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| Reviews Summary for Alda 103 |
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Reviews: 10
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Average rating: 4.1/5
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MSRP: $495.00
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Description: Transceiver
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Product is not in production.
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K4VIZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 5, 2012 07:26
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Good basic rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had two of these over the years. Pretty good on SSB and fair to middling on CW. The semi break-in not for high speed. Good noise blanker and the RX not too bad. Fairly stable and the calibrator is a plus. The circuit boards are "plug-in" and easy to work on. And it's usually a cheap find.
I have a complete manual with schematics I can e-mail to anyone needing it. tom at k4viz dot com
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N9QID
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 25, 2009 14:01
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Enjoyable basic rig.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is about as basic as it gets for a solid state HF transceiver. The noise blanker actually does work very well for static, and hiss in particular.
I have used the 103 for three Field Days using an external frequency counter, tuner, and long wire with good results. Because it is built for tough use and can handle high SWR, you don't have to worry too much about it.
Back in 1978 I had received one of the AES catalogs that had a full page on the 103 and it had caught my eye then. When many years later one came up for sale I didn't hesitate, and have had no regrets for making that purchase.
If you are looking for a fun to use backup, or casual Field Day rig, and a 103 is available at a good price, buy it.
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N7JBH
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 20, 2008 09:39
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Don't make them like they use to.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Picked up a used one for $110.00 on Ebay, what a bargain. No complaints, don't even miss 10 and 15 meters, they're only good for a couple of years during the 11 year sunspot cycle anyway. Have it set up at work, hooked up to a 33' longwire between two HVAC units on the roof, boss is a ham too. Worked all over the US on 20M during the day.. The 103 is about as basic as it gets, who needs all those bells whistles and fluff anyway.
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K5MO
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 2, 2008 18:05
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Nice, well made quite serviceable
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've used this rig often on 20m SSB and find it quite usable in stock form. It's quite well made, and works well. There's not a lot of bells and whistles (which don't often get used) but what's there is well implemented. Wish I could find a 105 to round out the stable of Aldas. Wish I knew the history of the company...there seems to be a surprising number of these still around, which speaks well of their longevity.
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KM4BA
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 2, 2007 16:03
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Fun rig, great for it's day
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This was one of my first HF rigs. I used it base & mobile for many years in the pre-digital VFO days.
Ultimately it was replaced by a TS-430 and retired to useage in a Landcruiser when camping.
Pro's- Great transmit audio, decent receiver. Reasonably selective for it's day. Easy to calibrate, excellent noise blanker. Relatively stable, again for it's size/usage.
Con's- card edge connectors were not plated, and the copper/tin would wear after lot's of mobile usage. tedious, but not impossible to deal with.
I still have mine, and will get it on the air once I replace the dual speed Jackson Bro's ball drive on the VFO.
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WD5BCL
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 21, 2007 16:55
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One Solid Old Timer
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned two of these fine little rigs. I bought my current 103 from the estate of an SK, the original owner, and corrected a carrier balance problem with a small adjustment, making it 100% once again. The finals are absolutely bullet-proof (MRF-454's), the noise blanker is the best I've ever used, the receiver is reasonably sensitive, and the rig is rock-solid in stability and reliability. Both of mine have the crystal calibrator option, a must with an analog dial, though I have not experienced the dial resettability problem noted by others. I rate very few radios as "five," but can't slight this one when compared with others of it's time. It makes a perfect mobile rig, a trusty back-up in the ham shack, or, if you are a casual operator like me, a fine first-string HF rig if you need only the 80-, 40- and 20-meter bands. Unless abused badly, it is a good buy IF you can find one, and with the manual available on the internet, repairs and adjustments are fairly easy to make. Best of all, a manual is not needed to operate this one, and there are no menus to confound you in a rush to change bands or settings.
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VK3DMN
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 30, 2003 05:58
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Good early solid state mobile
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I picked one of these up on Ebay a while ago, mainly for curiosities sake. Then the frequency display on my main rig failed, so I started actually using the 103 for a while.
I wasn't expecting much to be honest, but I was pleasantly surprised. As mentioned in other revies the noise blanker is excellent. The sensitivity is good too. Selectivity isn't great but it's usable, similar to the fairly contempory FT7, and the alda puts out an easy 100 watts, which even the FT7B wouldn't match.
The rig is actually quite compact for it's time, smaller than a FT77 for example.
The dial is pretty ordinary and if you calibrate it in the middle of the 40 metre band it's about 3 khz out one way at one end and 3 khz out the other way at the other end. I have a little frequency counter sitting on the top of it which I use when needed, but mostly I just avoid the band edges.
I wouldn't recommend this as a primary rig, but it's actually still surprisingly usable as a 40 and 80 rag chewing rig.
And it'll do fine until the new IC718 arrives (hopefully some time next week).
I'll keep this one as a backup rig... it's actually fun to use :-)
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KC8HXO
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Rating: 4/5
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May 31, 2002 14:03
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Cool!!!!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Cannot fault this one. Picked up reasonable as a mobile.... no regrets!!!! As specified in another review, the noise blanker actually works great! Unique tuning takes getting used to, but is kinda slick once one becomes adept with it. First taste of HF mobile was an HTX-10, but this is a lot more fun! Yes, she still whistles up to 125W, and won't wimp out from a little SWR!
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KO0KY
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 6, 2002 02:33
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Excellent mobile or backup
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased an Aldo 103 on eBay for $110. It is not what would be considered a primary rig, but using it mobile is fine. 40 meters on SSB during commuting is a good application for this rig. Besides, I only risk $110 to burglary! It can best be summarized as 'OK' in most categories, though my IC706 is two orders of magnitude above it in performance. In all fairness, it is old, and may well have been an A1 rig in it's younger days. I recommend picking one up at a hamfest for backup or mobile.
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VE7CRA
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Rating: 3/5
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May 7, 2000 02:33
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great noise blanker!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Alda 103 was one of the first "small" hf mobile rigs. I purchased mine new in 1979 I believe, & was satisfied with everything except the dial. The heritage of the Alda 103 was obvious from it's Terrible dial. Mechanically, it was a nightmare. The vfo frequency control was by variable capacitor, & the dial was a lithographed(?) piece of clear plastic that looked as though it had been cut to size by a beaver! The dial was not resettable or readable to less than 2khz, & the pointer was subject to slipping on the shaft etc. A truly terrible dial on an otherwise advanced transceiver. The transmitter would give a solid 125 watts out on a whistle, & the receiver was surprisingly selective. The optional noise blanker(plug in board) sold for less than $75 & was the BEST blanker I have ever used! An aftermarket company made a 5 band conversion kit for the 103 (the Alda 103 was an 80/40/20 metre radio) & they enjoyed about a years worth of popularity, & faded from sight. I traded mine in on a brand new Icom 701, immediately they became available. I would buy an Alda 103 if it were available, & build a digital display for it.
I still have a factory service manual & a cct board extender card to work on it. The 103 I believe sold for either $395 or $495....memory dims! If three bands are enough for you, an Alda 103 working, would be worth picking up at a flea market, if only as a conversation piece!
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