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| Reviews Summary for Alinco DR-235T/G |
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Reviews: 39
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Average rating: 4.6/5
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MSRP: $$300.00
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Description: A 25 Watt 100 memory Channel radio for 222 MHz. An optional packet board is available.
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More info: http://www.alinco.com/Products/DR-235/
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You can
write your own review of the Alinco DR-235T/G.
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K9MHZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 22, 2008 19:47
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Nice, does the job
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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This is the Chevy Impala of VHF rigs. Works well, nothing to get excited about, very reasonably priced. I've opened it to peer inside, and yes indeed, the quality is there, and very modern surface-mount technologies went into it. My rig is the MK III, which I think is the latest version. The specs in the manual show 25 watts of power, but my station meter shows 40 watts easily. I have no idea if they went with new finals in the newer version, but I'm not complaining. BUY ONE....let's get 220 MHZ rolling!
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VA7CRH
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 8, 2008 23:04
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Good basic radio
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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As others have said, this is a plain-Jane radio. No real bells or whistles, it just does the job. I agree with one reviewer below who said it looked a little Flintstonian, but I have grown to like it.
There are 4 222 MHz repeaters in our area of Canada, and about another eight from the border with Washington down into Puget Sound (Seattle). We have a bit of height and with a homebrew 222 MHz quad antenna, all of them can be reached. This Alinco does the job well.
Then again, as others have said, this is the only 222 MHz mobile (non-HT) radio left, other than the used market. I've been looking for a 222 MHz dual bander on eBay and they can be pricey be cause they are rare...
Which is to say that the 235T price is reasonable given that there are no other options. I managed to get one of the non-MKII units for about US$215 new, the only difference I can see is that there is no FM-narrow on the unit I have. That's not a big deal for me.
So if you're into 222 MHz work, this unit is not only the only new mobile going, it is also decent and reasonably priced. Go for it.
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WA6L
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 4, 2008 12:47
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Not perfect, but all you need
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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As someone else mentioned, this is the only 220 Mhz rig still being manufactured. So good or bad, this is your only choice unless you dip into the used market. The good news is that this is a sturdy and reliable rig with plenty of features. It is not perfect, but it will get you on this fun VHF band at a reasonable cost.
The rig has all the bells and whistles that you might expect from a modern VHF transceiver. There are 100 memories (more than enough on 1.25m), programmable scanning, memory scanning, DTMF, tone encode/decode, and variable output power. It also has several functions that I have never used, including AM reception and optional data (TNC) capabilities.
Oddly, it does not have a 'reverse' function. I am used to checking the input of a repeater to see if I am close enough to go to simplex. The fix (found here) is to program adjacent memories with the reverse pair -- works great!
Several reviewers have mentioned a problem with over-deviation of the DR-235T signal. I can vouch that this is still a problem, or at least it was when I purchased mine six months ago.
The symptom for me was that on some (but not all) repeaters, I would get the report that my signal was "cutting in and out." Someone said it sounded like a broken wire in the microphone cable. Finally, with the help of some knowledgeable Hams, we were able to determine that my deviation was set too high. Some repeaters are sensitive to the deviation level and they were the ones that were giving me a problem.
I was all set to get the rig repaired when I found a gem that was buried deep inside the DR-235T owner's manual. If you hold the function key and press the MHz key, it switches the radio into "narrow FM mode." This drops the deviation down quite a bit, and (at least for me) fixed the problem with the repeaters.
The setting -- narrow or wide -- can be saved separately in each memory. Although this is not really fixing the over-deviation problem, it effectively gets around it. I have been happily using the rig since I discovered this setting and have not had any other problems.
So, with a work-around for both the reverse function and the over-deviation, I am a happy owner. The rig sounds great and gets good reports in daily use.
73,
John, WA6L
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N5USR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 31, 2008 05:01
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Even works AS a repeater...
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have two DR-235 MkIII radios on my "backyard repeater". After years of hearing how poorly suited modern-day transceivers are for repeater work, I must say I'm very pleased with these. The receiver is quite sensitive, hearing (in my highly informal and non-scientific testing) a 5W mobile signal remarkably well at distances I have previously found required more power on 2M. And the transmitter has withstood quite a bit of punishment - I have a 2M remote base on the repeater (a DR-135, btw) that can be very active. There are times where the 220 transmitter will be keyed nonstop for hours and it has held up quite nicely, with a cooling fan on the heat sink keeping it just warm to the touch on the 10W power setting.
The repeater (using an Arcom RC-210 controller) has been up continuously for two months now.
While I was a bit put off at first by the "primitive" look I have since come to love these radios. (I have one for mobile use as well.) In retrospect, I don't use all those bells and whistles in my other radios. The basic, straightforward layout makes these extremely easy to use, which is of course most important when driving.
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K1VSR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 17, 2008 10:31
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Excellent radio!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is currently the only 1.25m mobile radio on the market so thank God it's a great one! As is the norm with Alinco radios, it probably doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that your new Yaecomwood radio might have, but it has all the essentials - PL encode/decode, DCS, scanning, and the like. It also sports nice audio, a very clean transmitter, and a rock solid receiver that's very sensitive and not prone to intermod. Transmitter output is 25W on high power which is plenty for mobile communications. The meter-and-a-quarter band has a low enough noise floor to where you don't need 40 or 50 watts to get your mobile signal out like you do on 2m or 70cm.
All in all, this is another quality product from Alinco. Their products are great on price, very reliable and, though they may not be loaded with features that most of us will never use like a lot of newer radios, Alinco's radios do what they need to do and do it very well.
I highly recommend this for anyone who spends lots of time on 1.25m like I do.
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AE1Y
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 12, 2007 00:46
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So Far So Good!!!!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just received my Alinco DR-235T not the MkII Version. I found an older one brand new in box never used. I paid 200 dollars for it. So far I love the radio. Large LCD display with large easy to read characters. Very easy to program. Very logical programing. The way you think it should work is the way it works. I was surprised when I adjusted settings such as PL tones. I'm done??? I said?? WOW!! That's how all radios should work! On air reports are very good. People say the modulation is very loud. You have to keep the mic one foot from your mouth so you wont over power other stations with loud modulation. I've only just set up the radio and have made few contacts. So far so good. If things change I will post another review but for now I sure would recommend this good looking easy to see and operate radio to anybody. Especially if you want to get on 220. Not many options for 1.25 meters these days. I plan on ordering the 2 meter and the 440 counter parts to this radio to complement each other in the shack. I will add a photo to my profile when all is set up and I will post reviews of the other radios when the arrive. I'm a little scared of the 440 radio do to poor reviews but the MkII version seems to have the problems ironed out. Stay tuned for my reviews or the other two radios.
AE1Y
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N8DOD
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 5, 2007 11:35
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Nothing Else Available for 220
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have three of them and use them with my 224.16 repeater and have other users of the repeater using them, The only problem I have ever encountered was the mike gain and deviation on the very early ones needed to be turned down, but the more recent radios have the problem solved, I have one other repeater owner using one as a remote base and it really gets a work out.
Jim N8DOD Warren, Ohio
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N1KK
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 18, 2007 08:22
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Receiving
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am replacing a IC-37A with this radio.
On receive it seem to be sensitive enough.
Its very easy to operate and navigate though the
menu.
I did get an mic audio report stating it wasn't
as clean as my IC-37A mic audio. I have not heard
my own audio yet but will follow up with some
testing.
I am curious what others might be getting for mic
audio reports.
Ken
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AB0SF
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Rating: 5/5
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May 25, 2007 21:00
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Great rig for the dough!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This has been my IRLP node radio for three years and has taken all the abuse that duty has given it. I also have one in my work truck, and after about four years, it has worked flawlessly. I had to turn the deviation down a bit on one of these radios. It was somewhere around 6 kHz out of the box, if I remember correctly. The other rig was fine - about 4.5 kHz. The receiver works well. Good enough to monitor local repeaters and 223.500 without a hitch. It's easy to operate and program and will take any abuse you can throw at it.
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KE6I
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 26, 2007 04:47
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I just got one of these
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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For 222Mhz really there aren't a lot of options, I think this is the only one. So, if you want mobile 222Mhz, either it's this radio or something used. The interface is a little bit Flintstonian -- but, you know, I actually like it. It's simple and not overly menu-y like some radios these days. Nice and low key.
It took me a second to figure out how the microphone works. There's not a grill like on most microphones but rather a big touchpad, and then a teensy little hole where the audio goes in. And I had one guy talking to me, saying I sounded quiet until I fished around the mike to look where to talk into.
I'm using it for a Bay area packet node on 223Mhz and the connector on the back is handy. I can use it for packet and then leave the microphone plugged in and talk on repeaters. It supports 9600 baud -- I am using an external TNC, not the Alinco accessory TNC.
I am getting RFI from AM radio stations on this radio. During the day when the radio is squelched I can hear AM radio coming out the speaker. It sounds similar to what the other guy was getting except rather than being FM radio, it's coming from KDIA. It only occurs when I plug my TNC to the packet connector, and I wonder if I'm in some kind of ground-loop hell here. I grounded the braid of the antenna coax and that made the AM radio noise quieter. The RFI is only when this local radio station is running on high power, because it goes away at night. Hmmph.
The radio has no fan, just a big heat sink on the back, which I kind of like cuz' I don't like to add more fan noise to my ham radio audio.
222Mhz in the SF Bay area at least is a good band, and I can hit a pile of repeaters just using my 222Mhz packet radio antenna, which is a 4'el beam pointed permanently south from Berkeley. I went through the repeater list and programmed each channel and did a call on each machine and a few people answered. There are people to talk to on this band around here.
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