Alinco DJ-G46T Vs. Midland GXT67 Pro

[JASII]

While it is way too early to tell, yet, it will be interesting to see how the Alinco DJ-G46T and Midland GXT67 Pro compare to each other.

Alinco DJ-G46 GMRS 5W HT - Cross-Touch Radio

Alinco DJ-G46T is a portable Cross-Touch 5W GMRS personal General-purpose communication 2-way radio, with repeater capabilities

www.remtronix.com

GXT GMRS 5-WATT TWO-WAY RADIO - GXT67 PRO

Experience unbeatable range with the GXT GMRS 5-Watt Two-Way Radio - GXT67 PRO. Get 5 Watts of power, repeater capability, 16-hour battery life, and more.

midlandusa.com

Granted, we currently have the option to buy new or used land mobile radios, (some like Kenwoods will be Part 95 compliant, but the newer Kenwoods will not.)

Garmin RINO radios (cost prohibitive for many potential buyers).

Various CCRs (Cheap Chinese Radios).

In the "race to the bottom" with the CCRs, it seems like many potential buyers want to stay below the $100 price.

If Alinco and Midland want to be successful with sales, I hope the performance is great on both of those. Things like sensitivity and selectivity don't matter to everybody, but they do to some of us. Midland seems to be marketing towards the Jeep/Off Road community quite a bit.

 

[AK4PY]

The Alinco will not do split tones, or I would have bought one to try. I have a friend that bought the Midland GXT67 and he really likes it. It does split tones (which our local repeaters use) and seems to do really well on both TX and RX. I was concerned with the fixed antenna, but his field testing has proven that it is a good antenna. I think the Midland makes a great HT option now. The case is a very cool touch. The price is a bit steep.

 

[kny2xb]

The Alinco will not do split tones, or I would have bought one to try. I have a friend that bought the Midland GXT67 and he really likes it. It does split tones (which our local repeaters use) and seems to do really well on both TX and RX. I was concerned with the fixed antenna, but his field testing has proven that it is a good antenna. I think the Midland makes a great HT option now. The case is a very cool touch. The price is a bit steep.

I have one & the Alinco does do split tones

One of the repeaters in Tampa uses a mix of CTCSS & DCS, I use the factory software & entered the split easily

When I received the radio, I backed up the out of box code plug & I just looked at it

Split tones may not be doable from the radio itself, but the software will let you enter split tones

 

[AK4PY]

I have one & the Alinco does do split tones

One of the repeaters in Tampa uses a mix of CTCSS & DCS, I use the factory software & entered the split easily

When I received the radio, I backed up the out of box code plug & I just looked at it

Split tones may not be doable from the radio itself, but the software will let you enter split tones

This is good news. What about memory channels? I see on the DX Engineering website is says 128 channels, but the manual doesn't mention anything but channels 1 to 30. Is it possible to program additional channels with custom tones? Our repeaters have multiple talkgroups by means of multiple tone pairs (community repeater style). I need to be able to program the same repeater split into about four channels, but each with custom tones.

 

[kny2xb]

This is good news. What about memory channels? I see on the DX Engineering website is says 128 channels, but the manual doesn't mention anything but channels 1 to 30. Is it possible to program additional channels with custom tones? Our repeaters have multiple talk groups by means of multiple tone pairs (community repeater style). I need to be able to program the same repeater split into about four channels, but each with custom tones.

Yes, the G46T has 128 channels, all programmable to your preferences

Out of the box/stock, 1-7 are 462 MHz interstitial, 8-14 are 467 MHz interstitial, 15-22 are 462 MHz simplex, 23-30 are the repeater outputs
They are all open to customization, 31-128 are open to program to your needs
Custom tones including tone splits, frequency splits, power output, wide/mid/narrow bandwidth are all selectable

You can assign functions to the two side buttons, & P1 + P2 on the front



The repeater in Tampa that I referred to uses custom split input/output frequencies & tones because of ships in the Port of Tampa using the standard repeater input for ship operations [yes, those frequencies are legal, that's another ball of wax] which was getting annoying, so the owner programmed the custom set up into the repeater

I renamed the stock channels to my preference [you have 6 characters for alpha tags, all caps only] & changed all the FRS frequencies to 12.5 kHz narrow band [oops, I need to reset the FRS RRFANS to narrow & upload it to the h-t]

In a nutshell, you can set up the rig pretty much anyway that you need &/or want with the software & cable

I use the factory CPS, RT Systems has software for this rig, if you already have the RT Systems USB-29A cable, it does work with the Alinco CPS [which is a free download from Remtronix], you don't have to buy an Alinco cable if you have the RT Systems cable already

I haven't confirmed this with Raj at Remtronix, so IMO: some of the functions available in the software may not apply to this rig [DTMF, embedded messages, etc], the G46T is based on an Alinco PMR446 h-t for the European market, they probably made just the necessary changes to the radio & the software to tailor it to the US FRS/GMRS market, instead of writing the software from scratch, they adapted it, & didn't delete the other functions/options
Alinco may have made minimum changes to the manual also
Again, Just My Opinion, nothing official or written in stone

You may want to download the software & play with it for a bit to see what the h-t will & won't do before buying or skipping the G46T

I've been happy with mine, I actually rotate between it and it's Part 90 cousin, the DJ-A40T

I hope that I didn't leave anything out, if I did let me know

73

 

[AK4PY]

Yes, the G46T has 128 channels, all programmable to your preferences

Out of the box/stock, 1-7 are 462 MHz interstitial, 8-14 are 467 MHz interstitial, 15-22 are 462 MHz simplex, 23-30 are the repeater outputs
They are all open to customization, 31-128 are open to program to your needs
Custom tones including tone splits, frequency splits, power output, wide/mid/narrow bandwidth are all selectable

You can assign functions to the two side buttons, & P1 + P2 on the front
View attachment 164315
View attachment 164316

The repeater in Tampa that I referred to uses custom split input/output frequencies & tones because of ships in the Port of Tampa using the standard repeater input for ship operations [yes, those frequencies are legal, that's another ball of wax] which was getting annoying, so the owner programmed the custom set up into the repeater

I renamed the stock channels to my preference [you have 6 characters for alpha tags, all caps only] & changed all the FRS frequencies to 12.5 kHz narrow band [oops, I need to reset the FRS RRFANS to narrow & upload it to the h-t]

In a nutshell, you can set up the rig pretty much anyway that you need &/or want with the software & cable

I use the factory CPS, RT Systems has software for this rig, if you already have the RT Systems USB-29A cable, it does work with the Alinco CPS [which is a free download from Remtronix], you don't have to buy an Alinco cable if you have the RT Systems cable already

I haven't confirmed this with Raj at Remtronix, so IMO: some of the functions available in the software may not apply to this rig [DTMF, embedded messages, etc], the G46T is based on an Alinco PMR446 h-t for the European market, they probably made just the necessary changes to the radio & the software to tailor it to the US FRS/GMRS market, instead of writing the software from scratch, they adapted it, & didn't delete the other functions/options
Again, Just My Opinion, nothing official or written in stone

You may want to download the software & play with it for a bit to see what the h-t will & won't do before buying or skipping the G46T

I've been happy with mine, I actually rotate between it and it's Part 90 cousin, the DJ-A40T

I hope that I didn't leave anything out, if I did let me know

73

View attachment 164312
View attachment 164313

Thank you very much for the details. That is great. It looks like it will meet my needs. I have been looking for a radio to recommend to people just getting into GMRS, but have not found one that I liked and that met the needs of our repeater setup. The Alinco might be the one. The only thing that I am still unsure about is the emissions listed for it are 8K and not 16K FM. I've seen this both in the manual and the Remtronix website. The software screenshots you shared show channel spacing options, so I am guessing that it does truly do NFM and FM despite only listing 8K as an emission. I think I will buy one and check it out myself. It looks to be a winner from what I can see at this point. Time to find out firsthand. Thanks for the help here!

 

[kny2xb]

Thank you very much for the details. That is great. It looks like it will meet my needs. I have been looking for a radio to recommend to people just getting into GMRS, but have not found one that I liked and that met the needs of our repeater setup. The Alinco might be the one. The only thing that I am still unsure about is the emissions listed for it are 8K and not 16K FM. I've seen this both in the manual and the Remtronix website. The software screenshots you shared show channel spacing options, so I am guessing that it does truly do NFM and FM despite only listing 8K as an emission. I think I will buy one and check it out myself. It looks to be a winner from what I can see at this point. Time to find out firsthand. Thanks for the help here!

You're welcome

I don't know what 8K50F3E is supposed to sound like, but no one has complained about my audio so far LOL

Again, I think that they didn't edit out everything from the DJ-A446 manual, which shows 8K50F3E
I think that they edited IN the FRS/GMRS info, but didn't proofread it before printing & shipping the manual & the sales sheet, & posting to the web site
Just My Opinion again

To show you the rig & it's basic specs so you'll see what I mean:

https://www.alinco.com/Products/bis/DJ-A446/DJ-A446.pdf

The DJ-A446 is for the European market & is the basis/parent/cousin of the DJ-G46T

This is just a quick screen shot to show the spacing/band widths available to the G46T
Depending on the frequency, I use 25 kHz wide & 12.5 kHz narrow, no need for the 20 kHz mid
There's a Part 90 commercial DJ-A40T which also has 20 kHz mid as an option

https://www.alinco.com/Products/bis/DJ-A10/DJ-A10_40.pdf

These 3 rigs are at the least, cousins, so there may be mixed/similar features in all 3 models
Obviously, I can't test an A446 [they're for the European market, plus they'd be illegal here as 446 MHz is in the 70 CM ham band], so that's guesswork on my part

 

[kny2xb]

Thank you very much for the details. That is great. It looks like it will meet my needs. I have been looking for a radio to recommend to people just getting into GMRS, but have not found one that I liked and that met the needs of our repeater setup. The Alinco might be the one. I think I will buy one and check it out myself. It looks to be a winner from what I can see at this point. Time to find out firsthand. Thanks for the help here!

I like Alinco, I've been using them since 2019 with nothing but good results

I started out with Baofeng like so many others, but: I decided that I wanted better quality, I was reading the negative comments, etc, so I started looking at upgrading

I lucked onto an Alinco DJ-MD40T Part 90 commercial h-t, that included the cable, & was on sale

Now I have several Part 90 commercial h-t's from Alinco, VHF, UHF, & dual-band

I'm not a ham, but I do have 2 Alinco ham h-t's that I switched to commercial mode, I'm keeping them, but as backups, not for everyday use
I prefer & trust my Part 95 G46 & Part 90 commercial gear to use on GMRS
I rotate which h-t I use depending on my mood & on the weather [literally, I live in FL, during the rainy season, I grab an IP67 water proof h-t, I like the G46T, but I don't want to risk ruining it in a FL downpour]

I think that you'll like the G46T
They're selling from $99.99-119.99 depending on the retailer, the RT Systems cable is $30.00, the factory software is free

I hope that these h-t's are popular & catch on
I also made a couple of suggestions to Remtronix about Alinco adapting two of their commercial mobiles to GMRS if the h-t becomes popular
Even though this is their first GMRS radio, they've been making ham radios for years, & like they say, IMO, I don't think that Alinco gets the attention that it deserves

 

[AK4PY]

I've got several Alinco mobiles in service providing repeater links for our local ham repeaters. They have been good radios. I'm happy to hear that the Alinco GMRS HT can do what I need. I've ordered one and plan to give it a test run for a short period and then I'll be happy to recommend them to new GMRS users as they onboard. I'd be interested in a GMRS mobile too if they ever come out with one. Really appreciate all the info you have provided here. I honestly was under the impression, and a bit disappointed about it, that the radio could not do what we needed. Very glad that I was wrong.

 

[kny2xb]

I've got several Alinco mobiles in service providing repeater links for our local ham repeaters. They have been good radios. I'm happy to hear that the Alinco GMRS HT can do what I need. I've ordered one and plan to give it a test run for a short period and then I'll be happy to recommend them to new GMRS users as they onboard. I'd be interested in a GMRS mobile too if they ever come out with one. Really appreciate all the info you have provided here. I honestly was under the impression, and a bit disappointed about it, that the radio could not do what we needed. Very glad that I was wrong.

It's nice to find another Alinco aficionado

Alinco started selling the DR-CS10 recently with wide-band receive & transmit locked to the US 2 meter band plan

https://www.alinco.com/Products/bis/DR-CS10/DR-CS10.pdf

It looks like the band/mode can be changed/unlocked with the software, there are 5 different bands in the software

I suggested that Alinco make a DR-CS40 UHF model for commercial, & a DR-CS46 for GMRS

They have the DR-CS25 for 222 MHz/1.25 M, & the DR-CS20 for 245-247 MHz in Asia
I can't see any technical reason against a 400+ MHz model

I think that a mini/micro chassis GMRS mobile would sell, since vehicles aren't two-way radio mounting/placement friendly anymore [my 2010 Subaru Forester immediately comes to mind]
It's not like the old days with acres of room to mount a mobile rig
I remember my 1976 Caprice Classic with my K40 on the trunk, my President Honest Abe AM, then my GE 3-5825 AM/SSB under the dash, plus an external speaker

I also suggested a GMRS only model of the DR-438 [DR-462?] to have the Part 90 quality/durability/features in a legal Part 95 GMRS mobile

https://www.alinco.com/Products/bis/DR-138/DR-138_438.pdf

Just my opinions & 2 cents

 

[AK4PY]

It's nice to find another Alinco aficionado

Alinco started selling the DR-CS10 recently with wide-band receive & transmit locked to the US 2 meter band plan

https://www.alinco.com/Products/bis/DR-CS10/DR-CS10.pdf

It looks like the band/mode can be changed/unlocked with the software, there are 5 different bands in the software

I suggested that Alinco make a DR-CS40 UHF model for commercial, & a DR-CS46 for GMRS

They have the DR-CS25 for 222 MHz/1.25 M, & the DR-CS20 for 245-247 MHz in Asia
I can't see any technical reason against a 400+ MHz model

I think that a mini/micro chassis GMRS mobile would sell, since vehicles aren't two-way radio mounting/placement friendly anymore [my 2010 Subaru Forester immediately comes to mind]
It's not like the old days with acres of room to mount a mobile rig
I remember my 1976 Caprice Classic with my K40 on the trunk, my President Honest Abe AM, then my GE 3-5825 AM/SSB under the dash, plus an external speaker

I also suggested a GMRS only model of the DR-438 [DR-462?] to have the Part 90 quality/durability/features in a legal Part 95 GMRS mobile

https://www.alinco.com/Products/bis/DR-138/DR-138_438.pdf

Just my opinions & 2 cents

Thanks again for taking the time to share more detail about the Alinco DJ-G46. Mine came in the mail today and I really like the radio. You cannot do anything advanced without PC programming it, just like you said, but that is a good thing for my use case. I was able to setup something semi-advanced with the software and then hand it to someone that doesn't know radios (my kid) and he is getting along with the radio great. I will be recommending this radio to new GMRS users as they popup in my area.

 

[Disp46]

Since it seems the discussion leaned towards the Alinco, I’d like to get back to the Midland GXT67 for a moment and its deficient design with a permanently installed battery. This is a flawed design just like an iPhone where a device owner cannot change their own battery. I’m curious, do others find this design acceptable?

 

[kny2xb]

Since it seems the discussion leaned towards the Alinco, I’d like to get back to the Midland GXT67 for a moment and its deficient design with a permanently installed battery. This is a flawed design just like an iPhone where a device owner cannot change their own battery. I’m curious, do others find this design acceptable?

Personally, I don't

I would prefer:

1. To be able to replace the battery instead of the entire radio if/when the battery expires
2. To have extra batteries available to rotate between while charging
3. To be able to upgrade the battery if a hi-capacity version is available

For #3, two examples:
I have the 3250 mA battery that fits six of my varied Alincos
Since you mentioned the iPhone, when I used a Samsung Galaxy SIII, I upgraded the battery to 4400 mA when the original 2200 mA finally died

This is my opinion, other users may not have an issue with the radio design
Everyone's needs/preferences/wants are different, what works for me may not work for you, & vice versa

 

[jeepsandradios]

I dont have an issue with a built in battery. Pretty much every phone on the market is that way now anyway. Many people only care about grab and go. Even majority of laptops are built in batteries. Being there aren't alot of "user" reviews out there on it I'll wait to make judgement but I would imagine 99% of the user base doesn't care. They buy the radio and push the button.

 

[oregontreehugger]

Since it seems the discussion leaned towards the Alinco, I’d like to get back to the Midland GXT67 for a moment and its deficient design with a permanently installed battery. This is a flawed design just like an iPhone where a device owner cannot change their own battery. I’m curious, do others find this design acceptable?

I'd also prefer a battery that can be removed / replaced by the end user. (And while we're on the subject, one that can substitute AA cells if needed is always a plus.)

 

[ljclark]

Regarding the DJ-G46T batteries...

I stumbled across references to the Alinco GMRS HT following my recent purchase of the Alinco DJ-MD5XLT. Not only did the DJ-G46T offer a changeable battery, that battery could be any of those used by the 2m/70cm HT...and the speaker mic, earphone mic, vehicle power adapter (cigar lighter plug + dummy battery). At $100 from HRO, how could I say "no"?

Comparing battery requirements between Ham/GMRS HTs and cellular phones is not going to be a simple task. The cel phone typically transmits a fraction of the wattage of those HTs, and the use cases may be strikingly different.

 

[kny2xb]

Regarding the DJ-G46T batteries...

I stumbled across references to the Alinco GMRS HT following my recent purchase of the Alinco DJ-MD5XLT. Not only did the DJ-G46T offer a changeable battery, that battery could be any of those used by the 2m/70cm HT...and the speaker mic, earphone mic, vehicle power adapter (cigar lighter plug + dummy battery).

FYI, the batteries [both the Alinco 1500/1700/3250 mA & the aftermarket 2000 mA], DC adapter, speaker mic, etc are compatible with the DJ-G46T, DJ-MD5 series, DJ-A10/A11, DJ-A40/A41, DJ-500T/DJ-500TB radios

The 3250 mA does add a little size [it adds a few mm's to the depth/thickness] & weight [adds an ounce] to the radio, so if you value compactness, stick with the Alinco 1500 & 1700 mA, or the aftermarket 2000 mA

I have all of these h-t's except for the A11 & A41