ALINCO DX-10 REVIEW PT.2
AND
FINAL THOUGHTS
I've had this rig running 24/7, mostly receiving with a few exceptions to make verify how stable the frequency was from a cold start. However, plenty of two-way contacts as well. As mentioned in Part One I had swapped the hand mic out for President's noise cancelling microphone with its funky bright green, push-to-talk bar, but whenever I had a solid DX connection I'd quickly go back to the Alinco stock mic and get some A/B comparisons.
There wasn't any scientific processes going on, no O-Scope monitoring, just me asking "How does this mic sound?" (getting an answer) followed by "Hold on a few seconds....now how do I sound now?".
In many of my references I refer back to PT.1 of the review found HERE, and in part one I mentioned how display appeared in advertisements (bright) vs. in person (dim). Going through the manual there appears to be no way to increase the frequency readout brightness, yet the channel number display is bright as hell, and if anything, I'd like to be able to vary it's brightness as well.
The various bands (on a modified DX-10) work like you'd expect them to: Band D is 40ch CB, and if you're on 38 and someone says "let's go to 41" you switch to Band E and turn to channel 1.
Regarding the frequency display that always looks good in photos, I did notice that when I stood up from the bench, my eyes were no longer at eye level with the display and it did appear brighter! For anyone, including myself, who have to mount their radios lower in the vehicle, then I think it'll be fine (I tried it out in the test SUV over the weekend).
On the left-side of the DX-10 everything looks like they put some thought into where they put the dials and buttons. The only nit-pick I have here is with the Echo-Tone controls. For an old sidebander like myself I sometimes have to work the Clarifier control for those who have radios that are locked-down, and can only adjust their receive.
I would have preferred the Clarifier where the Echo-Tone control is, and the rest pretty well works out fine. The "clicky" clarifier is what it is, but depth of the control and it's ability to go down to 1hz is great. I like it where I can change by 1kHz. The channel selector goes 10kHz (38,39,40, etc.), while the clarifier is more for (27.385, .384, .383, etc.).
When the lid was opened, I was kinda surprised to see a full size PCB with adjustments instead of the half-size boards we almost always see in radios today.
I was also surprised at the gunk left on the lid of the top can, and why didn't they clean it up at the manufacturer?
I had my finger on the "Publish" button when I realized that I left something out - more about the rear panel.
As mentioned in Pt.1 No.26 was a USB port. Was it for Firmware? was it for programming? What the heck was it for?
ANSWER: Programming the radio.
I downloaded the program and tried all of the various USB program cables that would fit, but couldn't make a connection. So, I looked to see what the older Alinco used and found it on Amazon.
From Amazon: AnyTone USB Programming Cable for AT-6666 Mobile Radio, Compatible with AT-5555N II, the ARES II 10 Meter Radio, and now - Alinco's DX-10.
The software itself is bare bones with absolutely NO radio feature adjustments. You can D/L the software (free) from Bells and take a look at it before you spend $16 on the cable (it will install and open on your PC w/o even being connected, thus giving you a preview of what are able to do). I can't believe I almost forgot to put this into the review (head smack!!).
FINAL THOUGHTS - LIKES - DISLIKES
Well, we're down to the nitty gritty I suppose and here are my thoughts:
- While the display should be as bright as it is in photos and advertisement - it isn't. Depending on where you mount it could be a blessing or a curse. Mounted low in the dash, or at an angle on the console on the passenger side I think you'll like it. Mounting it on the dash or above and it would be fine at night, or by using the ultra bright channel display during daylight hours.
- The frequency never budged, I was never told I was off frequency, and having the Clarifier transmit & receive tied together meant "I was where I was"
- I love the large frequency readout with it's 5 large digits, followed by 2 smaller ones, totaling 7 digits.
- When using the stock hand mic I often was told that my audio was a bit low and muffled. The President mic fixed all of that, so I'd just pony up and buy the President mic with this radio, the toss the Alinco stock mic in the drawer labeled "In case my mic fails look in here for a replacement".
- Like the reviews I read of the older Alinco DR-135, this is a super sensitive, noisy receiver. I had my RF gain at less than 50% most times, and even lower than that at others.
- This could be an adjustment (regarding the receiver) or not, but even as I turned down the RF Gain to listen to a station they seemed slightly distorted with the internal speaker, an old Rat Shack external speaker, and even the almost $400 Yaesu SP-9000 dual filtered speaker.
I'm not discounting the fact that I may have received a factory dud. When I was doing reviews for Copper Electronics in the 90's I got a small percentage of factory misfits, but I can't remember what I was reviewing around that same time (maybe something I bought direct from a distributor) or a review for my column in a Trucking magazine, but in any case, when I plugged that sucker into the wall outlet it came "ON", blinked a couple times, and then - the smoke came. It stunk like a skunk in the shack for several weeks**, but it did give my an idea for a humorous intro to one of my YouTube videos, back in 2005.
**Don't try scented aerosol cans with different scents. It only makes it worse...
- The NB function was like many of the radios being built today - Fair, at best. My Cobra 138XLR mops the floor against the DX-10 (and if you'll recall, the Uniden Grant II wasn't anything to write home about either (regarding noise blanking).
- In comparing this to the President McKinley I'd knock off half a point on the McKinley due to the tiny frequency display, but at least 2 points on the DX-10 because of the noisy receiver. The McKinley did not exhibit any receive distortion.
SO WHAT'S THE FINAL VERDICT?
Would I buy another DX-10? If I used it in the car 99% of the time - Yes. I like the large frequency readout, and accessible controls, and usually there's enough road noise and other things going on where a slight amount of audio distortion isn't going to bother me, much less, likely to be noticed. As your main home rig - NO. In a room where the only sounds are possibly a clicking keyboard and a slightly distorted side-band station, it can be like that dripping faucet you might have seen in those Looney Tune cartoons: Drip...drip...drip..drip leaving 'ole Porky Pig or Sylvester sleepless, and angry.
ANOTHER BIG SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
[AND THIS APPLIES TO ANY PRODUCT YOU BUY]
No matter what radio you're after, another thing to consider is after sale support from the place you buy a radio from. In this case, I purchased the DX-10 from Bells, so I can only comment on my experience with them: I can say the Bells CB offers stellar after sale support, and while I had many questions - they never dodged one. If the answer wasn't immediately available, they made calls and I got my answer. I think I'll stick with them for awhile due to the great support. It could have been any one of stores I've read about on Facebook or the CB Forums on the WorldwideDX website, but as Shakespeare once wrote: "I shot a signal in the air, not knowing where it would land and didn't care, but I found it hath landed on top of Bells...so I bought my radio, strictly stock - because I can talk the world with 5-10 watts..."
At least I think it was Shakespeare...😏
WOODY
EYE FODDER
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