Figured with all the new ARFCOM hams getting licensed some might be interested in HF.  Every one always looks at whats available and whats cheapest when starting out so I will finally post a review after having owned this radio for just over two years.

For reference here is my radio ownership and usage history:

Prior HF radios I have owned: TS440SAT, FT-817ND
Prior VHF radios: FT-2900

My current radios:
Current VHF mobiles:FT-1900R (X2)
Current dual band HT's: Wouxun KG-UVD1P (x3),  Baofeng UV-5RA (x4)

HF radios I have used a bit but don't own.
IC-718
IC-7000
IC-756pro
TS-140
FT-101
MC-5500

Here is my "quick" review:

Good rig for those on a budget! Sure it might not have all the bells and whistles of the top dogs on the market but it also cost about half of any major manufactures “flag ship radio.”

A good rig to compare the DX-SR8T to would be an Icom IC-718. If the prices were equal I would probably suggest the 718. But if the difference is $75~$100 my vote goes for the Alinco every time. That $100 can get you a good manual tuner and you’re that much closer to operation. If money is no object then you probably won’t be looking at getting an Alinco DX-SR8T any ways!

I have owned this HF rig for well over a year now and operated it both SSB voice and SSB digital through a Donner digital interface (can be had new for $40+shipping.) I have had good reports all the way around. I would say it works as well as any basic 100W HF rig, nothing super special but nothing to balk at ether. In my opinion it is just a simple easy to operate all mode HF only transceiver. For someone planning on spending several hours a day in front of your rig, I suggest you move on and invest in something with more features. If your like me a 29 year old guy, married, paying a mortgage and working 40+ hours a week, doesn’t have a whole lot of disposable income but wants to play on HF when he gets a chance then this rig is for you.

I originally started out with a Kenwood TS-440SAT but that rig had some drift between the RX and TX, so it made working digital modes very difficult. I sold that along with a FT-817ND I had thinking QRP would be the way to go however I quickly learned that SSB voice & 5W was not as easy as the pro’s make it out to be! The FT-817ND was also very “menu rich” something I don’t mind, but found through my limited operation I was always in the menu trying to figure things out. At some point I may get another but for now the Alinco is fine. Not wanting to “experiment” with something else used and/or old I settled on a brand new DX-SR8T from HRO and ordered up a Donner digital interface (I had used one with the Kenwood so I knew what I type of interface I was getting.) My DX-SR8T was easy to operate out of the box. A few minutes with the manual and I had a good general understanding of its operation and menu functions.

Fast forward almost two years and I am still using and operating it whenever I get the time to “play.” Again, I would love to dump a couple grand into a new HF rig, auto tuner, and fancy vertical antenna and play away, but I can’t so here I am. As the old saying goes; “run what ya brung” and in my case it’s the Alinco. At this point in my life I have no plans of upgrading; in fact I plan on picking up another Alinco DX-SR8T and setting it up in semi portable fashion for field day and on the go operations that would include vehicular transportation (two is one one is none right.) I would not want to walk far with this rig and a battery in a backpack. I find the 10W to be good for battery operations, and you can always bump up to 100W if you need to.

This rig is fairly rugged in construction, however like most other ham gear, the front panel and controls could easily be damaged if it were to face plant of a desk or while being toted around. One thing to note is that the DX-SR8T does NOT have an integrated SWR meter. Unless you are running an auto tuner I find it hard to tune using the bar graph display SWR type meter any ways so you will need an external meter, or an antenna tuner with one. I run a MFJ-971 “portable antenna tuner.” That tuner allows me to tune dipoles and random wires alike. It has a nice cross needle SWR, Reflected and Forward power meter. It’s the only tuner I have used with my Alinco and I have had very good results using it. Of course I don’t run a dipole cut for each band, intern I like a jack of all trades type of antenna something I can use on the entire HF spread. I am currently using a long/random wire antenna cut to 119ft and have had good luck.

I also enjoy operating this radio with DM780. Leave the power set to 100W and drive the peak power via output volume to about 25W and you will be good to go on your choice of mode.

All and All I can solidly recommend this radio to some one who doesn’t have a ton of extra money to spend. It’s a good solid performer that lives up to its asking price. Mine has been very reliable even spending hours rag chewing on 80m. The menu and display is easy to read use and understand, the radio is easy to operate and most off all it gets you on the HF bands reliably. Sure you can buy a 1970s or 1980s transceiver in the same price range but that is just that, you are getting a 30~40 year old radio and you never know what you’re going to end up with when buying used. For me, I don’t want to have to learn and spend time fixing a radio, when it’s my ONLY HF radio; I just want something to get me on HF when I get the chance. An Alinco DX-SR8T will allow you to make contacts and does so reliably without breaking the bank.

Here is my rig and current antenna setup, great for those looking to get their feet wet in HF without getting a second job:









Power supply is an 20amp Astron I sourced locally used:



Antenna is pretty basic,  I have used several different dipoles and found this to work very well.  I enjoy the simplicity of it, while a little more difficult to tune with the manual tuner then a dipole, its what I have been using since I moved into my new house.  Other end of the antenna looks the same, insulator and paracord strung up in a tree:





When not using the radio I keep it disconnected and isolated in a glass jar.  Given my antenna orientation with the house being the high point, its probably not needed but I figure it can't hurt



Easy and quick to connect:





Runs to the random wire port on my MFJ-971


Please, take my review with a grain of salt.  While I have been an avid amateur operator for several years now, I am far from an HF expert.  The majority of my HF operation is partaking in ARFCOM SSB and or digital nets.  Like I stated in my long run on post above, I use HF when I have the time and I wish I could justify dumping a bunch of extra money into an HF rig, but right now, I can't.

If any one has any specific questions on the Alinco or wants any more information please feel free to post up and I will do my best to answer.

I will end my post with a few links: (may not be best prices)

DX-SR8T @ HRO:
http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-010649

MFJ-971 @ HRO:
http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-001321#results

RS-20 @ HRO:
http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-004427

Donner Digital Interface:
http://www.donnerstore.org//index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94_99_108&products_id=182

Good review......and to my old tired eyes a display I can read without using my cheaters!

Thanks man!  Nice review, excellent price point.

Thank you!  You should post this in other HAM centric locations as well.  It's easy to find people reviewing top of the line gear, but it's not often people review lower price point items like this.  Excellent.

I think you'd have a lot more fun if you run a counterpoise wire off the back of the tuner. Just run it out side, down and away from the direction of the original wire, make it the same length, insulate and tie it off.
73
Rob

Yea, tried it (well not 119 feet worth) but it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference.  Guess I could always try a few different configurations, but for me at my AO I have found this setup to work very well for me.  Maybe because I am running 119 feet of wire?   IMO go random single wire or a straight up dipole.  Of course a balanced line would not be difficult but its not like I have problems not being heard or hearing others so...  

dipole vs tuned random wire?
balanced line vs vertical?
ford vs chevy?
jeep vs toyota?
icom vs yeasu?

I guess it all depends on what your trying to accomplish...

Good Review of a Viable & Affordable Rig!  

does the face-plate remove for remote use?


Thanks OP!

Thanks for the good and very helpful review Derrick.

I think I'm going to copy your idea about the glass jar over the antenna feed line while it's disconnected.  Couldn't hurt, and might even help.

Looks like it does.

I've QSO'd with thederrick on his radio and it sounded like a perfectly fine radio to me!

First, an excellent review!  And a very nice setup for a new ham to HF on a budget.  Along with the tuner and Donner interface you've got a LOT of bang for the buck!

Some hams will put down the antenna coax in the jar thing, I don't.  They think that if you have a lightning strike that the jar won't stop it.  No, it won't.  But there are
many times, wind or sandstorm, snow, that there is a lot of static buildup and coax or in your case, the single wire, may spark causing a fire.  I've seen videos of
a darkened room, and the PL-259 on the end of coax sparking like a spark plug with a very audible "snap".  That could certainly set your notepad or other paper on
fire.  

That is a good practice... the jar... as well as disconnecting the antenna AND unplug from A/C power any time you are off the air.  Your radio will be just about immune
from EMP or lightning (unless direct strike) if disconnected from the mains and antenna.

Back to the Alinco, thanks for the excellent review.

This is what a real world review should be like. Well done sir.

Good review.

I too use the jar on coax ends.

Good review, can you post what countries you have logged and what not?

Nice review.

I am not much of a DX guy but I have a few qsl cards from over the pond...  Nothing rare though I don't hunt for it ether.

Good review.

How's it running? I'm considering one of these to put in my car, because I found one cheap locally.

Great write up.  I concur completely.  I have been using a DX-SR8 for 2 year now and have enjoyed lots of listening and lots of 10m contacts all over the world with my CFD mounted in my attic.  It is a great radio for the $$, I picked mine up slightly used for $200.

What do you mean?  I don't really understand your question?  Its running just the same as it has for the past two or so years?

Oh, I'm sorry, I misread that part.

Do you think this radio would do well in a car?

Well it has a large face plate that is remote mount-able but it is pretty big.  It is very easy to use but like I said it is big vs your standard mobile rig.  I would defiantly suggest looking at one in person first to see if it will work, or take down the dimensions and do a paper cut out to stick on your dash to get an idea.