Amateur radio maker getting into the GMRS market.

[wrci350]

15 hours ago, WRPV394 said:

I just received one and so far it's been great. I ordered an 8 in 1 USB Programming Cable from Amazon that I'm hoping works with it. 

Which one did you order?  I see a few.  Can you please post a link and let us know if it works?

[WRHS218]

55 minutes ago, wrci350 said:

Purchase of the license.  That text is on the Remtronix site too.  Nice that they are reminding folks that a license is required!

Pretty sure those are typos.  If you read the rest of the description it's pretty obvious that it was written by someone who has English as their first langauge ... like maybe the owner of RW Antenna Store (which is in Western NY)?  A lot of the text is copied from the Remtronix site (Remtronix is the US distributor for Alinco) but it's not verbatim.

I got it. It was a poor attempt at humor.

[WRPV394]

6 hours ago, wrci350 said:

Which one did you order?  I see a few.  Can you please post a link and let us know if it works?

This is the one I got https://a.co/d/gmjBQjy It has two speaker/mic cable leads, one is the more common Kenwood style, the other is a little smaller and plugs into the Alinco.

It is working with other radios that I have using Chirp. However, I'm not having any luck finding software for the Alinco radio.

I've emailed Remtronics to ask if they can send me a copy.

[wrci350]

@WRPV394 Did Remtronix get back to you with the link to the software?  Raj told me that they were looking for feedback on it and once they had a new version the link would be posted on their website.

I promised a "full review" of the DJ-G46 but honestly I'm not sure if I am qualified to provide one.  I don't have a bench full of test equipment, and I'm definitely not a "power" GMRS user.  But I'll share my bullet list, starting with the "cons".

Cons

• There is no "menu" available to make programming changes.  Out of the box, you can modify the squelch tone and mode on any of the pre-programmed 22 channels, but that's it.  Any other changes (adding channels, customizing key functions, etc.) must be done through the programming software.
• While the radio has a K-type accessory connector, it does NOT use a K-type programming cable.  That means the Baofeng cable many folks have lying around will not work.  Instead, an Alinco ERW-7 or ERW-15 cable is needed.  Expect to spend at least $25 to get the correct cable.  I'm also curious to hear if one of those Amazon multi-cables works since that might be a cheaper option.  Fortunately for me, I already had the RT Systems equivalent cable (USB 29-A) since it is used for a number of other Alinco radios, both HT and mobile.

Pros

• Well-built radio which feels good (and not cheap) in the hand.
• Sensitivity and selectivity better than other GMRS radios that I have.  My non-scientific test was to put the DJ-G46 and two other GMRS HTs in the window of my home office and have them scan the local repeaters.  The DJ-G46 picked them up far better than the other two radios.
• Audio quality is very good based on the contacts I've made with it.
• Programming software is decent.  There were a few spelling/grammer errors that I noticed and let Raj know about, but nothing that affected the functionality of the software.  I asked RT Systems if they would be releasing a programmer for the DJ-G46 and they didn't even realize it had been released.  Not sure if they will or not, but if they do I'll buy it.  If they don't, the provided software seems to work just fine.
• For some, the simple user interface may be an advantage since it's easier to hand it to a person who is not radio-savy.  OOB one of the function buttons is a key lock, so you can activate and the only thing that will work is the PTT.

I did notice on oddity tonight while I was typing up this post.  I **KNEW** that I'd seen a reference to the model of programming cable required but could not find that reference on-line or in the PDF of the owner's manual I downloaded.  Turns out that the printed manual has an extra page at the end (that is not in the PDF) where it talks about PC programming and that's where the cable model numbers are listed!

Very nice little radio and I like it a lot.  I asked my kids for an often-recommended GMRS HT for Christmas in 2022 and they bought it for me.  I really wish the DJ-G46 had been available back then ... it's a much better radio IMHO.

[ClassicCarGuy]

If President Radio comes out with GMRS, more likely I'll get one.

[ClassicCarGuy]

On 2/7/2024 at 11:10 AM, tweiss3 said:

I like all the Alinco radios I have or have messed with. They already made commercial radios, so this is a logical step for them. Nice to have another not CCR in the game.

Could you adopt a mic on lets say the Alinco DR-135T without or lesser controller feature on the stock mic itself?

[wrci350]

Just one more note on the DJ-G46.  RT Systems has released their programmer software for it.  I purchased it this past Monday evening, downloaded and installed it, and right away I noticed a bug. I read the programming from the radio (that I had done with the Alinco software) and the frequencies for the custom repeater channels I had programmed were totally off (578.xxx receive and 583.xxx transmit).

I contacted their tech support via email Monday night, and after I supplied a copy of my programming file via email (which was delayed because I was away from the radio and computer on Tuesday) they found and corrected the problem and issued an updated version of the software by Wednesday morning!

As I said in my review, this radio doesn't have a 'menu' system so the changes you can make without programming software are quite limited. The Alinco software is "ok", but I would highly recommend the RT Systems software and cable instead, not only because it is more polished but because of their excellent customer support.

I really like this radio.  Hopefully it will be a success for Alinco.