Xiegu X5105 in depth review 

Well done. You really did a great job reviewing and showing how to use the 5105. Thanks, Barry, KU3X/QRP

Great review, thanks. I just ordered a X5105 and this video will get me up and running in no time.

Great review Mike. This is the most detailed one that I have seen on You tubr. Kerp up the good work!

awesome hands on demo. i like the built in tuner, power level TX, outpur to waterfall and all digital modes with CW decode. Way better than I thought. very cool.👍📻

Hey Mike Happy New year I'm laid up here with covid-19 so I get to watch catch up on your videos looks like it impressive radio especially the automatic tuner thanks again my friend

Good job, I also have one and I love it.

Great video. I've had this radio for a year now. First one I had to send back to MFJ because it had a very loud "birdie" several spots on 20m and 40m. Second one has been really nice. I've used it for js8 cw and ssb and all work fine. Travels nice with a mag loop. Fun radio. 73 de KF7VUT

Love the antenna 'tunning'!

A great review and walk-through of the radio, Mike. 👍 I've had mine for over a year and still love it. The new firmware is streets ahead of the older one. Filtering is excellent and easily controlled. The tuner remembers its settings for each 100kHz chunk of band which is good... There's a re-worked manual up on the Xiegu Facebook group.

Just getting into amateur radio and I enjoy your videos the most as you cut through the bullshit! I'm thinking of going more mobile/backpacking and am not going to buy a $1k plus radio. I am enjoying your reviews! Thanks.

Interesting video. Thanks for doing it. By the way, RSSI = Received Signal Strength Indicator.

Nice review MIke!!!!

Great Video Mike 👍 Well i got home from The Baytown Hamfest with my Brand New slightly used Xiegu X5105 grabbed the Owners Manual and proceeded to get acquainted. When i cam back to the shack the X5105 display didn’t look anything like the Manual, Oh Yaw, i remember some Ham RU-vidr making a video about that very thing, now what was his name ❓❓🤔 Oh yaw I talked to him Yesterday❗️ Thanks again Mike

Great video. I realize your video is about a year old now, but I I just bought a X5105 (partly due to your video) and it now comes loaded with Ver. 3 of the firmware and the Ver. 3 manual. Also the power plug is 5.5 mm x 2.5 mm pin which is kind of important if you want to use existing power cable for charging or for external power -- because most other such cables have the 2.1 mm inside pin size and won't fit. I had to buy a 5.5mm, 2.1mm to 5.5mm, 2.5mm adapter from Amazon. BTW, don't buy from MFJ now because they only have the very old model available (probably old returns) , with no mention if they will have the newer model (the one in your video) anytime soon.

thanks mike good one

Appreciate your in-depth review. I recently purchased a G90 when I powered it up the small screen was too small for me unfortunately. Now I’m seeking another radio. 73 Steve AA4SH

Mike I love your videos. Always very informative with a good sense of humor. Note that the mike of the G90 is NOT compatible with the X5105. I had both the G90 and still have the X5105 (and love it).

Solid lookin' full-featured rig! Am I weird that I like watching ATU's work? Great review vid, 73 Mike.

Appreciate the tutorial!

New manual has been available for a while on line. . Thanks for the video. 73 wd4dda

I love my X5105, my G90, and my G1M!

This was a huge help. I’ve been misusing the ATU. Yikes! Thanks for this video. AD0DQ

I understand that this radio has a great antenna tuner, so would it be possible to attach it to my rain leaders/gutters, without any additional hardware, and TX/RX successfully?

Heavy Metal CQ to u 2 Man!!! That is a great HT.

Many thanks for great review! Which buy the first as filed radio for SSB? X5105 or G90?

Interesting. When did you buy your X5105? You have the black USB cable. Which mine also came with. I later had to get what I was told was the "newer" blue cable which is what I needed to do a firmware upgrade. Great work as always! Keep going buddy!

In retrospect, how does the X5105 spectral content compare with the X6100? Does the X5105 also have birdies and wide noise? Is it better or worse than the X6100? Does the RF power perform as advertised?

Hi, I walked through all comments and noted that each third related to which one from x5105 or g90 to buy. You definitely need side by side comparison with procs, cons and usage for experienced and newcomers users.

Do you happen to know if there is ANY ac power supply for this radio? What antenna were you using in this review?

Thanks, man. I've worked all my life to retire and get my shiny new FTdx3000. And now this.. my mic only has 3 buttons I think. U, D & lock. I don't know. I'm afraid of mics. I'm starting to see what these FT-heads see in the mode. No mic. GREAT vid! This might be more than chino crap.. looks like it could be a great beginner rig as well as a great portable rig. Nobody is gonna listen to the internal spkr on their desk... god I hope not. I'd LOVE to hear the Rx - connected to a good ext spkr.. and not a crap one. Good PC spkrs with sub maybe. I wanna hear that thing. No need to make contacts.. everyone knows 5w works the world. 73! Thank you!

Hey Mike, recently got licensed and found your channel through Josh's. I love your videos and as soon as I get an HF rig I am going out for some POTA! Now that you have both radios, do you like the G90 or X5105 better?

Great video Mike! Will you test digital modes on it at some point? I hear it over heats. Definitely looking at this as an option for SOTA or POTA as it's so portable and half the price as a kx2. I know you get more with the kx2 but is it work double the price?

nice review, what is the portable antenna on a spool you mentioned for portable with the yellow handle / I dont see it in you link below . thanks much 73 s

I got 1 abt a month ago...I like it and gonna use it on SOTA...73...Ei9JF.

I have a question. Would this radio be able to operate off of a folding solar panel instead of an external battery? I am looking for a combination SOTA setup for backpacking as well as a SHTF emergency comms radio so I am looking for something that I can run from a solar panel without having an external battery incase the grid is down and I do not have time to recharge the external battery.

Hi, liked the video but was interested to know what the maximum power consumption was key down at 5watts? God bless, Bill G6ATO

Great review, I have two questions that I don't think were covered. 1. Is it waterproof? 2. Whats the display like in direct sunlight and can it be inverted (colour not orientation).

Cool !

Great video. What's your farthest contact on this rig?

Please tell me what antenna you are using. I want to use my X5105 in my home

Mike, Great video. Where or how do I find the firmware version that is loaded on my X5105? Jim - W3COX

Nice little portable QRP radio. An internal look would be nice to see if the heat sink style of base is for finals or tuner or both and what type of tuner. In lower bands it doesn't figure a small tuner would handle tuning well and need to dummy load off to the heat sink area.

Just a thought…. I also initially didn’t think I would have much use for storing HF frequencies into memory. However, it occurred to me that you could easily program the various 60m frequency channels into memory. Just an idea.

[2:50] XFC is for playing recorded messages, e.g. in CW. Sadly you can't use this function without the mike, which is very inconvenient if you are a CW operator. Hopefully Xiegu will fix this in the next firmware upgrade. XFC also may have some other functions depending of the mode. [5:40] that's not an IQ out, it's an analogue IF output. You can connect it directly to RTL-SDR, tune to 70.445 Mhz and you get a waterfall on your PC. You can find a screenshot of how it looks like here eax.me/xiegu-x5105/ [11:10] Messages also work for BPSK and RTTY. [11:50] Generally QSK means that the radio automatically switches on/off transmit mode when you are keying. However in this radio QSK=OFF means that it doesn't transmit at all, i.e. you only listen the sound of your morse code. This sometimes is useful if you are choosing a transmit speed, testing a new key, etc. [13:40] Actually you can't use SWR feature as an SWR meter. An error is very large, e.g. you can read SWR 1 when it's actually ~1.7. It will do if you need a quick check of the antenna. [15:10] I couldn't figure out how to switch to the voltage reading, thank you! [19:20] RSSI level is for calibrating the S-meter, it's the amount of uV that corresponds to the S9 level. Your value 100 is VERY wrong, it should be set to 73, ± depending on your unit and favorite band. S-meter is also not very accurate in X5105. 73 de R2AUK

Mike, I appreciate your videos so much and would value your opinion (as well as others I suppose...) on a best choice for a brand new ham looking to spend around $500'ish for a new radio. I've of course seen your reviews of the X5105 but also the G90 and am currently leaning towards the latter for it's higher output and waterfall screen, among other features. Portability is important but I get the sense the G90, although not as minimal as the 5105, is still highly portable. I will be using it for CW and SSB but am sure I will make use of the digital side as well. I have also seen the Minion SDR recently and wanted to hear thoughts on that option as well. Whatever I choose will ultimately become my main ham rig for a while so this is important to me. Thx, Mark

Great video Mike. I hope you are getting more settled in Texas and are happier. Do you still have this radio and if so, would you recommend it? If not, why? 73 brother.

Thanks for your very useful videos. Just wondering how to return after 27 years to the HAM hobby and how to equipe my hamshack with very limited space and possibilities for HF antanenna mounting in the centre of Prague. The Xiegu X5105 or G90 looks as very good solutions and costs reasonable as well. 73! OK1TK

The manufacturer states that the battery will typically last for 3 years before it will need to be replaced. You think it might be true? what if after 4-5 yrs of having this radio I won't be able to get a battery replacement? What are your thoughts on this matter? Thnx.

Believe the atu jack is so you can hook up and control the 100w amp/tuner that they make for this radio

Nice review. With the Charging menu set to OFF my X5105 shuts down when transmitting CW after a few seconds. The power supply is 12A so I don't know why this is happening. It doesn't happen with the Charging menu set to ON. I'm using v3.0 build 8.

Is this the manual for the updated firmware? xiegu.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/02/X5105-Instruction-Manual.pdf

Just got my licence and looking for my first rig that I want for my 25 Pocket Trawler boat where space is very limited. I want to explore parts not traveled in the Great Lakes and Great Loop where Marine VHF 156-157MHz is useless so I need a SSB rig that can get help if I need it. I'm not sure if this can Rx/Tx in the marine SSB (4.0-4.38, 6.2-6.25, 8-8.815, 12.33-13.2, 16.36-17.469, 16.46-17.36, 18.78-18.9, 19.608-19.8 and 22-22.855MHz) which I was hoping a mention but all in all a very good review and presentation. Love the features especially the SWR . Learned a lot. Two thumbs up.73

this looks like a neat little radio. haven't read the comments. but I would love to know the price. I guess you could check gig parts for the price.

Has MFJ stopped carrying this radio? I could not find it on their website.

Do you know this where is factory reset function????

Does this thing have a built in tuner?

heat sink? Looks like a picatinny rail to me.

Great demo video Mike! Thanks! 73 de K2CJB

There is a video somewhere on youtube of an operator in Europe, making a contact in the HT configuration. He put an old CB rubber duck and tuned it on 10 meters. He made roughly a 1000 mi contact with that setup. I tried this once with the telescoping MFJ antenna. I really think the antenna was too wobbly and I needed a counterpoise. If you get a wild hair, try that out someday and make a video about your experience.

Hey man, long time no post. That's why I'm commenting on this vid.. cuz it a shitty thing to do in my opinion.. but it's not gonna stop me. lol. You inspired me to make a few vids to show my brother Art who's not into QRP. I'm about done doing that.. I want to make some showcasing my vintage heathkit 'proud new general in '70 station I'm putting together after restoration. If you wanns see what QRP can do at the noise floor on 80 at night, look for 'QRP @ Night: QRP + 80M + night + EFHW = DX'. I feel dirty. At least I didn't comment with an actual link. Anyways... i love your excitement while using QRP. So this one's for you... working the noise floor on 80, using a horrible low antenna, etc etc. 73 OM

@k8mrd radio stuff got any idea when we'll get another POTA vid? I'm a tech working on general and you got me interested in POTA. I have a G90 coming tomorrow. 73 KE0YRP

Wow @ 12 hours to charge

RSSI - Received Signal Strength Indicator. Not sure how changing the value helps, though.

Also MFJ comes with a free 2 year warranty 👍

In the 11m lane, someone managed to open the station. and how did you do it. Thanks 73!

Based, *in large part on your informative review* of the X5150, I pulled the trigger on it. I have been waiting for MFJ to ship it....And waiting....And (sigh) waiting..........I ordered the Voltaic Systems V88 Portable Laptop Power Bank 24,000 Ah from Amazon ($129) for it. I plan to use the internal battery ONLY when I must. The V88 has already been delivered and it's sitting on my desk waiting for the X5150......... Now I'm looking at Pelican boxes (and similar) so the radio, and power bank, and Windows tablet will have a nice home. Any ideas on a good box source? 12"x12"x6" is about right.....

They're called "Detents" Mike, have you learned nothing from AVE?!. :D. Nice walk through, I like the look of the new firmware too.

For bless you something better is coming

Which would you go with if you had to pick one, the X5105 or the G90?

XFC is an Icom feature for checking the other vfo frequency if you are using vfo ab for split frequency operating.

What about solar power?

RSSI stands for Received Signal Strength Indicator.

It is SDR I take it?

How would you compare the X5105 to the G90?

great review, I really do not like the cheap looking display. I like the practicality of the G90 with the 20 watts output. 5 watts seems only practical for CW. Very hard to get ssb contacts using such low power. SO if I had this rig I would want to bring along an amplifier and if I did that I might as well just take the G90 pr FT-891.

Excellent video! Anthony O.Ridlen KC9QVE Amateur Extra Marion,Indiana

In case it wasn't posted earlier, here's the link to the new owners manual featuring the upgrades from the version 3.0 firmware update. xiegu-x5105.s3.amazonaws.com/Xiegu%20X5105%20User%20Manual_V3.0_20190726.pdf

Does it do am chicken band?

I’m just really hesitant to spend 600 on a QRP radio. Maybe 350 400 tops.

Mike, Did you happen to notice what the MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE VOLTAGE this X5150 needs to recharge? Can I recharge from a car battery? A partially dead car battery? I am taking a hard look at this radio purely from a prepper point of view. No AC available....Possibly a vehicle cigarette lighter outlet....Various battery's available to a scrounger, (lantern battery's that might be paralleled, flashlight battery's that might be taped up into a makeshift power bank)...No solar power panel in my backpack.... You see where I'm coming from. Is this the radio for a no-support, no re-supply scenario? Your comments on this might be interesting to a lot of people.....

I just wish it could go over 5 watts, and wish it had a better scope on it… one like the much cheaper xiegu G1M would be acceptable even…

📝

I had this radio l hated everything about it... looks great but.... the receiver is noisy and distorted even with NR ..... it was hard to connect to a computer..... the battery drains extremely quickly, takes over 12 hours to charge no fast charge..... vfo is cheap... menu is clunky... but on the plus side the transmitter was okay

I was seriously impressed with this, until I discovered that the 'dsp' feature was the audio filtering. It's not an sdr, and now seems to be discontinued, and this might be the end of software updates. The built in battery and atu are big pluses. It's also rather expensive here in the uk, 20%+ than the USA.

X5105 does not have any protection design, the power supply only needs to be connected reversely for 0.5 seconds! Damage immediately!

Xiegu warns DO NOT TRANSMIT while transmit while charging to avoid damaging charging circuit. If operating on external power, turn charger OFF!

First. 😀👍

Yeah that mic isn't a ripoff of the Icom HM-151 at all. static.kodajo.com/images/user/fileUp/dc87b5f8d998191443be6d0af85f12fa.JPG

That's a DC 5.5 2.1mm

Very wonderful sir 73 vu3wrr

Mike, nice job. I found this updated manual for the more resent firmware and operation procedures at a X5105 Facebook page. Found it quite helpful. 73 KE0JVS facebook.com/groups/274216883466165/files/

Too many buttons on the mike. Ptt is all I need

That scope is useless

Killer video! I have been thinking about getting in to QRP, and I think this video pushed me over the edge! Keep up the superior work.