Xiegu G90 HF SDR Transceiver Current Draw Review
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- Hello Operators.
In this video we take a look at the Xiegu G90, Portable Ham Radio. We'll talk about who might enjoy this rig, and why we might want to add the #Xiegu G90 HF 20w SDR transceiver to our portable ham radio collection. Finally, we finish up by measuring recieve current, and current draw during transmit. The Xiegu G90 came with a cable for Xiegu G90 CAT control cable. It also came with a breakout box to use the Xiegu G90 with FT8 or other digital modes.
73
Julian #oh8stn
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One of your best “initial review” videos and I thank you for taking the time to take all those power readings. While it may seem insignificant to most, it’s a big deal to those of us living off-grid with only a small solar power system.
Thank you James. I understand exactly what you mean. Now I have the option of taking a 100 watt radio, which operates at 1 amp on rx, or a 20 watt radio which works at 0.6 amps on RX. A little 2.5 or 5 ah pack with 20 watt panel, will work just fine.
Thanks for the kindness.
Excellent video! I am always thankful for people with the proper gear doing these tests for those of us who don't have the test equipment!
Thanks for taking a look at this rig. I'm planning on testing for my Extra Class license later this year, and I was thinking of rewarding myself with this radio if I pass. If you give it the overall thumbs-up, I'll trust it.
U can set this rig up anywhere becz its compact & draws very little current.
Just started watching your videos yesterday. The messaging feature is incredible. What I knew about ham radio was from movies, so old guys in their basements. I'm going to be looking into what it takes to become licensed
You helped me make a decision on going for this G90 rig for HF go kit radio. I did add a pair of 25W solar panels to my planned self aligning charging rig just to make sure I have enough juice coming in. I'll be looking at antenna options....I can now see a compound bow as part of the antenna rig for HF. To set a vertical antenna up on a tree. 😂Thank you!!!
Excellent. Can't wait for the full review.
This is great thank you! I might end up getting this as my first HF since its so much more affordable than others.
Super job Julian. I love your logical procedure and how much effort you put in. Keep inspiring ! 73 de 2E0IEH 👍
Thank you Tim.👍👍👍
I have a G90 - bought it to use in my camper, and always power it from a 12 AH battery. The receive current is the important number and the Xiegu pulls half what my Icom 7300 pulls. It's a solid portable rig.
Agreed. It's been a solid rig. Best value for money IMHO.
73
Julian oh8stn
I have been looking at this for a mobile rig as well as a backup rig just in case my home radio ever dies and needs to be fixed, Looks to be pretty decent but I cant wait for the full review!
Table of contents
00:00 Introduction
01:53 Backstory
02:58 Who would want this rig?
04:00 Current Measurements
04:53 160 mMeters
06:04 80 Meters
06:53 40 Meters
07:53 30 Meters
08:48 20 Meters
09:43 17 Meters
10:30 10 Meters
11:50 Final Thoughts
12:15 End Screen & Sneak-a-Peak
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. ruclips.net/p/PLKMrdrsNkFA61ybQikT6xGjXNe0H2pj-n
By the way operators. The reason we start with current consumption measurements, is these measurements are the most critical aspect of portable communications. Understanding the current consumption will help us to define battery capacity and output rating. It Also helps us define solar power requirements for off grid power.
@@OH8STN It would be useful to have something to compare those numbers against.
User manuals with tech specs are published by most manufacturers. Great place to start.
Thank you for covering this radio! I really respect your opinion and analysis.
I have enjoyed using my G90. I use the fan-base to keep it cool on 20W transmit, which also allows me to use thicker wire & PowerPoles at either end 👍🏻
That's the info I want to see. I'd buy this as a portable field radio and the nice display with low power and bare bones features appeals to me, as does the price. I look forward to future videos showing the G90 in use, and your general impressions.
It'd be nice if someone maintained a comparison chart that had current draws for the popular radios. Maybe we can get Radio Prepper to do that. It's definitely Gil's thing. :-)
Nice video on the Xiegu G90 first look on QRZ, had to follow you over the YOU TUBE to comment lol. All I can say is EXCELLENT are always just the facts and no FLUFF. Nicely done, nicely done!!
I appreciate the quality of this review. The "important" things to the Ham are what count. Xeigu has seemed to been listening to its customers and made accommodations to fit the need. I have one of these radios and am liking it more each time i use it. Its in the shack (for learn and burn) before taking it to the field. Your videos (including the next one on this radio) are what assist me in the learning curve. Small print manuals are a challenge to me so these videos are a huge help. Thx,, KI5IQE. 73
I've had one for a while and love it for what is. This helps me understand power consumption, and will help me budget battery power while in the field.
I can hardly wait for the rest of the series. I certainly hope it isn't going to take 6 months.
I've been looking at the G90 for several months.
It is really exciting to see a professional and unbiased approach--thank you Julian. After all the specs are measured and connection issues discovered and resolved, the bottom line will be if G90 manufacturing quality can survive the shock and vibration of being repeatedly transported to and from location and operated in the harsh environments of the field. Comparing the survivability of a $400 Xiegu G90 to that of a $800 Yaesu (or the soon to come $1100 Icom) will be very interesting to observe. Frankly, I do not have any ill will concerning this radio--though admittedly it is not for me (I prefer 100 watts). So let the test data--bench and field--speak for itself. Great stuff!
Got one a few weeks ago....................Love it. One great feature is output stays where you set it regardless of voltage.
Also the screen can be turned off to reduce consumption some.
I have got the g90 I think they fantastic I have had the best contacted on this radio I also have have is Anan 100d sdr and I thought that was one off the best but the g90 keep up with it easily thank you for your video
Thank you for your video! The G90 was my choice mainly for three reasons:
1st: Weight (1,6 kg or 3 lib 8 oc) and dimensions, as I use it for backpacking.
2nd: Built-in tuner. Saves weight, size and money, and I need a tuner for portable operation.
3rd: 20 W PEP. With SSB and a not perfect antenna, that counts.
Your measurements are very interesting to me, because I am looking for the ideal power supply/Li-battery. LiPO with typically 3 amps will not work, so LiFePO4. Somewhere else, I read of a 10 A consumption and wondered where all the power goes to :-).
Thank you for the comment and kindness. The g90 will happily run from lithium iron phosphate 4S pack. I often use a 4S pack with a Genasun charge controller and 30 watt panel for the g90 in the field. It's a great radio and a great setup.
73
Julian oh8stn
Watched the full series on this rig.. Plus other information. It ticks almost all the boxes for me . Also the very responsive firmware updates to iron out bugs. Unusual for Chinese produced radio equipment..Appreciate your time and effort. I pulled the trigger today.. 480 bucks . C.O.D. free shipping and No quibble return. Thats a no Brainer.. Looking forward to testing The G90 Mobile Marine.. As I work offshore . Best regards, 73s HS0ZOU.
Thank s for your service I own one xiegu G90 I am happy with it I have spoken to Laura northern Italy with my. Xiegug90
Outstanding. I also enjoy my g90 very much. I wish other operators would give these radios a chance. Thanks for the comment Comin it's very much appreciated.
Just ordered a G90 as an upgrade to my original SGC SG2020 (non-DSP). The old 2020 is still a brick and quirky but SSB or CW is still solid. I think what sold me on the G90 is how the SDR SW build improvements adds or improves the radio's operations and functions. Can't wait to get it. 73's!
The only thing lacking at the moment is full FLrig support, if that's important to you. Otherwise it's a pretty solid HF rig.
@@OH8STN I discovered that most of the G90 functions are compatible with the IC-7000 rig xml files. HRD, Flrig and Omnirig seem to play well under this configuration. Cheers and catch you down the waterfall.
73 DE AG4KN!
Great vid. I’m about to order this radio and now I know what power supply to get.
Got also G90 and X5105 - great products - 73 de HB9GNK and KB9GNK
This is is definitely a contender for my next rig. I didn’t want to like it but others have given it great reviews and the ARRL even gave a better review of it than I expected. It has everything I want and actually quite a bit more than I need in a portable. The price point and bonus of extra power definitely speak to me.
I know exactly what you mean. Coming from the Yaesu ft-817nd, I wasn't really sure about this radio. Not having to buy all the extra stuff like filters, antenna tuner,... this rig actually comes in quite economically
@@OH8STN it’s ideal for a first time HFer like me, I love my G90
Can't wait to see the rest of your coverage on the rig!
I'm interested how the pairs with the digital mode raspberry pi and how you'd set it up for digital communication.
73, KE8GAH
Ditto!!
Will do👍👍👍
Thankyou for the video...I would also like you to cover the digital and pan connectiins to the G90
Antenna tuner as a feature decoder love it
I owned the previous Xiegu flagship, the X108G. Amazing how I could still work contests with 20w. This G90 has filled in the gaps and then some.
A great start to the G90 series with very useful info (how big of battery do I need). Looking forward to the next video ! 73 Don KM6TRZ
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the video. You go above and beyond other hams. :)
Thanks Julian! Very thorough as always! This radio is very interesting. Might be my next buy. 73 de K2CJB
Thanks! Great info. I subscribed based on this video.
Thank you for subscribing. The G90 is my workhorse. It's been 24/7 JS8Call for over a year. Very reliable platform even with the odd interface idiosyncrasies. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
73
Julian oh8stn
I ordered one and promptly returned it because I thought it was defective. It had horrible front-end overload. I got its replacement, and it was exactly the same. I figured out that the receiver is quite “hot”, and the Chicago-area AM superstations were too much for the rig with no attenuation. Forget preamp! With the attenuators on, it gives the same S-meter readings as my IC-7300. I can further dial back the RF gain if needed. I can’t wait to go portable, far from Chicago!
Yes I like it very much human touch in to ham radio thank you very much sr for your comments N2qcu here
Many thanks for that. Very interested in this series. Larry
Really like my G90. I haven't taken it out to the field, but it is my primary radio at my QTH. I use it for SSB and Digi and have been really impressed with it's performance. I get a kick out of my SSB QSO's when I tell them what rig I am running and how much power I am running. Especially when it's a New England station from my SoCal QTH.
G90 is full of surprises 👍
73
Julian oh8stn
Thanks for the great video. This review has decided that I finally buy this rig. Very informative. Greetings from Colombia
as you say this is the step up from my 817nd!
cheers 73
This was not an emotional discussion. It's about choosing a rig which meets our individual requirements. Put in context, and only when comparing HF to HF. The 817 & 818 will definitely win where VHF and UHF is a requirement. Anyway I would be more comfortable comparing the 817 or the 818 to the IC 705 or X5105. But still, it's not about the winner oh, it's about which one fits our requirements.
Thanks for the review. Another radio from Xiegu you might want to review one day is X5105. It's a QRP radio, 0.1-5W output, 0.35A RX, 1.4-1.7A TX in 5W SSB mode (PRC off/on), has a build-in battery, build-in tuner, nice display, IF output. The weight is less then 1 kg. I've been using it for several month and very happy with it. 73 de R2AUK
I will consider that. To be honest with you I have my heart set on the IC 705 from Icom. In fact they already have my money. I passed on the 5105 because it doesn't have an internal sound card. It might still be a great option for lots of others.
@@OH8STN BTW any plans on giving CW a chance? Please don't tell that it can't be received under the noise floor, we already figured out this is not quite accurate :) Interestingly your FT-891 has excellent CW capabilities, including message recording, APF, ZIN and others, something I miss very much in X5105.
The FT-817 has not changed in 20+ years!! Before the 2000, yaesu would come up with new radio so often you could keep tract of them. Just look at the FT-101 series. The -817 is just stalled. They could put in a DSP. They could make the screen in color. They could have an internal ATU. They could have any time in the 20+ years. I still have mine for 20+ years ago. I use it on FT8. It's a great radio. But come on yaesu. WOW us. Show some life. The Xiegu is going to kick your butt. And you are maybe the next Atlas or Collins on the shelf.
Hi Julian, I just compared this video with the one you did for FT-891. The difference in current draw at 40meter is about 50% less in favour of the G90, impressive, it means extending battery based operations a lot. I have got a FT-891 and considering buying a Xiegu.
Yeah that current consumption of the g90 has thrown a curveball. It's an enormous reduction in current consumption. I've been running low power from home since making this video, just to see how effective 20 watts is, compared to 45 Watts I normally run from the ft-891. I initially thought that would have a 256 watt hour battery for the g90. I've been filled testing now with a 66 watt hour battery instead. Of course I need to hook up solar panel to it but this is an enormous reduction in weight.
Good stuff
Thanks for doing this. I'm not a big Chicom fan but it is hard to beat the price and that isn't even considering the features advertised. Will be interesting to see what kind of service life it has and how it plays. HF radio unlike FM radio is hard to cheap out on IMHO. Will be a great series for sure. Thanks for sharing !
I've got one, it's my first hf rig. I'm certainly enjoying it, haven't gotten around to field use yet, but I'm excited to
Thanks for your review. I bought one a few weeks ago and am still gathering the bits to get it on the air.
Just started watching your Channel and I enjoy the content and how well you disseminate information. It's obvious you put a lot of time and effort into your video presentation. 73 de kd2pgj
I have a G90 that I use exclusively out portable. Very useful and worthwhile information gained from your test. Looking forward for more of the same.
Grant VK4JAZ
I may be selling my ft-817 and picking up one of these. Hate to lose vhf/uhf but at only 5 watts i can carry an ht. The G-90 20 watts is a much better option for a qrp radio. Out with the old and in with a screen that i can see.
Yet another great video. Thank you sir.
Thank you for the review of the G90, looks like it is good radio. Looking forward to further information as you have time to check its performance. I have a AnyTone AT-D878uv and i think the Chinese are starting to make some good radios. Bought all the parts and made a HotSpot just to see if I could make it work, it does, Just retired my old Kenwood TS-570SG and got a Icom IC-7300, It's great, what a difference 25 years of technology makes. Waiting for the reviews of the IC-705. Thanks for the good work Julian, looking forward to more videos. Tom, W7GER
I have a military manpack with an interesting design of the DC power distribution resulting in a Rx of 150mA standby current. The secret is not to use linear regulators to drop voltage. This rsig use a so called "bucket converter" at high efficiency.
Another option is omitting the regulator, using a battery chemistry/configuration delivering the correct voltage to the radio without voltage regulation.
Great 👍🏼 in depth review!
Thanks Gabriel. Not really a review just current measurements. Will get deeper into it as the series progresses. Thanks for stopping by and for the comment, it's very much appreciated👍
Great info. Thanks!
Thanks, appreciate the power consumption data.
Great video. Even though we have better battery technology these days, it is still a concern for the field operator. The G90 seems like a lot of radio for the price. That waterfall is nice. Looking forward to seeing more of this radio. It's better on power than my 857 which isn't very efficient, about 5A @ 10 watts. My KX2 on the other hand is really good. .135A rx and 1.96A tx @ 10 watts on 40m.
Nice video. Ironically, I have talked to several people on HF in the last week that were on G90s. It would be interesting to see how these numbers compare at the same freqs (if they can do them) on other radios like the 817/818, 847, the KX2 and/or KX3, etc.
I use a KX2 and an 817ND. The KX2 only uses 150mA on receive! The 817ND about 550mA. The G90 looks promising to me. Until now I still find my KX2 very useful. Low power consumption, ultra portable, builtin tuner and built in battery...but expensive. The 817ND is the working horse, I used it for nearly a decade. Built in Windcamp batteries, much tougher than the KX2. 73, Stephan, DF6PA
In these here parts anything fancy such as a Bonaire Li battery will cost you your first born in taxes alone, so I purchased a small flooded lo maintenance lead acid car battery. These are (somewhat) affordable and reasonably portable into a car. I'm on day 2 and it's still going strong at 12.95v.
The radio says 12.6V ... my VOM says 12.95.. and I've replaced the skinny power cord. Why no fuse in the original? Because it's reverse polarity protected.. hook it up backwards and no smoke...nothing happens. Me thinks this reverse protection circuitry gobbles up a few tenths of a volt...but it works well past the fully discharged state of almost any 12V battery...so no big deal.
Richard VA7AA/XE1
Interesting to see how the current draw changes. Another good reason to do 40 meters ;)
Thanks so much Julian for your initial review of this radio. We have been looking at this as a viable option for a field radio for both SSB and digital modes. It will be interesting to see how the IC-705 fairs in regard to receive current. Obviously the transmitter is in a different class. Being an IC-7300 owner, the 705 has a certain appeal, but the 20W transmitter of the G90 is definitely appealing. Anxious to watch your operation review of the G90. Maybe compare its size and weight to the FT817 and IC-705. Thanks again for all that you do for amateurs around the world. 73, W4ZQ
Hey thanks for the feedback. Actually I see these radios filling two different rolls. The 705 is the ultra compact go anywhere rig. The g90 is a more powerful but less capable Big Brother limited to HF. Both of them have a spot in my collection. That's also true for the ft-891. For sure we're going to have a blast learning about all of these new radios in the coming months.
Sure would be nice for portable field ops to have a voice/cw memory keyer
What I really like about this radio is that it has a built in CW decoder that works very well. N3EDO.
Follow up:. I tested my current draw with the most recent firmware update, and with a Fluke meter, I measure .52 amps on 40m RX, no squelch, screen off (screen only mattered about .01 though).
Awesome video!! What would be really cool is to see with an oscilloscope if the power really is as advertised. And also to see how bad the harmonics are with a spectrum analyzer.
I look forward to your experience with digital mode with the G90. I could consider selling my ft818 to buy the G90. I have such a hard time reading the display on the ft818 that 'big' bright screen on the G90 interests me.
Though not "big" it is considerably easier to distinguish settings than my ft-857. I use reading glasses but can see the settings even without my reading glasses. If vision is compromised I would look into the IC-705. This is a back up fun to play with rig i can drag around. I have an IC-7300 but it doesn't leave the shack.
Great! Enhorabuena!!! Excelentes vídeos
Nice video , thinking of getting a g90 my self
Is this Radio Continuous coverage from 160 - 10 meters OR are there gaps between ham bands - (is it MARS capabale) ?
been looking for a rig to do digital as my first HF radio. 20W of FSK sounds fun, Looking forward to your experiments with digital on this rig
More radios by more manufacturers is only a good thing for us and it will spur the big 3 (ICOM, Yaesu and Kenwood) to do better on their own as well.
this will be a huge boost to xiegu.
i have 2 as new 897d, and love my 991a, but am very interested to purchase an X90... this display seems cracking!!
all my ops are mobile/portable in Bahrain, unless in Bulgaria on the farm, really interested,.. thanks for doing this series, cheers Julien, 73 mate
Hey thanks for the feedback and kindness. It's difficult to get a 20 watt radio with reasonably low current consumption. After the 897 was discontinued, 20w rigs were mostly Green radios. My 891 draws about an amp on RX. That's "ok" but at 20 watts, it still draws an amp. So it's definitely nice to see options out there. I think we need to do a battery project on the channel for this radio.
@@OH8STN great idea, n lots more to come!!! 73
Great video again! I am curious how it will work on digimodes. Is the display readble in direct sunlight? The big problem with all chinese radios might be warranty and repairs. 73, Stephan, DF6PA
Agreed. I'll do some field testing for the practical things. For the warranty and repairs, a regional partner is important. Pileupdx.vom and xiegu.eu are in Sweden. That makes it a heck of a lot easier to deal with then trying to send something back to China.
Excellent points 👍👍👍
My FT-897D draws about 0.62A receive....around 2.2 amps on SSB regardless of the power level set with no modulation.
I have one & have been having fun w/ it. -- AJ6C.
A good value radio for the money just under £365.00 GBR in the UK for portable or mobile working. And for Foundation Class of Licence in the UK which is restricted to 10 watts output
Hej! Nice to see your video! In the User Manual of this radio it said the TX max current could reach up to 6A. Do you know in which condition the radio goes to this current draw? Mine never exceeds 4A. Thanks!
Mine first use, fuse holder melted. Xiegu is aware of that very thin power wire, and faulty fuse assembly. Older model may have the new cable. They started selling the new replacements.
That's good to know, thanks for the heads up. I thought I might just switch out the whole assembly, use 10 gauge silicone encapsulated wire and terminate with power poles.
@@OH8STN Since I got mine from MFJ in the US, I also told them and it will not void the warranty if replaced.
Also Xiegu knows, but they were sending cables to owners. 73
I have started using this radio from last 2-3 days. I am running 3-7 W on 40M and feeding that to my L-Amplifier. Even I am running it very low power I can feel its getting heated up after 1 hour of continues QSO's. Would love to know is it normal or do I need to keep an extra fan ? My room temperature varies from 19 degree to 27 degree. Thank You. 73 vu3tbu
It looks like some people are saying it's requires ventilation. Never hurts to add a fan to keep it cool. Here in Finland your low temperature is the high temperature in my rooms. I haven't seen the same problems others have. Why not try a fan?
@@OH8STN thx for replying. I was not expecting this heat with low power operation. Will definitely use fan to cool it down
73
VU3TBU
It’s interesting and it has reasonable current draw. I am interested in its noise control on SSB receiving.
Hi, thank you for your videos! My question is what kind of radio or radios could you suggest for a beginner who just started operating on 2m and 70cm but would like to extend his capabilities on hf, mostly for listening and do not have possibilities to build whole station, so mobile solutions is preferable?
Thanks for the question. I started off with a Icom 910H for vhf/uhf, then bought a used Yaesu FT-870 before I had HF prevs. As I like to suggest, figure out what aspect of amateur radio interests you, then find a radio which does that. Often there is no one signle radio unless you start with something like the new Icom ic-705, or the Yaesu ft-818 which have HF, VHF, UHF, but are qrp. Honestly it is an impossible question to answer without you knowing what you want to do, and were youre gonna do it. The good news is youll have a blast finding out.
OH8STN Ham Radio Thank you for your prompt reply. Amateur radio is jus extention for other my interests, that is why I took B level exam (EU/Lithuania) few years ago and bought two baofeng handhelds. I do not have big interest to communicate just to exchange call signs without concrete purpose. That is why my interests, broadly, are more on communication on grid down event, some family use and how amateur radio could be used and connected/integrated with internet in this new age. Now I'm trying to collect more info on RUclips hamradio channels and figure out what, how and why. But as I see only few Europians are actually active on this and you are among them. And I could say one of the best, especially if we talking about offgrid communications.
If you read the manual it does say to TUNE and then after tuning has completed then you turn the tuner off.
Being an SDR, is it possible to open it up to an All Band Radio?
Yes it is. There is an all band (MARS mod) for this radio
Hey Julian, I keep popping onto your channel to see if you got the follow up review to this G90, Where it at? Lol just kidding, get to it when you can :)
I dont understand how 1 watt can = 2.08 amps when most likely you will have around 13 volts in this system. Using P =IV that should give (13)(2.08) = 27.04 watts right? That would exceed the max output for this rig. I'm pretty sure I am missing something here. Please help. Thanks.
Every radio has a certain amount of overhear. Lights, fans, audio volume. They are not 100% efficient.
@@OH8STN So maybe in theory 27.04 watts would be available at that amp draw but is not actually what the radio is putting out. I see.
I got confused because of my watt meter in line with my battery which was reading more watts than the radio is capable of
@@brandont4733 it is not "available". To get PA transistors into linear part of working characteristics, there must be some bias current (for my rig, it is about 200 mA for CW and 500 mA for SSB) for zero signal (that means zero output power). Not setting PA stage into linear part of characteristics, outpur signal would be quite dirty.
A very useful video. How would you say the G90 compares weight and size wise to the FT-891? I'm trying to decide on a radio that I will likely use for Parks On The Air. the FT-891 is high on my list, but if the G90 is significantly lighter/smaller, it might be a good canidate.
Is there a link for the 10 awg Yamita adapter? 73
Is it normal for hf transceivers in general for the current draw to vary from band to band? Thanks for video. 👍
Sure. There are both internal and external variables causing minor changes in current draw.
@@OH8STN Thankyou. 👍
Very nice Julian, I am looking very seriously at one of these versus the FT-818 and I was very curious about power consumption. I'm glad you have a chance to tear into one, so to speak, to rate it for the operation we like to do. I have heard that the power cable could be a little beefier, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out for you. I guess my final questions might be about CW filtering and do you think the radio is rugged enough for off-grid portable use? Thanks, and keep up the good work! 73 KB3JC
Excellent, thorough video, thank you Julian. Is it assumes that the amperage output is the same or similar when transmitting SSB? New Subscriber here. 73 KD2LMR
what program do you use for connect g90 to wsjt-x?
For CAT control I use FLRig as ic-7100. Then select ic-7100 as your radio in WSJT-X.
What about making this a back pack radio using a car battery for high power across all bands for the longest time possible and having the main unit in with the battery and the remote unit suspended on a strap around you neck with the lead connecting the head unit to the radio this might make you look like a solder but don't let that put you off.
Actually there's lots of different ways we can set this up as a more practical portable system. I wouldn't use a car battery though oh, that would defeat the purpose of a high-speed low-drag rig. The cool thing is this rig is so efficient, we could actually use a lightweight battery pack the power it for hours at a time. I like the idea.
@@OH8STN I wore a backpack which weighed the the same as two car batteries and actually walked 6 miles with it on my back so if I can do it anyone can.
@@DAVIDGREGORYKERR but why I should if I have much better and lighter battery/solar power options? And what is 6 miles? What about 800 km? (longest hiking path in my country) But nowadays I would take TX-500 with PA-500 with me, and thanks to solar power, even the battery would be under 600 g (5 Ah 4S LiFePO4) for that approx 1 month trip.
73!!
Horses for courses it'll suite someone, for me as much as I hate Yaesu I love my little FT981 in the car.
Any chance of pulling away from HF and looking at the new (ish?) DMR dual band portable from Baofeng? It looks interesting but have money tied with other things atm so have it on the wish list though I reckon it'll be 6months before I can have at it.
Hi, you have experience with FT8 with the G90?
Some context please.
Were your transmit measurements made while attached to a dummy load or to an antenna?
Antenna with the rigs built-in tuner on purpose. I wanted a real world measurement. I did the measurements in parallel with my dummy load. The results were within +/- 1%
@@OH8STN excellent. It's a great little radio. Although it may seem like a small thing, swapping that VFO knob for a larger, sturdy metal one with finger indent makes a huge difference to how it feels in operation.
@@OH8STN "real world measurement" should be with real power meter connected inline
Please can you look into the Icom IC 705, battery power portable radio, keep up the good work. Chud M1PUP in London, 73
I suppose this isn't unusual, but I was surprised at how much transmit power is consumed by other than the finals. I'm drawing this conclusion by noting that the differences in current between the three power levels, which differ by about 10 watts from one to the next (yes the first difference is 9W, but that's close enough for government work), times 14+ V, times class AB efficiencies, looks pretty reasonable. So I think that most fo that first 2A is earlier in the transmit chain. Somehow I'd hope for more efficiency there. Not that I've measured any of my radios. I assume that you've done this kind of measurement on your other rigs (I seem to recall...). Does the G90 strike you as typical in this regard, or particularly bad or good. I'd hope that if the bands were such that I could get away with 1W that I could do better than 2:1 battery life extension by running at 1W.
nice job:) sadly we cant see how much will be in CW amps but any way:) good job mate:)
Hi Julian,
Thanks for sharing. This looks like a neat little rig, easy to build in a car or something. I am unsure what other rigs would take as of yet, first time I see it this detailed. Perhaps you did something similar already for other ones which I did not come across yet :)
Looking forward to receive/transmit quality checks!
73 de PC4AntonDraaisma