Alinco DR 135 UK Review!
Firstly welcome to my website, great to have you here! Just to give you a little back story on this radio, I bought this radio new and owned it for around 3 months before I sold it to my friend Jordan who then used this in his truck for about 18 months before I bought the radio back from him. Was well looked after by Jordan but he definitely put it through its paces!
It was great to finally get the radio back in my possession, you don’t realise how much you miss something until it’s gone!
First impressions!
I remember when I first bought the radio I was really impressed with it, it looked fantastic and looked really well built. I have an alinco PSU so I felt comfortable with the brand, I was not disappointed!
I like the fact that this is not a menu driven radio and was really simple to use straight out of the box, no complicated setup just plug in your antenna and power cable and away you go!
I also like the knobs on the radio, really tactile and well made. One of the knobs (Band Selector) had broken but a little super glue and it’s back to its awesome self!
How do I use the radio?
The main use I have for the Alinco DR 135 UK is to chat to my father in law (G0HIJ) on the 10m band, we have always liked it on there as its quite quiet and the band is closed most of the time so were out of the way there, I run two Simplex Gateways (MB6FR & MB6IFR) so my Diamond X300 is taken up with those so 10m seems the best alternative.
I have the power on the Alinco turned right down to its lowest setting (1w) and have it going through my Zetagi B300p amplifier to give me around 40w so it’s a great balance! This 10 & 11m transceiver is not type approved for use on 11m here in the UK but that doesn’t bother me as I just use it to talk to Wayne most evenings so the radio has been well used! You can still listen & transmit anywhere between 25 Mhz and 30 Mhz, all you need to do to get the extended frequency range is turn your radio off and hold down the Func & LCD off button and then turn the radio back on again and select band 2 using the channel selector.
What do I really like about the radio?
The main thing I like about this radio is the simplicity of it! There’s nothing complicated whatsoever, the manual is really easy to read and understand so no issues there! I also like the fact you can change your RF output power on the fly, just simply turn off the rotary knob and you’re all set!
Some of the other things I like about the Ailinco DR 135 UK is the colour changing display! Although you cannot change the colour of the channel selector screen, only the main display can be changed, that’s totally fine though as you have 7 fancy colours to choose from including a rainbow effect! Looks really cool in your truck!
All the buttons are backlit too so that really helps at night but this cannot be adjusted but is in no way too much if you’re driving!
The Microphone is also a really nice addition to this radio! It’s not one of those RF45 type connectors, instead you can use a “proper” 8 pin mic socket! Great to see and gives it a real retro feel!
What don’t I like on the radio?
The main thing I don’t like is the fact that I had to super glue the band selector knob back on, not a major issue but the channel selector and band selector feel especially fragile to be honest.
The speaker could be a little better but it’s not too bad, I use a Pama external speaker and it works great. Another thing is that for a radio that can output 12w on FM this radio does not have a cooling fan on the heatsink! Not a huge deal breaker for me as I use a 120mm PC case fan underneath held on with a Cable Tie!
Here are the specification of the Alinco DR 135 UK radio
Frequency range 28000-29700 MHz . divided into 6×60 channels
Extended frequency range 25615-30105 MHz also possible 6×60 channels storable
Modulation modes AM . FM. USB. LSB . CW
Transmit power 1-12 watt AM / FM / CW. 0-25 Watts USB / LSB infinitely variable
PA paging amplifier function
Frequency steps : 10 Hz / 100 Hz / 1 kHz / 10 kHz
Controls and Features :
Display colour in 7 variations or Rainbow selectable mode ( colors change automatically … Fairground mode)
adjustable output on AM / FM and SSB ( RF Power )
adjustable receiver sensitivity (RF gain)
Suppression NB Noise Blanker and ANL
Clarifier for fine tuning . programmable in increments etc. ( PC software)
integrated S-meter
switchable Roger Beep
Search ( scan)
built-in Echo function
Dual Watch
built-in SWR meter with HI SWR alarm and shutdown of the transmitter
Protection against excessive input voltage
+10 KHz offset switch
integral reset function
Time-Out Timer (TOT )
Hi-Cut Function
switchable keypad lock (Lock)
Programmable through PC software ( for repeater operation)
3.5mm mono jack for external speaker / PA speaker
Jack for CW key
Programming connector for optional programming cable
CW Sidetone 300Hz – 3 kHz in 10 Hz increments
Antenna Connector : PL- connector (SO -239 )
Power supply: 13.8 V DC (+ / – 15 %)
Width without handle 17.3 cm. 18.5 cm bracket .
Depth from the top end heatsink to channel selector 23.8 cm
Depth from beginning to end heatsink faceplate 21.3 cm
Height 5.1 cm
Weight 1.5 kg
The set:
Alinco DR135 DX. 10m radio
Microphone with channel selection keys
rugged mobile mount with screws
DC Power Cable
(printed) English manual
My Conclusion!
This radio has been a really solid workhorse! Jordan used this in his work truck for 18 months and has been well used by both me and Jordan, I use this radio at least 3-4 times a week for rag chews that can last up to 4 hours at a time! Had absolutely no issues with it and after I fixed the band selector knob it was absolutely fine!
You can purchase these radios for not a lot of money and would make a great addition to your shack or vehicle! My advice is look for a used clean example and you should be fine for many years to come!..
Thanks very much for reading and if you want to see my video I made you can click it below where I explain everything from what is included in the box, a thorough look round it and even a programming guide! It’s EVERYTHING you need to know about your new Alinco DR 135 UK!
73
Matt
2E0FNM