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| Reviews Summary for Alinco DJ-196T |
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Reviews: 12
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Average rating: 3.6/5
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MSRP: $189.00
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Description: Two meter Handie Talkie
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More info: http://www.alinco.com
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You can
write your own review of the Alinco DJ-196T.
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VK2FTNY
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 14, 2008 20:33
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3yrs and still going
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Ive had this H/T for over 3yrs and in that time has proven very reliable.I bought it on ebay for $165 australian delivered to my door,Now 3yrs ago the cheap chinese imports hadnt arrived here so $165 was very reasonable for hand handheld.As mentioned in previous reviews the unit is solidly built and can survive most operators day to day uses.Mine has been permanently mounted in my 4x4 for the last 2yrs and never failed me yet.I run it on constant 13.8v with the battery removed to save the extra bulk and use an external speaker mike for the handpiece and an external mounted antenna.For the first 12mths it was used as a handheld only and also worked well supplying full 5w when needed from the standard battery.Supplied as standard is a drop in desk charger and handstrap and an easy to understand owners manual.Unit contains most used features that you would expect even on a budget transciever such as scan and programable offsets and even has some that other hand helds miss all together such as anti theft alarm and mosquito repeller (Unsure bout this feature as ive never used it).Only things that would make this a better allrounder is extended recieve and extra memory channels.Other than that if your after a 2m only HT with no frills just solid performance i cant fault this little gem.The thing is it is a handheld not the latest and greatest mobile radio,It was not designed for that but used for its intended purpose and this radio works just fine.Its rare to have an electronic devices under $200 run for 3yrs let alone one thats used daily so i give it a 5.
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AD6VU
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Rating: 0/5
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Jun 23, 2007 07:53
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Died a premature death....
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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After barely a year of very light and considerate use this HT inexplicably lost all transmit power - a troubling problem which has befallen other DJ-196T owners. After some cursory disassembly and examination I felt this 'sealed-unit' radio was not really designed for any out-of-warranty home repair and thus appeared to be essentially a 'throw-away'HT. Considering what I originally paid for it, I believe there are much better single band HT's now available for comparable prices.
I replaced my DJ-196T with a Yaesu FT-60R which has thus far given much more reliable service.
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KC8PBS
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Rating: 1/5
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Jun 22, 2007 18:28
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I take back my first review.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I wrote my first review for the DJ-196T about 6 years ago, shortly before 9/11. It’s hard to believe how much has happened since then. It's literally a different world now, and I look at it with much more scrutiny than I did as a new ham at age 20.
After having this HT for about 6 months, power output dropped to milliwatts on high power. The PA failure was completely unprovoked. It was never keyed without an antenna, and almost always used at low power, and never keyed down for more than 60 seconds continuously.
So I sent it back and 2 or 3 weeks later, it returned in working condition. It worked for about another 7 months, then it died while I was talking to my wife as she was making a 3 hour drive, alone, in an area without cell phone coverage (but good linked repeaters).
It was just out of warranty, and sat in a drawer for about 5 years, until this weekend.
After looking more closely, it appears that the PA would be lucky to dissipate its heat at 0.5W output. In older HT’s, the heat was often dissipated to the case at the belt clip, but there’s simply nowhere for the heat to go in this radio. Alinco has done much better on older radios, both mobile and handheld. This was a poor design and I was too green to understand it when I wrote the first review.
One should take reviews of 0-3 month owners with a grain of salt… it’s too soon for many issues to show up. I’m not surprised that others have reported the same issue.
I replaced it with a Kenwood TH-G7H, and it's worked HARD since, with only a torn rubber PTT button, torn belt clip (both due to severe abuse) and a corroded speaker from getting wet, again and again, and again. That is a tough radio.
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KC0ZXB
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 17, 2007 10:46
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Rugged simple HT
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Bought this radio as my first HT. Matched my expectations when it first arrived. Built like a tank and can take a beating.
The Good:
-Simple
-Rugged
-No knobs
-Good battery life
-Easy to read display
The Bad:
-Mediocre antenna
-Lots of pushbutton motions to get access where you want.
-Only forty memories, more than I need, but behind other HTs in the same class.
Overall, a good starter radio. If you want ruggedness with good tx power then this is the radio for you.
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W5TD
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 25, 2007 12:53
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Good simple 2m HT
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I picked up one of these HTs in a trade recently, and overall it seems like a good HT. It is a little larger than HTs like the VX150, but also smaller than the Icom T2H and some of the older HTs. Fits in the hand nicely.
It is very easy to use, as everything you need is on the front keypad. Never really need to go into the menus.
It has pretty good receiver audio, and seems to make the repeaters just fine.
Why the 4 rating?
1. No autorepeater settings. Alinco doesn't seem to have figured this out yet.
2. You have to push a button to adjust the volume? Not the best setup. Same for squelch.
Overall, a good HT for the price. If I was buying new, I would probably go with the Yaesu VX150 because it is a little smaller and has more features, but this HT wouldn't be too far behind.
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WB0SVS
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 6, 2006 07:21
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Great value
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I recently bought this little jewel at a local hamfest. I am pleased with the sturdy construction and excellent transmit and receive audio. Public service bands best reveal the receiver audio quality as there are too many variables on ham band transmissions. The outer case appears to be a high tech polymer similar to that found in a Glock pistol, while the actual case is cast aluminum. Xmit power output is more than adequate at 5 watts/800mw. While the design is several years old it is a great value for the price. The battery furnished is 700 ma Ni-MH and lasts for days at 20 ma drain with battery saver feature on. This is my first Alinco product and it speaks well for the company! My only minor complaint is the lack of discreet volume and squelch controls (you must depress the vol or sql button to toggle dial functions.
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K7MP
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Rating: 2/5
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Aug 6, 2006 11:17
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Won't buy DJ-196 again
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had the DJ-196 for just over a year and my transmit power dropped from 5W to nothing. Out of warranty - $135 to repair. Yeah, it happens, but... I noticed that there is no easy way to get into this radio to look at the circuit board.
I have the DJ-180 and DJ-280 and those older rigs just keep on going.
For the amount of money it would have taken to fix the DJ-196, I bought a Yaesu VX-170. Now that's a radio I'm very impressed with.
JS K7MP
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KC0LCS
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 27, 2002 11:17
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Great HT, Really simple to use!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I got the DJ-196T after getting my license. This HT is so easy to use! It is really easy to program memories, change power, and everything else. My dad has an Icom T2H, and the T2H is a lot harder to use than my 196T. I love my 196T! I use it for 2m uplink on UO-14, and it works great with that too. I love my 196T!
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KC9AIC
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 27, 2002 22:31
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Nice little Radio
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I bought this radio at a hamfest as my first rig. It was rather rugged (I dropped it from several feet up onto a hard tile floor, and it worked fine), was cheap, and has great audio output. I love it because its price is right. I suppose I don't have much to compare it too, but I'm glad I bought it.
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KB9PLD
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 5, 2001 13:25
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Easier to use
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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My first ham radio is a Yaesu FT-50R dual band, but I found it very frustrating to program and to read the display. After a 2-year hiatus from ham radio, I decided to buy a simpler HT, and got my DJ-196. It is so much simpler to use, and I can read the disply! Things I miss: 1) cannot set scan limits to ham band, 2) have to hit a key then use volume knob. Other fault: damn small blinker to indicate scan funciton. Other pluses: good belt clip, more sensible controls & labeling.
A pleasure to use.
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