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| Reviews Summary for Alinco DR-610TQ |
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You can
write your own review of the Alinco DR-610TQ.
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N9EGM
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 16, 2007 15:26
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great radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have one of these and love it, only thing is I don't have the short cable to mount the face place to the radio body. anyone have one they don't need? I also have the dr 599 and the dr 600.
Jim n9egm
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KD5UDE
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 11, 2007 16:30
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excellent radio
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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very good dual band radio,built like a tank,easy to program,small,compact,light,very easy to see display. the best radio i have owned to date!!! alinco needs to bring back this good old radio,i would personaly give more money for this rig than any outher out there!!! if you find one out there for a reasonable price buy it you won't go wrong!!!
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KI4FAU
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 25, 2006 09:17
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One of my Favorites!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have a Yaesu FT-7800 in my car--I travel and the 1000 memory positions with alpha tags are needed there to keep things simple while on the road. I love the 7800 for all that it offers and while I consider it very reasonably priced, I was looking for something a little more streamlined and lower cost for my basic 2M & 440 needs when operating at home.
I stumbled into an Alinco DR-610TQ for sale here on the eHam classifieds, checked out the existing reviews of the rig, and jumped at the opportunity to purchase one myself for a very reasonable price.
The DR610 was exactly what I was looking for. It offers me plenty of memory for my local repeaters, excellent sensitivity with even my *marginal* antenna at my apartment, true dual-band operation, and all at a very reasonable cost for a used rig with so many features.
I really have no true complaints about the rig itself, but the owners manual was a little fuzzy about how to turn crossband on-off (I did figure it out) and I find it quirky that once you key the mic, the cooling fan will stay on non-stop until the rig is shut down.
If you are looking for a solid dual-band rig that I feel was built well ahead of others at it's time, keep your eyes open for a clean used DR610. I have been very pleased with mine and plan to keep it long-term.
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M3MZS
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 26, 2006 15:10
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It does what it says it will
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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After some time looking round for a dual band - wanting something that would give me the same performance as mono band rigs, but with the convienience of being in one package - I chanced upon this, never used and still in the box.
One of the deciding factors in my decision to buy was the reports already posted on here about this rig, and I have not been disappointed.
OK - it doesn't have some of the features that are on newer designs, but what its got are things most people will use most of the time.
It is easy to use - no scrolling through endless menus - even though the controls are quite small they are easy to locate and use even in a vehicle at night.
Performance is excelent - I live very close to a powerful repeater and its rejection of signals from this on adjacent channels is very good. You might expect to pay a penalty for this in terms of sensitivity, but I can't complain about this either.
Only time will give a verdict on its reliability, but so far this seems like a real little gem of a radio - I will certainly keep it for as long as it keeps working, and as the build quality looks pretty good this hopefully will be a long time
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N7OXL
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 20, 2006 15:21
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Simply The Best Dual Band Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is the BEST DUALBANDER ever made. Why did they replace it with the 620? If you can find a used one for around $250 get it.
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KG0WX
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 27, 2005 08:34
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Performance VS Features......
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Over the last year I've changed my attitude about ham radio equipment. I used to own a Yaesu FT-857D and a VX-2R handi. Both radios fell into the same catagory - they did what they were supposed to do but just barely. Some features were so poorly implemented that they constituted a joke.
I sold all my equipment (except my antennas) and started over with a new mind set. Now I go for pure performance instead of bells and whistles. I built an Elecraft K2, Bought a Yaesu FT-51R and an Alinco DR-610t.
You may think I'm nuts to compare a DR-610t to the vaunted K2 but IMHO it's a good match. The Alinco dosen't have WFM recieve so I can't listen to music or TV on it (same for the FT-51r) and once you go out of the ham bands, esp. on UHF, the sensitivity falls off quickly. Would this be a good scanning radio? Only in the ham bands. Want to scan 460 mhz? Buy a scanner. Then watch as your ultra wide scanner screams from pager intermod while the DR-610t hears only what it was meant to hear. Quiet competence and performance.
I used to own a TS-2000X and it was the same - it did everything but didn't really shine on anything. Same for the FT-857D. The DR-610t dosen't do everything you'd want (like alphanumeric tags) but what it does do it does flawlessly. I live between Boeing and a hospital and even on a GP-6 @ 40' on a hill top, I have NEVER heard even one peep of intermod. THAT is performance, folks....
Now - on to specifics for this radio. The fan does run full time but is very quiet. The radio does get warm, and I was concerned about it until I read about the radio's thermal protection. If the rig gets too hot, it will reduce power to protect itself. MY FT-51r HT does this too.
Like many rig from this era, it has a corny DTMF paging system. One nice aspect is that the paging format matches my Yaesu HT.
Overall, this is a radio that puts performance in the limelight but still has features to boot. If you want a cross banding remote base, this is it. I can enable/disable commands, pick any VFO or memory channel, then turn on cross band repeat & more, all remotely from my HT. Packet at 9600 baud and 1200 baud is supported. I hooked up my computer's sound card via 1:1 transformers to the 3/32 and 1/8 connectors on the back of the radio. Ptt is handled by a transistor com port switch feeding the 3rd port in the back of the radio.
All I have to do is touch 2 buttons and I'm doing VHF SSTV and packet in a second.
I have the owners manual and service manual in .pdf format if anyone wants them. Email kg0wx at yahoo dot com and I'll email them to you.
73's de Ken KG0WX
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KD5OIM
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 18, 2002 11:56
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The best dual band out there
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The summary sums it up for me. I don't think there is another radio that is available today that even comes close to the 610. Alinco did an incredible job putting intermod resistance, ease of use, incredible memory bank setup, good solid audio, and countless other features into a true dual band radio.
I had originally wanted a radio that did cross band repeat, true vu/uu/vv listening, alpha memories, and direct freq entry via the dtmf mic. The Alinco satisfies all of these requirements and does an excellent job with them (except for the alpha memories). I wish that they would come out with an updated version of the 610 that would allow software programming (similar to Yeasu's ADMS stuff) and alpha memories.
The only rigs that are available right now with all of the features that I wanted are Yaesu rigs that are notorious for overheating, having bad intermod problems etc. I considered Yaesu but several salesmen that I spoke to from a nationally known retailer of ham equipment said that I would be crazy to purchase one. Kenwood makes some very nice radios that have the features that I was looking for, but they are SOOOOOO darned expensive. Alinco definitely wins out on value for the dollar.
The Alinco has very solid audio with no overheating problems. The cooling fan and heatsink on the back of the radio are very efficient in keeping the temp down. I have had no problems with the “dirty” dtmf tones that are mentioned in previous reviews. I have owned the radio for 1 year now and would say that it is the best available if you can get one. I was told that Alinco quit producing them early in 2002. Kind of a bummer as it is the most solid performer in it’s class right now.
I have used the cross band repeat extensively without any mishap. I have the TSQ board installed and wouldn’t X-band without it. The dtmf remote control is quite handy. I can use my HT to change frequencies via direct entry remote, change bands, change between VFO and memory modes, and change operational memory channel number. It is very convenient after you learn how to use it. Initially it is difficult to keep track of where the radio is at in your key sequences, but it can be done, and if done right, is very functional.
The radio is advertised in a couple of places on the web as having an over the air clone feature, I don’t know anything about how that works. Maybe it is in the European model.
I would purchase another in a split second if I needed another VU dual band.
If you might be interested in doing some 10m, 6m, or 23cm talking in addition to the 2m/70cm, I would highly recommend the Kenwood 742AD. It is a tri band mobile that not too many folks know about. It is very nice, if you can handle the price tag of 1000 with the optional third band unit installed.
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KL3NP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 13, 2001 15:50
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an update from my previous post
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I previously posted on my ownership of the DR-610TQ. One problem I was having, as well as two friends with the same rig, was the inconsistent and "dirty" DTMF.
On a tip from a former Alinco technician, I was able to access inside the microphone the only VR in there and make an adjustment to all the rigs in question and now have them sending crisp and distinct DTMF. The radio now functions perfectly.
On a side note, I still believe that 2 improvements would make this mobile the absolute best:
1. An alphaneumeric display
2. A thermostatically controlled cooling fan
Thats it. All in all, a fine performer
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NB3O
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 13, 2001 11:07
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On the Bench
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The DR-610TQ meets all of the specifications as stated in their literature. This rig is one of the best choices for a general purpose dual band rig despite the 5 year old design. Alinco should consider a new edition with similar performance but with new features to include:
A separate packet radio connector.
Standard RJ-11 connections for the remote kit.
A bulkhead mounted antenna connector instead of the pigtail.
A larger heatsink made from a portion of the top or bottom cover.
Optional digital coded squelch system (DCS, not DSQ).
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KC0M
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 7, 2001 08:44
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an ok rig
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I like the 2 vfo's; I like the direct freq entry from mic along with the uhf/vhf uhf/uhf vhf/vhf features. What I don't like is when you use the reverse key it is for monitoring only will not xmitt along with the DR-610-tq not using auto shift for repeater freqs. All in all it is an OK rig just a few short comings.
73 KC0M
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