Bought mine in May 2020 after watching this and other videos. I have to say, this is the best ham radio money I've ever spent. In the 16 months that I've owned this rig, I have maybe fired up my 100 watt rig once or twice. It is that much fun. It's also my first QRP rig, but the bonus is if readability is tough at QRP power, just increase the power (up to 20 watts) to improve readability on the other side of the QSO. I've done that a couple times just to make for easier copy. This is a rig that really benefits by riding the RF gain - it IS sensitive and you can reduce the noise floor and improve readability significantly. I have the programmed knob set up for RF gain control, and it makes a BIG difference. Often, 5-10% gain is all you really need and the noise floor drops way down. I've had tons very favorable comments over the last 16 months - great audio, don't change a thing, etc running a MFJ-2010 OCFD with the apex at 28 feet. I have upgraded the VFO knob to a nice aluminum job with a dimple. You can really fly up and down the bands with it. Thanks again for the video, Mike, this has been a fun rig to own. All in all my experience has been wonderful.
It's a sweet radio for sure. I just wish it had noise reduction and a notch filter. I'll have to play with the RF gain. I never though of that. Thanks for the tip.
@@fortlangford2163 - KF0GZB - haven't got to play radio in a bit because I started truck driving again and I haven't had the time to get an antenna put on the truck. And the weather's been too bad to set up my super antenna outside.
I've had a blast with this Radio.... Auto Tuner, SDR, ,20w, CW decoder, great Audio, budget price, and so much more! I've done 5600mile+ DX with it and a SOTABEAMS Bandspringer!!!
I've got to say, I was surprised with my Xiegu G90. I received it in May of 2023, just in time to go on vacation. With this radio, I worked all over the US and into Europe from TN, AR, and IL, on an end fed random wire, about 120 feet on 75M, 40M, and 20M. it was the best vacation I have ever had. The Xiegu tuned that wire perfectly on all bands. Much better performance than I expected. For power I was using an EcoFlow River portable power unit, so I was working truly portable. I usually worked 2 to 4 hours at a time and I never talked down the 300WHr battery, even at full power on the radio. The radio and power supply is an unbeatable combination! I am now truly portable since I now have solar panels to charge my EcoFlow! I am with you, I wish it had included a kick stand, but I just propped it up on my SWR meter and that worked.
Passed my General 3 December. Got one of these, connected a 4 band mobile antenna in a bedroom and my first contact was in Belgium. I'm sold. That tuner works miracles.
Nice, complete and down to earth review of the features of the G90. It is so well explained that I will use this video again as a tutorial when I get my rig in the near future.
Thanks so much for explaining this radio in detail. I just got mine. Love it. I'm new at all this HF stuff and as a technician, I've been blown away talking to places like Japan and Italy on 5 watts to 20 watts. So now I'm studying for my general. This is a great radio and a great time for people to get into ham radio. The propagation for the next few years will be outstanding. Thanks again. Subbed. K7ZFI 73
I would recommend making a habit of always adjusting the FFT scale such that the spectrum horizon line is as close to the top of the waterfall as possible without going below it. I set the programmable knob for this function. When it’s halfway up the screen or more (like at 12:00 in the video) the waterfall overloads.
I’ve had mine for about 5 months or so. My biggest complaint is you need a magnifying glass to read the buttons and screen if you don’t have the right cheaters on. Other than that, it’s a great low power rig. The analyzer is probably my favorite part. It’s what I used to find all the sweet spots on my Wolf River Coil.
Got one two weeks ago as my first HF radio and made my first contact today. Thrilled. Having trouble getting the frequency to step up for the vfo knob function. The frequency never highlights and short pushing the button does nothing. Reset it a couple of times with no change. As a complete newbie I am more than satisfied. Thanks for the video.
Congrats that's awesome! Not sure about your vfo. It should change the steps with a simple push. Other than upgrading the firmware as a fix, I don't know what to tell you. Could be a bad VFO. You might want to contact the seller and see if they can replace it. Hopefully that's not the case. Thanks for watching and 73
@@hamradiotube Found out that they changed the feature in the firmware build I have. If I go to the latest firmware they put the VFO step feature back in. Glad that I don't have a bad radio, just need to update the firmware.
I've had this rig for a month and a half and it impresses me everyday. I have a vertical antenna and a Dipole. Some days the vertical works better. Funny how propagation works. I talked to Lithuania earlier today and France right after that QSO. Anyway, the Zee-gu G90 is outstanding. I talk to DX stations like I was using 100 Watts and states like I'm on a digital repeater, lol. Awesome Rig!!! Thanks for the videos. Jim(K8BOW).
Hey Man, Do You Still Feel The Same Way Two Years Later? Have You Done The 11 Meter Mod? Still Trying To Decide If It's The Best Value For My Next Radio.
@@thewatcher5271 Yes!! I definitely feel the same about this little rig!!! I don't do 11 meters much. It's been an awesome radio!! Thanks for asking. How do you feel about yours?
@@thewatcher5271 I think you'll be pleased. The bells and whistles on this rig are awesome. Antenna tuner is great. Then, the analyzer is an awesome feature also. The code reader is great too. It doesn't really decode fast but it's legible. Have to have a good signal also for it decode well.
I noticed a slight discrepancy in the voltage shown on my KX3 and was advised this is due to a protection diode in the radio…it was about 0.3-0.4vdc difference. Maybe your G90 has one too.
Thanks Mike for the video. I've had mine 2 weeks and it's just amazing!! I've talked to South Africa from West Virginia and and a few others overseas. I am in awe with this rig. I'm going after the the XPA 125B next just to have that extra edge if I need it but right now, 20 Watts is doing the trick. Thanks again, Jim (K8BOW)
True, lol. I found if you don't use the preamp or attenuator, the signals that are way down in the receive side will come in stronger after the signal goes the FPGA ( Field Processing Gate Array). When the signal goes through the ADC it pulls it in stronger. Wow, what a rig Mike! The wave of the future brother!! Thanks,Jim (K8BOW).
That's awesome Mike! I'm having a great time with this radio. I'm thinking about getting the XPA125B just to enhance it a little more lol. Thanks for the reply.
I just got a g90, and this is the best video I've see yet on how to use it. You went through all the basics. Thank you! Now, what I'd like to see next is like how to tune to an SSB frequency and clarify it. So the finer points of improving a signal. Also, how can you make your sending better on the other end. Thanks mate!
Well thank you very much and congratulations on your new radio! I honestly don't use any of the bandwidth filters. I usually keep it at about 2400khz wide. I'm not aware of anything other than compression that would make you more legible on the other end. I always have a little bit of compression on any of my radios. It helps make your voice punch through a bit.
Thanks, Mike. I read thru all the various manuals for theG90 and played with the radio some. But your video did more to clear up my confusion than any of the stuff I’ve read or watched on RUclips.
Thanks for this review. This is the first review I’ve seen in the past few days (May 2022) that actually has good things to say. The reason I’m going to buy it is all the positives you pointed out. With the Antenna Tuner being the prime reason. Thanks!!!
Had one of these about a week, really enjoying it. Would certainly recommend it. Good receiver, very good filtering. 20 watts lower than I usually use. But no problem getting contacts both CW and phone. Updated to latest firmware version 1.75. All good. GW0CMI
I'm studying for the Technician license and have seen this radio on other sites, but I had doubts about the quality. This video changed my mind because of all the positive comments, so it's on my wish list.
Hope you are doing well with your pursuit of your Technician license. If possible, get your General as it opens up more HF band and does not require a huge amount more studying. I recently purchased a Xiegu G90 as my first HF radio. I'm more than pleased but there are quite a few things to learn before you can operate it effectively if you've never had an HF radio before or don't have a mentor ( Ham mentors are called an "Elmer." ) Also, there are some additional considerations before you purchase an HF radio. The first is to figure out where you can put an antenna. Different antennas require different heights and amounts of space. To me, determining the antenna was somewhat overwhelming. I ended up getting an end fed half wave multi band antenna as a starter because I didn't know what band I wanted to use most. Most people use 20m and 40m but depending on your location your choice may vary. Costs can be as little as $40 to build your own antenna to many hundreds for a pre-built and more for the tower to mount it. You'll need a place to use the radio (my "shack" is a bookshelf I added a piece of plywood to in my office to make it a "secretary"), a feed line to get from the radio to the antenna, and a low noise power supply for the radio. I spent $40 on 50' of feed line, $95 on an EFHW antenna, $90 on a 30 amp power supply, $100 on a NanoVNA analyzer (optional mainly used for antenna tuning), and $70 on a surge suppressor UPS plus another $150 on odds and ends like power pole junction boxes and connectors and ferrite beads to kill noise on cables and power cables and a slingshot and ropes to get the antenna up in the trees and grounding rods and don't forget the band chart so you don't transmit outside of your license permissions, and $50 getting more memory and a new battery for an old net book computer to use it as a station log and run digital modes and oh yeah the CE19 data interface/expansion .... yada, yada, yada. It all adds up. But it's fun and I really get a thrill at the first contacts. So after being on the air for four days I thought I'd share my experience. The G90 fit my budget. The extra costs weren't terrible but a bit of a surprise. I feel confident I won't need to purchase another radio for several years. It's pretty easy to learn the radio compared to the typical 2m/70cm radios. I have a background in military satellite systems and radars and I'm NOT disappointed with the quality or operation of the G90. Half the battle is the antenna, but the G90 holds it's end up. KN4HZU 73
Thank you for doing such a thorough review. I picked up a couple of new things to try out. Also you explained how to use some of the features. As a new ham, I want to say thank you and job well done. 73s K5KVX.
Good overview Mike! I have been interested in this radio and your video allowed me to see its basic features. I totally agree with you on the ground thumb screw. Good clear audio and video made this video a pleasure to watch. Many thanks!
Thanks for taking the time and sharing. To the point and crystal clear. Sure things have changed since I started 50 years ago (Plates, tubes, loads, etc.) I am re starting the hobby after 20 years inactive. Looking for antenna and transceiver now to join the club of good people.
Hey Mike. Keep the videos coming. Great job. I just bought this little radio the G90. After lugging my radios n equipment down to Ocean City. 40+lbs . That was it for me. This little radio is the ticket. Thanks again Greg KC3PMX
The G90 is a good radio but for not a lot more money the FT-891 is a great radio with 100 watts out and amazing noise reduction which the G90 has no NR at all, the sound from the G90 speaker is good, better than the 891 but when you listen on headphones the 891 is really great and of course with headphones + good NR it's amazing. You could even get one 2nd hand like I did. Or I connect an external bluetooth speaker to the 891 which helps a lot if I need a speaker. No waterfall compensates for 100 watts out and amazing NR and an amazing receiver. Not even internal tuner. The 891 is a radio I will have many years. Where as I will have no hesitations selling the G90, in fact I'm thinking of selling it already.
Just got g90 ,125 watt amp,base with fan and fold down legs 35 amp power supply all for $625 ! Can't wait to get an antenna up . MARS can be done easy to this radio if needed, little white arrow shows what to remove by speaker hole on the board. Great video 👍
Heck yeah buddy, that's great!! Christmas in March, gotta love that. Holy crap thats a great price too! I'm not about to do any MARS mods on my radio but good to know it can be done. Get that antenna up and get on the air my friend. And have lots of fun. Congrats on your new toys!! 73
Great Review. After seeing this and some of the reviews on this XIEGU G90, did something I probably should not have since I already have so many radios already. but this one seems to have found a niche the other ones don’t fill. I ordered one of those xiegu G90s which are on sale for $450 and I put it on the credit card Which is a quasi-QRP radio that can go up to 20 Watts but can be turned down to just a few watts if you want to save battery power. However, I like the fact that, if I have too for an emergency or just want to, I can still push it back up to the 20 Watts. It is smallish and easy to carry around. I’m getting a 60 foot wire from Chameleon that I can just throw out over some tree limbs or whatever and with a lithium ion battery and my fold up solar panels I can do cw just about anywhere I am. The reason I wanted this one is because it also very easily decodes CW. No I do not want to depend on that but in an emergency If I am kind of nervous and not copying my CW like I would like then it is nice to have that little addition. It also has an internal Antenna tuner they say is so good it could probably tune up a head of lettuce. I like that in case somehow I left my antenna behind, lost my antenna, or heaven for bid damaged the antenna that I’m carrying and have to come up with a makeshift one. Especially since It also has a great SWR graph that can help along with the internal antenna tuner if you have to build a new antenna on the quick. I think this little Xiegu G90 is going to be the cats meow if I just want to grab a bag and go quickly
Well hopefully you are enjoying the radio as much as a lot of other people are now. Not sure how I missed this comment so sorry I'm responding 6 months later lol! Yes, everything you mention is what makes this such a cool radio. I've since made a Go Box out of mine that also doubles as a solar generator. I pretty much always have it in the car for the impromptu contact or POTA activation. I typically use the PackTenna Mini 9:1 antenna with this radio as it will tune any freq I ask it. It's a nice bit of kit for $450 for sure. Thanks for watching. 73
I just ordered the G90 today then I seen your video. Yeah, I made the right decision. Thanks for the video and I should have my NEW G90 on 4-1-2020 can't wait!
When you were going through the menu, the words SAVE, EXIT, PREV appeared. How is one to know which of the buttons below the LCD screen work for each of the above words? There are more buttons than words.
Bought mine from HRO. Unfortunately, the radio slowly began to lose functionality. First the PRE button. Can't do a factory reset without the PRE button working. Ugh. Couldn't get it to connect to the computer via the supplied cable to update/reload firmware. Limped along until other buttons started failing: Tuning knob, band switch, etc. Double ugh. HRO kindly replaced under warranty. New unit seems ok for now. My only complaint now is that the buttons are so small, and I am curious how long the on-button labels will last. Past experience with soft buttons was that the markings tended to erode rather quickly. (TV remotes, etc). We'll see how it goes.
That's too bad. Glad to hear you got a replacement for it though. I think one of my buttons stopped working after the latest firmware upgrade. They are small for sure. I have short fat fingers so it is a little bit of a challenge. I've not had any wear on mine though and I've had it for a couple years now.
Wow! This was the most concise and explanation rich review of the Xiegu G90 of the 6 or 7 I have viewed so far. I am a general class who has only owned an inexpensive HT for over a year. My enthusiasm is growing now that feature rich HF transceivers are getting less expensive. I am thinking about this radio as my first base station to learn and gain experience in the HF Ham space. QRP should be sufficient for me to determine my long term interest in this pastime. Thank you for this well thought out tutorial.
Hey thats great, glad you found use in the video! Good luck on your decision. My interest in vhf/uhf didn't last long. Once I upgraded to General and got on HF the whole world changed. It's really fun and exciting.
ohh got mine 3 days ago, new upgraded version with different power socket on rear and cooling vents at rear, it also has FM as well. super happy with it just a shame no back lights on buttons.
@@hamradiotube LoL... I'm still a tech, so I'm trying to figure out if I can at least play ft8 with yall :) ...I have no idea what I'm even saying! Haha! Be well :)
The little radio really packs a punch, it's just a fantastic bit of kit for the money, I find myself using it all the time now , so much that I sold my 7600 base station. With the same power I found myself able to snag a qso where the 7600 with same power would not. Dont know what voodoo is going on but its audio is very punchy. I often have 1watt qso
Excellent review of the G90 Mike! This is the radio that I have in my portable kit. I am slightly embarrassed that I have owned it for several months and have only used it once. I am also in Michigan and looking forward to warmer weather. Maybe I will invade your space and drive up to Dodge Park! Seriously though...It would be cool to meet you someday. Thanks again! W8RFC
Thanks. It's hard to have a new toy and not play with it. I just did POTA activations on Monday from my car. All you gotta do is get out there. I'm at Dodge quite a bit. Usually on Mondays if I go out. Who knows, you might just see me there. I'll be at Dayton this year too if you are going.
@@hamradiotube I plan on attempting to go to Hamvention 2020. I say "attempting to go" because I am scheduled for a knee replacement five weeks before Dayton. Even after the surgery though I might still use the crutches because I have modified them to be used as a Dipole for my HT.
Very good review Mike, thank you for posting, now I want one (or two). Anti-Vox is to avoid sound coming out of your radio triggering the transmit button, the equivalent of echo-cancelling in tele-conferencing systems. As for SWR and resonance, SWR is related to the impedance presented at the radio end of the coax being the closest to 50 ohms (most ham radios), a resonant antenna at a given frequency may not present 50 ohms at that frequency, an antenna presenting 50 ohms at a frequency may not be resonant at that frequency.
Exactly! So many people assume that getting a 1:1 SWR = a resonant antenna, when they may actually have actually "detuned" their antenna from the desired resonant frequency in order to achieve the lowest SWR! A halfwave dipole in free space is actually around 73 ohms at the feed point, so at 50 ohms, it will actually show an SWR of closer to 1.5:1 than 1:1. Of course, it's not that simple as height above ground, nearby trees, buildings, etc will all affect the actual impedance. I've always worked on the basis of getting the electrical length correct for the desired frequency and accepting the SWR that gives.
Thanks for watching. Hopefully you are enjoying a new radio 10 months after commenting lol! I'm got mine in a Gobox now and love taking it out portable.
Update: Passed general. Antenna is up and I had my first QSO yesterday. It is a fun radio. I picked one up on a great sale in June. It's for when I 1) put up the antenna for it, and 2) when I pass my general in 2 weeks. I also go a used Kenwood TS-440s w/ATU that I hope to use as well.
Thanks for the video, Mike. Between your video and Fred's, I went ahead and bought a G-90 ... I'm just getting started with it but it's a great rig. The community might have made fun of the Baofengs when they hit the market, but all I'm hearing about the G90 is great stuff ..... can't wait to see - maybe buy - the GSOC when it comes out. :)
I was thinking about ordering one but one of the comments was that the buttons are so small that you need a magnifying glas to see them so that leaves me out because I have a vision problem and don’t see well at all. I will have to find a rig that has big buttons and a big screen.
Where do you see the 1.1 on the screen when you tune your antenna. I paused video to see but couldn't find it. I just bought this radio I have had my tech license for just a short time. Thank you Mike
That looks very much like an ICOM microphone for their VHF/UHF mobiles.Does it do FM for 10 meters? Also can you turn the Waterfall display Off? I would rather have more width of the band scope and the rest of the display and I find the waterfall as a useless feature.
It sounds like you are insinuating that the Chinese would copy another company lol! Yes, it is very much a copy of the mic. The newer firmware has opened up FM on 10 meters now. Version 1.74 and later have FM. The scope is fixed unfortunately. You can change the sensitivity of it but unfortunately you can't modify the size. I'm the opposite of you, I would rather just have the waterfall and no scope and you can't do that. Still, for the money it's a fantastic radio.
@@hamradiotube I have a waterfall display available on my ICOM 7600 but I never turn it on for any reason.I am considering buying the G90 but I am checking all of my options.
Great overview . I am relatively new to Ham radios I have this radio on the way to me the only thing I have some questions on is what power source works the best for portable use like for POTA . I haven’t found a good video that shows the power set ups
Generally we would just use a 12 volt battery for this. Most of us hams like the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries because they are light weight, deliver ~100% of their rated capacity, and are in the neighborhood of 13.2 volts which is close to the 13.8 volts the radio likes to see. Of course you could use a simple 12V AGM battery, but they only deliver half of the rated capacity, operate around 12.8V, and are considerably heavier. I use a 6AH Bioenno battery with mine. www.bioennopower.com/products/12v-6ah-lfp-battery-black-w-pvc-pack Use code HRT at checkout and you can save 10%. Not an affiliate link, I just have a deal with them that helps save my viewers some money. Or you could get a cheap Miady battery from Amazon like this one: amzn.to/3TwFjxS which is an affiliate link. Costs you no more, but I may get a few pennies from your purchase. 6AH will give you at least a few hours of operating time with the G90. Of course you can go with a bigger battery. It just depends on how much you want to spend and how big of a battery do you want to carry. I put some Anderson Power Poles on my power cable for the radio and connect it to the Power Poles on my Bioenno. Easy as pie. If you go the Miady route, you would just need to put some female quick connectors on your cable and hook it up to the battery.
@@hamradiotube Thank you so much for the info ! I am trying to take in as much knowledge as I can from those of you that have been there and done that a few times. Thanks again and 73. KF8AHL
Depends on the antenna. With the 9:1 end feds I'm using it does matter as it can start to act as a counterpoise, which may or may not be a bad thing. I think you want it over 20' if I'm not mistaken. Don't quote me on that, I'm still pretty new to that type of antenna. For a dipole, no it doesn't seem to matter.
I haven’t done digital with it but I will tell you it gets stupid crazy hot just on SSB. You def want to prop it up to let air flow. They put the heat sink on the bottom for some dumb reason.
Thats about the same as it is here in the US. The g90 is about $450 and the 891 is around $550-$600. I don't know what the conversion rate is but that sounds similar.
Good video man! Been considering this as an alternative to the 705 for a few trips I have coming up very soon. I will be getting the 705, but that's not coming out in time. So I'll likely get one of these, and hold off getting a 705 for another half year or so.
You know I honestly don't know. As it comes it is just AM CW and SSB. Even if you could, it wouldn't be too practical as the only band that you could do FM on would be 10 meters. It doesn't have 6m.
A great show on Showing the Features and Displaying What a good Radio this One Is, especially the Price and how well built And I'm satisfied with It!! No Real Complaints Can be Made Against this Radio, because the price is a Steal!! ☝️🤓
Thanks Fernando, I agree. For the price. The lack of a notch filter and Noise Reduction are kind of a bummer but other than that, the radio works great.
Oh yeah its still a great radio for the price. I use it all the time. I built it into a go box that I have some videos on and its pretty much always with me in the car. Check out my A Texas Sized POTA video and you can see it in action.
Antenna tuner included - great! But... Still no notch filter? No noise reduction? No external waterfall display? Any new software update soon? m0nka + tuner still looks a better choice for me.
Those are my 2 dislikes about the radio. There is an external waterfall display that will be out soon, but its like $1000!! Check out Radioddity. Its called the Xiegu GSOC. That M0NKA radio is super sweet though. I have the knock off version of it and I absolutely love it.
Getting back into Amateur Radio after a several-years' hiatus, and I have decided that QRP/portable ops will be the way to go, especially for digital modes. I was looking at the Yaesu FT-818ND but then I ran across the G90 and watched this excellent video. Add the CE19 and cooling fan to the rig and I could be all set; now I have to make a serious decision as to which radio to go with (either the G90 or the 818ND)...it could very well be the G90. 73 de WQ1C
Welcome back to the hobby. Thats a tough question. I haven't ran digital on the G90 and I've not used an 818 so I can't really help you with that. I know there are more steps than there should be to getting the G90 to work digital modes. It's more than the CE19 I believe. You also need an external sound card. A lot of guys use a usb sound card from sabrant I believe it is. Watch Julian OH8STN's channel. He's big into digital with the G90 and has some videos on how to set it up.
@@hamradiotube I have actually found two ways to set up for digital WITHOUT the CE19. One is using the SignaLink USB with a specific jumper module from Tigertronics that works with the G90; the other is the Digimode-4 by XGGComms. Both use the ACC plug on the G90, with proper settings made on the radio , especially with the AGC setting. OH8STN has the lowdown on that. When operating portable, the less cords the better - and both options take care of that.
I know this is a really dumb question. But how can I just just plug this in my wall outlet. I just opened the box on mine and it has no 110 wall power cord. I do see the fused wire for a dc battery hook up. I'm completely new. Thank you. Great video
You can't. Most ham radios (including this one) run off 12V DC. You need a power supply or a 12v battery. I've done videos on power supples and batteries you can watch if you search my videos. Welcome to the hobby! 73
just got radio today, following your video and doing the setup. Thanks. the radio shut itself down twice during a half an hr period. Is there any auto shutoff active? I notice that the wire is pretty crappy. maybe it is caused by a loose wire?
Thats a bummer getting a new toy and it doesn't work like it should. I've not had any problems at all with mine. Could be the power cord, a defective unit, or buggy software. I def did this to my power cord thanks to Dave Casler's advise : ruclips.net/video/GTtAU2tareI/видео.html There is no auto shutoff that I'm aware of. Try a factory reset or updating the firmware. The newest version is 1.75.
The ANTI-VOX is a control to prevent the Audio from the Speaker from triggering the VOX and making the transmitter come on. If this is not adjusted properly a consequence could be that the radio cycles from transmit to receive continuously with no user input. If you use a boom headset, (headphones with a microphone) adjusting the anti-VOX is not necessary.
Mike, Is there an available external speaker for the G90 .. I have heard that the GY03 was comparable, but have not seen anything verifying that thought.. Thanks for your presence on this rock spinning in the Universe..!
Yes you do. But I'm not the guy to tell you what because I've never used this on digital but its not the easiest thing in the world. Check out OH8STN's channel, he has videos showing how to get it set up.
As with most things from China, I would imagine very poor. This used to be carried exclusively thru MFJ (which is where I got this), who has great customer service in my opinion. But, MFJ no longer carries Xiegu. You can get it from Radioddidy now. I'm sure if you didn't like it you could return it within a certain time period. I've found this radio to be pretty solid and still use it to this day. Newer Xiegu products would be a hard pass for me. And I've reviewed them all.
This radio lacks many of the features other radios have, especially DNR and Notch filter. While the waterfall is pretty to look at, it's certainly not my favorite radio by any means.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
So glad your brother took over this channel. He’s a much better videographer, coupon code magician, and markedly smarter.
Bought mine in May 2020 after watching this and other videos. I have to say, this is the best ham radio money I've ever spent. In the 16 months that I've owned this rig, I have maybe fired up my 100 watt rig once or twice. It is that much fun. It's also my first QRP rig, but the bonus is if readability is tough at QRP power, just increase the power (up to 20 watts) to improve readability on the other side of the QSO. I've done that a couple times just to make for easier copy. This is a rig that really benefits by riding the RF gain - it IS sensitive and you can reduce the noise floor and improve readability significantly. I have the programmed knob set up for RF gain control, and it makes a BIG difference. Often, 5-10% gain is all you really need and the noise floor drops way down. I've had tons very favorable comments over the last 16 months - great audio, don't change a thing, etc running a MFJ-2010 OCFD with the apex at 28 feet. I have upgraded the VFO knob to a nice aluminum job with a dimple. You can really fly up and down the bands with it. Thanks again for the video, Mike, this has been a fun rig to own. All in all my experience has been wonderful.
It's a sweet radio for sure. I just wish it had noise reduction and a notch filter. I'll have to play with the RF gain. I never though of that. Thanks for the tip.
This is going to be my first radio, I'm going to take my test this month.
Awesome, good luck on the test!
Good luck on your test. Post on your call sign when you pass.
@@fortlangford2163 - KF0GZB - haven't got to play radio in a bit because I started truck driving again and I haven't had the time to get an antenna put on the truck. And the weather's been too bad to set up my super antenna outside.
I've had a blast with this Radio.... Auto Tuner, SDR, ,20w, CW decoder, great Audio, budget price, and so much more! I've done 5600mile+ DX with it and a SOTABEAMS Bandspringer!!!
I've got to say, I was surprised with my Xiegu G90. I received it in May of 2023, just in time to go on vacation. With this radio, I worked all over the US and into Europe from TN, AR, and IL, on an end fed random wire, about 120 feet on 75M, 40M, and 20M. it was the best vacation I have ever had. The Xiegu tuned that wire perfectly on all bands. Much better performance than I expected.
For power I was using an EcoFlow River portable power unit, so I was working truly portable. I usually worked 2 to 4 hours at a time and I never talked down the 300WHr battery, even at full power on the radio. The radio and power supply is an unbeatable combination! I am now truly portable since I now have solar panels to charge my EcoFlow!
I am with you, I wish it had included a kick stand, but I just propped it up on my SWR meter and that worked.
Passed my General 3 December. Got one of these, connected a 4 band mobile antenna in a bedroom and my first contact was in Belgium. I'm sold. That tuner works miracles.
Heck yeah, that's awesome! Congrats!!
Nice, complete and down to earth review of the features of the G90. It is so well explained that I will use this video again as a tutorial when I get my rig in the near future.
Awesome, thank you!
Thanks so much for explaining this radio in detail. I just got mine. Love it. I'm new at all this HF stuff and as a technician, I've been blown away talking to places like Japan and Italy on 5 watts to 20 watts. So now I'm studying for my general. This is a great radio and a great time for people to get into ham radio. The propagation for the next few years will be outstanding. Thanks again. Subbed. K7ZFI 73
I would recommend making a habit of always adjusting the FFT scale such that the spectrum horizon line is as close to the top of the waterfall as possible without going below it. I set the programmable knob for this function. When it’s halfway up the screen or more (like at 12:00 in the video) the waterfall overloads.
I’ve had mine for about 5 months or so. My biggest complaint is you need a magnifying glass to read the buttons and screen if you don’t have the right cheaters on. Other than that, it’s a great low power rig. The analyzer is probably my favorite part. It’s what I used to find all the sweet spots on my Wolf River Coil.
Well thankfully I don't have that problem yet, but yes, it is tiny for sure.
You saved me from having to decipher the manual in places! Thanks for the great video! :)
Just ordered mine. Can't wait.
Got one two weeks ago as my first HF radio and made my first contact today. Thrilled. Having trouble getting the frequency to step up for the vfo knob function. The frequency never highlights and short pushing the button does nothing. Reset it a couple of times with no change. As a complete newbie I am more than satisfied. Thanks for the video.
Congrats that's awesome! Not sure about your vfo. It should change the steps with a simple push. Other than upgrading the firmware as a fix, I don't know what to tell you. Could be a bad VFO. You might want to contact the seller and see if they can replace it. Hopefully that's not the case. Thanks for watching and 73
@@hamradiotube Found out that they changed the feature in the firmware build I have. If I go to the latest firmware they put the VFO step feature back in. Glad that I don't have a bad radio, just need to update the firmware.
@@brokenclock4369 Well thats a relief!
No CTCSS tones for 10m repeaters it seems ?
I've had this rig for a month and a half and it impresses me everyday. I have a vertical antenna and a Dipole. Some days the vertical works better. Funny how propagation works. I talked to Lithuania earlier today and France right after that QSO. Anyway, the Zee-gu G90 is outstanding. I talk to DX stations like I was using 100 Watts and states like I'm on a digital repeater, lol. Awesome Rig!!! Thanks for the videos. Jim(K8BOW).
Thats awesome. I haven't worked any DX with it yet but I'm sure I will. It doesn't take much to get out thats for sure.
Hey Man, Do You Still Feel The Same Way Two Years Later? Have You Done The 11 Meter Mod? Still Trying To Decide If It's The Best Value For My Next Radio.
@@thewatcher5271 Yes!! I definitely feel the same about this little rig!!! I don't do 11 meters much. It's been an awesome radio!! Thanks for asking. How do you feel about yours?
@@josephcoberly6495 Hey Joe, I Have A Anytone 6 & I Like It Just Fine But I'm Pretty Sure A G90 Is Next!
@@thewatcher5271 I think you'll be pleased. The bells and whistles on this rig are awesome. Antenna tuner is great. Then, the analyzer is an awesome feature also. The code reader is great too. It doesn't really decode fast but it's legible. Have to have a good signal also for it decode well.
I noticed a slight discrepancy in the voltage shown on my KX3 and was advised this is due to a protection diode in the radio…it was about 0.3-0.4vdc difference. Maybe your G90 has one too.
This was my first HF radio when I got back into ham. Amazing durable rig for first HF set up for new ham. 73
Great review, Mike. I need to get mine up and running and try some POTA or FT8 with it. We'll probably be using it a bit at WFD this weekend.
Thanks Jason. I just did 2 Pota activations with it on Monday. Worked great. I'll have a video up prob tonight of the second activation.
Thanks Mike for the video. I've had mine 2 weeks and it's just amazing!! I've talked to South Africa from West Virginia and and a few others overseas. I am in awe with this rig. I'm going after the the XPA 125B next just to have that extra edge if I need it but right now, 20 Watts is doing the trick. Thanks again, Jim (K8BOW)
Its a solid radio. I haven't gotten any DX yet but my first contact with the radio was to CA, which is kinda DX these days haha!
True, lol. I found if you don't use the preamp or attenuator, the signals that are way down in the receive side will come in stronger after the signal goes the FPGA ( Field Processing Gate Array). When the signal goes through the ADC it pulls it in stronger. Wow, what a rig Mike! The wave of the future brother!! Thanks,Jim (K8BOW).
@@josephcoberly6495 i've gotten UK-US DX on SSB with my G90 on 20w so it can happen when conditions are just so.
That's awesome Mike! I'm having a great time with this radio. I'm thinking about getting the XPA125B just to enhance it a little more lol. Thanks for the reply.
I just got a g90, and this is the best video I've see yet on how to use it. You went through all the basics. Thank you!
Now, what I'd like to see next is like how to tune to an SSB frequency and clarify it. So the finer points of improving a signal. Also, how can you make your sending better on the other end. Thanks mate!
Well thank you very much and congratulations on your new radio! I honestly don't use any of the bandwidth filters. I usually keep it at about 2400khz wide. I'm not aware of anything other than compression that would make you more legible on the other end. I always have a little bit of compression on any of my radios. It helps make your voice punch through a bit.
Thanks, Mike. I read thru all the various manuals for theG90 and played with the radio some. But your video did more to clear up my confusion than any of the stuff I’ve read or watched on RUclips.
Well thank you. I'm glad it helped. The manual isn't very good at all, unfortunately. Thanks for watching. 73
Thanks for this review. This is the first review I’ve seen in the past few days (May 2022) that actually has good things to say. The reason I’m going to buy it is all the positives you pointed out. With the Antenna Tuner being the prime reason. Thanks!!!
Awesome, glad to hear. I still use it to this day. Great radio.
Had one of these about a week, really enjoying it. Would certainly recommend it. Good receiver, very good filtering. 20 watts lower than I usually use. But no problem getting contacts both CW and phone. Updated to latest firmware version 1.75. All good.
GW0CMI
It is certainly a great radio for the price. I just wish it had noise reduction and a notch filter. Other than that I love the radio.
I'm studying for the Technician license and have seen this radio on other sites, but I had doubts about the quality. This video changed my mind because of all the positive comments, so it's on my wish list.
The Chinese have def upped their HF radio game. Quality of this radio is spot on.
Hope you are doing well with your pursuit of your Technician license. If possible, get your General as it opens up more HF band and does not require a huge amount more studying. I recently purchased a Xiegu G90 as my first HF radio. I'm more than pleased but there are quite a few things to learn before you can operate it effectively if you've never had an HF radio before or don't have a mentor ( Ham mentors are called an "Elmer." ) Also, there are some additional considerations before you purchase an HF radio. The first is to figure out where you can put an antenna. Different antennas require different heights and amounts of space. To me, determining the antenna was somewhat overwhelming. I ended up getting an end fed half wave multi band antenna as a starter because I didn't know what band I wanted to use most. Most people use 20m and 40m but depending on your location your choice may vary. Costs can be as little as $40 to build your own antenna to many hundreds for a pre-built and more for the tower to mount it. You'll need a place to use the radio (my "shack" is a bookshelf I added a piece of plywood to in my office to make it a "secretary"), a feed line to get from the radio to the antenna, and a low noise power supply for the radio. I spent $40 on 50' of feed line, $95 on an EFHW antenna, $90 on a 30 amp power supply, $100 on a NanoVNA analyzer (optional mainly used for antenna tuning), and $70 on a surge suppressor UPS plus another $150 on odds and ends like power pole junction boxes and connectors and ferrite beads to kill noise on cables and power cables and a slingshot and ropes to get the antenna up in the trees and grounding rods and don't forget the band chart so you don't transmit outside of your license permissions, and $50 getting more memory and a new battery for an old net book computer to use it as a station log and run digital modes and oh yeah the CE19 data interface/expansion .... yada, yada, yada. It all adds up. But it's fun and I really get a thrill at the first contacts. So after being on the air for four days I thought I'd share my experience. The G90 fit my budget. The extra costs weren't terrible but a bit of a surprise. I feel confident I won't need to purchase another radio for several years. It's pretty easy to learn the radio compared to the typical 2m/70cm radios. I have a background in military satellite systems and radars and I'm NOT disappointed with the quality or operation of the G90. Half the battle is the antenna, but the G90 holds it's end up. KN4HZU 73
Thank you for doing such a thorough review. I picked up a couple of new things to try out. Also you explained how to use some of the features. As a new ham, I want to say thank you and job well done. 73s K5KVX.
Thats great, glad you found it useful. Welcome to the hobby!
Good overview Mike! I have been interested in this radio and your video allowed me to see its basic features. I totally agree with you on the ground thumb screw. Good clear audio and video made this video a pleasure to watch. Many thanks!
Hey thanks, I appreciate your kind words. I've got a video with this out it the field that I'll prob have up tonight or tomorrow.
No worries Mike. Your future self will solve all the lighting, sound and camera issues and be absolutely rockin' it on YT. Have fun!
Thanks for taking the time and sharing. To the point and crystal clear. Sure things have changed since I started 50 years ago (Plates, tubes, loads, etc.) I am re starting the hobby after 20 years inactive. Looking for antenna and transceiver now to join the club of good people.
TONIGHT I WATCHED YOUR REVIEW AGAIN AND FOUND OUT SOME THINGS THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO FIND IN MANUAL. THANKS SO MUCH.
Hey glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching.
Hey Mike. Keep the videos coming. Great job. I just bought this little radio the G90. After lugging my radios n equipment down to Ocean City. 40+lbs . That was it for me. This little radio is the ticket.
Thanks again Greg KC3PMX
Right on man. Have fun with your new toy!
Great video Mike. Probably the best review of the feature of the G90 that I've seen on RUclips. Looks a great little rig. 73, George, K2WO.
The G90 is a good radio but for not a lot more money the FT-891 is a great radio with 100 watts out and amazing noise reduction which the G90 has no NR at all, the sound from the G90 speaker is good, better than the 891 but when you listen on headphones the 891 is really great and of course with headphones + good NR it's amazing. You could even get one 2nd hand like I did. Or I connect an external bluetooth speaker to the 891 which helps a lot if I need a speaker.
No waterfall compensates for 100 watts out and amazing NR and an amazing receiver. Not even internal tuner. The 891 is a radio I will have many years. Where as I will have no hesitations selling the G90, in fact I'm thinking of selling it already.
Just got g90 ,125 watt amp,base with fan and fold down legs 35 amp power supply all for $625 ! Can't wait to get an antenna up . MARS can be done easy to this radio if needed, little white arrow shows what to remove by speaker hole on the board. Great video 👍
Heck yeah buddy, that's great!! Christmas in March, gotta love that. Holy crap thats a great price too! I'm not about to do any MARS mods on my radio but good to know it can be done. Get that antenna up and get on the air my friend. And have lots of fun. Congrats on your new toys!! 73
Great Review. After seeing
this and some of the reviews on this XIEGU G90, did something I probably should not have since I already have so many radios already. but this one seems to have found a niche the other ones don’t fill. I ordered one of those xiegu G90s which are on sale for $450 and I put it on the credit card Which is a quasi-QRP radio that can go up to 20 Watts but can be turned down to just a few watts if you want to save battery power. However, I like the fact that, if I have too for an emergency or just want to, I can still push it back up to the 20 Watts. It is smallish and easy to carry around. I’m getting a 60 foot wire from Chameleon that I can just throw out over some tree limbs or whatever and with a lithium ion battery and my fold up solar panels I can do cw just about anywhere I am. The reason I wanted this one is because it also very easily decodes CW. No I do not want to depend on that but in an emergency If I am kind of nervous and not copying my CW like I would like then it is nice to have that little addition. It also has an internal Antenna tuner they say is so good it could probably tune up a head of lettuce. I like that in case somehow I left my antenna behind, lost my antenna, or heaven for bid damaged the antenna that I’m carrying and have to come up with a makeshift one. Especially since It also has a great SWR graph that can help along with the internal antenna tuner if you have to build a new antenna on the quick. I think this little Xiegu G90 is going to be the cats meow if I just want to grab a bag and go quickly
Well hopefully you are enjoying the radio as much as a lot of other people are now. Not sure how I missed this comment so sorry I'm responding 6 months later lol! Yes, everything you mention is what makes this such a cool radio. I've since made a Go Box out of mine that also doubles as a solar generator. I pretty much always have it in the car for the impromptu contact or POTA activation. I typically use the PackTenna Mini 9:1 antenna with this radio as it will tune any freq I ask it. It's a nice bit of kit for $450 for sure. Thanks for watching. 73
Dude... that's a great little radio! I'd love to have one for POTA. Good review!
It's a pretty slick little radio for sure.
Monty Norton Thanks for the speedy reply. My mfj 9232 is supposed to be delivered today.
No problem. I hope you enjoy it.
How to do a factory reset? I don't find this function in the user guide or internet. Thanks.
The analyzer is an awesome feature, not found on radios 2 or 3 times as much. Great radio, my go to when traveling.73
I just ordered the G90 today then I seen your video. Yeah, I made the right decision. Thanks for the video and I should have my NEW G90 on 4-1-2020 can't wait!
Awesome! You’ll like it a lot.
When you were going through the menu, the words SAVE, EXIT, PREV appeared.
How is one to know which of the buttons below the LCD screen work for each of the above words? There are more buttons than words.
You just push the button underneath it.
I see the SWR scale, but where are you reading the results at 10:30?
So when you're working pota or whatever, do you drive a ground rod in the ground and ground the radio?
No. I just throw an antenna up and get on the air.
Bought mine from HRO. Unfortunately, the radio slowly began to lose functionality. First the PRE button. Can't do a factory reset without the PRE button working. Ugh. Couldn't get it to connect to the computer via the supplied cable to update/reload firmware. Limped along until other buttons started failing: Tuning knob, band switch, etc. Double ugh. HRO kindly replaced under warranty. New unit seems ok for now. My only complaint now is that the buttons are so small, and I am curious how long the on-button labels will last. Past experience with soft buttons was that the markings tended to erode rather quickly. (TV remotes, etc). We'll see how it goes.
That's too bad. Glad to hear you got a replacement for it though. I think one of my buttons stopped working after the latest firmware upgrade. They are small for sure. I have short fat fingers so it is a little bit of a challenge. I've not had any wear on mine though and I've had it for a couple years now.
Wow! This was the most concise and explanation rich review of the Xiegu G90 of the 6 or 7 I have viewed so far. I am a general class who has only owned an inexpensive HT for over a year. My enthusiasm is growing now that feature rich HF transceivers are getting less expensive. I am thinking about this radio as my first base station to learn and gain experience in the HF Ham space. QRP should be sufficient for me to determine my long term interest in this pastime. Thank you for this well thought out tutorial.
Hey thats great, glad you found use in the video! Good luck on your decision. My interest in vhf/uhf didn't last long. Once I upgraded to General and got on HF the whole world changed. It's really fun and exciting.
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to make the video, it helps a lot!
My G90 arrived yesterday. N5BYB
My pleasure. Thanks for watching. Congrats on the new radio!
Thigs may have changed since your review but recently purchased 2024 shows NB on page 20 of my manual FYI.
Great job Mike....I'm just now thinking about one of these...nice info here.
Is there any way to get video out to run to a larger screen so you can actually see it?
Not that I'm aware of other than the GSOC, which isn't worth the $500 price tag in my opinion.
ohh got mine 3 days ago, new upgraded version with different power socket on rear and cooling vents at rear, it also has FM as well. super happy with it just a shame no back lights on buttons.
Thirteen minutes in... bro!! Thank you!! This thing tunes and decodes cw?!?! I'm in :)
I am very very new to cw. And hf. And everything basically! Haha♡
Awesome, glad you're finding the video useful, and welcome to the wonderful world of HF!
@@hamradiotube LoL... I'm still a tech, so I'm trying to figure out if I can at least play ft8 with yall :)
...I have no idea what I'm even saying! Haha! Be well :)
You can do 10 and 6 meter ft8 if the bands are open.
@@hamradiotube yer the best! Thank you for all your help :)
It’s the baby Yoga of HF rigs. Great video. Also, I thought for sure that was an Icom mic.
It looks like a copy of my Icom mic that came with my IC-2730a
Looks just like the mic on my Icom 5100.
The little radio really packs a punch, it's just a fantastic bit of kit for the money, I find myself using it all the time now , so much that I sold my 7600 base station. With the same power I found myself able to snag a qso where the 7600 with same power would not. Dont know what voodoo is going on but its audio is very punchy. I often have 1watt qso
Excellent review of the G90 Mike! This is the radio that I have in my portable kit. I am slightly embarrassed that I have owned it for several months and have only used it once. I am also in Michigan and looking forward to warmer weather. Maybe I will invade your space and drive up to Dodge Park! Seriously though...It would be cool to meet you someday. Thanks again! W8RFC
Thanks. It's hard to have a new toy and not play with it. I just did POTA activations on Monday from my car. All you gotta do is get out there. I'm at Dodge quite a bit. Usually on Mondays if I go out. Who knows, you might just see me there. I'll be at Dayton this year too if you are going.
@@hamradiotube I plan on attempting to go to Hamvention 2020. I say "attempting to go" because I am scheduled for a knee replacement five weeks before Dayton. Even after the surgery though I might still use the crutches because I have modified them to be used as a Dipole for my HT.
RCB757 haha. They do have those hover round scooters there for rent too.
Can you hook this up to a computer screen and watch the display on the screen? Thanks
Unfortunately not.
Very good review Mike, thank you for posting, now I want one (or two). Anti-Vox is to avoid sound coming out of your radio triggering the transmit button, the equivalent of echo-cancelling in tele-conferencing systems. As for SWR and resonance, SWR is related to the impedance presented at the radio end of the coax being the closest to 50 ohms (most ham radios), a resonant antenna at a given frequency may not present 50 ohms at that frequency, an antenna presenting 50 ohms at a frequency may not be resonant at that frequency.
Exactly! So many people assume that getting a 1:1 SWR = a resonant antenna, when they may actually have actually "detuned" their antenna from the desired resonant frequency in order to achieve the lowest SWR! A halfwave dipole in free space is actually around 73 ohms at the feed point, so at 50 ohms, it will actually show an SWR of closer to 1.5:1 than 1:1. Of course, it's not that simple as height above ground, nearby trees, buildings, etc will all affect the actual impedance. I've always worked on the basis of getting the electrical length correct for the desired frequency and accepting the SWR that gives.
Thanks for watching. Hopefully you are enjoying a new radio 10 months after commenting lol! I'm got mine in a Gobox now and love taking it out portable.
I mostly use resonant antennas.
Update: Passed general. Antenna is up and I had my first QSO yesterday. It is a fun radio. I picked one up on a great sale in June. It's for when I 1) put up the antenna for it, and 2) when I pass my general in 2 weeks. I also go a used Kenwood TS-440s w/ATU that I hope to use as well.
Thanks for the video, Mike. Between your video and Fred's, I went ahead and bought a G-90 ... I'm just getting started with it but it's a great rig. The community might have made fun of the Baofengs when they hit the market, but all I'm hearing about the G90 is great stuff ..... can't wait to see - maybe buy - the GSOC when it comes out. :)
I was thinking about ordering one but one of the comments was that the buttons are so small that you need a magnifying glas to see them so that leaves me out because I have a vision problem and don’t see well at all. I will have to find a rig that has big buttons and a big screen.
They are very small indeed. Not like you couldn’t feel them. The screen is pretty tiny too though.
Where do you see the 1.1 on the screen when you tune your antenna. I paused video to see but couldn't find it. I just bought this radio I have had my tech license for just a short time. Thank you Mike
The SWR Meter. The less it moves the better.
Great vid!
If I were to install this in my 2004 Ford Ranger pickup truck, what antenna should I buy?
Thank you!
That looks very much like an ICOM microphone for their VHF/UHF mobiles.Does it do FM for 10 meters? Also can you turn the Waterfall display Off? I would rather have more width of the band scope and the rest of the display and I find the waterfall as a useless feature.
It sounds like you are insinuating that the Chinese would copy another company lol! Yes, it is very much a copy of the mic. The newer firmware has opened up FM on 10 meters now. Version 1.74 and later have FM. The scope is fixed unfortunately. You can change the sensitivity of it but unfortunately you can't modify the size. I'm the opposite of you, I would rather just have the waterfall and no scope and you can't do that. Still, for the money it's a fantastic radio.
@@hamradiotube I have a waterfall display available on my ICOM 7600 but I never turn it on for any reason.I am considering buying the G90 but I am checking all of my options.
Great overview . I am relatively new to Ham radios I have this radio on the way to me the only thing I have some questions on is what power source works the best for portable use like for POTA . I haven’t found a good video that shows the power set ups
Generally we would just use a 12 volt battery for this. Most of us hams like the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries because they are light weight, deliver ~100% of their rated capacity, and are in the neighborhood of 13.2 volts which is close to the 13.8 volts the radio likes to see. Of course you could use a simple 12V AGM battery, but they only deliver half of the rated capacity, operate around 12.8V, and are considerably heavier. I use a 6AH Bioenno battery with mine. www.bioennopower.com/products/12v-6ah-lfp-battery-black-w-pvc-pack Use code HRT at checkout and you can save 10%. Not an affiliate link, I just have a deal with them that helps save my viewers some money. Or you could get a cheap Miady battery from Amazon like this one: amzn.to/3TwFjxS which is an affiliate link. Costs you no more, but I may get a few pennies from your purchase. 6AH will give you at least a few hours of operating time with the G90. Of course you can go with a bigger battery. It just depends on how much you want to spend and how big of a battery do you want to carry. I put some Anderson Power Poles on my power cable for the radio and connect it to the Power Poles on my Bioenno. Easy as pie. If you go the Miady route, you would just need to put some female quick connectors on your cable and hook it up to the battery.
@@hamradiotube
Thank you so much for the info ! I am trying to take in as much knowledge as I can from those of you that have been there and done that a few times. Thanks again and 73. KF8AHL
QUESTION, DO YOU NEED A MINIMUM LENGTH OF CABLE FOR THE AUTO-TUNER TO WORK WITH A WIRE???
Depends on the antenna. With the 9:1 end feds I'm using it does matter as it can start to act as a counterpoise, which may or may not be a bad thing. I think you want it over 20' if I'm not mistaken. Don't quote me on that, I'm still pretty new to that type of antenna. For a dipole, no it doesn't seem to matter.
Great Video - On the strength of this I bought one !!!!
That’s great. It’s a really fun radio. Congrats and make lots of contacts!
Would this be a good MW SWL receiver. I'm a ham but I probably will listen to broadcast DX more than having QSOs with hams.
Sure, it covers more than the ham bands from below AM broadcast up to about 30 MHz I believe.
Is the receiver full of birdies like the X6100 ?
No not at all. The G90 is actually a good radio and I still use it to this day. Everything Xiegu has made after this is total garbage in my opinion.
Great review! Thanks. How would this fit into a shack that has an RSPdx/uno for "receive", and using this as the transmitter?
How is the transmit duty cycle in digital modes or long winded ssb? Does it get unacceptably hot?
I haven’t done digital with it but I will tell you it gets stupid crazy hot just on SSB. You def want to prop it up to let air flow. They put the heat sink on the bottom for some dumb reason.
Thanks for the review. I'm really considering this radio. I want to do POTA and portable operation.
Thanks for watching. I'm really liking this radio. It would be a good choice.
They sell that here in Australia for well over $800. For an extra $100 we can get a Yaesu FT-891. If they were around $300 Aud I would consider.
Thats about the same as it is here in the US. The g90 is about $450 and the 891 is around $550-$600. I don't know what the conversion rate is but that sounds similar.
Good video man! Been considering this as an alternative to the 705 for a few trips I have coming up very soon. I will be getting the 705, but that's not coming out in time. So I'll likely get one of these, and hold off getting a 705 for another half year or so.
it's a good radio, you'll enjoy it! had mine for going on a year and had a lot of success. I've just added the XPA125B amp for my home shack.
Does anyone know how to do a frequency calibration on the G90?
I don’t have any idea. I haven’t had any problems with mine. There is a new firmware v1.77 you could try.
Great review!! I am really thinking about picking this one up
Thanks Adam. Check out the go box video I made for the g90. Super portable. I use it all the time.
i have baofeng uv5r
what is the different between 2,5 KHZ and 25 khz ?
It’s how much frequency your radio will step every time you use the VFO function. 2.5 kHz will be smaller increments than 25khz.
Was using mine today with a new Alexloop. Made a couple of contacts with things set up inside my living room.
Ok that's pretty sweet. I've never made contact from my living room.
Did jt65 from the living room years ago. It works.
As this is a sdr radio could it be POSSABLE to add FM to the radio or is it just AM SSB
You know I honestly don't know. As it comes it is just AM CW and SSB. Even if you could, it wouldn't be too practical as the only band that you could do FM on would be 10 meters. It doesn't have 6m.
@@hamradiotube i know you can open them up wideband by removing a jumper
A great show on Showing the Features and Displaying What a good Radio this One Is, especially the Price and how well built And I'm satisfied with It!! No Real Complaints Can be Made Against this Radio, because the price is a Steal!! ☝️🤓
Thanks Fernando, I agree. For the price. The lack of a notch filter and Noise Reduction are kind of a bummer but other than that, the radio works great.
I love this video mate!
you can set the power to 10W on this radio ??
Yes. 1-20 watts in 1 watt increments.
Are the buttons supposed to be backlit?
Some are, some aren't. The ones under the display are backlit. It would be nice if they all were.
Not sure if someone mentioned it yet but that hand mic is strikingly similar to the Icom hand mics like the v8000. I love that mic! Very handy.
Oh it’s def a rip off for sure.
Minimum output power is ? and TX Audio bandwidht how much khz ?
Minimum power is 1 watt. I think the audio bandwidth can go from 3000 to 500khz but don't quote me on that one.
How well does this radio function on am?
Not sure, I've never gotten on AM.
So one year later and the honeymoon is over. Still like the radio? in the years time how much use you think you have put on it?
Oh yeah its still a great radio for the price. I use it all the time. I built it into a go box that I have some videos on and its pretty much always with me in the car. Check out my A Texas Sized POTA video and you can see it in action.
Wonderful review, helped me a lot on deciding on this.
Glad you liked it!
@@hamradiotube yes in fact I listen to all your videos and have subscribed to your channel. 73 de vu3mes Satyan.
@@vu3mesWell thanks so much!
Antenna tuner included - great! But... Still no notch filter? No noise reduction? No external waterfall display? Any new software update soon? m0nka + tuner still looks a better choice for me.
Those are my 2 dislikes about the radio. There is an external waterfall display that will be out soon, but its like $1000!! Check out Radioddity. Its called the Xiegu GSOC. That M0NKA radio is super sweet though. I have the knock off version of it and I absolutely love it.
Getting back into Amateur Radio after a several-years' hiatus, and I have decided that QRP/portable ops will be the way to go, especially for digital modes. I was looking at the Yaesu FT-818ND but then I ran across the G90 and watched this excellent video. Add the CE19 and cooling fan to the rig and I could be all set; now I have to make a serious decision as to which radio to go with (either the G90 or the 818ND)...it could very well be the G90. 73 de WQ1C
Welcome back to the hobby. Thats a tough question. I haven't ran digital on the G90 and I've not used an 818 so I can't really help you with that. I know there are more steps than there should be to getting the G90 to work digital modes. It's more than the CE19 I believe. You also need an external sound card. A lot of guys use a usb sound card from sabrant I believe it is. Watch Julian OH8STN's channel. He's big into digital with the G90 and has some videos on how to set it up.
@@hamradiotube I have actually found two ways to set up for digital WITHOUT the CE19. One is using the SignaLink USB with a specific jumper module from Tigertronics that works with the G90; the other is the Digimode-4 by XGGComms. Both use the ACC plug on the G90, with proper settings made on the radio , especially with the AGC setting. OH8STN has the lowdown on that. When operating portable, the less cords the better - and both options take care of that.
I know this is a really dumb question. But how can I just just plug this in my wall outlet.
I just opened the box on mine and it has no 110 wall power cord. I do see the fused wire for a dc battery hook up.
I'm completely new. Thank you. Great video
Buy a DC power supply that plugs into the wall and then use the DC cable to connect the radio.
You can't. Most ham radios (including this one) run off 12V DC. You need a power supply or a 12v battery. I've done videos on power supples and batteries you can watch if you search my videos. Welcome to the hobby! 73
How is it with your WRC TIA antenna? MikeinMinnesota N0WDM
Fantastic. That antenna is great.
just got radio today, following your video and doing the setup. Thanks. the radio shut itself down twice during a half an hr period. Is there any auto shutoff active? I notice that the wire is pretty crappy. maybe it is caused by a loose wire?
Thats a bummer getting a new toy and it doesn't work like it should. I've not had any problems at all with mine. Could be the power cord, a defective unit, or buggy software. I def did this to my power cord thanks to Dave Casler's advise : ruclips.net/video/GTtAU2tareI/видео.html There is no auto shutoff that I'm aware of. Try a factory reset or updating the firmware. The newest version is 1.75.
@@hamradiotube I left radio on all day and there was no power shutdown. I am convinced that crappy power cable contributed to it last night.
@@johnthehammer7702 Lets hope thats all it is. I'm not a fan of that connector on it for sure.
Outstanding review Mike. Mine will be here tomorrow cant wait. 73
Awesome, you'll have a lot of fun with it! 73
@@hamradiotube Love this radio. Couple ofquestions . What did you end up with mic gain and rf gain settings ?
Would be curious to see this compared to the new IC705.
It wont compare at all. The 705 will blow it out of the water.
I do like everything I’ve seen on the IC705 so far! Screen is amazing. Thank you for your insight!
The ANTI-VOX is a control to prevent the Audio from the Speaker from triggering the VOX and making the transmitter come on. If this is not adjusted properly a consequence could be that the radio cycles from transmit to receive continuously with no user input. If you use a boom headset, (headphones with a microphone) adjusting the anti-VOX is not necessary.
Good to know, thanks. Something I will most likely never use though as I don't use Vox.
I keep losing volume , how do I get it back
Perhaps you are pushing the volume button in on accident? That switches it to headphones.
I really wanna work dx worried 20 watts won't do it vs a 100 watt 7300 what's your opinion
In all honesty, the difference between 20 watts and 100 watts is one little bar on the S meter.
@ yeah I'm looking at a g90 or a ic 7300 Its so hard
Mike, Is there an available external speaker for the G90 .. I have heard that the GY03 was comparable, but have not seen anything verifying that thought.. Thanks for your presence on this rock spinning in the Universe..!
I suppose this radio works for digital modes. Do you need anything else besides your computer to work digital with it?
Yes you do. But I'm not the guy to tell you what because I've never used this on digital but its not the easiest thing in the world. Check out OH8STN's channel, he has videos showing how to get it set up.
Thank you for a great review
Did you have to do any firmware updates?
looks good radio just asking ? what's the aftersales like as company ?support and alike?
As with most things from China, I would imagine very poor. This used to be carried exclusively thru MFJ (which is where I got this), who has great customer service in my opinion. But, MFJ no longer carries Xiegu. You can get it from Radioddidy now. I'm sure if you didn't like it you could return it within a certain time period. I've found this radio to be pretty solid and still use it to this day. Newer Xiegu products would be a hard pass for me. And I've reviewed them all.
Hey Mike I like the color display on this much better than the think it was the 1505 that looks really nice that radio
This radio lacks many of the features other radios have, especially DNR and Notch filter. While the waterfall is pretty to look at, it's certainly not my favorite radio by any means.