Kaito Electronics Inc. KA801 DSP Shortwave radio with MP3 Player and Recorder

• Powered by a high-capacity rechargeable Li-ion battery pack with DSP.
• FM Band - 87.00 - 108.00 MHz
• AM/MW Band - 522-1710 KHz
• Shortwave Band - 2.30- 23.00 MHz
• Keeps you connected to a comprehensive frequency range including FM, AM, shortwave.
• Four options to tune your radio stations- Auto - Scan , manual tuning, digital tuning and ATS (Auto Tuning Storage).
• Stores up to 255 preset stations using memory tuning feature.

I currently work on the midnight shift and needed a radio and recorder(to tape some talk shows and sport games), and the Kaito KA801 performs exactly as advertised. Not only will it record FM stations, but also AM radio, which there are not many recorders that will do both. The radio DOES NOT have a recorder with a start/stop timer, however it has EXCELLENT battery life, which allows you to tape a program, let the recorder keep taping until you get a chance to stop it, then you can delete what you don't want to listen to. I actually had the recorder taping over 12 straight hours on one day, and the battery was still good. The radio has powerfull sound, just in case you want to hook it up to some larger speakers. The only negative about this radio is, it does not have any equalizer settings, so if your using headphones or the main speaker on the radio, you don't get to customize your bass and treble. The radio is of good strong construction, does not seem to be made of any cheap plastic, all in all, a great radio/recorder for the price..

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If you need to record FM or AM radio speech programs, it doesn't get any better than this. It can record continuously for days, on one charge, using the built in memory. But you cannot set up a time for it to record in advance--you have to push the record button. I have not done much recording audio speech through the air, though, but it seems as ok as you can get by recording from your seat.

The reception is better than any other FM radio I've seen, regardless of price. The earbuds are miserable, but if you use a different set, the sound quality is as good as it gets for FM, and extremely good for MP3 (play only). Recorded speech quality is very intelligible, rather good. But the speaker on the front is not loud, and the speaker's sound quality is terrible--like the transistor radios of yore. It works great with MacIntosh Apple OS X as well as Windows.

However, you have no control of how to name the audio or Radio recordings you make (file001.wav, file002.wav, etc.) so it is hard to locate the file you want to play, and you cannot control the order, unless you select the files one at a time. It is also not very easy to find the place you want in a recording. You can rename the files in the Radio while connected to your computer, though.

The recordings are Windows WMA files, which means that on a Mac, only QuickTime will handle them. However, ALL2MP3 is a free MacIntosh program that converts WMA files quickly and easily to MP3, and then you can import it into Itunes, and even burn multiple Audio CDs from a long file. If you study the manual carefully, you will find it is easy but not obvious to manipulate all the functions.

I have tried other products, but for recording long talks or speech, this radio towers over them. If you want to record music, use something else. I generally do not favor Chinese products, but this one is well engineered, over all.

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Is good because it's small enough & light enough to keep with you.

Am Reception is good enough, even away from citys. FM is even better. Shortwave: not much without an add on antenna....

Bigger radios may get better reception, but if you don't take it with you it doesn't matter....

Very Good:

Size

Weight

Rechargable battery life ((Note: The old Nokia BL-5C battery & desktop charger work for this, (EBay $10 to $20))

Nice to have a spare charged battery for outings, even though the battery is good for 1520 Hrs.

Usability (Impressed by the many features of this small wonder)

Quality (still like new even after carrying it in my shirt pocket for 6 months)

Backlight

Memory for stations is permanent (no cussing & re-entering all your stations if battery goes out)

Recording interesting programs

Not as good as some larger radios:

Pulling in really distant stations (smaller radio=shorter AM antenna)

Bottom Line: If I didn't have one I would want one....

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This is a great radio and a great recorder, but you cannot preprogram it to record a specific radio program at a specific time in the future. You can program it to start recording sounds in the area at a specific time in the future, and you can record a radio program that is playing at the current time.

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Instruction booklet is a little hard to follow. I deal with computers all day long but the supplied manual leaves much to be desired. I had to read again and again to understand each mode. Company needs to have someone that can create the manual for an non-geek, Took about 1 hour to understand what I needed to do. Unit is good and very nice design but again instructions need improvement!!!