Alinco DJ-X30

[KE7TJK]

I received my DJ-X30 today, and so far, I'm disappointed.

I have it programmed for the local PD as a test, and this thing is not only low in audio, it has a wind noise in the background that I cannot get rid of.

I have asjusted the tone level, and that didn't work. I went from WFM to FM, and still no luck.

I'll post more tomorrow after I have a chance to programn a few channels in it to scan, but if any owners of this have some advice, I'd appreciate it.

 

[CWR]

I'm sorry to hear that. I keep the audio on mine set at around 21. Maybe you need a better rubber duck than what came with the radio.

Like I can put mine on the national wether service 162.55 , and I hear it just fine. There may be a little hiss to the audio , but not enough that it bothers me........

 

[scannersnstuff]

alinco dj-x30

ditto.i received mine last week.while the sensitivity is better than i expected,the audio suck's.the radio remind's me of a kid's walkie talkie.in a quiet room the audio would probably be sufficient.in a car or any other setting with background noise,the audio would get wiped out.i should have learned my lesson from the alinco dj-x2000.communication's receiver's really do not make good scanner's.i also get some prominent birdies on frequencies i would need to listen to.another thing,why the heck they could not provide dpl when they already have pl is beyond me.i figured out how to program it for scan.everything need's a menu to program.while i still have some thing's to learn about the radio,so far i have to say it's a real bomb.i guess it will get relegated to a backup,back shelf radio.i forgot to add.the backlighting is horrible.

 

[CWR]

Well , I listen to mine lots of times while sitting out in the car waiting for my wife to finish shopping. I have a Pro-96 that I do my "serious" scanning with. The DJ-X30 I use for casual scanning of conventional stuff, or IF I get tired of scanning, I switch over to AM- Talk Radio , which it does a pretty good job of receiving , or FM Radio. I try to find something good in every radio I own.

Instead of "a glass 1/2 empty" , I'm a "Glass 1/2 full" kind of guy.............

That being said , Would I want it for my primary scanner?

Ahhhhhh , no.

 

[scannersnstuff]

alinco dj-x30

yes.to be fair i have to say it could make a o.k. backup radio.but the most enthusiastic response i can get up to on this radio is "EH !". it really is a so,so performer.it does hold it's own on fm and tv station audio though.it bring's most station's in pegging the s meter.it does scan fairly fast though.at least it seem's to.most any ham transceiver <which also make quasi usefull scanner's> would beat the living daylight's out of the dj-x30.there are some that are just as small,if not smaller than the dj-x30.and most of them have decent audio,wide band receive,alpha tag's,pl&dpl etc.some of them can be had for the same price or a little bit more.

 

[KE7TJK]

I programmed a couple of more freqs in today, and I have the same results.

it does sound better at low audio, but my biggest complaint right now is that it won't catch the first part of a transmission, unless they key the mic for about 2 seconds before they talk. This is ok on PD and one fire freq since the MDC-1200 burst is whats cut, but on other freqs, I'm missing the first few words.

I bought this so I had a small receiver to carry discreetly, but I think that this one isn't for me.

 

[KE7TJK]

CWR, I've tried out my Maldol MH-255 and my Antenex antennas on the DJ, and neither made a difference.

I may try an earphone before I completely give up.

 

[JLAB]

USB/LSB Reception

Anyone try it for USB/LSB ? wHAT EXPERIENCE HAVE YOU HAD ?

 

[KE7TJK]

I programmed in some SW stations, AM and FM broadcast stations, and more public safety freqs, with the same results.

I have never been this disappointed in a receiver.

I sent it back to HRO today for a refund. I may replace it with a Yaesu VR-500.

 

[BigJimbo]

Getting rid of the Alinco was the right move!!!

If it's any consolation CODE 03:

I bought a DJ-X2000 last December and had all the problems you describe with the X30, from the hissing audio to poor reception. I've posted several items in here and most everyone has said that Alinco products arent what they used to be. I wasnt impressed with the DJ-X2000 at all. I was fortunate enough to trade it in on a Icom IC-R20, which does MUCH better.

Art, the salesman at Universal Radio in Columbus, Ohio tried to sway me into getting the Yaesu VR-500, but I really had my eyeball on the R-20. Long story short, I got my ham ticket at the Hamvention here in Dayton in May and bought the Yaesu VX-7R, which is a quad-band HT, but a wide band receiver/scanner too.

Let me tell ya- This little Yaesu is one hot receiver. I've been VERY impressed with it's performance. I can have it on my table sitting right next to the R-20, BCD396T and Pro-95, all on the same freq. The Yaesu picks a signal up, the other two......silent.

I should have listened to Art at Universal and picked up the VR500. If it is anything like it's VX-7R brother, you will be very happy.

Let us know how it works out.

 

[scannersnstuff]

i tend to agree.i also bought the alinco dj-x2000.what's really amazing is that the icom ic-r2 is probably less than half it's size.it's audio knock's the snot out of the dj-x2000 and the dj-x30.although it's not without it's problem's.you have to be a scientist to program the thing.also the sensitivity seem's to be pretty darn good on the little thing.i think eventually i'll just get something like the yaesu vx-7.the radio get's almost perfect review's.

 

[scannersnstuff]

dj-x30

i forgot to add.i also bought my alinco dj-x30 from art at universal.he was very nice and helpfull.i did not ask him anything about the radio though.also,the dj-x30 is fairly new.he probably did not know much about it.i've considered the yaesu vr-500.that radio get's so-so review's.among the biggest turn off's for me is that it has no frequency lockout and no pl/dpl of any sort.i also have read/heard that it suffer's from overload pretty bad.i have to say,i usually do my homework pretty well before deciding on a new receiver.mt magazine only gave it a 2&3/4 star's out of 5. i will seriously take carefull consideration before buying any other alinco's.

 

[KE7TJK]

I think I have been through most of them receiver wise.

I had the Icom R-5, and R-10, and an Icom IC-Q7A, which did wideband receive. The Q7A and the R-5 were mostly good, and had decent, but not loud audio.

I also had 2 VR-120D's from Yaesu, and I did not like the audio at all. I also had a Yaesu FT-60R, which was a great wideband receiver, but a bit bigger than I liked. It also lacked a decent scan rate, and the priority wasn't a true priority.

I haven't bought the VR-500 yet, so I'd like to hear any comments on it. I will post another thread asking the same. If the Alinco would have been a decent receiver, the size was damn near perfect.

 

[scannersnstuff]

i hesitate to recomend radio's that i don't own.with this caveat in mind.........i've heard great thing's about the yaesu vx-7r. e-ham has 234 review's of it.it has a 4.1 review rating out of a possible 5.i've heard people say that it's sensitivity blow's scanner's out of the water.i've seen mixed review's about slight overload.i've also considered a ft-60.it's not really a micro radio though.

 

[scosgt]

As someone who owns just about every scanner ever made, I have to tell you to forget the VR-500 and go with the IC-R5
The audio is way better, the sensitivity is way better. The 500 is not a bad radio, the alphas are better and the keypad is nice. But, the R5 is way way better. It is worth it to buy the programming software, and it can be programmed with the same cable as the Yaesu (I use the CT-29a). Go with the Icom, it is far better. The R2 is nice as well, but no alpha tags is a turn off.
BTW, both have plenty of audio to use in the car, the 500 is weak for this.

 

[KE7TJK]

Thanks for the replies.

I think I'll get another R-5. I still have the software and may even have the OPC-478 cable, so that would be a money saver.

Thanks for the heads up on the VR-500, scosgt. I have read other reviews that pretty much say the ame thing you do, so I'll avoid it.