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write your own review of the Alinco DX-70TD.
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KB7UXE
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 29, 2008 09:04
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dx-70 good rig, but.....
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I currently have 4 of these, I use them for fast deployment of a fire dept comunications support group. I have had 2 more, total of 6.( also have dx77) But, 2 have failed, both same thing, 5 amps draw in rec, back gets very hot, and transmit only 50 watts( when in 100 watt mode)
Apperently something ( final?) shorts out.. I have sent them both in for repair, and have been fixed.
Other than that, They do seem to be a very good radio, simple to operate. I prefer the dx-70 over the ic-706 any day, because the ic-706 is soo very complicated to operate, make changes etc. if it's not in memory, it aint gonna happen. I mostly operatae CW and quick changes on the fly are not going to happen with the 706, But with the dx-70 adjustments on the fly are quick and easy. works great. fairly reliable. only option I would add is a varible power out.
so, for simplicity to operate, the dx-70 has it. But due to 2 out of 6 failures, I can't rate this a full 5.
I wish I had several more of these rigs.
When given the chance to buy one, if the price is right, you can't go wrong.
Good luck and Happy dx.
Dan. kb7uxe
p.s. if anyone has one of these you want to sell, let me know.
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SP6SOP
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Rating: 3/5
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Jun 23, 2008 11:30
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Enough for beginers
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Got it for a while and I have the same problem with low power and no power on some bands.
Could someone provide solution how to fix it or service is the only way?
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OK1IN
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Rating: 3/5
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May 11, 2008 12:12
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Still have idea - it's good TRX for me...
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I buy this rig from another ham, with remarks - have problem vith PA. Like Tom, W0EAJ, now I have same problem - low power and bad sensitivity on higher SW bands. On first look is TRX in good condition, 6m band work fine, on 80m is power full 100W, but on another bands up to 10m is PWR max 10W. Tom, many TNX for tip and navigation, where i need look for mistake :-)
After repair this rig i send here more details for another HAMs with same problem...
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W0EAJ
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Rating: 2/5
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May 7, 2008 13:27
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Fair
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Like many others, this one had bad diodes on the filter board. They are a KNOWN weak link. In addition, there is a surface-mount choke (acts like a fuse) that goes as well. Symptoms MAY include very poor sensitivity on HF + very low xmt. pwr (1w or so). 6m will be fine - different parts of the filter board are used for HF and 6m, thus the symptom. Burhardt fixed it for $170 (my shipping was $18). Overall, I'd rate it a poor cousin to the ICOM IC-706 (any variety), but it has a couple of features that are handy... an RF gain control (instead of the stepped attenuator) would be much better. Programming has some annoying quirks to it, as well. VERY POOR DESIGN is the removable front panel - hasn't ALINCO figured out how to use a multi-pin connector yet?
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Z35M
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 10, 2008 03:51
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Alternatives for better CW filtering?
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I own DX-70T less than one year. The unit works without any problems. For my operating style the CW filtering claimed for 500Hz is poor.
Does someone know the possibilities for improvement of the CW filter inside the radio. External boxes with audio filters are not option for me, because of the portability reasons.
I rate this radio with 4 only for reason of poor CW filtering and lack of interal electronic morse keyer. Also, the front panel can be made more beautiful.
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W0SWR
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 29, 2007 20:57
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would have given it a 4 if I paid more.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I was looking for a small used radio for my RV. I use 20 and 40 meter on the road and wanted something light and easy to use. I found my DX-70 for 125.00 and I use it often on the road. I get decent reports and it receives pretty well. I use a amp with it at times without any problems and have used it in CW when camping. I have never used FM or AM, or 6 mtrs. so can't report on that. Yes it could have been built better and it could have had more buttons etc., but it could have cost more also. I gave it a 5 because for 125.00 it is a very good radio, but for the retail price I would be hard pressed to give it more than a 4.
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KC7GNM
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 5, 2007 09:00
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Good for a second hand radio
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought this radio (DX-70) at a hamfest for $240 as part of an estate sale. There was no power out on several of the bands and only about 10 watts out on 40m. I sent the redio to be repaired and payed $98 including shipping. Since then this radio has performed great. The reason I give it a 4 is because I have read a lot about the filter failure on these rigs and that is what was wrong with mine. For $338 I have a darn good radio now.
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KC9IKS
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 14, 2007 18:39
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Excellent, no-frills radio
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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My Alinco DX-70T is my first (and still only) HF radio, a used unit paid for with "sweat equity" earned by helping a friend with a project. So I cannot compare it to other radios I have owned except to say that I had the use of a Ten-Tec 538 Jupiter for a while and did a direct comparison of the receiver sections of the Jupiter and the Alinco by means of switching the same antenna back and forth between the two radios. I was surprised to discover that there was nothing that the Jupiter could hear that I could not also hear on the Alinco.
Alinco cured the one glaring insufficiency of the DX-70T with the TH model (100 watts on 6 meters instead of 10). That being said, I have worked 6 meter band openings very effectively with my 10 watts! Outside of that, my only negative comment is the size of the connector cable for remoting the faceplate. With no amp and using only modest antennas, I get consistent good signal and audio reports using the stock mike and even better ones with the Alinco desk mike that I recently acquired. The controls and operation are easy to learn, and they seem to give you just what you need to operate effectively. You just turn it on and it works. Alinco either got lucky or put a lot of thought into this one.
I have used my unit mobile and, using the noise blanker, did not get any remarks from other parties about ignition noise - that in a Ford van, which has a reputation for being "noisy".
For a first radio, an inexpensive mobile radio, or a backup rig, you couldn't make a better choice.
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M1MBZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 28, 2006 14:13
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Great radio, beats some of the competition
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned and used my DX70TH since 2000, the first thing I have to say is that it has an excellent receiver (but not for FM) and the standard filters are adequate for most uses.
I have been using mine almost exclusively on six metres and it works well in contests and crowded bands, it can handle signals that rivals like the yaesu ft857 needs expensive add on filters to do ( the ft857 is very hard to use in contest) , it's a simple radio to use, a limited selection of essential functions rather than endless menus, are immediately available from the front panel, other options like speech processor, display brightness, CW options, are available at the touch of only a couple of buttons.
I would recommend this radio to anyone looking for a basic HF radio that also covers six metres, and for anyone wanting a competent six metre band tranceiver.
There are some criticisms but these are so small as to make them almost insignificant, they are the well known noise blanker issue, and FM reception and transmission leave a bit to be desired. There is no narrow FM filter/mode, which makes the receiver much less able to deal with crowded band/weak FM signals on a band like 10 metres, but then many HF radios are guilty of having the fm option made much too wide to be useful.
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N5GLR
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 5, 2003 15:30
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Very Good Mobile Rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought my DX70TD when RS was closing them out early last year. I mounted it as a mobile right away but, had the common "cooling fan causing warble on xmit" problem. I sent in for warranty work and had it back about 10 days later and the problem was gone.
I'm told by others that my mic is picking up a lot of road noise at times. It appears to be an intermittent problem that's hard to pin-down. Most of the time I get excellent audio reports.
The DX70TD is a simple, easy to use rig with few menus (i.e. distractions). The menus are easy to access and use (not very distracting) when mobile. The SSB filter is just a bit narrow but, it is effective. The noise blanker is very effective but, distorts the receive audio on 20 meters ... due to computer/electrical noise I have yet to find and eliminate (it's not the fuel pump). On other bands the NB works great and the audio is clear.
It has fewer features than other radios but, simplicity of operation while mobile is a high priority for me. I have no regrets.
Garry
N5GLR
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