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Xiegu G90

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Elf36:
I'm getting a bit tempted to buy a Xiegu G90. I really like the look and features of it. However, I would have to sell my Yaesu HF rig. I've always told my wife, If I buy something new, I will finance it without spending more money. I was a QRP guy for many years and I sometimes miss it. I love the waterfall display and portability. The weather is getting nice and it would be great to have a smaller rig to take camping. With the money, I could also purchase an antenna analyzer and a kit radio to build. I feel like the radio has been around long enough to have solid reviews and I know a couple of people that own them. I just worked a guy the other day on 10M on Curacao Island operating one and it sounded great. I'm torn though. I love the FT-950 and enjoy being able to change my CW speed with a quick turn of a knob to accommodate for slower stations or speed it up for DX op's without going through a menu. I've owned a lot of radios over the years and always say if I don't like the rig, I'll sell it and go back. I owned 2 FT-817's and an FT-818 among many others, usually switching it up every couple of years. It would also free up some space on my desk. I am worried about buyer's remorse though. With the bands not being great again, I worry I'll miss having 100 watts and even though 6M has been crap for quite some time, once I don't have it I'll wonder what's going on there?

Elf36:
Just went to 7.060 (QRP land) and heard a station in VA calling CQ with a good signal. I turned the rig down to 5 watts and sent my call a few times.... nothing. Turned it back up to 100 watts and got a quick reply. Maybe it's not a good time to go back to QRP. I do suspect that he wasn't running 5 watts either though, even though calling on a .060 frequency? Maybe I'll just slowly save up for the G90 or build a cheaper kit and keep what I got. I can't complain. It's great for SWL also. I use it more than my PC SDR rig.

RobRich:
Personal opinion.... I would be hard pressed to sell a Yaesu whatever to get a Xiegu G90 in return for a primary QTH transceiver. Features aside, there are build quality and serviceability aspects to consider IMO.

If thinking about mobile and/or portable ops, Xiegu does offer another potentially interesting model for around $250 or sometimes even less. The Xiegu G1M is a quad-band 5w transceiver for 80, 40, 20, and 15. Also does general receive. AFAIK, the biggest problem with it is a delicate microphone jack, though someone might have a fix for it by now.

If you are brave person, there is the "uSDR uSDX" variants that can be found for $130 or less via eBay and similar. A few watts and 8 bands from 80m to 10m. There is also a newer "uSDR uSDX+" (or plus, v2, etc.) model with an integrated li-ion battery and other changes for around $160 to $175. The newer model even claims PC connectivity for various digital modes. YMMV. I have seen reviews for these radios range from decent to horrid; seemingly based largely upon the radio actually working properly.

Elf36:
Yeah. I think you're right. I have seen that uSDR rig on some websites and Youtube videos. Pretty interesting for sure. I don't think it's gonna be the next big thing, but quite interesting for sure. I watched a video the other day of a guy in Europe working another EU station on SSB with that rig. Thanks for your feedback Rob. you've straightened me out. I really think what I'll do now is focus on saving a bit for a decent antenna analyzer and focus my attention on playing with antennas more, whether it be for ham radio or SWl stuff.

QRP:

Some interesting notes on XIEGU G90 Transceiver

https://radio.thulesius.se/sdr/xiegu-g90-transceiver/

//QRP

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