Tuesday 24 April 2012

Loving My Alinco DJ-G7


Alinco DJ-G7
There are many reviews on the internet already about this cracking little 23cm-capable transceiver. In fact, it's the only 23cm handheld currently manufactured, which begs the question when will the Chinese fill the obvious gap in demand?

I'd like to add a couple of comments to help G7 owners get the most out of their cherished handsets:

Firstly, you'll find that programming the frequency offsets for 23cm repeaters may involve two minutes rotating one of the knobs. So, before you do this, set the tuning steps to 1MHz and not 25kHz, for example. You'll be able to dial a 20MHz offset in no time.

Secondly, make full use of the large alphanumeric display. This is the only radio I have where there are enough characters to enter a repeater call sign AND its location as shown to the right.

Alphanumeric display
If you're thinking of trying 23cm FM with one of these, I'd urge you to go ahead! I've had so much fun working good distances with just 300mW from a local hilltop. The top power on 23cm is 1W with 5W on 2m and 70cm, of course. The audio quality is crisp and clear and QSO's are very rewarding. Is there activity? Well, not a prodigious amount, of course. Try monitoring the SOTAwatch website for hilltop activity or put out a call on 2m or 70cm asking for stations QRV on 23cm to respond. Note that some stations may have horizontal beams for SSB - simply turn your antenna on its side when needed. Do some research on homebrew bi-quad antennas as they're really easy to construct and will give you immediate gain without sacrificing portability. Again, there is plenty of excellent information on the net. I used this design here: Hybrid Quad Directional Antenna

Check your licence terms, though, as Foundation holders don't have access to this band. Otherwise I look forward to working you soon!

Read Ross G6GVI's excellent review here: G6GVI Alinco DJ-G7


Update - here's a list of stations worked in my first week QRV on 23cm:


GW4ZPLJohnCaernarfon
G7IEIShaunBolton
G6AOSSteveBlackpool
G6ODUBobOrmskirk
2E0DDDRobStoke
2E0XYLKarenWirral

3 comments:

  1. I have just taken delivery of a DJ-G7E and was disappointed to find it did not have wide band receive 0.5 to 1299 as advertised but was restricted to amateur and broadcast bands. the menu item 10-7-6 Receiver Range being missing on the E version - anyone found a mod to correct this?

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  2. Mine too. unless there's something on mods.dk? Anyway, enjoy the radio - get up on some high ground and call out on 23cm! 73.

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  3. In the menu you can choose Ham or All so RTFM

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