I saw Macross DYRL the first time in 2000, when it was aired along with Macross II: Lovers Again on German TV, subtitled. I still have the VHS recording somewhere, which interestingly did not yet introduced the mastering bugs from the 2001 double pack DVD release. (one or two subtitle timing issues in DYRL and a horrible permanent reverb in the Japanese audio track of Lovers Again.)
I got introduced to the TV series much, much later in 2010.