HAM RADIO QRP Buyers Guide - We look at the current top choices 

The question of pronunciation can be left mysterious, topical and unsolved. Sort of adds to the charm of that particular radio brand I believe. Thank you for another great video. Always looking forward to the next one 👍 M0DSK

I went with the IC-705 and enjoy it. That little radio has so many options it's beyond belief.

The Yaesu FT-817 was launched in 2001 after Elecraft launched the K2 in 1998. There is still a vibrant community for HF radio building and now you can buy HF multiband radio kit for $90+ which is pretty amazing. I still surprised that Yaesu has not come up with a more imaginative replacement for the FT-817.

A fantastic overview! I may suggest that antenna tuners more match the antenna than the radio. There are of course a myriad of antennas which do not require a tuner. So, if I am going about on foot, I am going to pick a lightweight radio, and battery. This will shove me into the QRP sector. Also, I'm going to pick an antenna that is crazy resonant in order to augment my lack of power. I truly have no need of a tuner in my radio. It's extra weight. For my experience most built in tuners are quite limited. So, if I'm going to take a non-resonant antenna with me, I'll also pack in a highly capable external tuner. Additionally, the salty operator will have a pretty good idea about how his antenna system works and should be able to make adjustments in the field. Therefore, rather than a tuner, I'm going to look for a quality SWR display, and low voltage capability so my day doesn't end prematurely. Just my take on things.

The main thing people i've spoke to love about the G90 is it's amazing for portable. The 10:1 internal antenna matcher means you can just plug a "random" wire directly into the back of the so239 hit tune and go. You just have to be aware of when you are and aren't in split mode. If the it's doing something weird that's the first thing to check. Everyone I know who owns/owned a G90 has been screwed over by split mode at some point.

very informative as always Peter. much appreciated and many thanks...

Love the breadth of rigs you compare.

Good overview and an enjoyable and informative video as always! This certainly could be considered the "golden age of QRP" given all the rigs, kits, batteries, antennas, etc. that are available on the market now. I built an HW-8 in the mid 80s, bought an FT-817 in 2001, and bought a KX2 last fall. I got involved with KQ6XA's HFpack Group after I got the '817 but drifted away from QRP portable in recent years. The KX2 has gotten me back out into the field with POTA, as well as just operating out in the yard. Yesterday I made my first test of the KX2 + AX1 antenna as an "HF HT" and had three amazing 20m SSB contacts. As Miranda's mother says, "Such fun!". 🙂

Peter a nice upgrade on the G90 is the larger knob available on eBay for around five dollars American. Huge, huge improvement. I promise you it’s worth the investment. Lee W8RNB

Peter, it depends on which Chinese "Spoken" language you use. The majority you will meet are Mandarin and Cantonese. Written Chinese is the same in almost all spoken languages. It changes when you change location and it is "Spoken"!

Heathkit was out long before Elecraft.

I built a K2/100 in 1999....took me a month to build, very expensive for its time. Terrible SSB rig, but at the time a top end CW radio. I did every SSB mod I could find but transmit audio was never good. 73/K6SDW

Excellent again Peter, a good 20 watt performer I used a cheap pc plugin USB sound card and it worked very well with the various digital modes I think there is a general concern about manufacturer backup if the G90 goes faulty? 73 Rob G3RCE

Nice vid but I think you could have made more of the fact that the G90 will practically tune anything and also, it has up to 20 Watts output. That’s a huge advantage over the others but you preferred to make more of the poor manual.

Hi peter! Loving al the videos mate! Keep up the work mate! Just a quick question for you! Is it still possible to buy spare parts for the Lowe HF-150 receiver! I’m looking for a 20ka alps pot replacement for mine! Cheers 👍🏻

Very good informative video Peter ❗️👍 A question totally off topic but I am trying to help a friend find find a CW 500 HT’s Filter for his IC 718 and we have come up empty with all sources here in the US. Do you have any suggestions ❓ Thanks 73. KV5P

I'm new to HF multiband transceiving - if one purchases a radio without a built-in antenna tuner/swr meter, one needs to buy a separate tuner in order to have the radio work properly? Please advise, thank you!

Nice...............

The question about Xiegu is like your pronunciation of pronounciation, only one of them is correct ;o)

Hi Peter, another great video as always! I enjoy portable QRP! There's so much to choose from these days! In fact, there are quite a lot of kits currently out there besides Elecraft. Of course, you'd be here all day if you tried to mention them all!! I built my K2 with an internal ATU and it's an amazing rig. I also built a 5W transistorized CW 40m Paraset kit which also demodulates voice. The great thing about the cheaper kits, is that not only are they really affordable for all age groups, they are very educational and loads of fun to build and you can finish them however you like. See how I finished my 40m CW QRP rig: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ERVwyi9RWcU.html

Will TX Factor make new videos? 73 DE W8LV BILL

Chinese Xiegu Radios are cheap copies with defects and poor performance in my experience with them for a few years to date. I would NOT purchase G90 again or any other current offerings. Previous BAOFENG is much worse.