I would like to say thank you to everyone for watching. If you'd like more videos on the Xiegu G9, check out my Xiegu G90 playlist. ru-vid.com/group/PLKMrdrsNkFA61ybQikT6xGjXNe0H2pj-n
Bought this as my first HF rig when I first became licensed back in November last year. No problems making contacts with 20 watts, and I think the tuner could tune up pretty much anything you could screw, glue, or duct tape to the antenna output. The receiver seems very sensitive, and it's just loaded with features for the money. Anyone who is hesitating, just order one. Neat little radio.
@@o2bnov0307 Yes, I can still stand behind my comments. Actually using the radio right this moment, and looking up POTA spots. I've since upgraded my base station with a Yaesu FT-450D, but still use the G90 as a portable rig regularly, including the last winter field day, out in very cold and windy conditions. No problems at all thus far. It has its quirks (I always have to look up whether to update the head unit, or main body firmware first for example), but it's a great little rig for the money. I still especially like the tuber. It can impedance match my LNR Precision 40/20/10 EFHW all the way down to 160m, and managed to make a few FT8 contacts that way. Not efficient at all like that, but it worked to some extent. I have no regrets buying this radio.
@@OH8STN I particularly appreciate the way you organize your information. Your videos set a very high standard for those of us who make purchasing decisions on equipment we cannot personally examine. Objectivity in a comprehensive information set is intensely valuable. Your presentations of the material is absolutely professional.....Other RU-vid channel operators and content creators would be well advised to study your videos.
Hi Julien, another great video, but then again, what else would u produce,.,. BTW, I have seen yr CQ call on JS8, IM WITHOUT A RADIO AT MY CURRENT QTH, was logged into websdr, and using virtual cable into JS8CALL to experiment,.. anyhow 73 Julien,.. G90 looking like a real contender. ciao
I have one of the puppies and have enjoyed immensely. I’ve gone coast to coast without a problem on a simple dipole. A funny quirk I’ve found is that if the noise floor is high, a good thwack on the head unit usually fixes it. Sometimes the vga plug comes loose.
👍Thank you. Just ordered this radio, and studying while waiting. Yours is the first primer I've watched in earnest on the G90. Learning and transmitting CW is my goal. I think this radio will do!
Finally a review of the radio from someone that actually read the manual and explored the radio prior to hitting the RU-vid airwaves. I have full HF capability from 100 watts to 1200 watts, however no QRP radio. This looks like a fun, inexpensive (relative) experiment in QRP. Excellent review.
I finally picked up a power supply to power my G90. With the SWR sweep, I learned my 10 meter speaker wire dipole is perfectly tuned and the tuner in the G90 will tune that wire on all but 160 meters. So time to get the REAL antenna hooked up! Tnx and 73 Julian
... thanks Julian, that was a great presentation. One has to keep in mind that this radio comes without an eye watering price point.. thinking the Elecraft line here. One has to keep that in mind when comparing apples to oranges. I am sitting here with my new G90 'toy' pondering the possibilities. As an older amateur with more than 50 yrs in the hobby, I have seen and owned many a rig, some better than others, and am looking forward with anticipation to this new horizon. Richard VA7AA
Thank you for the excellent run down on the Xiegu radio. Prior to this I was a more than a little apprehensive. Your demonstration sets aside some of those fears...so I would consider adding this to my equipment. Thank you!
No Problem. Figure with something like this a personal opinion is subjective. On the other hand if I show you from a first-person perspective, it's easier to make up your own mind. 73 Julian oh8stn
Julian, thank you so much for highlighting this tranceiver. I as well have a QRO rig at home. I was looking for a rig that I could use for portable (SOTA / POTA) operations. I love this rig from the little testing that I have done with it so far. I am in the San Diego area of California and was testing the Xiegu G90 with a simple random wire dipole that was laying on my mobile home roof on 20 meters. I was blown away at getting a 55 out of an Ontario Canada station. I can't wait to get this rig out on a summit or park. I have chosen some of the components from the Chabeleon MPAS 2.0 antenna system to put together a vertical that I will test at a park. Thanks again for the great work on the in depth reviews and advice. 73, phil KF6IF
Your review in general is probably the best organized I have seen so far. You obviously did your homework before doing the review and it is professionally produced. That goes a long way. I like straight to the point and let the viewer make their own determination about suitability for their purposed. Excellent job.
After owning and using this radio I like it very much. I swapped the power connector for an Anderson power poles pigtail to give me some flexibility and performed the "MARS" mod while I was in there. Thanks for this video!
I plan to get this rig in the next few days, so thanks for the information about it. I was between this and the 818ND (which is $530 right now from HRO!), but this beats it out by having a built-in antenna tuner and filters, even if the 818 would be better for long-distance backpacking, power consumption wise.
Got this for portable om the car use, not whilst driving, just side of road stuff. Having to buy separate battery as car power points were too low voltages. Great video for a great little radio !
Very good. An aftermarket clip on compact external battery pack would be a great addition for those just wanting to throw this set in a pack and go. Bit like a mini Clansman.
Thx for this video. I'm having a hard time understanding this radio and how to use it . Wish there was a dummies book for this radio. Please keep making videos on how to use this radio! 🙏👍
I agree with one of the best of if not the best Ham Radio related channels. His reviews are great source of user information, not reading opinions. That means the equipment are deployed in real life situations, tested, etc, and not a pure opinion of how they look or promise. Well done job.
If it had 6m I would probably buy it in an instant. I love my 857D and IC-7200 because they're HF+6m but would definitely like something with less power as well
I have been using this radio about a week. I had some software problems, which were relatively easy to overcome. I am really happy with it. When you get used to it, which doesn’t take too long, you really begin to see what a good receiver it has and very good filtering, and despite only 20 watt output, I have enjoyed quite a few contacts. So would I recommend it? Very much so.
Was thinking about this for a medium powered SOTA rig, but I understand the screen is hard or impossible to read in the Sun. I am leaning towards the KX2 because of this. Apples to oranges because of price range, but I want them for the same reason. Something with a little more punch, and also SSB. I am normally running an MTR-5b QRP on peaks.
I haven't had the problem with seeing the screen outdoors. Still, this is a heavy radio for difficult SOTA summits. Of course the battery must be carried as well. There are definitely better 10-watt choices like the 705 or kx2.
Remember you'll need an external battery to get full power out of the kx2. Also you'll want to add the heat sink kit to reduce very common overheating at higher output power, and the front protection kit to prevent the rotary encoders from being broken. Here's a SOTA friendly power supply ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3G0GxVuReLg.html
Already using JS8Call and WSJTX (there is no FT8 Call anymore). Two configurations, with cheap usb sound card, and with miniprosc. PPT over CAT or VOX. The cheap sound card was a pain in the butt to get set up properly. That's probably going to be the next video
and I still decided to buy yaesu ft818. i don't say Chinese radios are bad but I trust Japan way more. antenna tuner is relevant to me as I use resonant antennas plus if can operate 4m and 70cm. or maybe I'm just a yaesu freak. but thank you for your content. it's very helpful in times of making a decision.
We all trust Japan more. The only problem with the 818 is the cost of the add-ons which bring it up to todays standards. Mechanical filter, antenna tuner?, audio interface, DSP, external power, cat control cable. If you're just going CW, all you'll need is the mechanical filter. The most important thing is the radio meets your needs. Just add up the cost of those accessories before you pull the trigger.
@@OH8STN well I use only HFJ-350M resonant antenna. no ATU needed. 9 band antenna. it's a new antenna. not many hams know about it just yet. I like it very much.
It's a new name, not new antenna. I have one here on my desk. Will you add Mechanical filter to your 818? I've had fun with the 817 for nearly 20 years. It's not a bad rig, but we can outgrow it. Have fun, 73.
Yeah not too many menus. For the main menu of the radio you have to dive down but that's even only one level deep. Let's see how it goes with this radio. I like it for HF data modes, so don't mind paying for it :-)
@@OH8STN I'm new to ham radio so when I pass my exam I probably will purchase this so I will keep my eye on you for more info have a great day my brother 73
I showed two of your videos to our local Ham radio club. Mountain Amateur Radio Club in Oakhurst, CA. I love your videos. One of our members does solar battery water pumps in poor countries who do not have drinkable water. Keep the video's coming
Thanks for the kindness and sharing the message. We're going to get back to some off grid power pretty soon. Shoutout the name to your Club so people can find it.
as always excellent review. Not much else I can say that the other 100's haven't said. I have this rig now I just ned to learn it. Maybe I can catch you on the air 73.
Thanks for an excellent review! I've been looking for a first HF radio & this looks like a great candidate. Looking forward to learning more about this one!! 73 KD9POH
Again a great video in the series. I have been enjoying playing with my new G90, but of course videos like this one to "play along" with make a big difference. Thanks again! 73 de N2NLQ
Thank you Julian for the very informative video. I look forward to seeing your next video with actual contacts. My G90 has the same FW 1.73 as your radio. I have observed some problems. At low power levels (less than 5 W) the transmitted signal is intermittent, i.e. some words are not heard in the far end receiver. This happens also to some extent at higher power levels up to full power. The reason is that the SWR circuitry has SWR spikes that causes the SWR protection circuit to kick in, although the actual SWR is 1.5, i.e. very low. Secondly the mic gain is too loud. I have set the gain to 0 in order to be able to make a few test contacts. Also the microphone picks up very loud background noise. oh2kj
Thankfully I don't have the SWR problem on my rig. The mic gain is extremely hot though, too much in my opinion. I used some wool inside the microphone around the element, to attenuate my voice. That helped very much. I've been using this rig everyday for data modes, which works very well. Cat control needs serious Improvement. Time will tell if it will last
Good review. I've watched other reviews and I'm about to fall into owning this radio. Your input certainly has value to my decision. Thanks, and stay warm and dry. 73 W0YVY
In the new firmware, the bandwidth is adjusted differently - the F-L and F-H buttons are no longer involved in any way. Maybe make a video on the changes in the new firmware v1.79b3?
I want to build something like this but I just don't have enough time with my other projects. But this one is as close to perfect for me and the price is great.
@@OH8STN I think you will find that you will use the G90 more than either the FT 817 or FT 891 for man portable ops. That extra 15 watts, for me, makes the difference in contacts, plus, you get a waterfall display! I find that I am only down about one S1 unit from the FT 891 from reports. The G90 is able to solidly get above the noise compared to 5 watts QRP. The G90 is considerably lighter compared to the FT 891 when you factor in an additional antenna tuner, heavier battery, ect.. The G90 serves that middle ground well between QRP and full power rigs like the FT 891. In addition, it handles digital ops and WINLINK just fine. The G90 is fairly ruggedly built. I have traveled all over and through many airports with this rig. BTW, I use my G90 with a single USB laptop linked with a multi-hub with no issues. 73s IU3JNT
That is by far the best and most helpful review of any Xeigu radio I have ever seen. Any chance you get to do one of their QRP rig? Also I would be curious to know how it does with signal output. Is it a “spread spectrum” radio like some of the Chinese radios or does it keep it tight like we want?
Regarding running 20 watts, I am interested to know if you would prefer using this radio in the field over the 891. I know this rig would use less power but I am more interested in usability, ease of use, quality of sound. Which rig would you prefer to take with you on your camping trips. I also understand you will have to try it out in the field a few times before you will have a good opinion. Seen another video on this rig where the guy made about 40 contacts in 45 minutes and only used about 1.4 AH. I know the 891 would use more but i am not to concerned I have plenty of 26650 LiFePO4 batteries. I have been thinking about buying the 891 and or the G90. I wish the 705 coming out had 20 watts.
Thanks for your videos and content. I’m new to amateur radios but I’m going for my general license soon. Can you recommend a portable HF radio. To get me started?
Hello Neil. Here's a list of my current radio reviews. The only one missing at the moment is the x6100 which I'm working on. Because everyone has different requirements, different budgets, ... it's difficult to recommend any specific radio. My favorite is the Icom ic705. It has everything one needs built in. Just add a resonant antenna. But that might not be the right radio for you. Anyway enjoy this playlist and let me know what you decide. ru-vid.com/group/PLKMrdrsNkFA7zs23f9CPyZyK12jfEEzAe 73 Julian oh8stn
I just acquired one of these radios. Another learning curve to explore. What is your recommendation as to where to start to make this radio work. It's going to be a camping radio.
So my dilemma.. I’m torn between the FT891 and the G90. The G90 has so many features that would cost a lot more to have for the 891. But the 891 has 100 watts. I’m sitting on the middle of the fence. The price difference is a big thing too but in no way a deal breaker. Help lol
Many thanks mate. Seems to becoming fast my go to radio. Teamed it up with the QRP ranger so with the built in tuner just need to hook it up to the good old MPAS and on air in no time at all. Outstanding video looking forward to the next in the series. Larry.
That's a tough one Ross. I do have an emotional attachment to the 817ND. If I'm just being a heartless about it, it kills me that I can only put one filter in the 817nd. That's going to cost between 80 and 150 bucks on top of the radio. The g90 has variable filters built-in just like the ft-891. If those built-in filters are more important to you than VHF and UHF, I would say go with the g90. The opposite is also true.
Can you tell me if the buttons especially on the right hand side are backlit? Mine lights up the very top side band button and the buttons below the screen.
a little off topic , but wanted to share and say thanks ...I'm much better prepared now thanks to your channel...CNN just reported (3/11/2020) Italy just declared ALL SHOPS except supermarkets and Pharmacies CLOSED.....This is turning out to be the start of a really bad day....!!!!
Hey, I just purchased this radio... Will the qrpguys end fed antenna work for this? Just to Rx I cant Tx yet. Any other recommendations on field type portable antennas?
I haven't used that internet yet but I've heard good things about it. Because this radio has an internal antenna tuner, you could use a name dipole or end fed that's long enough.
@@OH8STN okay, thanks for the response! When you say long enough. Do I need a separate wire for each band? Or with an antenna tuner I can just use 1 length of wire?
Julian -- 1. ACC port: can the AF-In of this port be used for a Mic-in (E.G., with properly constructed adapter, used for a headset)? Ditto the AF-Out? 2. The Comm Port (Yellow) on the rear panel looks like it duplicates the port on the side of the rig? 3. Have you tested or are you aware of any testing and results for the spectral purity of the radio (the Baofeng genre of radios has develped a severe distrust in me of Chinese rigs)? 4. Have you played with Pactor or VARA with this radio to determine how hard you can push it without causing phase distortion at max power? 5. Not shown in your video by apparent from the manual (which doesn't answer my above questions), what use detaching the main body from the control head in a radio of this type? Thanks! Jim / n6med
Excellent tutorial and camerawork. You explained the function of each button, but you've not explained the terminology, such as, what is split frequency? What is a noise blanker? What is voice compression? What is high/low cut filtering? So you may have taught the location and name of each button, but those who aren't familiar with the terminology, as to what a function does and when to use it, are left in the dark. I'm expecting to receive my G-90 in two days, and I'd like to be able to know what I'm supposed to do and why.
Bought this radio specifically because of your glowing review of the G90's simple logical BW filtering GUI. I have a FT-991a which is a fairly decent radio overall, but Yeasu buries the filter bandwidth settings in sub-menus which I ABSOLUTELY HATE. So, after viewing your video, and agreeing 100% that Xiegu got it right on the G90 - that this WAS the PERFECT way to handle the BW filtering - I literally went right out and purchased the G90. So, imagine my joy when I found out that as of FW 1.79, Xiegu has TOTALLY TRASHED this brilliant filtering interface by turning it into a really crappy copy of Icom's silly "dual shift" filter tuning. This dual-shift nonsense interface makes no sense on a modern DSP filtered radio where it makes much more sense to let the user set low cut, high cut, center-frequency, and BW directly - ALL OF WHICH WERE EASY TO DO ON THE G90 UNTIL XIEGU DECIDED TO SCREW THINGS UP. With Xiegu's new "Icom knock-off", dual-shift-stupidity interface it's incredibly difficult to visualize the "filter BW overlap" area based on a really TINY poor graphical GUI and the provided "BW" calculation is inaccurate to the point of uselessness. With their previous G90 firmware, Xiegu literally HAD the best interface you could ask for. For example, In voice SSB mode you could easily directly set lower and upper cutoff frequencies -- and for CW operators, where it makes more sense to set the center-frequency to the sidetone spot frequency and then narrow the bandwidth, that was ALSO available - PERFECT. BUT ALL THAT IS GONE. I'm only sorry that my G90 just went past the return time frame, or I would send the damn thing back to them - that's how much I HATE THIS REALLY STUPID CHANGE!
Hi Steve, I must agree to what you wrote here. Within minutes I returned to the V1.75 FW version, I started out with. For CW I use the center and bandwidth controls, for SSB the lower and upper cutoff. All just one or two button presses away... Sometimes I wonder, what I am missing, with the new firmware releases. Hope you also "downgraded" and are able to enjoy your G90 again! 73 Willy
Thanks for the very well done video. Does this rig have a digital NR? If not, do you know if a NR feature is planned for a future upgrade? Thanks and 73. Frank
Great video for me as I'm interested in something to take camping and into the woods. Using my ft991 at the moment, so this should fit the bill nicely. Will you be taking it with you in the Lavvu ?
Julian, I always appreciate your vids. I'd love to know your pro/con of the G90 vs the 6100. From my reading online, seems like the 6100 was released sorta 'half-baked,' but that more and more the firmware seems to be turning it into a great rig. Size of the screen, power, and future 'jailbreaking' possibilities [in the case of the 6100] seem to be the primary differences. I know the G90 runs a bit warm on digi modes. Assuming the 6100 does too? Since I operate a lot of digital modes, that could be the tipping point for me. If I had to scale either one back 50%, the G90 would still leave me with 10w. Curious about your perspective. 73! Tim
