"Tom Welch" wrote..
Sanjaya:

How is this radio on FM? And have you
encountered any of the bugs others have
reported?

How long does this radio go on a charge
of batteries?

Finally, do you think a program listener
would be better off buying the 1101
instead or is the 1102 a better performer?

Tom Welch

Hi Tom.
FM reception is good, There is a bass boost for headphone
listening, and stereo through the headphones too. MW is good
also, by the standard I use... WOAI 1200 kHz in San Antonio, Texas.
It's about 960 miles from me and everytime I get a new radio
I try that on MW.
I haven't encountered any bugs. Unless you count
having to read the manual to learn how certain
features work : )
The speaker sounds very good for a small radio, but I don't use
it for music other than the music I hear on shortwave.
There is a "news/music" switch to change the tone.
I'm testing the batteries now. First charge of the included NiMH batteries...
only about 8 hours of use so far, so I don't know how long they'll last
yet. However, they can be charged right in the radio, which to me is
a big plus. I'll post again if you want and let you know about
battery life.
Reading the radiointel reviews of the 1102 and 1101 I see
that the 1101 leaves a bit to be desired in the area of selectivity.
The 1102 is dual conversion and has good selectivity. Also, according
to the review the 1101 is only 9 kHz steps on MW. My DE1102 can
be set for 9 or 10 kHz steps on MW. I don't know if current models
of the radios are the same as the ones reviewed.
http://www.radiointel.com/reviews.htm
My answer to your question, not having tested an 1101, is that the
DE1102 is a better performer.
The only thing I'd change on the 1102 is that the "on" button
doesn't turn the radio on permanently. Default is a 99 minute
timer. But you can turn that off and have the radio on permanently by
holding down the "exit" button for 2 seconds, then in sequence pressing the
"enter" button and the "exit" button again. I have forgotten to
do that a couple of times and the radio shut off after 99 minutes.
The page system is ok, but SSB is only available in page 9. So
that could be a drawback for some. I don't like having to refer
to the manual. I've had to get it out a couple of times to remind
myself how stuff works. I can live with that though because of
the quality of the radio versus the cost.
$70 *delivered* for a dual conversion, PLL synthesized SSB
capable shortwave radio!!! Right now I'd
say it's the best value in a shortwave radio I've ever seen.