:002007-01-26T23:23:00.000-08:00peevish one:
I like your Amazon review - thanks fo...peevish one:<br />I like your Amazon review - thanks for sharing! I hadn't heard before of the weird LCD backlighting.<br /><br />The audio quality and RF gain functionality both sound like excellent attributes. I remain curious about durability, especially since the carrying handle looks petite in the pictures I have seen, for example. The whip antenna sounds like it is durable though.weatherallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02060409107575801741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-42623411031499760682007-01-26T15:50:00.000-08:002007-01-26T15:50:00.000-08:00I posted a review on amazon.com today Jan 26. It's...I posted a review on amazon.com today Jan 26. It's the first one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-46204280339113991722007-01-25T18:33:00.000-08:002007-01-25T18:33:00.000-08:00My SSB adapter for the Kaito KA2100 showed up toda...My SSB adapter for the Kaito KA2100 showed up today...works well. Quality seems quite high for what it is. I posted a pic of it over on my empty blog (forgot I had one..lol) and will review it once I have had some time to play around with it.<br /><br />It plugs into the AM IF Out on the rear of the 2100 and when powered on the 2100 can pick up SSB signals. As a bonus, it has a cool blue light ;-)Linuxsensehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13611409631446045052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-88389566481659349152007-01-21T09:02:00.000-08:002007-01-21T09:02:00.000-08:00Thanks Madridkid. It looks like Roadstar also res...Thanks Madridkid. It looks like Roadstar also resells a number of radios made by Kaide/Kchibo (which by the way I do not recommend).weatherallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02060409107575801741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-91199217236738181852007-01-21T02:37:00.000-08:002007-01-21T02:37:00.000-08:00Here in Europe, the Redsun is sold as the Roadstar...Here in Europe, the Redsun is sold as the Roadstar TRA-2350P from the Swiss-based company of the same name. I have seen it here in Madrid sold in several electronic stores specialise in shortwave radios for about 57 euros. I haven't bought one yet but I am tempted. If you are interested, take a look at the Roadstar web site through this link. There, you can download a features pamphlet and the instruction book in English on PDF files. Hope this link works:<br /><br />http://www.roadstar.com/newsite/index.php?left=family&id=1100¢er=productdetail&id_prd=335&right=productdownload&id_fam=109Madridkidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14000521791586330249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-1169325856525562072007-01-20T12:44:00.000-08:002007-01-20T12:44:00.000-08:00I'll have to agree with the comments about the FM ...I'll have to agree with the comments about the FM reception of the ka2100...its very impressive. It does get better with a good external antenna though. With my 100' wire antenna in the attic the FM performance is just awesome. Could just be from the addition of a solid ground on the external antenna feed...a good ground goes a long way..<BR/><BR/>One other thing about the ka2100: It seems to run off D batteries for a very long time and the charging feature makes using some nimh rechargeable batts very easy. I find that the batt meter reads low on a fresh charge, but it does not seem to drop until the batts are getting lower.<BR/><BR/>What up with the option to run off AA's? Only runs for about 30 minutes with 'em ;-) I figure it must just be for emergency use.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-1169311885370963612007-01-20T08:51:00.000-08:002007-01-20T08:51:00.000-08:00Hey Anonymous:It's fine if you don't have an accou...Hey Anonymous:<BR/><BR/>It's fine if you don't have an account here. But if you like, sign your posts with an alias and it'll be easier for me and others to specifically respond to you!<BR/><BR/>The 10-20 mhz band is good during the daytime. If you search this weblog for articles titled "shortwave summary", or go to my featured articles page and find them there, you'll eventually find some of my shortwave receptions that happened during the daytime on frequencies around the 11-16 mhz range.<BR/><BR/>primetimeshortwave.com is one of my favorite sites, because it publishes a concise schedule of english shortwave broadcasts. I just look for things targeted to North America, and I can get the majority of those. I'm in California though, so signals originating from Asia are more likely to be heard than signals originating from Europe.<BR/><BR/>The time station WWV has persistent broadcasts on 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mhz. I think the 20 mhz broadcast is rather weak. But you can try picking up 15 mhz during the daytime to get an idea of when that band will be useful.weatherallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02060409107575801741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762514.post-1169276637361014672007-01-19T23:03:00.000-08:002007-01-19T23:03:00.000-08:00I posted the long-winded review above. I'm only a...I posted the long-winded review above. I'm only anonymous because I'm too lazy to get a username and password. :P<BR/><BR/>Anyways Kaito jacked up the price on this radio $20 to $149.95. Glad I ordered mine when it was cheaper.<BR/><BR/>One of the main things I love about this radio is the FM reception. It is insanely good. I don't think an exterior FM antenna could beat the reception with just the whip. I get a ton of stations that are 70-90 miles away crystal clear, and the majority of local stations (most of which are atleast 20 miles away) do not bleed into close frequencies.<BR/><BR/>I found some morse code (I think) earlier today on shortwave. I only got a couple frequencies on SW2 (10.0-20.0) and none on SW3(20.0-30.0). Why are these bands included on shortwave? When looking up frequencies online I saw that most of them are in the SW1 band and that is where I get a decent amount of stations.<BR/><BR/>Awesome blog guys, I learn alot reading here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com