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Alinco has finally given us the successor to their ill-received DJ-X1. The new
DJ-X10 boasts an impressive list of features and very wide receive coverage.
This radio will soon be released here in the United States. From what I had seen about it thus far, I decided to get one to possibly add to my own collection and at least be able to provide some feedback to those of you who may be interested in it. What follows are my personal impressions regarding the features and performance of this radio. This, in no way, should be viewed as an endorsement to purchase this radio nor is it intended to discourage anyone from buying it. I have no personal or business relations with Alinco, Inc. These are simply thoughts offered to my fellow hobbyists who may be interested in purchasing this particular radio. Thank you and enjoy!
Rich Wells |
| Channels | 1200 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks | 30 | ||||||
| Coverage | 100 kHz - 2 GHz | ||||||
| Scan | 5 channels/second | ||||||
| Search | 25 freqs/second | ||||||
| Steps | 20 (from 50 Hz - 500 kHz) | ||||||
| Modes | AM, FM, WFM, LSB, USB & CW | ||||||
| Sensitivity |
| ||||||
| Conversion | Triple | ||||||
| IFs | 1=736.25/275.45 2=45.05 3=10.7/0.455 MHz | ||||||
| Priority | 1 channel | ||||||
| Search skip | 1000 frequencies | ||||||
| S-meter | Yes | ||||||
| Delay | No | ||||||
| Lockout | Yes | ||||||
| Attenuator | Yes | ||||||
| Lock | Keypad | ||||||
| Tone codes | None | ||||||
| Rotary control | Yes | ||||||
| Channel count | No | ||||||
| Data skip | No | ||||||
| Weather | No | ||||||
| Weather Alert | No | ||||||
| Light | Display + Keypad | ||||||
| Power | 4.8V NiCd, 4AA or 8-15V DC | ||||||
| Audio | 100mW | ||||||
| Memory | non-volatile |
Diagrams are used throughout with arrows pointing to key presses mentioned in the text. There are also many representations of the screen contents as features are being explained.
The contents, for the most part, are well laid out starting from the simple and leading up to the more complex operations. The specifications page lists the basics only. There is a nice section on options so you have some idea of what is out there for you to pick for accessorizing your new radio.
The translation from Japanese was done well. For the most part, passages and grammar are easy to comprehend and read very well. There are a few sticklers but they're not in important operational parts.
Special thanks to Jonathan Clough of Javiation for help in getting me an English manual since my radio came from Japan which is obviously written in the native Japanese.
Construction and Physical
This radio is well constructed as you can imagine from a company that builds
amateur radio gear. The DJ-X10 is almost identical in appearance and size to
the DJ-G5TH which is a 2m/440 handheld transceiver.
The entire radio is cast almost entirely in black plastic with a dull-gloss finish. The rear panel of the main unit is metal which is probably due to the fact that this radio was "cloned" from the DJ-G5TH which uses the metal for cooling the transmitter inside.
It looks very professional and is a good size. It's about the same thickness as the iCOM R10 but approximately 1/4" wider and nearly 1" taller. Holding it in your hand you get a nice feel with good weight letting you know this radio should stand the test of time even with some abuse.
The front panel houses the speaker near the top, the display in the middle and the keypad near the bottom. There are also four keys located around the bottom and left edges of the speaker grill. All these keys are a medium gray in color except for POWER which is a bright orange. Key lettering is white with the second function lettering appearing above each key in orange.
All keys have a nice feel with positive feedback adding to its overall quality. There is also a receive LED indicator in the top-most right corner. Up near the POWER button is a very small, recessed button which is used to perform a reset. This reset restores all settings to their factory defaults but keeps memory contents intact.
The left panel houses the volume and squelch controls which are gray in color as well as four auxiliary buttons which are round and molded in black. The volume and squelch controls are actually rubber rocker switches instead of the normal rotary controls found on the top panel. The four auxiliary buttons are for Function, Monitor, Channel Scope and Lamp.
The right panel simply contains a cap which covers the DC power jack which can accept 8 to 15 volts.
The top panel houses the BNC antenna jack, rotary control, speaker jack and connection to the computer/radio port used for computer control and radio cloning. Included with my radio was a flyer to Alinco's Hyper Programmer software program for Windows 3.1/95. No word on if this software will be released outside of Japan and if it is, then when.
The back panel holds the belt clip mounting holes, the identification sticker and the release button for the battery pack. The battery pack slides on and snaps into place and not only forms part of the back of the radio but also the full bottom and about an inch of the front as well.
Antenna
The antenna supplied with the X10 appears to be a typical ham transceiver dual
band antenna meant to operate on 2 meters (144-148 MHz) and 70 centimeters
(440-450 MHz).
Compared to the antennas I tested in my handheld review, this antenna proved to be poor on VHF-lo, average on 800 MHz and good on VHF-hi. Overall it scored lower than both the Yaesu YHA-28 and iCOM FA-1443B dual-band antennas.
In short, don't expect it to turn in stunning results. Your best bet is to pick an antenna which is rated highly for the bands you monitor the most. For more exact details on handheld antennas, check out my review on my Antenna page.
Features
This radio is loaded with features any way you look at it. First, we have to
get some form of power. The X10 is supplied with a case which looks just like
the supplied NiCd but it can be opened and 4 AA cells can be put inside it.
Either case simply slides on from the bottom and is held into place by two
fingers which enter the main body and click into place. The NiCd packs slides
on very easily but the battery case takes considerable more effort.
If you are using the NiCd pack, the entire radio can be dropped into the supplied desktop charger. If you have multiple packs, a NiCd can be put into charge by itself.
The X10 comes with the 4.8V 700mAh NiCd pack. The manual also lists a 650mAh and 1200mAh battery at the same voltages. Since the part numbers on these are identical to those for the DJ-G5TH (as are all the other accessories), they can be purchased from any dealer which carries the Alinco line. One dealer lists the 700mAh pack for $35 while the 650mAh packs runs $64 and the 1200mAh $84.
Luckily a third party OEM company called Periphex offers replacement NiCds for the Alinco line and their batteries, designed for Alinco's HT radios, should fit no problem and are much cheaper. Periphex offers 4.8V NiCds in 1200 ($35) and 1600mAH ($49) sizes. I have not seen these packs but think the radio will be much taller with them attached.
There are also soft cases available to protect your new investment from the elements. Depending on which pack you use, you have your choice of three cases which all run around $11. It is doubtful that the cases will fit should you choose to equip your radio with one of the Periphex batteries.
To extend the life of your monitoring time, there is a battery saver feature which is designed to reduce power consumption to about one third of normal operation. It can not be adjusted like many radios but is simply turned on or off.
We start by turning on the radio using the POWER button. Like the MVT-9000 and IC-R10, the normal radio knob has been replaced with a button allowing the volume to remain constant between sessions.
As the radio comes alive, the banner 'ALINCO WIDE BAND RECEIVER' appears in the display. The display is colored green like many older radios unlike the gray we are use to these days. Lettering is still in black but the contrast is not as nice due to the green background. The contrast of the LCD can be adjust but it appears this functionality is only available on the Japanese model. To do so, the radio is first put in demo mode by holding the MONI keying while powering it on. The arrow keys are then used to adjust the contrast. Per the manual, this feature is only available from demo mode and demo mode is only found on the Japanese models.
My usage has determined that this LCD hampers readability in low light level environments but makes it very easy to read even in direct sunlight.
The display is a decent size being larger than the R10 but smaller than that used on the AR8000 or MVT-9000. Viewing angles are limited when compared to most of today's receivers. It is composed of three lines of alpha-numeric text and many custom indicators. The top text line is used to display the current receive mode and S-meter or time of day clock. Normally, the S-meter is a horizontal bargraph like that used on most radios. If you opt to show the clock, the S-meter is then displayed at the very right-hand side as a vertical bargraph.
The X10 also comes with two timers which can be used in conjunction with the time of day clock to turn the radio on or off at a preset time. Once enabled, these timers will remain so until they are explicitly turned off. There appears to be no auto power-off feature like that found on most iCOMs.
The other two text lines are at the bottom and display bank numbers and channels as well as frequency info and alpha-tag. In other modes, they are used to display set-up menus, help text and other frequency info.
The upper-left corner of the display is used to show the current volume setting as a vertical bar graph. It's a nice visual indication and is easily changed via the volume rocker switch located along the left side of the radio right above its companion squelch rocker switch. As the squelch is adjusted, the receive mode is temporarily replaced with the squelch setting in the form of 'SQn' where 'n' ranges from 0 - 9. When using the squelch control, a beep is heard for each change of the squelch setting. Volume operation is silent.
At first I was quite happy with the squelch operation but then found a few things I disliked. When I had the battery saver on, a setting of SQ3 resulted in the squelch being broken momentarily as the radio went in and out of its sleep cycle. A setting of SQ4 took care of this but with the obvious short- coming of reducing sensitivity. I've also seen that the best squelch position is dependent on the receive mode being use.
With the battery saver off, I tried using SQ2 for the most sensitive setting which didn't break the squelch when no signal was being received. I was able to receive a signal that indicated one to two bars on the S-meter but when the signal went away, the squelch remained open! Bummer! Obviously too much hysteresis in this control and with the limited number of squelch settings this only hurts its usefulness.
The display, as well as the keypad, can be illuminated with a press of the LAMP key which lasts for 10 seconds. Green illumination is supplied to the display by two LEDs along the left edge and one along the right. This light can also be locked on for extended night-time use but expect your batteries to give out much sooner.
At the top of the front panel is the receive LED which illuminates green whenever the radio is receiving a signal. I find this LED to be useful (having had it on the iCOM IC-R1) and wish more radios did as well.
The speaker is quite small but delivers great sound. It's slightly smaller than that found on the IC-R10 but about the same size as the MVT-9000's. Frequency response is great on Wide-FM radio and TV signals and all are crisp due to its small size. Pretty good power for it's size but remember that this is a 'smallish' receiver. Also, unlike most receivers these days, there is no hiss from the audio amp when no signal is being received!
The key beep that is sounded for most key presses can be turned on and off thankfully since it is kind of loud and does not vary with the setting of the volume. The keypad and most controls can be locked via the KL key. When engaged, the keylock does not affect the usage of the Power, Monitor, Volume, Squelch, Function or Lamp keys/controls.
The X10 does come with a good set of useful help menus designed to help you remember various key presses lest you forget and are without your manual. They are nicely done and they helped me figure out some of the more obscure key presses used to access certain functions. To conserve LCD space and memory for storing this help system, a short-hand convention is used to indicate when a key is to be held down instead of just pressed, where to refer to in the manual, the characters used to represent some of the keys, etc.
There are also a set of menus used to configure various options for basic operations (user level, language, battery saver, scanning, and priority), memory operations (mode select, bank linking, programmed memory scan and copy/delete functions), search functions (copying and editing) and Channel Scope (zoom and mode).
I could detect no power-on resume. There is a low battery feature which is designed to give an audible (assuming the keybeep is enabled) and visual warning when the battery level drops to a pre-determined voltage. If you are using the NiCd, the indicator means you only have a few minutes before the radio automatically shuts off. When using alkalines, you have quite a bit longer.
Battery life with the NiCd is only about 4.5-5 hours when used with the battery saver on and a moderate amount of received signals. After properly conditioning the NiCd, I measured its voltage just after the radio turned itself off and found it to be 4.975 volts. Kind of strange for a battery that is spec'd at 4.8 volts! I then charged it using the supplied charger for 12 hours (which should have been more than enough; 700mAh divided by the 80mA charging current gives roughly 9 hours of charging time for a VERY drained battery). After the 12 hours, the NiCd was very toasty yet the voltage was only 5.475 volts! That means there is roughly 0.5 volts being used from this NiCd.
Most AA NiCd cells will hold about 1.4 volts fully charged and are rated around 720mAh. Taking four of these we get roughly 5.6 volts which is in line with the above 5.5 volts for the fully charged X10 NiCd. Most radios I have seen give a low battery warning around 4.8 volts1.2V/cell) and shut off when this drops to 4.5-4.6 volts (1.15V/cell). Unless the X10 uses a lot of current when switched off to retain it's memory, I would hope Alinco could drop the 4.975 shut-off voltage to around 4.6 volts to extend operating time. With this kind of battery life, I'm sure most of us will be using the AA pack with our favorite alkalines.
From the factory, the radio comes configured in Beginner mode. In this mode, the radio prevents the new user from getting confused by blocking access to the step size and receive mode selections, attenuator, priority, battery saver and so on. Once expert mode is entered, full functionality of the X10 is available.
Lastly, we have the radio cloning feature which is becoming more prevalent on today's models. The two radios are connected via a simple 2.5mm stereo cable connected to their data ports on the top panel. Each radio is then powered up in 'clone' mode and a menu is presented. One radio is set to write data while the other is told to read. This effectively copies the contents of one radio to the other.
VFO
The X10, like most modern communications receivers, comes with two VFOs to be
used for tuning around the RF spectrum. They are labeled A & B and each can
hold a different frequency as well their own receive mode, step size and
attenuator setting.
Punch in a desired frequency using the keypad or change the current frequency using the arrow keys or well-constructed rotary control. There are also keys allowing the MHz digit to be changed rapidly as well as the 10 MHz digit using the rotary control for larger frequency changes.
The active VFO is displayed on top and can be switch with a simple press of the VFO button. For further differentiation, the active VFO letter is capitalized while the standby VFO appears in lower-case.
A simple key press can copy the settings from the active VFO to the standby VFO. There is also a feature which is used to link the two VFOs together so that any operation performed on one is applied to both. I see this as particularly useful when operated within a particular band so that one VFO can monitor a repeater input while the other can monitor the output.
Just set the two VFO frequencies such that they are the standard spacing for the desired band. Then as you change one VFO using the rotary control, the other VFO will follow it thereby staying the proper difference at all times to monitor repeater input and output. When the two VFOs are linked, both the A and B designators appear as capital letters.
From VFO mode, the step size and receive mode can be selected at will. The appropriate key presses are made and menus are displayed to scroll through and select your new choice. The current receive mode is displayed at all times in VFO mode and is temporarily overwritten whenever changes to the squelch are made. The current step size is not displayed. The attenuator is also selectable as well.
VFO mode is also where the time of day clock can be viewed. Normally, the LCD space to the right of the receive mode is used to display the S-meter which consists of a 7-segment ramping bar graph from left to right. This can be changed so that this is replaced by the clock and the S-meter now becomes a vertical bar graph on the far right hand side of the display.
Frequency data can be easily copied into the active VFO from a displayed memory channel or while stopped during a search.
Memory
The X10 has 1200 channels. In their bid to outdo their competitors, I guess
they thought this would get everyone's attention and I think it has since most
people think it outrageous to have this many channels.
Alinco did do a nice job since they segmented it into 30 banks meaning you have 40 channels per bank to manage your frequencies. There are actually three bank designators, A, B & C. Each of these has 10 banks within it labeled 0 - 9. Each bank has 40 channels labeled 0 - 39. So to uniquely identify a channel, we have Xn-nn (where X=A, B or C bank letter, n=bank number and nn=0 - 39 channel number). So our banks are labeled A0-A9, B0-B9 and C0-C9 with each of these having 40 channels numbered 00 - 39.
When viewing memory, the bank letter and number appear on the left hand side of the display with the channel number directly below it. Alongside that is the frequency for that channel across from the bank letter and number. The optional 8-character alpha-tag for that channel appears directly beneath the frequency.
Memory mode is entered by simply pressing the MR key. Once here, the contents of memory can be displayed using the arrow keys or the rotary control. Empty channels are skipped and when the end of a bank is reached, it rolls over to the first channel in that bank. To quickly switch from A to B to C, the '.' button is pressed. To switch between banks 0-9, the corresponding number key is pressed.
Programming of the memory is begun by selecting a frequency, receive mode and step size from the VFO. From here, a memory write operation is started using the MW key. The bank and channel are then selected and the alpha-tag is programmed if desired. Be warned! If no alpha-tag is given, you can not go back and add/edit it later like most receivers! The easiest way around this snafu is to copy the memory channel contents to the VFO then write the VFO contents back into this memory channel which prompts you to enter an alpha-tag.
Each memory channel can be programmed with an attenuator setting and skip flag which is equivalent to lockout on most models. Any channel can be instantly copied to a VFO with a simple key press.
Similar to the VFOs is a feature called Memory Tune. Pressing ENT when a memory channel is displayed (or a frequency is displayed during a search) that frequency is placed in a pseudo-VFO that can be changed using the rotary control or arrow keys. It's basically a single VFO feature and can be quite useful at times.
Scanning
First off, let's get something straightened away before we go any further.
Alinco, like many Japanese manufacturers, refer to all receiving operations as
'scanning'. Whether you're doing a test of memory channels (which is usually
termed 'scanning') or ramping a frequency through a desired range (which is
usually termed 'searching'), the manual calls them all 'scanning'. To keep some
level of sanity, I will refer to memory operations as scanning and they will be
presented here. I'll refer to frequency based operations as searching and cover
them in the next section.
Once the memory has been programmed, the contents can be scanned. The radio comes with none of the banks linked together which is how more than one bank is scanned. Pressing the SCN key results in the contents of the presently displayed bank being scanned for activity.
To scan more than one bank, they desired banks must be linked. To do so a simple menu is displayed for the A, B and C banks allowing you to see which banks are and are not in this link map. You select the banks to be scanned and then exit from this menu and begin the scan.
The worst part about this linking feature is what you have to go through to get to it to select/deselect the banks. The MR key is held down until you get two beeps which displays the memory set-up menu. The arrow key is used to scroll to the bank link option. ENT is pressed to select this option. The link map is displayed. Use '.' to select A, B or C bank and then press the corresponding digit key to select or deselect the desired bank. Press ENT when done. Press the arrow key to select END and press ENT again. You can now press SCN to start the scan of all the linked banks.
Using the memory set-up menu, it is also possible to delete or copy user- specified banks or channels.
While scanning, the radio pauses when an active signal is detected. What is done next depends on the current scan mode. In 'busy' mode, the radio stays on the signal as long as it is busy and resumes the scan when it goes away. In 'timer' mode, an active signal will be listened to for 10 seconds at most before the scan operation is resumed. In 'stop' mode, the scan operation is stopped so that the radio remains on the first actively detected channel.
During a scan operation, an arrow is displayed next to the bank number to indicate the direction the channels are being scanned. For some odd reason a left-pointing arrow is used to a search in increasing channel number and a right-pointing arrow is used for the decreasing direction. Seems kind of backwards, and therefore annoying to me.
Other useful scanning features include mode select and signal level. In mode select, you specify a receive mode then start normal scanning. Only those channels which have a matching receive mode are tested for activity. Similarly, a minimum signal level can be set such that only those signals which are at or exceed the specified level will be received.
Another useful scanning feature is called P.MR. Similar to the select-scan feature found on the AR8000 and MVT-7100/7200/9000s, this allows for a list of selected channels to be scanned independently of their associated banks. The P.MR list is displayed which is initially empty. Channels are selected and then added to this list. Any combination of the 1200 channels can be added to this 100 channel list. It can be anything from one to 100 channels. This list is then scanned by initiating a P.MR scan.
Regardless of the scan started, the typical rate appears to be a whopping 5 channels/second! I programmed a scenario of ascending frequencies from 42 to 453 MHz which were all FM mode. When scanned, I determined this empirical scanning rate which is as pathetic as the R10! Talking to some dealers I have determined that this does indeed appear to be the approximate rate at which this radio scans. Some improvements may be seen if frequencies are programmed which are quite close together and in ascending order.
Searching
Searches come in three flavors : VFO, VFO limit and PMS. A VFO search is
started by pressing SCAN when viewing a VFO. The active VFO frequency will be
stepped by the current step size with the current receive mode.
A VFO limit search is simply contained between the two VFO frequencies unlike the VFO search which continues until the end of the receive range. Both of these search features are quite useful.
A PMS search consists of searching one or more of the 20 search banks (P0-P9 and p0-p9). Each bank consists of a start and end frequency as well as an optional alpha-tag. There is no explicit step size nor receive mode; these are taken from the active VFO at the time the search bank is being programmed. This is not mentioned in the manual but must be heeded. I feel this to be on of the bigger shortcomings of this radio which should be fixed.
Like scanning, any combination of the banks can be linked together. There are also operations which allow search bands to be copied and deleted.
In any mode, the rotary control or arrow keys are used to change the current search direction. If the radio stops on an undesired signal, you can place it in search pass memory by simply pressing CLR (which has SKIP above it). The search pass memory can be viewed to show the frequencies it contains as well as remove any frequencies from it that you desire. Unlike the MVT-7100/7200/ 9000, the list is not sorted by frequency but luckily each search bank only has 50 pass frequencies.
Since all operations are termed 'scanning', any options set for scanning which were mentioned above, also apply to 'searching'. This includes the mode select, signal level and busy/timer/stop resume modes.
The auto-memory write feature is used to store the contents of search discovered active frequencies during a PMS search. Once a PMS search is started, a key press activates auto-memory write (or you can activate auto-memory write and then start your search). Any frequencies found are automatically stored in bank C9 which limits the usefulness of this feature to 40 frequencies!
Unlike scanning searching does rip along at a respectable 25 steps/second.
Channel Scope
Channel Scope is akin to the band scope feature found on most other high- end
exotic radios. It is designed to show the activity on adjacent frequencies to
the one being currently monitored.
The X10 allows either 7 or 40 channels to be monitored. While the channels are being monitored for activity, the audio of the active frequency is muted which can be annoying when 40 frequencies have to be scanned for activity.
The search itself can be configured to be done once, continuously or every ten seconds. It is nicely implemented and allows much activity to be monitored but it is not quite as useful as that found on the MVT-9000 which does not have the audio muting drawback.
The rotary control or arrow keys can be used to change the center frequency at any time. Each time one of these is used, the radio updates the display to give you the best look at nearby frequency conditions.
Another useful feature is called Step Zoom and is used to adjust the step size for the purposes of analyzing nearby signals. Normally, the 7/40 frequencies which are to be checked and displayed are spaced by the currently set step size. For Channel Scope analysis, this step size can be adjusted to zoom in or out depending on what kind of signal hunting you are doing. To zoom in on what's going on, the channel size can be set to 1/2 or 1/4. Similarly, to zoom out for a bigger picture, the step size can be set to 2 or 4 times its present value.
Lastly, there is a simple key press which can be used to tune the radio to the strongest signal above or below the current center frequency. If there is more than one signal of the same strength, then the one closest to the center frequency is tuned.
Priority
There is only one priority channel which can be selected from among the
available 1200 channels. The mode of operation can also be chosen such that
when the priority channel is active, normal operation will resume when the
priority signal goes away or a 10-second timer expires. A third option keeps
the radio on the priority frequency even after its activity ceases.
Priority sampling can be done in all modes (scanning, searching, VFO, memory, etc.) and the priority channel is checked about every 5 seconds. The sampling process is semi-intrusive since it does interrupt an active signal via the muting effect.
VHF/UHF Performance
A birdie check revealed some great results. From 25 - 1300 MHz, only 29 were
found! Nice job on internal shielding Alinco!
Next was a search from 25 - 1300 MHz looking for images and intermod problems while in a normal/home environment. Overall results were very good. Most problems were in the FM radio band in the form of strong images.
While still at home, I replaced the stock antenna with the ANT-19 which is a 20" telescoping whip. The worst problems here were from strong HF signals that left images all through the 27 - 54 MHz region. More images and some intermod from 70-108 MHz due to strong broadcast FM. Once beyond this range, it did very well.
The next test cases took place in a nasty part of town full of all kinds of powerful transmitters for pagers and cell phones as well as broadcast TV and FM signals. Using the stock antenna turned up pretty good results. The problems with FM images broadened a bit to cover 65 - 119 MHz. Pager intermod was a problem from the upper VHF aero band through the 2 meter ham band. The only other real problem spot was images from strong 460 MHz public safety frequencies effecting signals in the upper 440s and low 450s.
The last test was to sweep the same range but using enhanced antennas for the 25-137, 137-850 & 850-1300 MHz ranges. Same problems as before but now pager intermod was detected in VHF-lo as well as further into the VHF aero band. The 170-175 range was also full of pager/TV intermod. Minor problems with TV images in the 250-300 range. 800 MHz trunked data channels were detected in the 916-917 range and the ever-powerful 928-929 pager signals were heard in the 918-919 range.
Overall a pretty good showing for this new Alinco rig!
Since I recently finished my AR8000 review, I threw in the X10 with that group of radios so that I'd have the results for this review as well. While at home, I compared the above models on frequencies between 31 and 937 MHz using the same antenna for each frequency tested. In the results table below, for each frequency, I ranked the radios from 1st place to last. If a radio did not receive the test signal, a 0 was registered.
| Freq | DJ-X10 | AR8000 | IC-R10 | MVT-9000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 37 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 40 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| 43 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 49 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 60 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 82 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 88 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 92 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 98 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 102 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 107 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 119 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 124 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 127 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 132 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 147 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 151 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 154 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 157 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 162 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 168 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 258 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 349 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 388 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 419 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 451 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 460 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 464 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 853 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 857 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 860 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 864 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 929 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 932 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 937 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Note : For the DJ-X10 numbers, the 0s for 92 & 98 Mhz were due to images which prevented reception of the true signal. The 0s for the 900 MHz signals were due to plain old deafness.
Using the above rankings, I took an average for each radio (using 5 for a value of 0) which placed the radios from first to last as follows : AR8000 (1.7), MVT-9000 (2.0), IC-R10 (2.9) and DJ-X10 (3.1).
The X10 did place last but not by that much. You must also consider the tough competition it was up against. It was hurt by it's imaging in the FM broadcast band and near deafness over 850 MHz. If these ranges are thrown out, its results are quite respectable.
HF Performance
Similarly, I included the X10 in my HF testing of the AR8000 review as well.
While at home, I compared the above models on frequencies between 5 and 15 MHz
using the same antenna for each frequency tested. In the results table below,
for each frequency, I ranked the radios from 1st place to last. If a radio did
not receive the test signal, a 0 was registered. All signals were verified with
a Sangean ATS-909.
| Freq | DJ-X10 | AR8000 | IC-R10 | MVT-9000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 14 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 15 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Using the above rankings, I took an average for each radio (using 5 for a value of 0) which placed the radios from first to last as follows : MVT-9000 (2.0), DJ-X10 (2.2), IC-R10 (2.3) and AR8000 (3.0).
The X10 is a nice little rig for HF. My biggest complaint is selectivity. Nowhere near as nice as the AOR or Yupiteru. It has very good sensitivity which means it might be prone to intermod in strong signal areas so be careful there. Tuning in SSB signals was a joy. Very well done and quiet. Not as slick as the MVT-9000 but not that far off either. No audio muting and just a hair of synthesizer noise detected. I was very pleased overall.
Ranking
| Category | Score | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | 15 | 25 |
| Selectivity | 0 | 15 |
| Interference rejection | 15 | 20 |
| Coverage | 90 | 90 |
| Channels | 15 | 15 |
| Channels per bank | 15 | 15 |
| Ease of use | 5 | 20 |
| Scan/Search speed | 0 | 10 |
| Receive modes | 15 | 15 |
| Step sizes | 25 | 25 |
| Conversion | 10 | 10 |
| Audio | 15 | 20 |
| Antenna | 5 | 20 |
| Construction | 20 | 20 |
| Size | 10 | 15 |
| Search | 30 | 35 |
| Attenuator | 20 | 20 |
| Auto-store | 10 | 20 |
| Search frequency lockout | 15 | 15 |
| Backlight | 30 | 30 |
| Alpha-tagging | 20 | 20 |
| VFO | 5 | 10 |
| Squelch tail | 5 | 10 |
| Priority | 10 | 20 |
| Delay | 10 | 15 |
| Hold | 10 | 10 |
| Rotary Control | 10 | 10 |
| S-meter | 10 | 10 |
| Power-on resume | 0 | 10 |
| Computer Interface | 20 | 20 |
| Tone Decode | 0 | 15 |
| Battery indicator | 0 | 10 |
| Channel count | 0 | 5 |
| Tape record control | 0 | 5 |
| Clock | 5 | 5 |
| Timers | 5 | 5 |
| Weather programmed | 0 | 5 |
| Weather alert | 0 | 5 |
| Data skip | 0 | 5 |
| Bank delete | 5 | 5 |
| Bank sort | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 475 | 670 |
| Total | 71 | 100 |
But no receiver is perfect. Some have quirks and some are just outright prone to nasty problems. The X10 is a little quirky but nowhere near as limiting as the iCOM IC-R10. Although it does scan just as 'fast' as its tiny competitor. I really think Alinco needs to work on the squelch problems, selectivity, upper HF/lower VHF filtering, scan rate and sensitivity in the 800 MHz range and beyond. These will stick out as the sore points that make people decide against the X10 when shopping for a new receiver.
Recommendations
Since the X10 has only recently been released in Europe and not yet for us here
in the US, it's hard to tell what pricing will be. I do think it will be quite
a bit lower than the rest of its competition though. My guess is in the low
$400s.
People looking for a small radio will have to decide between the $500 iCOM IC-R10, the older $400 Welz WS-1000 and it's newer sibling, the WS-2000 which has yet to be released in the US as well. Due to size restrictions, I don't think the X10 can be measured against the Welzs. If size is your primary constraint, the Welz should probably get your business. Otherwise, the X10 wins in regards to sheer features and usefulness. I also think it gets the nod over the R10 if it is indeed cheaper and you can live with the problems I've mentioned above.
For those thinking about the new AOR AR8000B or the Yupiteru MVT-9000, I don't think the X10 quite measures up. Similar to how the Welzs can't hold up against the X10. The AR8000B and MVT-9000 are similar in features but have better sensitivity and selectivity. They also scan and search faster. But they are also much bigger and more costly. It doesn't make the choosing any easier does it?
Considering what I heard about the X10's predecessor, the X1, I feel that Alinco has done a darn good job. They do have their work cut out for them though. This radio does have a few rough spots that do need to be worked over. But overall, I consider it a nice gem that makes a great addition to my collection.
Update - May 3, 1998
For the June issue of Scanning USA, I reviewed a US version of this radio
supplied by Alinco.
The things which didn't change are the slow scan rate, channel alpha-tag editing, "dumb" auto-write, high power drain, poor selectivity, and HF images on VHF-lo.
The squelch interactions with the battery saver appear to have been solved as well as squelch level differences on the current receive modes. However, the radio now gives a squelch tail for each and every key that is pressed!
After reviewing my review, Alinco admitted that it was fair and that they are still working on improvements to this third pass version. They also hope to release a fourth version in the US in the near future.
Update - November 3, 1998
Jeff Goldman recently received a DJ-X10 from Lentini Communications and
reports that some of the problems I reported on have been fixed. The squelch
interaction with the battery saver has supposedly been fixed. HF sensitivity
is better along with improved selectivity. Jeff was also unable to detect any
HF images on VHF-lo. Scan rate is still unacceptably slow. Bob Parnass listed
it as 6 chan/sec in his recent MT review. And it still seems to drink from the
battery, well, a little too freely.
| Copyright © 2010 by Richard J. Wells |
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