| N3IDG |
Rating:    |
2014-12-02 | |
| ok |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Bought it used it quit having. Adio output after 3 weeks of hard use with a speaher mike |
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| N6HPO |
Rating:      |
2009-04-04 | |
| Great Beginner 220 H/T |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Since this is my first h/t, I haven't anything to compare it with. I consider myself fortunate to have gotten this little gem.
The previous owner took great care of this unit, which has the 200 channel chip installed. I plan on getting the 12 volt battery for back-up.
I immediately removed the stock antenna and replaced it with a Diamond RH77CA from my R/S scanner, which works remarkably well on 220!
The unit is easy to use, a charm to program, audio quality is superb [from all reports] and it was relatively inexpensive. From all reports here, it's a long lasting unit with just enough to get you on 220 MHz.
What more could a beginner ask for? Thanks for reading this review, now PLEASE go out and get on 220!
73,
Alan
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| KC9JUM |
Rating:      |
2007-02-21 | |
| The Definitive Alinco Classic! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have owned quite a few DJ-180T, so I went looking for one of these, Good thing, They are great units. Sturdy and solid as a rock. I love the drop in chargers.
The stock duck is terrible, but who does not replace them with something else. 10 memories is not much, but since there are only 3 220MHZ repeaters around here it is no big deal. However you can buy 50ch and 200channel upgrades.
I love the different battery options, and now since the advent of NiMH batteries. I get insane battery life. Since the radio was designed with 700mAH batteries in mind, using 7.2V 2700mAH battery let's you listen for 2 DAYS! I also have a 12Volt 1650mAH that lasts quite long and gives you a full 5 watts. Though at 5 watts it tends to warm up quick.
Works just like my DJ-180T but on 220MHZ, Now if I could just find a DJ-480T |
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| KI6FGQ |
Rating:      |
2007-01-14 | |
| Very nice little HT |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I bought one of these used recently to use on the Condor Connection. It doesn't have all the features of the newer radios but it works quite well. Puts out almost full power with the AA battery pack--something the newer radios don't do.
Its a little big with the 12V battery pack, but with the AA pack its just about perfect.
I purchased a custom tuned 5/8 slim duck from Smiley Antenna and I can now hit the Condor Connection repepater that is around 30 mies away on about 1.5 watts!
The new Alinco distributor has been really, really helpful. I called for tech assistance and to get a few small parts and they were really great to deal with.
If you need a 220 HT with 5 watts, but don't need all the features or cost of a newer multi-band. This is a really good option. |
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| N4LI |
Rating:     |
2003-12-11 | |
| Adequate |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This unit is not perfect, but it gets the job done.
I picked it up at a Hamfest in 2002 for the same reason most other folks seem to have one of these – a quick, down and dirty pathway to 220.
To be sure, there are things I would like to change about this radio. It has no external 12-volt input. That’s a real disappointment; if you operate from the car as a mobile, or even as a base, the battery will not last forever. How hard would a DC-input have been to include? The display is a bit small, and lacks metering. The duckie is about as useful as a Polish sausage crammed onto the BNC. But, I have a J-Pole made from 400-ohm ladder line that I use that really helps.
But, on the up-side, the radio is quite solid, and appears to work pretty well. When I can get someone on our local 220 repeater (almost never, btw), I get adequate reports. And, I found, my Icom speaker mic works with this HT, which is handy.
I understand that Alinco discontinued this radio. I hope that the inadequacies of this handi are addressed by its successor.
I gave it a "4." 3.5 would be more in-line, but I decided to round up.
Peter, N4LI
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| KD7PLU |
Rating:     |
2002-11-25 | |
| Reasonable Price vs. Features |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Good things: Easy to program. Durable as a big plastic piece of crap is expected to be. Stock NiCd Battery lasts longer than any other HT I own. (Monitor/light QSO all day, heavy use about five hours) They make a nice 6-cell 'AA' pack that works at least as well as the stock pack.
Bad things: No direct keypad entry or audible DTMF (I thought the unit was broken when I first bought it. Took asking another HAM who owned one and some research to verify it was just a piece of crap, but not a faulty piece of crap. :)
You would get better TX with a paper-clip sticking out of the BNC than from the stock antenna. I made a 220 1/4 wave stinger from brazing-rod and a PL-259. If you don't poke your eye out or break the bulkhead, it works five-times better than the stock vienna sausage that comes with it.
I returned one for blown-finals, that may be attributed to another ham dropping and cracking the case. But Alinco turned it around with a new case and repaired TX for no charge in about five weeks. This was impressive for Alinco, as Kantronics and Vertex customer service is poor at best in comparison.
If you can find a tri-band with 5-watts on 220, it would probably be a better radio. But if you think the 200Milliwatts or so on some tri-bands is a joke, and don't have the cash for a better 220, this one will get you out of a jam and perform very well for the price.
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| W4YHD |
Rating:      |
2002-05-08 | |
| Best 220 HT Out There! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have been an active 220 user for some 20 years now and find the band to be more fun and less crowded than the 2 meter band here in the Washington, DC area. I have been 100% satisfied with the DJ-280TH handheld! The radio is very solid and can take abuse that most smaller HT's would simply fly apart trying to take. The receive audio is loud and clear with enough bass response for pleasant listening. Output power is 4.5 Watts with a long life Nickel Metal Hydride pack at 12 VDC. Easy to use and comes with CTCSS tone Encode/Decode and 10 memory channel capability(expansion module available for more memory channels). Receive sensitivity/selectivity is excellent. The only possible negative is the lack of an S-meter which is a shame, however not critical. Also, if you own another Alinco radio such as the DJ-580, all the accessories are compatible between radios which is a nice advantage. I highly recommend the W&W Associates 12 VDC Nickel Metal Hydride long life battery packs for the Alinco radios as they are very well built and match the radio perfectly providing very long operting lifetime. This rugged excellent 220 HT gets my solid 5/5 rating, and hey, its only $169.00. |
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| KC2GOW |
Rating:      |
2002-05-02 | |
| Good Starter Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I love the dj-280. Could use an S meter, but otherwise its a great deal.
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by KC2GOW on 2001-08-31
This radio is well built, and long battery life.
I do not know what to say other than it's a great radio. |
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| KC9L |
Rating:    |
2002-02-11 | |
| eh. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
It gets you on 222, it's relatively cheap for a 222 HT, and it seems pretty durable. Other than that, it's your standard early-to-mid-90's HT with a bottom-mounted battery pack.
Nice things:
Easy to use
Drop-in charger included
Not so nice:
No direct frequency entry
tiny display
Eh. Nothing bad about this radio, but nothing outstanding, other than its price tag and frequency range. |
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| KD6OIZ |
Rating:    |
2001-10-22 | |
| Best of alot of bad options for 220Mhz |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I bought this radio recently to access CONDOR and IRLP in the SF Bay Area, resources only avalible on 220Mhz in my area. So, bare in mind I didn't WANT to buy a radio, but needed to...
The radio adiquate. The plastic casing is very cheap, and the knobs on the radio feel brittle. Operation is largely straight forward, which is good since the manual is useless. My major beef with the radio is that you can't use the key pad for frequency input (!?!?), you must rely on the tuning knob on the top of the radio... I can see this knob easily wearing out over time. Further, you do not heard DTMF tones when you transmit, leaving you wondering if you didn't actually hit one of the small buttons. The squelch knob is so close to the base of the rubber duck that you can't freely turn it without using the tip of your finger. The supplied rubber duck is less than wonderful, its adiquate but a third party duck would be a needed upgrade. The battery life is actually a strong point, but the supplied charger recommends a full 24hrs for full charging, and about 6hrs of life in normal use, the quick charger would be needed for regular use of the radio. The lack of a SWR is really bothersome too.
Bottom line, this radio is the choice for 220Mhz when you need the band but don't want to pay for it. This is only made more frustrating when other very rugged and reliable radios are made for 2m for less. 220Mhz is still far to expensive for most (myself included), and though I would have prefered buying a Kenwood F6A, the cost is very prohibitive. 220Mhz mobiles are unreasonably high. So, when confronted with the price/feature ration the Alinco was the only radio left standing. I DO recommend this radio, but admit I'm returning mine to HRO and going to wait untill better 220/1.2G radios are avalible for jumping back in. |
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