Ham Radio from China - What is The Future? 

5:19 Bingo! In the 1970's if the label said "Made in Japan" it was a high quality product. SONY and others made huge profits in the American market. Now it is China's turn. It would be wonderful to see an electronics store return to the local neighborhood with these products....a RadioShack 2.0 For those unaware, RS used to sell very high quality amateur radios like Collins and also Hallicrafters, but that was back in the 1950's in Boston. Providing the parts, kits and quality radios encourages the makers and feeds the future sales.

As a example of what you’re talking about : The Chinese drone manufacturer, DJI pretty much dominates market share for those products because of high quality and great customer service.

Some of those Xiegu rigs look pretty interesting. Xiegu also makes a 100 watt amplifier for its QRP rigs so the rig can be used at home as a full power rig and on the go as a QRP. From what I've seen on RU-vid, I think Xiegu will be a big player in the ham radio world before long. Thanks for the great video. Your content is always informative and educational.

At first Japanese products were thought of as inferior but they soon upped their game. My late father told me a tale of how shipments of broadcast receivers would factor in that maybe 98% of them would work, a Japanese company fulfilling a similar order boxed some smashed up radios separately. Of course the rest of the shipment all worked, the suggestion being that if the contract called for a percentage of faulty units they had to make them faulty. 73

Wolf is opensource transceiver by UA3REO, so anyone can build it, include chinese manufacturers:)

Thank you Peter

When I was a youngster in the 1950s, Japanese made products were considered junk. That lasted until the 1970s when Toyota brought their cars to the USA. Now products made in Japan are synonymous with quality. MFJ products are made in the USA and have earned the title “Mighty Fine Junk”, with extremely poor quality control. Comet, which is manufactured in Japan is considered quality as well as the big 3, Kenwood, Yaesu, and Icom. China is rapidly catching up. Chinese drone company DJI dominates that space. I’m a Part 107 FAA Certified Drone Pilot and I wouldn’t own any other make. China is rapidly catching up to or in many cases exceeding the quality of USA commercial products. This is the main reason for anti-China sentiment in the USA because they are beating us in many areas. The “free markets” are fine as long as the USA is winning, but when the tables turn free markets are considered “manipulated”. You can’t have it both ways.

For me the question is, Why doesn't Kenwood produce a TS2000 successor? Every OM I ask would want something like that. Or a nice mobile TRX Allmode with 100w 2m 70cm. Do the Chinese have to come and take over the market first? 73´s DH1KJ

I am amazed by the amateur radio equipment that is coming out of china. Especially sice I can't afford the big name brands. I would really love it if Xiegu released a budget 100W base station. Don't need bells and whistles, just want to get on the air 😅

Don't know where my Yaesu 991a was made but it works quite well and I really like the radio. I do have a couple of HT's, one is a Baufeng UV-5RE, a Chinese radio. Cheers & 73 from K9POW in eastern TN

I like these Chinese SDR transceivers and I agree that you need to do your research into the company before purchasing. I have two Xiegus, the G90 and X6100. I run the G90 at 10 watts as I am an M7 though hopefully next year I can run at the full 20w. I'm really impressed with both. All metal construction, regular firmware updates, and for the price a lot of features. I actually sold my IC705 and kept the X6100 because of the metal casing for when I'm out and about. Also because it is not a touch screen which if damaged on the 705 could spell the end of the radio. All in all I am very pleased and keeping my eye out for more.

I’ve just had delivered a Guohetec PMR-171 transportable SDR transceiver, 160M to 70cms with rx capability up to 2GHz, 20W out on battery or external supply. It’s quite remarkable. Guohetec seem to be a military manufacturer and you can see when you handle the radio. It’s great value and so far I haven’t found much to criticise. The engineers reply to questions very quickly. Maybe something for W and S to look at Peter? 73 Tim M0AFJ

...would love to see a clip on battery pack (BP500) for the Lab599.

The transceiver you show is called the Wolf ddc/duc and is an open source project. You can build it yourself, or buy it prebuilt from a Chinese manufacturer. There is an updated version available, aka Wolf 2, which has an ATU and does 100w.

The FX4CR is the best yet. Direct to customers as well. Maybe that’s why I’m not seeing it here.

I think the Chinese need to up their reliability many love their X6100 but at the same time many have had problems. The firmware still seems a long way from finished. I own a G90 and I think it is a great radio.

It is already offered on Aliexpress...

It looks like the Japanese manufacturers have given up the bottom end of the market to the Chinese manufacturers. No FT450D or Icom 718 entry level radio now. Not even the FT817. The same thing has happened with electric cars. Nissan us dropping the Leaf and the Renault Zoe and the bottom end of the market is all Chinese cars now like ORA, BYD and MG. One thing that must be driving the amateur radio manufacturers is their internal market. I can remember when there were very few Chinese radio amateurs, but now they are very active.

Everything comes to China and some pretty high tech and performance

On the whole I'm pretty unconvinced with the Chinese products coming to market. The Chinese are great at manufacture but design (either electronic or industrial) is not their forte. They can clone existing designs but as soon as they start to try and "own" a design it invariably goes wrong - either it under-performs compared to the original or just fails due to cost-cutting, poor substitution or just flagrant disregard for EMC / type approval. I don't like the fact that there are many manufacturers mass producing designs that are in the public domain for personal experiment but not for a third-party to put into production. Saying that there are some good products but to my mind, they are few and far between. My personal preference for larger-ticket items is to go for products that come from a manufacturer that I know and have a reputation to uphold.

I'm waiting for the KX4. Perhaps I will wait along time.

Wolf all mode TRX is Russian open source and open hardware project.

Nice viewpoint 73 KM7Y Houston, Texas

My view (and I emphasize my view) is that now is not the time to support high tech equipment manufacturers based in China. The quality and degree of support available from this manufacturer not withstanding, it is clear that finished products from China are created in a more Confucian than Judeo-Christian ethical system. Transparency, complete honesty and unflinching devotion to customer satisfaction are not characteristic of the environment in which they are produced. So we get immature products, with incorrect FCC certification numbers, missing features (promised for later firm where versions, inadequate documentation and instructions, and on and on. All chalked up to inconvenience commensurate with the selling price, except the medium term results can include forcing the majors-Yaesu, ICOM, Kenwood-to reconsider the entry-level or first-tier of the market, where their offerings far outshine the (sometimes referred to as) cheap knockoffs. I don’t want us (hams) to be solely dependent on Chinese manufacturers’ for a portion of (or worse the entirety of) my amateur radio manufactured equipment choices.

I do disagree about Xiegu's service. They do not respond at all to questions, especialy regarding repair, or replacement parts. Also they do not provide schematics. (do they realy think no one can figure out an SDR radio himselve ?) Yes i do like the Xiegu radio's, but technical info is a big MINUS ! Not even to mention all those VHF/UHF handy talkers from china.

PR China , they prices are going up for they're radios they know of course that we will pay more. Have a G90 xiegu, excellent kit.

Life is too short for QRP... 73!

The big radio you showed looks like they ripped off a bunch of stuff from Yaesu... The 3D waterfall and the hand mic. are the two examples that jumped out at me. Many of the Chinese manufacturers are certainly capable of making excellent products, but sadly many also cut too many corners or turn to making counterfeits. The world economy is definitely changing. It's going to be an interesting next 10-20 years if nothing else.

This design reminds me of the Russian style of graphics and features…ie R1CBU.

I just hope they don't have a hidden OFF switch they can activate somehow...

I think your subtitles may have been Chinese at certain points

Instead of having a love / hate with your UN-UN make it variable atleast is a a pair of steps. You can have 2, 3 or 4 windings primary and 2-3 taps on the secondary this way you find exactly what you need and want. Just a stupid idea from a ham that has been quiet for to long and want to get in to it again. SM7JGA

The Wolf all band Transceiver you showed a photo of in the video is being sold by Banggood online store for £794.52. Just the risk of buying direct from China.

h namast ? to make .rh ??

I've had 2 Dmr radios from tyt and retevis that I've had to send back awful things so I am sorry I can't agree with you.

China has a lot of ionosphere above their borders...so they own it!!! Please..I'm not a rampant left winger at all,but how much may have been made by let's say dubious labour??

looks like the stole the idea from elecraft.

It’s pronounced shee-yay-goo. Ask them. All you chaps selling gear and you don’t even know what it’s called. Sheesh….