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| Reviews Summary for Alinco DJ-596T / DJ-596E |
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Reviews: 15
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Average rating: 4.3/5
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MSRP: $???
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Description: Dual-band 2m/440 MHz HT, 100 memory channels with 2 calling channels. 596T has expanded TX and RX, 596E only has TX and RX strictly inside 2m and 70cm bands. Many optional accessories available.
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More info: http://www.alinco.com
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You can
write your own review of the Alinco DJ-596T / DJ-596E.
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N8EKT
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 14, 2008 15:02
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Nice radio nice price
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I always said REAL HTs have BNCs.
Well this one has one!
And it produces full power on both bands with good rx and tx.
Easy to program and operate right out of the box!
Plenty of bang for the buck!
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KS4UA
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 8, 2008 14:08
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Solid Dual-band HT
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I previously reviewed the DJ596T after I had purchased it several years ago. After a lot of use, I would have to agree with HB9JBD's review. Here's what he listed -
Good points:
- TX audio is reported to be good
- BNC connector
- 4-5 Watts output
(I would add great battery life...still using the original NiMh that came with it.)
Bad points:
- No AM, AIR, FM broadcast receive (not a biggie to me, but might be to some)
- Have to dial through unused memory channels (Yeah, it's annoying)
- Repeator offset/freq step does not change with qrg (no problem to me)
- Poor battery condition meter (Yes, it's all or nothing. Probably the biggest "mistake" in the DJ-596T design.)
-- No REV key for working repeaters (Second biggest mistake.)
I've had one problem with the radio in 5+ years of use. Final amp was blown.It was all my fault. The (cheap) mobile antenna I was using shorted out and took out the DJ-596T and a Mirage Amp.
I had bought an extended warranty with the radio. Factory service through Alinco was very slow. That is the bad news. The good news is they did a great job on the repair and it's worked fine ever since.
After all that, I still rate it a "4" out of "5".
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2E0VZL
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 4, 2008 08:17
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A well made device and a doddle to use
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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As my prime device for casual and RAYNET activities I find the DJ-596 very easy to use and quite tough enough to cope with being knocked about. All of the functions are clear and at hand, and I like the fact that offsets are all manual. The DJ-596 was my first radio and it's been helpful having to set all of the functions manually. The battery lasts well though I bought the high capacity battery which seemingly lasts forever. The standard antenna gets me out just fine and I can open all of the local repeaters. It sits very comfortably in the hand and all I have added is the Alinco mike/speaker. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this radio.
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G4IPZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 25, 2008 01:55
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Nice little piece of kit.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Despite having read of some points of negativity in various reviews, when one came up on ebay I decided to go for it (Having just been ripped off for an JingTong HT by KaLing Shop in HongKong - Beware of anyone called Jason Tong!)
In fact I ended up with an immaculate Mk2 version, high power battery, charger, headset/mic and high gain antenna for £45 (About $90)
I'd seen several complaints about various things including the need to press the FUNC button before the VOL button and then adjusting the multifunction rotary switch. Now that has got me thinking. Maybe they've altered the design since on mine I simply press the VOL button and turn the knob. The same applies for adjusting the squelch. either way it's certainly no real hardship in my view.
I'd also read that the stubby antenna provided is a load of rubbish. Comparing it with the MRW100 highgain (supposedly) it also came with I found it's certainly no worse than many other handheld stubby antennas I've come across.
Performance on air is excellent with good quality audio both on TX and RX. Transmit audio seems much lower with the headset but that isn't an Alinco original so that may be the reason.
Battery life seems more than acceptable. Programming is easy, helped by a very clear handbook.
As for the mosquito repelling feature - what the hell that's all about gawd knows LOL!
At the moment in the UK these are available for around £90 and are to my mind well worth it for a reasonable powered dual band handy.
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KI4CRA
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Rating: 5/5
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May 31, 2007 14:37
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Neat little hand-held
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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So far I am really impressed with the DJ-596T MKII. I have replaced my Icom IC-T7H with the DJ-596T MKII as my day to day hand held. It has been a while since I have used any Alinco products, but I am not dissapointed. Once I figured out the layout of the buttons and how they worked, programming this unit was a breeze. I would definetly reccomend this one to my friends. If your looking for a great every day handi-talkie then this is it. I'll probably do another review in several months, but had to put my first impressions down while it was still semi-fresh in my brain pan. Got this rig while at Dayton, and plan on getting a LOT of use out of it.
73 de Mark
AI4HO
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AB7JK
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Rating: 4/5
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May 5, 2006 23:23
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Works well
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is a follow up to my post where I gave the radio negative marks. The radio came with a faulty battery pack that was replaced by the dealer.
Now I am more impressed. The radio works well with crisp audio. A few nit picks - the volume and squelch controls which require pressing the function button first.
Radio is a keeper especially when used directly with a 12v supply - I never was crazy about battery packs.
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2E0JTP
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 29, 2006 02:25
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Very good but not perfect
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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The Alinco DJ-596E (MK.II) is a great little hand held dual band radio. It has nearly all the features I need in a modern day hand held. Battery life has proven to be excellent (with the supplied 7.6v 700mAh Ni-MH) for all day 'normal' (90% Standby/5% Listening/5% Talk)use. Accessing local repeaters has proven no more difficult with this hand held on 2m or 70cm than with previous hand helds. In regular use over the last year it has proven itself to be reliable and capable. The 'standard' (2.5mm mic/3.5mm speaker) connection makes getting audio accessories for it cheap and easy, unlike some manufacturers models with their unique audio connectors.
The single dial takes a bit of getting used to. It requires you to press a button to access the volume and squelch controls. Not a problem, just a different way of doing things.
Problems with this radio:
No repeater reverse button. This means you can't (easily) listen to the repeater input frequency. This is a bit of an oversight and is a feature I use regularly on my other radios. It's all too easy to accidentally turn the radio off while it's in your pocket. The 'power' button could do with being recessed a little. I wish they had recessed the display window into the bodywork a bit. Whenever the radio falls over, it always falls onto the plastic display window. So far (six months) no damage, but that has more to do with luck than design. It's bound to get scratched sooner or later.
I score this radio 4 out of 5 because it doesn't have the 'listen to repeater input' reverse button , the poor positioning of the display window and the poor design of the 'power' button. It doesn't deserve any less than a 4 out of 5 score as it IS a stunningly good little dual bander.
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AB7JK
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Rating: 0/5
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Apr 20, 2006 17:32
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Junk
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is an update of my previous review where I gave the DJ596T two stars.
The radio only operates about 5 hours standby on a fully charged battery. Then it starts to beep on and off. I measure the battery pack voltage and it still read 9.6 volts - what's with that?
The audio of the radio has a high pitch tone in the background - it's maybe that mosquito repellant thingy operating when you don't really need it. Not sure if it can be turned off. All the mosquitoes within 25 miles of 33778 be warned!
I'm surprised the radio didn't come with a fully license built in dog groomer, or a particle accellerator or plutonium centerfuge to make it worth the $150 I waisted on it.
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2E0JTP
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 2, 2006 07:02
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Well worth the money!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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The Alinco DJ-596E (MK.II) is a great little hand held dual band radio. It has all the features I need in a modern day hand held. Battery life is excellent (with the supplied 7.6v 700mAh Ni-MH) for all day 'normal' use.
The previous posters comment about a "simultaneous" need to press the Function button and the MW button is incorrect (at least on the "DJ-596E Mk.II" version). While holding the function button - press the MW button to lock the chosen frequency into memory. All of the (modern) handhelds I have owned have used a similar system to this.
The single dial takes a bit of getting used to. It requires you to press a button to access the volume and squelch controls. Not a problem, just a different way of doing things.
One problem with this radio: No repeater reverse button. This means you can't (easily) listen to the repeater input frequency. This is a bit of an oversight (unless somebody knows how to set this???) and is a feature I use regularly on my other radios.
I wish they had recessed the display window into the bodywork a bit. Whenever the radio falls over, it always falls onto the plastic display window. So far (six months) no damage, but that has more to do with luck than design. It's bound to get scratched sooner or later. :-(
I would really score this radio 4½ out of 5 because it doesn't have the 'listen to repeater input' button feature and the poor design of display window protection. It doesn't deserve any less than a 4½ out of 5 score as it IS a stunningly good little dual bander, so I will give it 5 out of 5 as it's official rating.
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W2RJL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 30, 2006 06:26
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review for Alinco DJ-596T MKII
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First off, I wasn't looking to spend a whole lot of $$$. Secondly, I am also kind of partial to Yaesu (currently having a Yaesu FT-920 HF/6, a Yaesu FT-2500M 2-mtr FM mobile and previously owning: a FT-847 HF/6m/2m/70cm, a FT-840 HF and 2 FT-5100's VHF/UHF) so, after some shopping around, reading different reviews, asking people who owned the radios that I was interested in - I finally narrowed it down to my my final decision of two radios. Those two radios being: the Yaesu FT-60R or Alinco DJ-596T MKII and I'll explain my reasons for those particular 2 models.
I was looking for a HT with DCS enc/dec features included as well as a full 5-watt output plus most of the standard features that accompanied the rest of the currently marketed HT's. I wasn't too interested with the Kenwood TH-F6A, the size or it's $329.00 price along. As for Icom, they offered the IC-T90A - well, the $259.00 price was better but I had my issues with the T90 as well. I heard too that these wide-banded RX type HT's are somewhat more susceptible to intermod problems especially here in the big city of the Big Apple, NY. So, that left Yaesu FT-60R & Alinco DJ-596T MKII for my choices - I know Yaesu had the VX-7R but wasn't looking to spend $329.00 and already had 6-meters in another radio plus some other issues with the unit. Both radios worked the intermod issues fairly well - nothing like how my Radio Shack HTX-202 (now, thats a solid as a brick RX) and let's face it, if you do live in the big city then the results are going to differ from the less antenna populated surroundings.
I have spoken with people that currently owned both of these radios (Alinco & Yaesu) and they seem to hold their own. As for reading the specs - the two radios have very similar specifications and a few that just vary a bit. Both radio's are very well built and feel nice in your grip. Both radios were going for the same price ($199.00) and both sounded very good on RX (after listening to both.) and good TX audio being that I have heard both radios on the air for some time now. So, here's why I leaned more to buying Alinco... I prefer BNC connector over the SMA (Alinco has the BNC). I also heard that the FT-60R's flexible antenna recesses a little into the top of the radio making it hard to find an aftermarket SMA to fit properly onto antenna connector. Also it seems that there has been some issues (with the FT-60R) with people who unscrew the rubber antenna to then screw on the SMA/SO-239 adapter (for coax use in the car with a mobile antenna or in the base setup) then unscrew the adapter to screw back on the antenna to go back to portable use and then unscrew the antenna and screw the adapter back on - seems this process weakens the SMA connector on the FT-60R... Next up, I do not like the location of the speaker/mic input jack on the FT-60R or the fact that the FT-60R's speaker/mic is a single multi T-R-R-S 4-pin connector - it looks like it can snap off in the radio's jack very easily if bumped the wrong way. Alinco's speaker/mic (dual-pin dual conductor T/S) fits snugly into it's jack, in the top and it will be better to wear on belt if needed, don't have to worry about breaking off speaker/mic connection in the jack on the side of radio (another plus for Alinco) and the price of the accessories for the Alinco were much less on a few accessories. BTW, I didn't need to purchase the Alinco speaker/mic as the Radio Shack speaker/mic is interchangeable with this model from Alinco. I'm not sure if the RS speaker/mic will work on other Alinco HT models but I don't see why not (another plus).
Another plus for the Alinco DJ-596 T MKII is the digital voice option with the EJ-47U for the MKII versions of the DJ-596T. There is a different model digital voice board for the regular DJ-596T (not the MKII version). I believe it is the only dual-band HT at the time available with this capability well, at least at the dual-band HT's that I was looking into purchasing. Not really interested with this feature/mode at this time but it's nice to have the option for future use.
Only drawback (in my opinion) is that the stock antenna does not perform too well on the 2-meter side but performs great on 70cm. While sitting in my livingroom, I was using the same 2-mtr repeaters that I use with my Radio Shack HTX-202 (as a test) and I was only able to bring 2 out of the 5 repeaters with the DJ-596T MKII that the HTX-202 can bring up all 5 with it's factory rubber antenna and running at 1watt. I also have an aftermarket antenna I bought, going back several years ago, that has more gain than both of these OEM's factory flexible antennas. The aftermarket antenna is a Smiley SLD-2, 5/8wave, 7db gain Slim Duck 12" flexible base loaded antenna so, I gave it a try on the Alinco for 2-meter use and that worked excellent, still running at 1watt for testing purpose. I was now able to bring up every one of the same repeaters that the HTX-202 did. So, I will be looking at changing to a better gain dual-band down the road, maybe the Diamond RH-519 BNC or the Comet BNC-24. The Comet BNC-24 is a 2.5dBi gain on 2-mtrs and 3.5dBi gain on 70cm but is a 17" rat-tail whip (not crazy about the length of 17") and the Diamond RH-519 is 8" flexible with a relative gain of +3db (not dBi) for both bands. Ah, another decision to be made now about antennas, either 8" or 17" dual-band - hihi. For using the DJ-596T MKII in the house, I simply hook it up to my outside Diamond X50A dual-bander.
Bottom line: it's a very good radio for the money and works superb for my needs... If it's the famous name brand or some sort a type of status level you looking for (because you want to own a fancy smancy swanky HT) - than buy a Motorola and be done with it - hihi.
My review is my experience with this HT at this QTH and my own personal preference of features that I was looking for along with a nice price tag. I am not saying you will have all the same results as I have had so, do your homework, read reviews, ask questions, read the specifications on each radio and if you can get to try out both these radios or any radio you are interested in buying before hand - then that's another plus. Good Luck in your decision...
73's for now, Rich W2RJL
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