DEGEN DE1103 PLL Digital AM/FM/LW SSB SW Shortwave Radio Worldband Receiver

• Pre-setting 268 stations; 3 tuning methods: Direct key-in, Manual scan and Auto-scan
• SSB reception on the shortwave band, dedicated fine tuning knob
• Dual conversion technology, AM band narrow / wide bandwidth selectable.
• Built-in smart recharge circuit to recharge the Ni-MH rechargeable battery
• Built-in alarm clock and sleep timer, tilt back holder

I seriously considered rating this product 5 stars, but I've discovered ONE critical flaw which is the lack of shielding. I've dropped my initial rating from 4.5 to 3.5. A user can test the lack of shielding by standing at least 10 feet away from any major sources of noise and tuning the radio to a moderately clear shortwave station. With the radio still tuned to the shortwave station, walk closer to a source of noise, e.g. your home. If your home is a fairly noisy environment like most people, you'll be stunned to hear a clear station turn into sheer noise. There are modifications that can be made to Degen's 1103 to add shielding, but beware of voiding warranties and requiring the necessary soldering skills. The cost of adding shielding to Degen's 1103 at the factory would have been under ~ $15 and improved the product immensely. The somewhat quirky interface steals some of the 1103's thunder. Actually, I LIKE the interface, but it requires some familiarity and adaptation to use effectively. Remember when auto-scanning to press the button twice to display the flashing MEM prompt. Now, HOLD the second press of the button while simultaneously turning the tuning dial to find a suitable preset for storing the frequency. Once a suitable preset is located, then press the button again to finally store the frequency into a suitable preset. The FIRST press of the button while auto-scanning stops the auto-scanning mode. The SECOND press of the button displays the flashing MEM prompt. The THIRD and last press of the button actually stores the particular frequency into a suitable preset. I also like the simulated tuning dial on the LCD display. Frequencies greater than the 13M band can also be auto-scanned by manually entering the starting frequency, e.g. 22000, CPS on the keypad and then pressing and holding the button a few seconds. Degen's 1103 has been a hot commodity for more than 5 years and for good reason. Due to it's performance and features, a price of ~ $75 for Degen's 1103 is a great deal in a multi-band radio. I'm nearly stunned at the capability included in this multi-band radio and I haven't even discussed the SSB capability. Wow!

Kaito's 1103 is basically a higher priced version of Degen's 1103 for ~ $15 more. Buy the Degen. ;)

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Giving this 5 stars for great performance at a relatively low price.

Strengths: Performance at least matches older Grundig YB400. Battery life is phenomenal using high-capacity NiMH [4/$10 or less at your local brick & mortar, or you paid too much]. AM and SW sensitivity and selectivity is excellent. Same with FM. Note that you're not going to hear real DX below 5Mhz with the telescoping antenna. That's not the fault of the radio. 1 meter [or less] of antenna can't be expected to shine when receiving signals whose wavelength exceeds 60m. Do yourself a favor and use the wire antenna.

Weaknesses: Volume control is strange, but you get used to it. Would be nice if there were LSB and USB settings, but nothing at twice the price has this either. A bit more susceptible to RFI from other electronics than I'd like, but then again it's not a $2000 amateur transceiver.

Note: The unit I purchased came with a European AC adapter which only functions at 230VAC. When I contacted the vendor, they shipped a step-up [120VAC > 230VAC] travel transformer at their expense.

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This is a best short wave SSB receiver for the money. In many aspects it outperforms even more expensive ($200-500) models.

Degen DE1103 has some drawbacks in user interface but nevertheless its schematics is perfect for the device of this class.

By using an embedded whip antenna in Florida I've hear a bunch of amateur stations including DXs from Russia, Italy, Brazil, the low power (50-100W) operators from Caribbean area, Arizona, Idaho and California

FM is also good, much better than in other models under $100.

As per lack of standard frequencies 5000, 10000 and 15000 kHz some buyer before complained, they all are available via direct input by 0..9 numerical keys.

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The radio is really good. The AC adapter will not power the unit. It runs fine on batteries. The backlit is a little dim. This radio usually gets high praise for a reason. It is a really good radio for the price. The speaker sounds good, but not really good. I returned the radio, but not before I compared it to the Kaito KA1103, which is suppose to be the export version of this one. I ordered the Kaito as a replacement, but I wanted to compare the two before I sent the Degen back to Amazon. Supposedly, they are identical except for the badges.

Well, right off the bat I have to say the Kaito comes in a much nicer box. The owners manual is much more informative. It comes with quick-start guides, registration card, and a different AC adapter. Just the overall presentaton was much better. Even the external antenna and earphones were wrapped much nicer! The Degen came with a crappy box with chinese letters, one small manual, a really cheap non-US current specs AC adapter, and the accessories were just thrown in the box without proper wrapping.

Beleive it or not, the Kaito performs better too! The speaker sounds slightly better. The Degen would crack at higher volume. The frequencies on shortwave came in a bit better on the Kaito as well. I also noticed the Kaito had less interference. The lighting was slightly brighter on the Kaito.

They are both good radios, but the Kaito seems to be better. I also own the Sangean 909x. The Kaito was able to pull in the frequencies on shortwave and AM just as good as the 909x. Of course, in terms of sound quality and overall built quality, the 909x blows it away.

Works great. I recommend you buy this SW radio before buying a bigger unit. You can receive SSB, CB, and more.