HFU HF Underground
General Category => Amateur Radio => Topic started by: Elf36 on November 04, 2021, 2248 UTC
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Some interesting notes on XIEGU G90 Transceiver
https://radio.thulesius.se/sdr/xiegu-g90-transceiver/
//QRP
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I'd seen that link before as well. The power connectors and cables is an idea that helped-out rigs like the 10M, RCI-2950, since it came with a chincy small-gauged power cable. That did indeed bring that rig to full RF OUT potential on both SSB and AM modes. Still, this Xiegu G90 fills the desire that I have, a stand-along SDR rig and not type up yet another computer for radio crap. I have more than enough of that. So, I'm looking to get one myself, since I can't justify diving $$$$$-wise for an IC-7300, or the new IC-705. The rig that I really want is that new TS-890S. That's not happening too soon with me.
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Yeah. It's a cool piece of gear and many have been sold. I saw 3/4 the other day on QTH Classifieds, one was priced at $330.00
I remember the HR-2510 had the similar flimsy connector in the back.
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I just bought a X6100 on pre-order. For a couple hundred more than the G90, it promises to be more like an ICOM IC-705 in operation. The caveat is: Xiegu's known for releasing buggy firmware in their new radios. While the G90 has this nicely sorted, the X6100 is an unknown. I'll keep you posted.
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I was unaware of this model. Looks like their version of the Icom-705. Although they did already put out the Xiegu 5105, which is similar also and covers 6M. I'll have to do some more research. Best of luck with it. There have been many Xiegu firmware changes, but that can be fixed as each change comes out. I was very sceptical of Chinese rigs when the big Baofeng craze started, but I feel their (Xiegu) reputation is pretty legit so far. BTW- I am a solid believer that the Baofeng VHF/UHF HT's were a good thing for Ham radio. It offers people an option to get into the hobby for a small investment. If it's not for you, then you're not out a lot of money. If you do decide you like it, you will likely move on to the big 3 brands at some point. As well as repeater operation, you can also work satellites on a budget.
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Indeed, my first rig was Baofeng, and I've continued to have an interest in China made equipment as a way to make a limited budget stretch farther. In general, the design, engineering and build quality of the Xiegu rigs seem fine, and I have high hopes for their X6100. Right size, right price, and feature packed. Their ATUs in particular are liked by many users, and of course Icom skipped the ATU entirely in the IC-705!
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Yeah. I was surprised they didn't include an ATU on the 705. That would add a lot more appeal..... Although they do offer the Icom AH-705 Autotuner to pair with it, for the low cost of $349.95. I think I'd just buy an LDG or Elecraft tuner. I'm gonna build another PFR-3 transceiver when they come back in stock. I've built 2/3 of them. Great rig if you're a CW Op. They cover 20/30/40 meters and also have a built-in BLT tuner. https://www.qrpkits.com/pfr3.html
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I have the old LDG 100Pro, and that tunes with 4W CB's to 40M dipoles nicely, so it would certainly rock with the 5W carrier from the Xiegu G90, if ya went that way. Just FYI...
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One positive of the G90 is supposed to be a decent integrated autotuner.
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Yeah. Can't go wrong with an LDG. I learned to tune on Dentron/MFJ tuners years ago, and it's good to know, but it's nice to just hit that button!.... Although my internal FT-950 tuner tunes most bands lower. That green light just means 1.5
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If it makes you feel better, Outhouse Radio runs his G90 for hours on end on the pirate bands.
There is also a nice holder / cooling fan bracket available for the radio.
https://dxcanada.ca/xiegu-g90-h1-holder-cooling-fan-bracket-for-xiegu-g90-hf/ (https://dxcanada.ca/xiegu-g90-h1-holder-cooling-fan-bracket-for-xiegu-g90-hf/)
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When I was doing my G90 research I found the same item for around $67.00 here and there. I did read that the rig gets a bit warm. I wonder how hot it would do get on SSTV/PSK31 at 20 watts. When I run my Yaesu rig, I always back down the power to 50 watts or so. I think 20 watts would be enough power for those modes, but I'd imagine the G90 would get a bit warm at full power if people notice the heat for CW/SSB operation.
I will definitely buy one at some point.... I hope. They make a mobile mount also. Would be great to run mobile 10/11 with a 10/11M amp and a trimmed 102'' whip .You could probably even go a bit lower in frequency with that same style amp. I wouldn't go too far though.
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Some notes on my experience with the 90;
Put ferrites on everything, mic, any cable that goes into the rig, and put some on the coax. The power cable is very prone to picking up rf so ferrite it and some twist the wires to reduce rfi further.
Powering the rig on with certain input cables connected such as the cat control port can cause firmware corruption.
Some find simply swapping ends of the mic cable reduces or eliminates intermittent opens at the mic cable connector in the rig, also some have replaced the mic cable with a cat cable.
Careful selection of firmware and adjustment of controls can make for a very reliable and effective rig.
I find a noise blanker setting of 5 and a width of 10 reduces most random hf pops and crashes without impacting dynamic range much if at all. Unlike stated at this review you can adjust the nb and it is effective;
https://radio.thulesius.se/sdr/xiegu-g90-transceiver/
Shutting off the display by quick press of the power switch reduces the ma used a bit and saves the display backlight, mine's set to a very low backlight setting and find it perfectly usable even in brightly lit indoors.
Join the xiegu g90 groups,io for a lot of info and files;
https://xiegug90.groups.io/g/main
When I was first looking for something portable with low current draw, excellent rx performance, and sdr capabilities along with effective tx power, a mini Icom Pro3 is what I imagined. Well that was a tough order till the 90 came along, and as luck would have it, sherweng rates it above the Pro3;
http://www.sherweng.com/table.html
A linear 10a psu is perfect for the 90, ample current and no rfi as in the case of a switcher psu.
I found a deal at qth for a complete kit, g90, fan/mount, and the hockey puck interface for less than a new one and it was all only a few months old.
https://swap.qth.com/
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I guess I'll find out next week. I'd just bought a used one. I like the idea of all-in-one package and not have a computer tied to yet another appliance. So, has anyone tried this rig on AM TX to see how it sounds?
UPDATE 11/29/2021: The rig from MTC, (Main Trading Co.,), https://www.mtcradio.com/ for $369.00, free shipping, came Saturday. So, got 1/2 of Sunday to try it out. Date code is Jan. 2021, so a pretty recent 2nd-hand rig. Gotta' say, for that 'lil 1.8" DIA OLED screen, it's very sharp and concise. Even did a Toronto, ON P.O.T.A. Station on 1st try. Nice, to have eyes as well as ears. I've yet to try an AM QSO on this rig, but certainly plan too and see what opinions that I get. So far, only complaints are that the COMP is all, or nothing, so you have to 'Ride-The-Gain' on the mic. CW decoder is iffy, at best, but I'm still trying the learn the rig's 'Sweet-spot' there. And, when to goto programmed Memory Channels, you can't tune off from them, like you can with many other rigs, which is my preference of band and mode switching. Still, these are not deal-breakers by any means. And consider this, how much would you pay for a separate antenna analyzer? It has one built-in! . My MFJ-259C was like $250.00, and my original MFJ-269 PRO was like $500.00 in 2005. So, nice!!!! QRP'ers will like this rig going down to 1W. The no EXT Speaker Jack??? I plan to make one. Looks doable.
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On cw decode I find 300hz filter and set to 20wpm and it takes right off on a decent sig, does pretty well for a dsp decoder. Also for some reason decoder dislikes changing the cw sidetone from 800, I like 600 but decode was greatly hindered at that freq, wonder if the cw decoder doesn't track offset changes?
A few things would really be nice to have;
one is decimation levels - this will increase dynamic range at the expense of displayed spectrum and 48khz on such a tinys creen is nuts
another is if they made a user sdk for the firmware where one could roll their own gui, psk and fsk modes built in, etc etc
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I have a G90 and have been producing Youtube videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsbBSwXJzVtkX6ovo-QZATA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsbBSwXJzVtkX6ovo-QZATA)on getting the most out of it.
It is a very decent radio especially for the price. But there are the obvious drawbacks of the tiny screen, a somewhat un-intuitive user interface and only 20 watts (which for digital and CW is just fine).
But it is quite capable and well worth the price. Could it be your only radio? Sure, but the 'smallness' factor can get a bit tedious. It is not my only radio, but I use it quite a bit, especially on 10 meters and for digital modes.
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Xiegu has been working on the new product, the 6100 think it's called, so have put g90 fw updates on hold.
The latest fw have addressed many of the most glaring issues, with dsp rigs that can have their fw updated this can be never ending and not in a bad way. I'd really like to see Xiegu come out with an sdk to write fw, something Icom promised with the 7800 but has yet to deliver on.
Some feel the g90 has seen its last fw update due to past behaviour by Xiegu with previous rigs, but most if not all of them were hardware rigs, not sdr. Xiegu says there will be further updates for the 90 but their focus is on the new rig. There was an effort by someone in India to write their own fw, but I haven't got any details yet. I suspect Xiegu could increase sales over the present levels and longevity of their rigs if they made schematics and a fw sdk available. The schematics issue alone is problematic as no one is experienced in Xiegu repairs outside of Xiegu for all I know.
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Xiegu has been working on the new product, the 6100 think it's called, so have put g90 fw updates on hold.
I thought I ordered one of the X6100 "first batch" units a while back but have so far been stuck in a continuing Twilight Zone episode with the seller (not Xiegu). If a radio turns up, I'll note it here.
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nice, hope you get it soon. Was wondering how it'd differ from the 90 so a report would be nice. I read the first batch was sent out in November?
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Thanks for all of the feedback. I was just messing around on ebay and saw that there is a Xiegu XPA125B Power Amplifier HAM HF Radio 125W that goes for $549.00 dollars. What insane person would pay that to make a $435.00 put out 125 watts? There is also a waterfall display to pair with it for $449.00.
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For those that have the Xiegu G90 - I noticed there is a stand with a cooling fan. How hot does the radio get? Do you feel like having the cooling fan is important?
Also if I get one, it would be used for both CW & PSK31 , just adding that info in case you think those modes would increase heat. Thanks
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In RX stand-by, more than luke warm. That doesn't surprise me, since you have CPU's crunching to produce that spectrum scope / waterfall display. So far, the only long key-up time that I've had with it is the 10M local chit-chat here. It got more than luke warm, but not hot. Then again, I wasn't running full-bore 20W, except for a quick test from 1W - 20W when a friend asked to do so, for his curiosity. I've yet to do QSO's on AM and FM modes, but I suspect that would heat it up there. One way to reduce heat is to reduce the display brightness from 100%, (Which appeared to be default.), down to less than 50%. I took mine down to 25% and that's still bright enough for indoor viewing, and doesn't light-up the whole room at night. BTW, I've only had my Xiegu G90 for less than a month, used in 68 - 70 degrees F. My guess would be, if I was using this outside on Summer Time Field Day, in 80 / 90 degree weather, then a fan kit would be a must. Hmmmmmmmmm... This might be a nice hand warmer for the Winter Field Day. (Hi-hi...)
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For full power digital use the fan thingy is a good idea. The rig's designed to take heat and the pa is way underrated with respect to power out, but cool usually means longer life. The fan thingy also makes for a fine rig holder.
Been hearing from some that for fm use the best tx audio is produced when the mic gains set to 5 or so, stock is 10 wich is kinda hot.
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nice, hope you get it soon. Was wondering how it'd differ from the 90 so a report would be nice. I read the first batch was sent out in November?
After a fairly hair-raising experience involving a lost shipment from November, Xiegu and Radioddity stepped up and sent another X6100 which was received today. Initial impression is good. Since reviews seem mixed so far, I'll check it out and report when I know more.
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Xiegu G90 CHEATS :
http://mediafire.com/folder/gtbeia0d639ib/XIEGU (http://mediafire.com/folder/gtbeia0d639ib/XIEGU)
Andre
CoolAMRadio/OHR
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Has anyone tried PSK31 with the G90? I've heard there are a few things that need to be done differently than a standard HF rig.
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I haven't, but I believe that some of these Reviewers have, https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=14255
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I haven't had much time lately for radio, but I'm doing an experiment. I am going to set my HF rig to 20 watts out for a couple of weeks and see how well I do. I'm certain I'll be able to work some DX, but I want to see what 20 watts will do in a pileup. CW shouldn't be much issue.
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Finally had a few mins to play radio. Worked my first 20 watt QSO with TI2BSH (Costa Rico) on 14.070 (PSK31) @ 0:09. 599 both ways at 1303 miles from my QTH. Hopefully, I'll have some time tomorrow to try CW and SSB. We'll see
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Around 5w to 20w into basic or even compromise antennas is rather common for fans of the modern highly-efficient digital modes.
Just QRP power into an indoor tuned loop often can work digital mode contacts at many hundred to several thousands of miles.
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Not having an EXT Speaker Jack option really bugs me about this rig, so I did one. Using leftover ribbon cable, I used 3 strands to work that through the top side of the back ACC Port and tapped from the INT Speaker that way and ran the EXT OPEN / CLOSED circuit 1/8" connector. Works pretty well. There's only a 1/2W of audio, but it's enough to drive EXT speakers for better audio, than the 1 1/4" top-side INT speaker. And, a weird feature showed-up in Memory Mode. Now, I've known that this rig has Split VFO A/B, and in theory, you can work non-PL'ed 10M FM repeaters that way. But, I didn't know that the Splits also seem to work in Memory Mode. So, when it seems that I'm not being heard by anyone, I am still TX'ing, but not where the Main FREQ Display shows. I can't even find that feature in the manuals, and want to disable that. Yeah, I can easily match RX / TX but hitting the A/B VFO button, but I never came across a rig that did that in Memory channels. Huh... So, I'm apparently still learning this rig. Weird....
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Listening to the 40M AM'ers on 7290kHz, I heard one station talk about the Xiegu G90, where he commented on that for AM Mode, it was the best low powered, near QRP, rig out there to sound nice on AM that he's stumbled on. Now, I have listened to mine on another rig, in headphones, and for what I have, the 'sweet-spot' settings there seem to be to set te MIC Gain on "5", (From the scale of 1 - 20.), and to have the COMP "ON". I've yet to try a QSO with just the rig's 5W carrier, but I know that it can be done, if the Bob Heil Pine-Board Projects proved anything. And, 10M 29.00000AM should be had at 5W. Most amps will take 5W nicely and bump that from 30W - 50W. Worth a try? Why not???
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G90 Firmware 1.78
https://xiegu.eu/downloads/
I tried this fw and it made rx sigs crackle no matter agc, nb, rf gaon or any other setting, even tried overwriting it, still crackles. I noted only one other user had this issue, others love it. Went back to 1.77b and all is bliss.
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This update was brought up this morning on Reddit.com (Ham radio)
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/s06k7j/xiegu_g90_updating/
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Huh... Whereas, I hacked in to the radio's internal speaker connections, and ran a flat cable, and jack, out of the back of the rig external, this dude went to the Speaker / Headphones relay. https://yo3hjv.blogspot.com/2020/12/xiegu-g90-external-speaker-modification.html
I'll bet that it looks better, than my EXT Jack MOD. Hey... If it works.
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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?
Would be like selling a Porsche to buy a 1980 Yugo
Those things are junk, and you are just wasting your time even looking at them..
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Those things are junk, and you are just wasting your time even looking at them..
::) LMMFAO
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New fw out for g90, fixes many ills;
http://www.cqxiegu.com/filedownload/91358