eBay

This sale is for an Alinco DX-R8T communications receiver that is no longer available to purchase as new. The receiver is in gently used condition and shows only minor/minimal signs of ownership.

Please note that this receiver was sold by Alinco without a power supply, but we have included a low noise adapter and a special adapter plug to fit the odd size DC input jack on the rear panel of the receiver. Also included with this receiver is the user manual and copies of various sale sheets and reviews for you to read and enjoy and plus a CD that contains a lot of files of reviews, the brochure, and the user manual.

Operationally, we fully tested the receiver and it performs beautifully on various bands and in the many receiving modes. The sensitivity was quite good and we were able to verify this in a variety of amateur radio bands and shortwave broadcast frequencies.

We would like to say that this receiver is well made making generous use of metal in its construction. While the front panel employs the use of plastic, the balance of the unit is comprised of heavy gauge steel that gives a person a feeling that quality corners were not cut with its manufacture. Added to this is the fact that the suggested retail price of the DX-R8T is just about $600 (less power supply) and you then have a receiver that is affordable to many buyers that cannot own a selection from the elite group of receivers. But that said and considering cost, the features and appointments on this receiver are impressive.

If you study the front panel, one of the first things that you will notice is that there are a lot of double-function buttons. This sort of design enables the receiver to occupy a smaller footprint on your desktop, but also to allow access to features instead of leaving them off due to lack of panel space. Also, the display is larger and easy to read for viewing frequency and operational information. The tuning knob is large and has a pleasant feel to it. If you spin tuning knob, you will notice that it moves easily with a flywheel effect. However, if you move it slowly, you will also be able to tune with precision. The front panel features a forward facing speaker that is important in hearing signals as it allows the sound to be directed toward you making discerning signals easier to copy.

When using the receiver, we noticed that it has two filters for AM shortwave program listening....a 9 KHz wide filter and a 2.4 KHz narrow filter. The wide filter works well for most listening, but is too wide for strong nearby stations that are often just 5 KHz away from adjoining frequencies. But the user has a couple of features at their disposal that enables them to reject this side channel interference. First of all, they can move the IF tuning to eliminate much of this side channel interference. We did this on several occasions with excellent results. Additionally, the RIT (rate incremental tuning) allows for precise adjustment of the tuning slightly off frequency to help sidestep this interference. Finally, should the interference be entirely too overwhelming, you can use the narrow bandwidth filter in conjunction with the IF tuning or RIT to clarify the signal.

Alternately with tuning AM signals to eliminate interference, DXer's and hobbyists have commonly used ECSS tuning (exalted carrier selectable sideband). To manage this, the operator would tune to a signal that they desire. If the interference is coming from the lower side of the tuned frequency, you would chose USB. You would then carefully tune the signal to eliminate any howl or distortion and thus clarify the signal. By tuning an AM signal on SSB, and in the case of our example USB, you would have a tool to listen to clear AM broadcasts, but utilizing sideband to eliminate interference.

We have also known advanced DXers who prefer to listen to weak AM transmission broadcasts in SSB as the sensitivity of the receiver is generally better using SSB and thus very weak signals can often be heard using SSB that may not be copied using AM mode. Included on the CD provided with this receiver is a document in PDF that explains this process and how to tune the receiver properly. Many serious DXers prefer the ECSS tuning over using AM synchronous tuning.

Listening to the maritime and amateur signals is very easy. Selection of the proper sideband is a snap and the use of the 2.4 filter enables good copy on SSB. If you lean toward the CW side of the hobby and like to copy code, you can employ the use of the RIT to change the tone of the signal or to help with selecting the desired signal from the crop of those hitting your antenna. Additionally, there is a 500 Hertz audio filter to help sort out the signals. Tuning the receiver VFO can be done one of 3 ways....using the tuning knob, using the up/down arrows, and direct keypad entry. The receiver also has 600 memories and, if you appreciate storing your favorite frequencies this way, you can scan or choose to tune using this method. There are 7 pages of detail in the user manual explaining the use of memory selection, saving, searching, and tuning.

Here are some features of this DX-R8T receiver:

Coverage from 150 KHz thru 30 MHz
Modes of AM / LSB / USB / CW / FM (not commercial FM) / IQ
Large LCD display with 10 Hz tuning resolution
Front facing speaker
IF shift
RIT + or - 1.2 KHz
Noise blanker
4 level RF preamp/attenuator
Headphone jack
Speaker jack
3 banks of 200 channels each for 600 memory channels
Squelch
Dual VFOs
Keypad for direct entry tuning
Dial lock and key lock
Selectivity of 9.0 / 2.4 KHz with 500 Hz audio filter for CW
Two sets of programmed search pairs
Variety of scan modes
Auto power off
Sleep timer
Display lamp adjustment
Adjustable tuning steps
AGC
7 digit alphanumeric channel tags
Mute capable to use in conjunction with a transceiver
Frequency stability of 1 ppm
Detachable front panel for remote operation with optional 16' control cable (available separately)
Cloning via USB using cloning cable ( available separately)
Computer I/Q output allows use of third party software in SDR applications
13.8 VDC

As you can see, this receiver is not short on features and will enable the user to enjoy listening to signals from the longwave thru the mediumwave and into the shortwave bands. The frequency stability is an amazing one part to million and was formerly found only on the most expensive commercial receivers. As mentioned briefly in the list above, the front panel detaches and allow for remote operation (see picture at top of the listing). Thus, if you wanted to use the receiver in your automobile, you could place the main console in your trunk and mount the front panel where it is accessible. A 16' cable is required for this and is sold separately elsewhere.

We could spend a great deal of time reviewing this receiver for you, but there are other very qualified people who have done so with thoroughness and if your desire is to read more about this receiver, it seems wise for us to just offer you these following links:

https://youtu.be/K0U5X0lj8Ls (Eric at Universal Radio does a wonderful review - copy and paste link into your browser)

https://swling.com/blog/2011/09/alinco-dx-r8t-review/ (copy and paste this link into your internet browser)

https://web.archive.org/web/20170110171350/http://www.dxer.ca/articles/91-alinco-dx-r8t (copy and paste this link into your internet browser)

Please use the Ebay shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost. This cost includes proper packing materials for safe delivery and insurance cost against damage or loss.

Those buyers living outside the USA are also welcome to purchase from us. We have shipped to 112 countries during the past 24 years on Ebay and we are happy to ship virtually anywhere in the world. You may use the shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost.

We ask that you remember that this cost may not include any import, customs, or VAT fees. If you are uncertain of these costs, we ask you to check with your local post office prior to making a purchase from us.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to look at our Ebay items!