Thanks for sharing the unfiltered walkthrough, Josh. This type of unbiased hands-on demo helps illuminate a device's reality. Please continue to offer this perspective for other reviews.
@Kildor044 I'm right there with you. I'm so happy Josh does these videos. Temporary offline ham radio has had some decent content on the x6200 as well. If you haven't checked out his stuff, I urge you to take a gander. The guy knows his stuff, too.
I bought the BCI filter as a kit for the X6100. We all know the issues with the X6100. I can confirm that it works perfectly. Just remember not to tune when using the BCI filter. I've only had to use it a couple of times but it's a great piece of kit to have when needed.
Fantastic video Josh; all the details someone needs to make an informed decision. I know how much time you must have put into this level of detail; well worth my time to watch!
I’ve had the same AM bleed over on my G90, so thanks for the AM filter recommendation. Also, the Xiegu’s are shipped set to 1W power output by default. I learned that the hard way. Much love from MN - KF0QNM ❤
It's probably Xiegu's greatest weakness -- the G90 is also susceptible to broadcast interference out of the box. As you say, it's not heard to mitigate. You can use a broadcast filter or a resonant antenna and avoid most of the issue entirely. I was operating on an End Fed Random Wire this past weekend and did NOT have an issue, but I was also at a park that's pretty radio quiet (despite its proximity to an airport). Also, 14:40 : the Xiegu X series all run Linux, so I'm not surprised your little thumboard/touchpad combo worked! Still nifty to see!
07:12 FST: FrequencySTepping 24:10 COMPressor: With firmware V1.0.1 this is inverted (which is a bug). This is hopefully fixed with a future firmware version 26:30 FFT Fast Fourier Transformation 31:20 HOME button does not yet work as expected (known bug with V1.0.1)
I get the AM bleed over here at home from time to time on my 7300. I live in an HOA so I run a raingutter antenna (9:1 unun into an RF isolator) ((it's 40ft long with 2 10ft down spouts)) so highly compromised. I haven't filtered it since it's only intermitted. Thanks for in great video 73 W8MJL
FFT is a method that breaks down a signal into its individual sine and cosine waves. It allows you or the radio to analyze the signal's frequency components instead of the sum of those components it is more relevant in my world as a technician in oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers but exactly what it brings to the operation of the radio is something the manufacturer should describe in there manual.
Why must they make the volume and RF gain multi-turn. Very annoying. I don't need to "fine tune" the volume and gain. Just make the blasted things 1 turn pots like all other radios in history.
It's a little bit heavier than the IC-705 (1.75 kg vs 1.1 kg). Doesn't matter to most people, but if you are activating a SOTA summit with +3,000 ft of elevation gain then it's a consideration. Both are quite a bit heavier than the KX2.
I think for your transmit test at 8:29 you may have either had the mic gain way to low or maybe had the internal mic selected despite using the ptt on the hand mic. You can tell almost no audio is getting into the radio because the meter that was the S meter should be nearly full deflection and is barely moving. You can also see the rf signal in the waterfall is super tiny. (this is based on my experience with the x6100)
just bought one and although I don't dislike it, the difference between it and the Japanese counterpart is stark. Only problem with mine so far is I can not connect to wifi in any way.
I got a xiegu x6200. I got the matching xiegu amplifier. They won't ship the damn xiegu antenna, tho. Thanks, Radioddity. I wish I had at least used (or at least known about) Josh's code for a percentage off. I only paid full price. 😮💨🤙🏾 I'm gonna run a dipole and question my life decisions...
I’m a couple weeks from my technician license and this HF will be my first HF and I plan on pairing it with the em-commIII. Still looking for a suitable 6m-40m antenna that fits in my bag. In the meantime, my GD-88 arrived tomorrow, and I get to figure how to play with it before I go HF.
Curious, what revision of firmware came on this unit from Radioddity? Have you upgraded it? I got mine Day 1, updated the firmware a few days later when they released it to V1.0.1 and the brand new machine got bricked, like many others reported. I had to send it in for exchange/update and Radioddity sent a different unit back (S/Ns were different) with upgraded firmware. Frustrating. I was hopeful Xiegu would have started the x6200 development off with Firmware from where they left off from the x6100, but apparently not. Many issues similar to early x6100 released radios. I'm getting too old for bleeding edge... 🙂
Batteries are killing me on this. I've had cell phone batteries that were 10,000 milliamp that were half the size. I'm honestly surprised that even HTs don't have a minimum 5,000 or more. Impressive radio though. I wish I could afford to get my hands on one lol
IC-705s have been between $1,000-$1,100 used on QRZ. The FTX-1F is very intriguing, but I think I’ll wait for the early adopter MSRP to come down with some “sales” and “rebates”.
NR is like the Yaesu FT-991... lot of digital artifacts to my ears. Is that metal block in the microphone a magnet? Let you stick the mic on something metal in your car(yes I know, modern cars are plastic... but even my 2017 has some metal)...
just FYI, that broadcast filter should not be used under high SWR, they advise against it. You have to place it between the radio and the ATU, internal ATU won't do
Thanks for this video, it gives the best overview so far. I am very interested in this device because I am looking for a new device for SOTA. The question is, should I wait for the new Yaesu FTX-1F or should I buy the X6200? The FTX-1F will definitely be more expensive, especially with the additional tuner.
Not acceptable selectivity - you should not get broadcast interference, no matter what antenna you use. And you should not be forced to buy a filter to remove BCI. Otherwise, radio looks good
Thanks for the review on this. I'm in the process of getting my Technician's license now. I've been resisting upgrading from the Baofent until I got my license. I'm looking for a decent radio that's portable and flexible enough to cover most things. Would you recommend this or something else?
Ok so now you've sparked my interest in cw because of that automation, I just have never been able to do cw manually but being able to type a msg, without my self induced errors might just make it a viable mode to play with for real, now my next dumb unrelated non Xiegu question, can the same thing be done with say an FT-710 just because I know it takes a keyboard input?? I now see a keyboard as a huge plus, vs before now I thought it was just a gimmick! Thanks for another Great video!!
Nice touch with mic ballast , lmao . Is it a tactical consideration , like , maybe to beat someone to death with or just stop them trying to grab your mic ? Reminds me of some mobile audio amplifiers that will use a stupidly thick bottom plate on the chassis to make it heavier so it FEELS like a quality product .
yup.. as an initial X6100 owner and over 30,000 Pota QSOs with the X6100 over 3 yrs... good radio...has a few reliability issues.. but like all X100 owners..we were hoping for a X6200 with the G90 power (and tuner).. that would be worth the upgrade.
Yeah I’m just running a beam at 80 feet 🤷♂️ I had the weirdest moment when you removed the battery. I thought; “Wouldn’t it be nice (and funny) if someone created a radio with a special section for your paper logs?” Then I remembered the Elecraft KH1 😆
The 6200 is a big jump in UI functionality. It's the software upgrade the 6100 never got. From a hardware perspective, the Wi-Fi is now usable and the removable battery is a great feature. However, the HF front-end is still not very well filtered. For the price, it's a great radio - and the price should drop fairly soon as well now that it's been on the market a while.
So basically it has a crap front end because they cheaper out. In order to use it, you need to buy extra filters. So why buy it to begin with? $800 will easily get you a good used QRP radio with an actual front end.
QRP radios run on internal batteries. Other radios do not. This is for people that don't want to haul a 5 mile long extension cord on a hike. You can make real contacts with QRP if you have a decent antenna. No radio will make it out of really bad conditions.
X6200 under test is on V1.0.1 firmware.
📻Check out Radioddity ham radio radios and get a discount: Xiegu G90: radioddity.refr.cc/hoshnasi
Thanks for sharing the unfiltered walkthrough, Josh. This type of unbiased hands-on demo helps illuminate a device's reality. Please continue to offer this perspective for other reviews.
I just got this radio and need to spend some time learning it. This video gave me some basic information and now I just need to expand on it.
@Kildor044 I'm right there with you. I'm so happy Josh does these videos. Temporary offline ham radio has had some decent content on the x6200 as well. If you haven't checked out his stuff, I urge you to take a gander. The guy knows his stuff, too.
I bought the BCI filter as a kit for the X6100. We all know the issues with the X6100. I can confirm that it works perfectly. Just remember not to tune when using the BCI filter. I've only had to use it a couple of times but it's a great piece of kit to have when needed.
Fantastic video Josh; all the details someone needs to make an informed decision. I know how much time you must have put into this level of detail; well worth my time to watch!
Much appreciated!
Oh my gosh it's so compact. That's a proper bike portable!
I’ve had the same AM bleed over on my G90, so thanks for the AM filter recommendation.
Also, the Xiegu’s are shipped set to 1W power output by default. I learned that the hard way.
Much love from MN - KF0QNM ❤
@Sonicgott the kit for the filter is a decently fun and fast build, too. Nothing too crazy. I dig mine so far. 🤌🏾🤙🏾
It's probably Xiegu's greatest weakness -- the G90 is also susceptible to broadcast interference out of the box. As you say, it's not heard to mitigate. You can use a broadcast filter or a resonant antenna and avoid most of the issue entirely. I was operating on an End Fed Random Wire this past weekend and did NOT have an issue, but I was also at a park that's pretty radio quiet (despite its proximity to an airport).
Also, 14:40 : the Xiegu X series all run Linux, so I'm not surprised your little thumboard/touchpad combo worked! Still nifty to see!
07:12 FST: FrequencySTepping
24:10 COMPressor: With firmware V1.0.1 this is inverted (which is a bug). This is hopefully fixed with a future firmware version
26:30 FFT Fast Fourier Transformation
31:20 HOME button does not yet work as expected (known bug with V1.0.1)
I get the AM bleed over here at home from time to time on my 7300. I live in an HOA so I run a raingutter antenna (9:1 unun into an RF isolator) ((it's 40ft long with 2 10ft down spouts)) so highly compromised. I haven't filtered it since it's only intermitted. Thanks for in great video 73 W8MJL
If this was say 20w I'd be selling my G90 in a heartbeat...
I’m really thinking about this vs the G90.
Me too but what's the atu like compared to the g90s @@panplayer
Five and a half minutes in and he's turned it into an expensive spirit box lol
Great video, I’m about to buy one myself, but may I suggest that you set your camera to focus lock so it’s not hunting for focus all the time.
I absolutely love my g90
I’m thinking about the G90 as well.
Xiegu are really picking up.
FFT is a method that breaks down a signal into its individual sine and cosine waves. It allows you or the radio to analyze the signal's frequency components instead of the sum of those components it is more relevant in my world as a technician in oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers but exactly what it brings to the operation of the radio is something the manufacturer should describe in there manual.
If you have a 6100, try the R1CBU firmware V 0.25.0. It's pretty awesome, it will actually transmit on ft8. It's like a new radio for free.
Why must they make the volume and RF gain multi-turn. Very annoying. I don't need to "fine tune" the volume and gain. Just make the blasted things 1 turn pots like all other radios in history.
It's a little bit heavier than the IC-705 (1.75 kg vs 1.1 kg). Doesn't matter to most people, but if you are activating a SOTA summit with +3,000 ft of elevation gain then it's a consideration. Both are quite a bit heavier than the KX2.
I think for your transmit test at 8:29 you may have either had the mic gain way to low or maybe had the internal mic selected despite using the ptt on the hand mic. You can tell almost no audio is getting into the radio because the meter that was the S meter should be nearly full deflection and is barely moving. You can also see the rf signal in the waterfall is super tiny. (this is based on my experience with the x6100)
How long are those custom battery packs going to be available from a Chinese company?
If no-one buys the radio then not very long.
Good point. Why not have a carriage that holds common lion batteries? All of that proprietary stuff sucks.
just bought one and although I don't dislike it, the difference between it and the Japanese counterpart is stark. Only problem with mine so far is I can not connect to wifi in any way.
Embiggins.....Great video buddy!
How do the US Band plan bar indicators change for different markets, I wonder?
Josh where is a link to your portable keyboard?
I got a xiegu x6200. I got the matching xiegu amplifier. They won't ship the damn xiegu antenna, tho. Thanks, Radioddity. I wish I had at least used (or at least known about) Josh's code for a percentage off. I only paid full price. 😮💨🤙🏾 I'm gonna run a dipole and question my life decisions...
Theoretically that would also make it decently hackable, should anyone want to try that.
I’m a couple weeks from my technician license and this HF will be my first HF and I plan on pairing it with the em-commIII. Still looking for a suitable 6m-40m antenna that fits in my bag. In the meantime, my GD-88 arrived tomorrow, and I get to figure how to play with it before I go HF.
Let me know what you think when you get it. I too am considering this as a first HF rig… also the G90.
I wish they would improve the CW timing..Other than that, I love my 6200
Curious, what revision of firmware came on this unit from Radioddity? Have you upgraded it? I got mine Day 1, updated the firmware a few days later when they released it to V1.0.1 and the brand new machine got bricked, like many others reported. I had to send it in for exchange/update and Radioddity sent a different unit back (S/Ns were different) with upgraded firmware. Frustrating. I was hopeful Xiegu would have started the x6200 development off with Firmware from where they left off from the x6100, but apparently not. Many issues similar to early x6100 released radios. I'm getting too old for bleeding edge... 🙂
Mine came with v1.0.1
Batteries are killing me on this. I've had cell phone batteries that were 10,000 milliamp that were half the size. I'm honestly surprised that even HTs don't have a minimum 5,000 or more.
Impressive radio though. I wish I could afford to get my hands on one lol
I’d be super tempted by this or the IC-705, but I’m too excited about the FTX-1F.
IC-705s have been between $1,000-$1,100 used on QRZ. The FTX-1F is very intriguing, but I think I’ll wait for the early adopter MSRP to come down with some “sales” and “rebates”.
\*Josh plugs in a mini keyboard*
OOOOOOOOO!!!!
IT WORKS!!!!
There's A MOUSE!!!!!
It's the little things in life
I am easily excitable at times!
What Kind of Mini Keyboard is it? Can it bougth by Amazon?
I have seen them on amazon, but I would probably go for a larger one due to how hard it is to type
@@HamRadioCrashCoursewhat keyboard is this?
NR is like the Yaesu FT-991... lot of digital artifacts to my ears.
Is that metal block in the microphone a magnet? Let you stick the mic on something metal in your car(yes I know, modern cars are plastic... but even my 2017 has some metal)...
Having the depth setting to high will always give out artifacts.
FST = frequency step, not Fast. Press it repeatedly to move across the digits.
just FYI, that broadcast filter should not be used under high SWR, they advise against it. You have to place it between the radio and the ATU, internal ATU won't do
I think the keyer type was "SQUZ" which I'm thinking is "Squeeze" or the dual-paddle types. Just a guess, though.
About as good a guess as any!
Thanks for this video, it gives the best overview so far. I am very interested in this device because I am looking for a new device for SOTA. The question is, should I wait for the new Yaesu FTX-1F or should I buy the X6200? The FTX-1F will definitely be more expensive, especially with the additional tuner.
When you said and displayed 120m... did you mean 160m? The display clearly shows 1.8MHz.
I did.
Beautiful.
How differs is the X6200 and the G90? As a beginner, which radio would you recommend?
Following
I'd really like a basic home station with antena review.
Quest what is the keypad you used for messsages?
Excellent and thorough review. I wonder how much the external amplifier will cost. 73 OM
There is already a Xiegu amp. It’s $530 in a bundle now. Link in the video description to Xiegu.
I have a icom 705 what antenna you recommend i do lots of camping
Not acceptable selectivity - you should not get broadcast interference, no matter what antenna you use. And you should not be forced to buy a filter to remove BCI. Otherwise, radio looks good
Thanks for the review on this. I'm in the process of getting my Technician's license now. I've been resisting upgrading from the Baofent until I got my license. I'm looking for a decent radio that's portable and flexible enough to cover most things. Would you recommend this or something else?
A Xiegu esta cada vez melhor, Icom e Yaesu que se cuidem
Ok so now you've sparked my interest in cw because of that automation, I just have never been able to do cw manually but being able to type a msg, without my self induced errors might just make it a viable mode to play with for real, now my next dumb unrelated non Xiegu question, can the same thing be done with say an FT-710 just because I know it takes a keyboard input?? I now see a keyboard as a huge plus, vs before now I thought it was just a gimmick! Thanks for another Great video!!
Nice touch with mic ballast , lmao .
Is it a tactical consideration , like , maybe to beat someone to death with or just stop them trying to grab your mic ?
Reminds me of some mobile audio amplifiers that will use a stupidly thick bottom plate on the chassis to make it heavier so it FEELS like a quality product .
how does this compare to the X6100 ?
did they FIX the Transmit power issue where it starts at 4watts, and climbs to full power over 11 or 12 seconds, from the time the PTT is pushed?
No
I wonder how the antenna tuner on this radio compares to the G90 tuner which is pretty good.
Comparable (I have both). Never had AM breakthrough on either radio but no MW AM stations near here.
Can you demonstrate/test with computer control or with digital modes?
Yes.
What's that calendar thingy on the table?
An ink tablet. Go see my last live stream.
Getting there, x6700 is going to be amazing! :)
If it is direct sampling the sampling rate must be very high. Anyone knows how high and what sort of analog digital converter is used?
You put out good reviews. Brian VE3GUE
Link to keyboard?
i would likew detaikls on the keyboard used
Love this radio but holding out for the next gen G90
When is that coming out?
@@crakkajakka15 who knows? Not even a hint of this….waiting patiently
What is the make/model of the bluetooth keyboard?
Idk. It came with QRPsidecar.
It looks like a Rii K01 or K06. I have the Rii K06 and just tried it to edit the CW messages like the video and it worked using the 2.4GHz dongle
Love mine
I have a 6100 and was poised to buy the 6200 because of its refinements, but $800 for a 5-8w radio defies logic. Too bad.
yup.. as an initial X6100 owner and over 30,000 Pota QSOs with the X6100 over 3 yrs... good radio...has a few reliability issues.. but like all X100 owners..we were hoping for a X6200 with the G90 power (and tuner).. that would be worth the upgrade.
Agreed...price point is too high. This should be a $500 radio max.
$800. Can it do APRS? Bluetooth KISS TNC?
It’s Hf.
Is it working with FT8?
It will decode FT8 until the screen fills up with text. It will not transmit on it's own but needs to be interfaced with a computer to do that.
I know you have probably done a video for ham radio licensing but can you recap for new people like myself please
Just go to his channel homepage. All of his videos can be found there.
There is an entire playlist covering it in detail in my channel page. 👍 good luck!
@@HamRadioCrashCourse ok thank you
Nice but for $120 LESS, I'll take the FT-891 anytime.
Great preliminary review. Your lighting is professional however your camera has trouble keeping focus.
Yeah I’m just running a beam at 80 feet 🤷♂️ I had the weirdest moment when you removed the battery. I thought; “Wouldn’t it be nice (and funny) if someone created a radio with a special section for your paper logs?” Then I remembered the Elecraft KH1 😆
Picked up a KD2C HPF-4 filter when I had my 6100, and my 6200 needs it too. Annoying... but solves the AM issue.
How does the 6100 and 6200 compare to each other?
Ive neen looking for a 705 like radio that doesnt cost $1300 plus.
The 6200 is a big jump in UI functionality. It's the software upgrade the 6100 never got. From a hardware perspective, the Wi-Fi is now usable and the removable battery is a great feature. However, the HF front-end is still not very well filtered. For the price, it's a great radio - and the price should drop fairly soon as well now that it's been on the market a while.
After the new Yaesu is introduced, this thing will sit on the warehouse shelf.
Does anyone have normal conversation on ham or do they just make contact and talk about their radios?
They have normal discussions. Right now in the south they’re using their radios deal with the hurricane helene disaster.
My estimate.. 80% contacts, 20% conversations
Is there a reason why my original comment does not show here?
RUclips removes comments with links, or other things they deem not worthy, no idea. I didn’t touch it.
VOX control? I would really like a VOX control of some type internal or external
Shagu?
it’s how it’s pronounced.
So basically it has a crap front end because they cheaper out. In order to use it, you need to buy extra filters. So why buy it to begin with? $800 will easily get you a good used QRP radio with an actual front end.
I think the 6100 is better why can't the 6200 go up to 10w
$799? Mmm…. Too expensive for a QRP HF radio…
you got to be kidding me, no ground stud!!! As usual, Xuegu its about to get it right and then...they screw up something 🙄
focus on camera changing all the time - it makes me dizzy
Squz Key = Squeeze Key
Seems expensive for a QRP radio.
sota thanks you, mic with weight, lol
It's cool but way overpriced for what it is...
Xiegu firmware releases are a buggy mess, I won't trust their radios again.
Pota pota
Oh God...just what we need, another QRP radio...just buy a real 100w radio and turn the power down. China is getting rich with all these crap radios.
Any suggestions for portable though? I'm brand new and this looks slick to me.
Teach me obi Wan kenobi!
QRP radios run on internal batteries. Other radios do not. This is for people that don't want to haul a 5 mile long extension cord on a hike. You can make real contacts with QRP if you have a decent antenna. No radio will make it out of really bad conditions.