For what its worth my opinion. Ive been a radio amateur since 1979. A Royal corps of signals technician for 10 years, since then a telecoms technician offshore for 25 years. now retired. Ham radio has progressed an enormous amount since I started when you built your own everything and was happy. I have one of these sets and If they had been available 45 years ago we would have been amazed. QRP is what it is all about. Talking to an American using 2 W of power on 20m (Conditions variable obviously). All in all great value for money. In my day a 1ppm VFO stepping at 1 HZ was unheard of.
Thank You for the video! I think it is a great beginner and POTA radio. Keep in mind how much it cost as compared to other brands or even higher end models of Xeigu. For the most part also is the fact that this radio is very small in size and would be great in an emergency and working solar power. In this day and age when conflicts are many, this radio would be great to pull out after a tornado or conflict and a end fed wire antenna. I bought a Mini Automatic Antenna Tuner that has a built in battery. The combo of this radio and the Tuner $65 which has a SWR and Power meter built into the tuner, makes the whole system very effective and fun and small. I like the system so well I bought a 106 and auto tuner for my girlfriend for Christmas. She just got her license I believe this radio is exactly what she needs to have fun with and is not complicated like other brands and Xiegu models. I have had my radio on the bench and checked its output purity and power and receive signal input level and found it was every bit as good as more expensive radio models. I am totally happy with mine! I don't always believe all the C*R*A*P that Trolls have to say bad about items they don't like or work for!
Hello dear OM and thank you for this pragmatic demonstration. I'm in the same configuration as you: an IC-7300 and a G-106. The 7300 has lots of buttons and possibilities that I almost never use. The G106 has fewer features but at least they really serve me. In terms of reception I have never felt any difference between the two and obviously neither have you. And then this summer I made a France New Zealand contact in QRP and in CW with... The G-106. Today I am so satisfied with it that I almost only work with my G-106. 73. Jo -F5NFB
Thanks for the review. I would like to encourage you do do an update to the review now that the firmware for the G106 has been updated and some features were added to the menus like: Ability to adjust mic gain, ability to select high, med or low power and, possibly other features - running the G106 through the same paces as in this video - a sort of before and after comaprison. The radio now ships with a USB com cable for CAT interface with your computer and works well with several different logging programs. I wish reviewers would wait, or at least update their reviews until the 'bugs' were worked out. I will commend the folks at Xiegu for adding features people were suggesting as evidenced in the latest firmware update. I appreciate your analysis of this rig. THese days we are, I think, spoiled as radio operators in that most, if not all rigs, are packed with all kinds of features, filters and options. For me, the G106 reminds me of my first rig, a Kenwood TS-120S. It was a great, no frills rig. This G106 is also a great no-frills rig yet still has features thet my old 120s never had - spectrum displat and CAT being two of them. The simplicity of this rig is what makes ot so appealing and easy to use in the field or at home and why it will make a great radio for backpacking and POTA/SOTA/VOTA activations.
Thanks Peter for the clarification. However I am concerned about full power output even at higher vSWR. Could it be that the protection circuit is lacking resulting in power transistor failure with a poorly matched antenna?
I have been out of the hobby for a long time pursuing family & career obligations, and now in semi-retirement, I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle trying to regain a foothold of understanding of the current state of the art post-Covid. I was never one to invest tens of thousands of Dinaro bucks into the shack, when I was age 17 I had to mow a lot of lawns for that shiny new TenTex Century 21. In college I tended to love to build in my lab projects little 1/4-watt Tuna Tin transmitter projects, etc. With my name of David, I sort of championed the little guys in the industry and got the thrill of building many of my Heathkit projects like the HW-9 and then getting WAS-QRP with my own imposed restriction of running only 1-watt output into the best antennas I could make or afford. In 2022 I started watching Xiegu UA-cam video reviews after realizing I was about to pay the original list price + 30-40% for a used commercial brand of a communications receiver on eBay. I have a bunch of Tuna Tin kits to build but wasn't going to pay post-Covid prices on a piece of equipment that did not build in the preferred selectivity automatically of a similar quality transceiver. So I started looking at the SDR receivers like the ATS-20 and ATS-25X1 to understand the pros and cons of trying to use one for a companion receiver to a simple QRPp transmitter. 99% of the reviewers were casual listeners and focused 100% on the SSS & FM end of the features, despite the promise of CW operation and off-line discussions with them did not encourage me to invest in one even for casual use. I didn't like the prices on the earlier Xiegu models, not because I didn't think they were worth it, but because I was just getting into the hobby again and I did not have the desire to be upgrading the firmware to something I was going to put all of my money into without understanding what the future of the product was. I saw the same review that you did of the reviewer for the Xiegu 106 reviewing an apparent Beta version of the product and it was obvious that he was irritated about being given a Beta while preJudging that he may have wanted to be given a much higher cost rig to review. I realize that despite the basic hardware limitations of these designs a lot of the future improvements are in the software of which I have very little knowledge. I was a Test Engineer in aerospace with experience writing PDP-11, Dec, and Vax-based software for factory electronic test machines so I have a healthy respect for how complicated an SDR transceiver might be. That said, a lot of the Reviewers of commercial Ham Equipment are not the same type of Reviewers of Yesteryear in which we would have seen an Engineer at the ARRL Laboratories doing a more professional technical review of the specifications. The Reviewers of today most visible to the general public appear to be passionate operators that love the hobby and come equipped with lots of Affiliate links that will get them some credits to diversify their income stream. I am not saying that those types of reviews are the scourge of society, but that we (me) all should realize what they are and mix in our ham education with the proper reviews so that we get a more proper overall idea of what we are looking at and judging. Based on the review you mentioned, I choose not to invest in that Xiegu 106 radio at this time and chose a WA3RNC Pennington TR-35 instead. While only a 3-band radio, I thought it was a good choice for portable operations and had the ability to be a good choice for being a companion to my simple Tuna Tin transmitter experiments and my weird fantasy of using them on exciting projects like POTA hunting and activations where I bring QRPp to the next level. The real trick is putting up a good antenna Arial. If I decide that I want to invest in a more general coverage radio, I will give the Xiegu 106 another look and by then there may be another revision of software or two to make it even better. Is it a contest machine? No, neither is the TR-35. On intense contest weekends I shut off my radios and go take a 20-mile hike, unless I am looking for those last 3-4 states for another personal WAS/QRPp record of my own choosing, LOL. Thanks again for your review, this is a good time to be in the hobby as I have noticed that lots of new operators are learning CW for their POTA activities, many are doing FT8, but I was thrilled to see the CW revival as my weird fascination with QRPp tends to focus on CW. SSB is nice, I got VUCC-2M in 1990 with SSB/CW. But I might even make a simple one-triode tube transmitter in my full retirement, LOL. Cheers es 73, Dave - KU9L
I really enjoyed the review so much so I bought a G106, I have to say that with the latest firmware installed I quite like this radio. I f I had to complain about one thing I would say it's the detents on the main tuning encoder, I think I will replace my encoder with one that has no detents. Thank you for the video.
Excellent review. Thank you very much indeed Peter. Your G-106 presentation helped me to make right decision. Just I'll buy it very soon. Kind 73'ss de Wim HF5WIM👋
Sir, my sincere condolences to you, your country and ham radio operators in the UK especially on the loss of a great leader in our time. I am again reminded that the UK and US have very much more in common than almost any other people in the world. I am hopeful that we here in the US can get back to the civility and decorum exemplifed by the speech I just listened to by King Charles III. As I was listening to him I was reminded when I had a very short visit with some UK troops during my time in Army Intelligence. They spoke in much the same way with quiet confidence and competence while having a good sense of humor also. My family (Ramsey and Mattison) have connections to England and I am a bit more proud of that today. I will have a proper cup of tea this afternoon in the Queen's honor. Sir, thank you for your guidance and advise in the amateur radio world and God bless you, Vernon Ramsey, Lubbock Texas, USA
Sounds like there is no VSWR protection so it keeps the power up rather than reducing power to protect its self. That's why the power out is still higher.
Great video Peter. I have not had a chance to try the Xiegu G-106 but I do have the G-90 and I love it. Its not my main radio but it sure is fun to take portable. 73 Joe
Thanks Peter. It would be interesting to see a video showing how the G106 works with the Xeigu XPA125B 100 watt amplifier, which has an excellent antenna tuner.
Thanks for the review. I've been waiting for someone to come up with a decent review. After K8MRD tore the radio apart, a German UA-camr also did a negative review. Even if this was clearly more serious and he mainly focussed on software issues (and unlike the other youtuber, he says he hopes the software problems will be solved in the future). Almost at the same time with your video, ML&S came up with a video, where they measured the device and also came to good results. But the damage is there, at least among the OMs here in Germany I know, most consider the radio garbage and it will take time until that changes, if that ever happens. 73s de Peter
Thanks for covering the CW zero beat issue. One last curiosity, does it by any chance have a VOX function? Now that I think about it, one more question, are there any on line user manuals for the rig? Keep up the good work, I always enjoy your channel. 73
The review is much appreciated. I'm on the fence about buying one and wishing more effort was put into ssb like filter selection. Hoping for a firmware revision but bad reviews might kill that. Overall, I think the radio is a great idea. Funny how it has a bandscope, but missing features introduced in the 60s and 70s.
Hi Peter, That reviewer received that G106 from another reviewer and it may have been damaged during shipping. The first reviewer had none of the problems mentioned by the second reviewer and that is the reason he thinks it may have been damaged during shipping. WJ3U
@@watersstanton Hi Peter, I know both reviewers and there will be a video released in a few days that explains what may have happened. Since I'm a patron of one of the reviewers, I am able to view that video before it is made public. I will provide a link once that video is available. Stay safe, 73 WJ3U
I love how cheap radios were the best thing since sliced bread to many of the professional ham radio youtubers....until they started receiving free/heavily discounted higher-end gear....something to think about.
Peter-Thanks for another great, objective video, and for pointing out that radio-based spectrum analyzers have potential weaknesses that MRD’s video suggests he may not understand🙈 Did you test at all in HF high signal level environments like 40 at night there? Your mention of no RF gain control, and I’m assuming no attenuator, remains a concern, as does potential AM broadcast band overload here, which seems to be an issue with some Xiegu products. 73 Scott ka9p
Yes I have used it on 40m extensively and not had any issues. My antennas are mainly wire dipoles so typical of potential owners. RF gain - well tell me how of-yen most hams ever use that control - but I take your point.
The biggest problem with the G106 is the G90 😀 I have a G90 I use almost every day, and I tried the G106 and sent it back. The G90 is twice the radio for about $140 more. Had the G106 been priced at $200 I would have kept it, but it just didn't quite reach that $300 value bar.
I can get a new 106C now for $135! 1. What is the difference between 106 and 106C? 2. Would you recommend it as a spare rig for portable/emergency use? 3. I have a TruSDX on the way. How do they compare?
Hi, I really enjoy all of your videos. I've learned many things from you. Can you tell me what you would suggest as an all around shortwave and ssb radio. I have watched many of your videos and can not make up my mind. I have the Tecsun PLL-330 and Sony ICf-2010, as well as others. The Sony is used and very sensitive and sometimes hard to tune. The Tecsun gets better reception. Would a higher level Tecsun be better.? I do not care about memory storage. I do like being able to single step on all bands and that is important to me. I just want to have a few radios I can enjoy using and not difficult to use. I am selling many on line here, on Craig's List. Sorry for the long comment and taking your time. Best Wishes
I've seen that video on the G-106, and for any supplier to release a radio performing as badly as that one is pretty much unforgivable. Does anyone NOT understand the importance of making a good first impression. Meanwhile, Xeigu provide no service manuals, circuit diagrams, so you pretty much on your own, especially when the warranty expires. Not so with the FT-817/818 (Which I used to own) I now have a X5105 and a Icom IC-705. I bought the x5105 to take to places of higher risk.
You mentioned the unit not having a RIT function. How in the world can you operate CW with no RIT function once you have tuned for zero beat? Maybe TX with VFO A and RX with VFO B ? Would like to have seen the rig preform on CW. Thanks for doing the review. It seems like so little is known about this new entry into the market. 73
CW is no problem. You simply match the pitch the received signal to the same pitch as tge side tone. Most stations call you within a few hundred Hz so. i have never had a problem. In fact. i hardly ever use RIT.
Wow I got curious and went back and I found two trashing it… the guy I like usually had a video that looked like a joke! That surprised me as he’s usually very resourceful… Ge did make a second one that said what he had received was a pre-production one, and have it more respect and realistic review of it… now I’m looking forward to hear what you will say about it!!! :0) PS thank you for this more informative review!!!
Apparently, the radio in the video you are referring to was a pre-production model, according to the reviewer. He brought out a second review using what he said was a production model sent to him by Radioddity. In that review, he gave the radio better marks. To me, however, he didn't strike me as the most knowledgeable or technically-minded of reviewers.
I bought my G106 because at the time I thought it was good value for the price...and still do. Most negative comments are from people who never built and used a regenerative radio. Hahaha
Great review, unfortunately I’ve watched the video in question and that made bad influence , now I’m regretting the decision of not to buying it, instead I was using the G90 for all my field and SOTA ops all summer.Again thank you for the honest and true review , many 73,s de M7SZY
Tnx for nice review. Comparison with ic7300 and listing features available and not available is the type of review I appreciate. Tnx, 73 de Kuba sp5nzf (g90 owner for over a year)
I agree, it received a weird review, I could not figure out what they were criticizing. I also have a X6100, I like it, so I plan to buy one. Plus, if you drop it off of a mountain, you will be put into poor house.
A shame you felt the need to call K8MRD’s video a “hoax” .. it wasn’t .. although it’s nice to see you moving away from the previous run of videos almost exclusively dominated by the same topics and the same themes, regurgitated. Such as mobile hf and bashing antenna modelling.
You need to understand that modelling is fine, BUT the users fail to understand that real world results are often very different. Professional designers employ 3D software for this reason.
@@watersstanton what antenna would you recommend for the xiegu g106 considering I live in a small townhouse with no yard. It’s 4-storeys high. I have a ground plane antenna for my vhf-uhf radios at one corner of the roof. I am very new at this hobby having gotten my technician license here in the Philippines just last month. Thanks
To me, the fact it's putting out more power than it should be indicates poor QC! And the high power into high SWR, doesn't that indicate a lack of output protection? Certainly looks like clean output though, and might be even better if brought down to 5W where it should be. de M3KXZ
Hi Peter, If I was testing a new radio, new on the market, And I found several genuine faults with it, The very FIRST thing that I would do is contact the company who supplied me with the test/review radio and tell THEM what I was finding rather than just giving a report on line slagging off the Device Under Test/Review. This way, if the manufacturing company Had sent me a faulty peice of kit they would have the chance to send me a replacement which they knew to be working as it should be working. Many thanks for a more honest review Peter. De Ray, M0RAYY.
For what its worth my opinion.
Ive been a radio amateur since 1979.
A Royal corps of signals technician for 10 years, since then a telecoms technician offshore for 25 years. now retired. Ham radio has progressed an enormous amount since I started when you built your own everything and was happy. I have one of these sets and If they had been available 45 years ago we would have been amazed. QRP is what it is all about. Talking to an American using 2 W of power on 20m (Conditions variable obviously). All in all great value for money. In my day a 1ppm VFO stepping at 1 HZ was unheard of.
Thank You for the video! I think it is a great beginner and POTA radio. Keep in mind how much it cost as compared to other brands or even higher end models of Xeigu. For the most part also is the fact that this radio is very small in size and would be great in an emergency and working solar power. In this day and age when conflicts are many, this radio would be great to pull out after a tornado or conflict and a end fed wire antenna. I bought a
Mini Automatic Antenna Tuner that has a built in battery. The combo of this radio and the Tuner $65 which has a SWR and Power meter built into the tuner, makes the whole system very effective and fun and small. I like the system so well I bought a 106 and auto tuner for my girlfriend for Christmas. She just got her license I believe this radio is exactly what she needs to have fun with and is not complicated like other brands and Xiegu models. I have had my radio on the bench and checked its output purity and power and receive signal input level and found it was every bit as good as more expensive radio models. I am totally happy with mine!
I don't always believe all the C*R*A*P that Trolls have to say bad about items they don't like or work for!
Hello dear OM and thank you for this pragmatic demonstration. I'm in the same configuration as you: an IC-7300 and a G-106. The 7300 has lots of buttons and possibilities that I almost never use. The G106 has fewer features but at least they really serve me. In terms of reception I have never felt any difference between the two and obviously neither have you. And then this summer I made a France New Zealand contact in QRP and in CW with... The G-106. Today I am so satisfied with it that I almost only work with my G-106. 73. Jo -F5NFB
Thanks for the review.
I would like to encourage you do do an update to the review now that the firmware for the G106 has been updated and some features were added to the menus like: Ability to adjust mic gain, ability to select high, med or low power and, possibly other features - running the G106 through the same paces as in this video - a sort of before and after comaprison. The radio now ships with a USB com cable for CAT interface with your computer and works well with several different logging programs. I wish reviewers would wait, or at least update their reviews until the 'bugs' were worked out. I will commend the folks at Xiegu for adding features people were suggesting as evidenced in the latest firmware update.
I appreciate your analysis of this rig. THese days we are, I think, spoiled as radio operators in that most, if not all rigs, are packed with all kinds of features, filters and options. For me, the G106 reminds me of my first rig, a Kenwood TS-120S. It was a great, no frills rig. This G106 is also a great no-frills rig yet still has features thet my old 120s never had - spectrum displat and CAT being two of them.
The simplicity of this rig is what makes ot so appealing and easy to use in the field or at home and why it will make a great radio for backpacking and POTA/SOTA/VOTA activations.
Those updates were implemented about three months ago and we have been shipping the updated models for quite a while.
I so agree with you... 👍👍👍
I appreciate your extensive review. I was thinking of purchasing one and this helps.
Peter Thanks for not calling the radio a piece of crap for 8 minutes! I bought one and rather like it! 👍👍
Yes I enjoyed it.
Amazon had these for $199 during their Prime Day sale. This little radio has been great for me.
Love your information on the subject of ham. Your antenna ideas are very helpful to me. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
You are very welcome
Next time do a S/N Ratio test. Thanks for the great review, and being informative. I will now buy one.
Thanks Peter for the clarification. However I am concerned about full power output even at higher vSWR. Could it be that the protection circuit is lacking resulting in power transistor failure with a poorly matched antenna?
I have been out of the hobby for a long time pursuing family & career obligations, and now in semi-retirement, I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle trying to regain a foothold of understanding of the current state of the art post-Covid. I was never one to invest tens of thousands of Dinaro bucks into the shack, when I was age 17 I had to mow a lot of lawns for that shiny new TenTex Century 21. In college I tended to love to build in my lab projects little 1/4-watt Tuna Tin transmitter projects, etc. With my name of David, I sort of championed the little guys in the industry and got the thrill of building many of my Heathkit projects like the HW-9 and then getting WAS-QRP with my own imposed restriction of running only 1-watt output into the best antennas I could make or afford. In 2022 I started watching Xiegu UA-cam video reviews after realizing I was about to pay the original list price + 30-40% for a used commercial brand of a communications receiver on eBay. I have a bunch of Tuna Tin kits to build but wasn't going to pay post-Covid prices on a piece of equipment that did not build in the preferred selectivity automatically of a similar quality transceiver. So I started looking at the SDR receivers like the ATS-20 and ATS-25X1 to understand the pros and cons of trying to use one for a companion receiver to a simple QRPp transmitter. 99% of the reviewers were casual listeners and focused 100% on the SSS & FM end of the features, despite the promise of CW operation and off-line discussions with them did not encourage me to invest in one even for casual use. I didn't like the prices on the earlier Xiegu models, not because I didn't think they were worth it, but because I was just getting into the hobby again and I did not have the desire to be upgrading the firmware to something I was going to put all of my money into without understanding what the future of the product was. I saw the same review that you did of the reviewer for the Xiegu 106 reviewing an apparent Beta version of the product and it was obvious that he was irritated about being given a Beta while preJudging that he may have wanted to be given a much higher cost rig to review. I realize that despite the basic hardware limitations of these designs a lot of the future improvements are in the software of which I have very little knowledge. I was a Test Engineer in aerospace with experience writing PDP-11, Dec, and Vax-based software for factory electronic test machines so I have a healthy respect for how complicated an SDR transceiver might be. That said, a lot of the Reviewers of commercial Ham Equipment are not the same type of Reviewers of Yesteryear in which we would have seen an Engineer at the ARRL Laboratories doing a more professional technical review of the specifications. The Reviewers of today most visible to the general public appear to be passionate operators that love the hobby and come equipped with lots of Affiliate links that will get them some credits to diversify their income stream. I am not saying that those types of reviews are the scourge of society, but that we (me) all should realize what they are and mix in our ham education with the proper reviews so that we get a more proper overall idea of what we are looking at and judging. Based on the review you mentioned, I choose not to invest in that Xiegu 106 radio at this time and chose a WA3RNC Pennington TR-35 instead. While only a 3-band radio, I thought it was a good choice for portable operations and had the ability to be a good choice for being a companion to my simple Tuna Tin transmitter experiments and my weird fantasy of using them on exciting projects like POTA hunting and activations where I bring QRPp to the next level. The real trick is putting up a good antenna Arial. If I decide that I want to invest in a more general coverage radio, I will give the Xiegu 106 another look and by then there may be another revision of software or two to make it even better. Is it a contest machine? No, neither is the TR-35. On intense contest weekends I shut off my radios and go take a 20-mile hike, unless I am looking for those last 3-4 states for another personal WAS/QRPp record of my own choosing, LOL. Thanks again for your review, this is a good time to be in the hobby as I have noticed that lots of new operators are learning CW for their POTA activities, many are doing FT8, but I was thrilled to see the CW revival as my weird fascination with QRPp tends to focus on CW. SSB is nice, I got VUCC-2M in 1990 with SSB/CW. But I might even make a simple one-triode tube transmitter in my full retirement, LOL. Cheers es 73, Dave - KU9L
Hi Dave,
That was great to read your story. I am sure others will enjoy it as well. 73 Peter.
Thanks for the fair review of this radio. Since it can transmit full power into a higher SWR how long before the finals blow?
Thank you for a very informative review and on air demo. I think I shall have to get one. 73 Richard - G6EQJ.
I just purchased a G-106 as my first HF radio. I could use some advice on antennas, tuners, SWR meters, etc to get my rig on the air.
Did figure it out yet?
I just got an EFHW. Doesn't require a tuner.
I really enjoyed the review so much so I bought a G106, I have to say that with the latest firmware installed I quite like this radio. I f I had to complain about one thing I would say it's the detents on the main tuning encoder, I think I will replace my encoder with one that has no detents. Thank you for the video.
Excellent review. Thank you very much indeed Peter. Your G-106 presentation helped me to make right decision. Just I'll buy it very soon. Kind 73'ss de Wim HF5WIM👋
Sir, my sincere condolences to you, your country and ham radio operators in the UK especially on the loss of a great leader in our time. I am again reminded that the UK and US have very much more in common than almost any other people in the world. I am hopeful that we here in the US can get back to the civility and decorum exemplifed by the speech I just listened to by King Charles III. As I was listening to him I was reminded when I had a very short visit with some UK troops during my time in Army Intelligence. They spoke in much the same way with quiet confidence and competence while having a good sense of humor also. My family (Ramsey and Mattison) have connections to England and I am a bit more proud of that today. I will have a proper cup of tea this afternoon in the Queen's honor. Sir, thank you for your guidance and advise in the amateur radio world and God bless you, Vernon Ramsey, Lubbock Texas, USA
Kind wotds. Thabks for your support
Sounds like there is no VSWR protection so it keeps the power up rather than reducing power to protect its self. That's why the power out is still higher.
It dies close down eventually.
@@watersstantonkindly explain?
Great video Peter. I have not had a chance to try the Xiegu G-106 but I do have the G-90 and I love it. Its not my main radio but it sure is fun to take portable. 73 Joe
Good choice! 73 Peter
Thanks Peter. It would be interesting to see a video showing how the G106 works with the Xeigu XPA125B 100 watt amplifier, which has an excellent antenna tuner.
I have tested that Amp but don;t have one to hand at the moment.
Thanks for the review. I've been waiting for someone to come up with a decent review. After K8MRD tore the radio apart, a German UA-camr also did a negative review. Even if this was clearly more serious and he mainly focussed on software issues (and unlike the other youtuber, he says he hopes the software problems will be solved in the future). Almost at the same time with your video, ML&S came up with a video, where they measured the device and also came to good results. But the damage is there, at least among the OMs here in Germany I know, most consider the radio garbage and it will take time until that changes, if that ever happens. 73s de Peter
Thanks for covering the CW zero beat issue. One last curiosity, does it by any chance have a VOX function? Now that I think about it, one more question, are there any on line user manuals for the rig?
Keep up the good work, I always enjoy your channel. 73
Great review Peter! That Mikie guy can't even turn a ceiling fan on! Cant image why he would review a radio?
The review is much appreciated. I'm on the fence about buying one and wishing more effort was put into ssb like filter selection. Hoping for a firmware revision but bad reviews might kill that. Overall, I think the radio is a great idea. Funny how it has a bandscope, but missing features introduced in the 60s and 70s.
There are some firmware updates already released in recent weeks. 73 Peter.
Hi Peter,
That reviewer received that G106 from another reviewer and it may have been damaged during shipping. The first reviewer had none of the problems mentioned by the second reviewer and that is the reason he thinks it may have been damaged during shipping. WJ3U
So why not check back with the other guy rather than rubbish the radio? Ah well - it speaks for itself! 73 Peter.
@@watersstanton Hi Peter,
I know both reviewers and there will be a video released in a few days that explains what may have happened. Since I'm a patron of one of the reviewers, I am able to view that video before it is made public. I will provide a link once that video is available. Stay safe, 73 WJ3U
@@watersstanton Peter,
There will a Premiere tonight for that video. Here's the link. ua-cam.com/video/Khjf70az5ZI/v-deo.html
Are the 2 knobs made of metal? Is the tuning knob 'weighted'? Tnx
WHAT a nice rig for the foundation and the cw operator i would like one my self its very well made no problem will it ..jeff
I love how cheap radios were the best thing since sliced bread to many of the professional ham radio youtubers....until they started receiving free/heavily discounted higher-end gear....something to think about.
Very good point David! 73 de M3KXZ
Peter-Thanks for another great, objective video, and for pointing out that radio-based spectrum analyzers have potential weaknesses that MRD’s video suggests he may not understand🙈
Did you test at all in HF high signal level environments like 40 at night there? Your mention of no RF gain control, and I’m assuming no attenuator, remains a concern, as does potential AM broadcast band overload here, which seems to be an issue with some Xiegu products.
73 Scott ka9p
Yes I have used it on 40m extensively and not had any issues. My antennas are mainly wire dipoles so typical of potential owners. RF gain - well tell me how of-yen most hams ever use that control - but I take your point.
I love this review. Any comments one year later?
The biggest problem with the G106 is the G90 😀
I have a G90 I use almost every day, and I tried the G106 and sent it back. The G90 is twice the radio for about $140 more. Had the G106 been priced at $200 I would have kept it, but it just didn't quite reach that $300 value bar.
The main advantage is size and an easier to read display for us with failing sight! But I still use my G90 regularly.
I can get a new 106C now for $135!
1. What is the difference between 106 and 106C?
2. Would you recommend it as a spare rig for portable/emergency use?
3. I have a TruSDX on the way. How do they compare?
Does the meter include swr reading? A must for me.
No
I watched the other review and enjoy his channel. I think, he got a dud and knew it was a dud but thought it would be a good click-bait/viral video.
Excellent video. Perhaps you could dial up some audio record level though? It was fairly slim!
NoSoory about that, I forgot to add some compression. 73 Peter
Great Review. Thanks.
It would be nice if you could do the same comparison with it's stablemate the 6100.
Hi, I really enjoy all of your videos. I've learned many things from you. Can you tell me what you would suggest as an all around shortwave and ssb radio. I have watched many of your videos and can not make up my mind. I have the Tecsun PLL-330 and Sony ICf-2010, as well as others. The Sony is used and very sensitive and sometimes hard to tune. The Tecsun gets better reception. Would a higher level Tecsun be better.? I do not care about memory storage. I do like being able to single step on all bands and that is important to me. I just want to have a few radios I can enjoy using and not difficult to use. I am selling many on line here, on Craig's List.
Sorry for the long comment and taking your time. Best Wishes
Thank you very much for the review! But. . . If you compare two radios in reception, don't put one radio on the speaker of the other!
Many thanks. If you look carefully you will see the IC-7300 speaker was not covered. I made sure of that before the cideo was recorded. 73 Peter.
I've seen that video on the G-106, and for any supplier to release a radio performing as badly as that one is pretty much unforgivable. Does anyone NOT understand the importance of making a good first impression. Meanwhile, Xeigu provide no service manuals, circuit diagrams, so you pretty much on your own, especially when the warranty expires. Not so with the FT-817/818 (Which I used to own) I now have a X5105 and a Icom IC-705. I bought the x5105 to take to places of higher risk.
Many thanks for your comments. 73 Peter.
Ok I'm confused what radio meters does this radio cover? Looks small enough for a man pack which is how I'd like to get started with ham.
You mentioned the unit not having a RIT function. How in the world can you operate CW with no RIT function once you have tuned for zero beat? Maybe TX with VFO A and RX with VFO B ? Would like to have seen the rig preform on CW. Thanks for doing the review. It seems like so little is known about this new entry into the market. 73
CW is no problem. You simply match the pitch the received signal to the same pitch as tge side tone. Most stations call you within a few hundred Hz so. i have never had a problem. In fact. i hardly ever use RIT.
What were people expecting for under $300? Go buy a KX2 for 4 times the price if you don’t like it.
There isn't any rf gain control 🤔
Yess you are correct. But in operation I did not have a problem, even on main antenna system.
@@watersstanton thank you good Sir 👍
I just ordered one form RadioOddity
Ewell said. Icom shill. That’s what I thought as soon as i saw the video you mean. I am so glad you made this video and the points in it. Keep going.
Glad it was helpful! 73 Peter
Wow I got curious and went back and I found two trashing it… the guy I like usually had a video that looked like a joke! That surprised me as he’s usually very resourceful… Ge did make a second one that said what he had received was a pre-production one, and have it more respect and realistic review of it… now I’m looking forward to hear what you will say about it!!! :0)
PS thank you for this more informative review!!!
It was not a pre-production model - nor was it faulty. Subsequently confirmed by Xiegu.
@@watersstanton wow, that’s crazy… maybe the company upset him some way… given his past record, very odd…
please say thanks to tim for me . my little radio is working a treat thanks
Will do! 73 Peter
It's a very basic radio. It appears to work! Not much to complain about really. Would be ideal as a cheaper portable option.
peter my g90 is the best little radio for the price iv hit all round the world thanks bud m7rfs
Yes it is a great radio. 73 Peter
I like the concept of the radio but the crooked white buttons and wobbly vfo knob has put me off. I suppose the radio is commensurate with price.
After seeing his other videos I tend to think he just got a dud. It happens. But thanks for your honest review.
Interesting video.
An objective review Peter
Thanks
Apparently, the radio in the video you are referring to was a pre-production model, according to the reviewer. He brought out a second review using what he said was a production model sent to him by Radioddity. In that review, he gave the radio better marks. To me, however, he didn't strike me as the most knowledgeable or technically-minded of reviewers.
I bought my G106 because at the time I thought it was good value for the price...and still do.
Most negative comments are from people who never built and used a regenerative radio. Hahaha
So true! 🤣
Great review, unfortunately I’ve watched the video in question and that made bad influence , now I’m regretting the decision of not to buying it, instead I was using the G90 for all my field and SOTA ops all summer.Again thank you for the honest and true review , many 73,s de M7SZY
Tnx for nice review. Comparison with ic7300 and listing features available and not available is the type of review I appreciate. Tnx, 73 de Kuba sp5nzf (g90 owner for over a year)
current consumptıon receive mode...would like to know ...thank you Peter..de TA3İİD...73...
Around 300mA so not the lowest/
I suspect it's the last reason people pretty much did down the Beuofang hand held I think it's product snobbery
oh dear, sounds like you have got a container load to shift.
Think similar things were said about the model T FORD
I agree, it received a weird review, I could not figure out what they were criticizing. I also have a X6100, I like it, so I plan to buy one. Plus, if you drop it off of a mountain, you will be put into poor house.
Thanks for sharing.
I had a very bad experience with this model poor quality sent it back stick to Brand names
A shame you felt the need to call K8MRD’s video a “hoax” .. it wasn’t .. although it’s nice to see you moving away from the previous run of videos almost exclusively dominated by the same topics and the same themes, regurgitated. Such as mobile hf and bashing antenna modelling.
A fair few things Peter talks about are a 'HOAX' but i just keep quiet
You need to understand that modelling is fine, BUT the users fail to understand that real world results are often very different. Professional designers employ 3D software for this reason.
It would helpful if K8MRD could show evidence of his professional electronic qualifications and proper comparative testing to back up is views
@@watersstanton what antenna would you recommend for the xiegu g106 considering I live in a small townhouse with no yard. It’s 4-storeys high. I have a ground plane antenna for my vhf-uhf radios at one corner of the roof. I am very new at this hobby having gotten my technician license here in the Philippines just last month. Thanks
@andreflores7753
Best ant is an EFHW and are cheap
My son goes mountaintopping that's what he uses. All you need is an unun and some wire.
Re reviewer question has only been licensed a short time doesn’t have any quality test equipment!
Thanks for the input. 73 Peter
To me, the fact it's putting out more power than it should be indicates poor QC! And the high power into high SWR, doesn't that indicate a lack of output protection? Certainly looks like clean output though, and might be even better if brought down to 5W where it should be.
de M3KXZ
The power soec says greater than 5W which is a bit vague. But the protection is there and worked well.
Hi Peter,
If I was testing a new radio, new on the market, And I found several genuine faults with it, The very FIRST thing that I would do is contact the company who supplied me with the test/review radio and tell THEM what I was finding rather than just giving a report on line slagging off the Device Under Test/Review. This way, if the manufacturing company Had sent me a faulty peice of kit they would have the chance to send me a replacement which they knew to be working as it should be working.
Many thanks for a more honest review Peter.
De Ray, M0RAYY.