Alinco DX-SR8 reviews

I have 2 ICOM 718s and 2 ALINCO DX-SR8s. All seem to be equal on receive and transmit. Running the ALINCO now with a SHURE 444 desk mic and get great unsolicited reports on radio. I have a mod for adjustable power, pot with knob on rear of radio with off position for stock radio power presets.
73
Mac
KB7QKS

If were just talking about Cold hard cash value this thing sucks
No microphone gain control
No SWR meter
No decent filters receive is noisy
Only three adjustable transmit power settings that's it
1 W 10 W and hundred and that's it
It's sold as a value added radio but it has no value.
I don't get me started on the SR9T the SDR software for that piece has been depreciated by alinco them selves, they say just use something else.

Well I say that about this rig, just buy something else.
For the money of this thing new, why not just spend a little bit more and get yourself something quality, from yaesu or Icom,new or used would be better than the price of this thing .

Specifically if you are a new ham this radio is absolutely not for you! You're going to want something that is built solidly, and intuitive, and designed by engineers with real intelligence. Especially if you knew this rig will end up pissing you off to say the least. Because you will end up asking your self why did I buy this when I could have bought myself a FT 450 in fact if you are a new hammer reading this you should go to giga parts.com and you will see what I'm saying if we are purely speaking about nickels and dimes the lingo is a bad value

Alinco could have made a big homerun with this radio but they came up short. No carrier adjustment, mic gain is adjusted only from removing the radio case while other radios allow this from the menu. Receive is good for sure but it is wide allowing others many KC's up or down the band to bleed over. The narrow filter is almost useless which makes it frustrating to say the least. For the price of this radio an operator is best off saving a couple hundred dollars more and buy the iCom 718. Alinco made this rig to compete with the 718 but there is no competition what-so-ever. This radio is good for a back up rig or a shortwave monitoring rig but for a main rig, one would be best off starting with an iCom new 718 or a used Yaesu, Kenwood, iCom or other HF rig.

all round brilliant radio

The DX-SR8 is a quite capable radio in almost all respects. However, Alinco may have come short of a great radio by not including several features of convenience well known in others in this category - like DSP filters, VOX, built-in tuner, or adjustable DNR (the list could go on a while).

The receiver is capable and has an att/preamp setting that is effective. The drawback to this is the excessive noise compared with other brands like Kenwood and Icom.

Do not underestimate it's capability as a desktop / mobile unit. It is easily convertible and works well in either configuration.

One distinct advantage the DX-SR8 has is the very large memory capacity of 600 stored frequencies/modes/settings. The memory groupings allows an operator to save favorite channels/modes according to usage and/or importance. For the price, it is well worth the low price.

I just worked JA7AXN on CW on 15 meters today. This is a really great radio for the price of just over $500. I highly recommenD it. It has all of the basic features the average Ham needs. I is only 9 pounds and small enough to fit almost anywhere. The selectivity is adequate and it is a simple radio to use. I was using it on eight alkaline "D" batters in series and worked several stations on 1 watt power out. This is my transceiver for emergency and portable use.