Xiegu G90 Transceiver

[Jackalope]

   I thought I'd get the ball rolling regarding the Xiegu G90 HF transceiver, as several board members already have this radio, and others are thinking of purchasing this particular model.

   The G90 is a compact HF transceiver covering 10-160 meters with the capability of transmitting 20 watts using SSB, CW, AM, and digital modes when using an attached computer.  It also has a general coverage receiver capable of receiving signals from 500 kHz to 30 MHz.  The radio has a built in antenna tuner and a CW keyer, as well.  The G90 needs 10.5-17.0 VDC at 8 amps maximum current.  It has a 1.8" LCD screen which is filled with information that is useful to the operator, such as a spectrum display and waterfall display.

    Overall, the radio is a decent value for the price, which is typically under $500.00USD.  The radio is capable of split operation, and it has a built-in CW decoder.

    The G90 in my stable was purchased specifically for my little camping trailer, as it's relatively small and doesn't take up much room.  The radio functions well with an effective and sensitive receiver.  Power is supplied from the trailer's solar electric system and associated lithium battery.  The antenna tuner is awesome, and it has managed to tune an EFHW, a home made vertical and a Buddipole antenna system.  I do like having 20 watts transmit power, which is particularly effective during 10 meter band openings.

    So, how does it compare with other portable low power HF radios?  I'm fortunate enough to have multiple portable HF stations at my disposal.  I consider the Commradio CTX-10 the best in my particular portable HF collection due to built-in, replaceable lithium batteries and built-in, accompanying charger.  It's a very rugged radio with a good receiver and a decent CW decoder, and it's made in the U.S.A..  The next best would be a Yaesu FT-817/818 with its wide band coverage and 5 watt transmit power.  The FT-817/818 is on the heavy side.  Next would be the Xiegu G90.  At the bottom of my list would be the MFJ QRP single band transceivers which are light, but not very rugged.

    Bottom line, the Xiegu G90 is the Baofeng UV-5R of HF portable transceivers.  I don't consider them to be rugged but then I've been spoiled by exposure to commercial/military equipment.  The G90's do offer a lot of radio for the price, but they feel cheap.  My biggest complaint is that the LCD screen and buttons are so small that it's necessary to use glasses when operating the radio.  Personally, the radio has worked fine for my application, though I've heard horror stories about them.  There's also the ethical question of contributing to an enemy communist economy but that's for another discussion.  I'm adequately satisfied with my G90, but if it breaks I won't be buying another one. 

   So how do other users like their G90's?

[JohnyMac]

As stated, I have played with Patriotman's G90 and was impressed. The price is right and it has many features that others in this category do not. Personally, I like the the CTX-10 however, it is not MARS mod applicable. I have played with NC Scouts and it is a rugged radio however, in the $1K range it is pricy.

If I had the money, I would seriously take a look at the IC-705 and of course have it MARS mod before it was shipped. It weighs in at about the same weight as the 817. Twice the pwr, and a lot of additional new features than the 817 has.

Great discussion Jackalope. Thx for starting it. 

[Todd]

Thanks for starting the thread @Jackalope, I have one of the G90s on its way to me, so it's timely indeed.

How do you like that H-250 style speaker mic in your picture? I have the same one for my Xiegu X-6100 but it was a recent acquisition so I haven't really played with it that much. Incidentally, the H-250 style speaker mic I have works perfectly on the X6100, but it's sold as G90-compatible. It might work on other Xiegu HF rigs too?

As it stands, my plan for the G90 when it arrives is to set it up as a field manpack unit. Aside from selecting a portable battery for the unit, I have to work out a way to ruggedize it and water-resist it so the finished product will be better able to withstand hard field use. I foresee overheating being an issue with any enclosure, and I don't know yet how I'll make the head unit splash/rain proof. Maybe some kind of vac-formed flexible transparent soft PVC material? Gaskets under the various knobs? Maybe not such a hot idea as the knobs also apparently have press/hold functions which a gasket may interfere with. Trial and error will show what can and can't be done I guess. If worst came to worst, operating the radio under a poncho in the rain might be the best way - it'll largely kill the glow from the controls and display too but it will reduce the operator's situational awareness to unacceptable levels, meaning a buddy team at minimum would be required for inclement weather and night operations using the radio.   

When they come back into stock later this month I'll be ordering an Armoloq TPA-G90 rack/enclosure (https://www.armoloq.com/tpa-g90) as the base for the manpack enclosure. It offers good protection for the radio and comes with antenna relocation mounts as standard.

[Jackalope]

How do you like that H-250 style speaker mic in your picture? I have the same one for my Xiegu X-6100 but it was a recent acquisition so I haven't really played with it that much. Incidentally, the H-250 style speaker mic I have works perfectly on the X6100, but it's sold as G90-compatible. It might work on other Xiegu HF rigs too?

As it stands, my plan for the G90 when it arrives is to set it up as a field manpack unit. Aside from selecting a portable battery for the unit, I have to work out a way to ruggedize it and water-resist it so the finished product will be better able to withstand hard field use. I foresee overheating being an issue with any enclosure, and I don't know yet how I'll make the head unit splash/rain proof. Maybe some kind of vac-formed flexible transparent soft PVC material? Gaskets under the various knobs? Maybe not such a hot idea as the knobs also apparently have press/hold functions which a gasket may interfere with. Trial and error will show what can and can't be done I guess. If worst came to worst, operating the radio under a poncho in the rain might be the best way - it'll largely kill the glow from the controls and display too but it will reduce the operator's situational awareness to unacceptable levels, meaning a buddy team at minimum would be required for inclement weather and night operations using the radio.   

When they come back into stock later this month I'll be ordering an Armoloq TPA-G90 rack/enclosure (https://www.armoloq.com/tpa-g90) as the base for the manpack enclosure. It offers good protection for the radio and comes with antenna relocation mounts as standard.

    I do like the H-250 speaker mikes, and have them not only on the G90, but also on an Icom IC-7200, IC-7300 and on a Baofeng UV-5R.  I like the form factor and the audio is good.  As you mentioned, a number of the knobs have multiple functions, and that applies to the volume knob, as pushing it switches the audio function from the radio speaker to the external speaker/H-250.  The nice thing about the H-250 is that the sound is focused to just your one ear, but the other ear is kept free for situational awareness. So it's good for OPSEC and PERSEC  I also like the Peltor copy headsets with noise canceling, they're awesome when in a live shooting or other noisy environment.

    I was somewhat accustomed to carrying heavy loads and sometimes, if I was lucky, I'd get shuttled in helicopters, so my radios were frequently in Pelican cases, in an effort to keep them dry.  Even today about half of my radios reside in Pelican cases.  I never saw a need for a HF manpack, because HF whips tend to get caught up in vegetation when moving, of course, it's a different story in the desert or the plains.  I wouldn't worry too much about overheating the radio, as you should be listening most of the time, which doesn't produce much heat.  Professionals minimize their transmissions when in unfriendly environments, for example, look what happened when Russian soldiers used their cellphones, they became the target du jour.  If you're going to be using data modes while portable, the transmissions should be as brief as possible.  NCScout really emphasizes the need for brevity.

     I'm looking forward to see how your manpack radio set-up comes out. 

[Jackalope]

If I had the money, I would seriously take a look at the IC-705 and of course have it MARS mod before it was shipped. It weighs in at about the same weight as the 817. Twice the pwr, and a lot of additional new features than the 817 has.

  Yeah, if I was smart, I'd sell the FT-817 and the G90 and buy an IC-705.  Well, hamfest season is coming, I may be able to find enough equipment here to buy a used IC-705.  I really should thin the herd.  I may have to make a trip up to the hosstraders hamfest in the Spring which would give me an excuse to go to Kittery Trading Post. 

[JohnyMac]

NO! You are not allowed to go to Kittery Trading post!!! The money you make thinning the herd you will come home with other toys. 

Damn, I sound like MrsMac.   

[Todd]

The G90 radio arrived the other day and I am impressed. It's (relatively) small and lightweight and it seems great so far with the limited testing I've done for it. I'm still waiting on a coax with UHF connectors on both ends and some UHF to BNC adapters to arrive before I can see what's happening on the airwaves with the G90. Along with an OCFD or two I have a US military foldable 9-foot HF antenna and one of those ground spike adapters, so I can use the G90 out of a pelican case in the field with just a waterproof nylon cover over it for the time being. Not ideal, but it's safe and secure and it's how I usually run my Xiegu X6100.

I have been testing the fit of the G90 in various plastic and steel ammo cans as well as in an AN/PVS-14 padded "tall fifty" transit can to see if they can be used as the basis of a manpack enclosure, but they are all going to be too heavy I reckon.

I managed to pick up a genuine PRC-117G battery box the other day, so whatever enclosure I make up for the G90 will fit that box. At the moment I've just been doing function tests using a 6ah LiFePo4 battery but you get around 25 hours of standby out of it using a G90 and maybe 2 hours total Tx time. It's not ideal but the 6ah batteries are lightweight, cheap and it will work. There's scope for carrying one or two spare 6ah batts for longer periods in the field and then just swapping them out of the 117 battery box as required.



I found a PRC-117G 3D model on GrabCAD so I'll modify it to fit the G90 and allow the use of a bracket and surface mount antenna mount so the antenna port is on the face of the radio rather than the bottom. As long as my dinky little printer can print the PRC-117G radio box it should all be OK. All that will be needed aside from the PRC-117G box itself will be some internal brackets, antenna bracket, battery box gasket and the lugs the battery box clamp to on the radio box - all doable from a hardware store. U-bolts may work as the radio faceplate bumpers and if not I'll bend up some threaded rod to suit.

I may not yet need to use the Armoloq chassis so I'll hold off on that purchase for the time being.

[JohnyMac]

Wow! This is some great stuff. Thanks to all that are participating. 

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Good choice!  G90 is my 'big' back-up rig.  Great CW rig, fine SSB and digital modes.  It has reasonably low'ish receive current, under 400 mAmp.  Admittedly, unlike my CW only QRP rig, it is huge and draws a lo of current on receiver [ my MTR draws only 15 mA !!] , but because most Preppers won't learn Morse, I bought this to back-up my 'big' rig. This as compared to the average 2 AMP receive current on most rigs. I keep it in a 50 cal ammunition box with a sanded top lip and foil cover under the lid.  If I have to WALK anywhere, the QRP rig kit and dipole gets grabbed first.  G90 interface and computer  second. 



I can always passin formal traffic in Morse viaalmost bay ham and poass FORMAL radiogram traffic via the RRI/National Traffic System , because,  Morse code is the last to die.

- Sir John Honeybucket

[Todd]

Looks like the chicoms have released a bolt-on rechargeable battery box for the Xiegu G90 which relocates the antenna port and others to the front of the rig, which simplifies using the rig manpack style out of a ruck. Very pricey though - approx USD$200 shipped.

It does nothing for water and dust resistance, but it's a start.



I have only found these boxes on aliexpress, which I refuse to use, but they may filter down to banggood or ebay or amazon sooner or later. When they do I may pick one up.
 

[JohnyMac]

Pulled the trigger yesterday. Damn! This hobby is expensive.

[Todd]

Pulled the trigger yesterday. Damn! This hobby is expensive.

Welcome to the club!

[Todd]

Unfortunately I don't know CAD, but I've linked up with a fella who does.

He's going to remove all the red parts on the CAD file the render below was taken from.



I'll then print the parts on a 3D printer.

The faceplate of the PRC-119G case will be completely flat, so I can situate the antenna etc. as desired. I'll cut out a hole the same size as the Xiegu G90 and position the G90 so it sticks out of the faceplate far enough that all the top buttons are accessible.

Rather than waste a few days printing the centre section of the case, I'll make some up out of aluminum or polycarbonate.

Printed battery box latches would be far too weak, so I'll modify hardware store items to suit.

Since splash/ rain resistance is a desired feature of the finished box, I'm trying to work out how best to accomplish that. My best idea so far is to get some thin clear PVC and vac form it over the faceplate of the G90 with the control knob removed. This should allow for buttons to be pressed and the display to be read. With some gaskets sealing the PRC-117G case and faceplate, it should be OK for field use.

I'll update when I get the modified CAD files sorted and I'll make them available for folks here too.

I haven't yet found a CAD file of the PRC-117G battery box but I'll provide dimensions so folks can make their own.

[JohnyMac]

Great Todd. Don't forget EMP protection. 

[pkveazey]

That EMP protection is definitely something to consider. It is especially harmful to anything below 100 Mhz. I keep all my spare radios in their boxes and wrapped in Aluminum foil even though they are above 100 Mhz radios. I actually am gambling with my bug out radio back pack because I don't have it shielded. With that said, the metal case is supposed to act as a faraday shield but what most Hams forget is the antenna. If the antenna and coax is connected then it will bring the EMP spike into the radio through the SO239 connector. Crap.... Now I'm going to have to consider wrapping the HF bug out radio in aluminum foil.

[JohnyMac]

PKv, you could also use a EMP bag.

[JohnyMac]

I have operated several G90's since this summer, ones that friends have purchased and finally just pulled the trigger on one. Ordered it from HRO and the radio arrived Friday. I just now had a chance to fire it up. But, it will not fire up. 

I press the on/off button momentary and three amber lights come on. Then it does not fire up, it goes dark. I press and hold the on/off key and the same amber lights come on and then a screen with the Xiegu emblem, then the waterfall pops up to the 20-meter band. I let go of the on/off switch and the radio goes dark.

I checked the polarity of the Anderson Power pole plugs and they are correct. I checked the fuse that is in line between the radio and power source. A-OK. Checked the fuse at the Anderson Power Pole bank, again A-OK. Plug another appliance into the Anderson Power Pole bank and it works as it should.

For kicks and giggles, I put a multimeter on the power supply and it is reading 13.8V as it should.

For further amusement, I plug the radio into by back up marine deep cycle battery bank for when the electric goes down. It operates, or doesn't operate as in my second paragraph.

I posted my problem on the Xiego forum to see what pops up. I also sent an email to HRO. The challenge is, I am meeting up with a group of G90 enthusiasts for digital comms this weekend. The goal is to get our radios ready for digital, enjoy each others company, burn a few steaks, and maybe enjoy an adult beverage & cigar together. It will not be as rewarding without my toy. 

I will keep the group informed of any developments. 

[FeedingFreedom]

That's why after much consideration, I decided to go with the 6100. Internal battery, simple digital ops, and just seems more, finished, if that's the right word. Only 10W, and some other minuses, but I've been very happy with it so far. If I found a killer deal on a used one, I'd probably get a G90 as well, because I like radios and I like redundancy.

[JohnyMac]

Ham Radio Outlet just called me and all is good.

They are dropping a new one in the mail to me. They sent me a return label and asked that I drop off my unit at a UPS location in the next couple of days. The gentleman from HRO called it a "hot swap".

Just received an email from HRO, 60-minutes after I spoke to them, with a tracking number for my hot swapped new unit.

Holy moly, that is service!

I will keep the group abreast of the situation as it develops. So far so good.

  

[Sir John Honeybucket]

I am pleased that the G90 p[roblem is being resolved.  I enjoy the G90, as a bridge between my 'nig' rig (100W) and my QRP rigs (<5 Watts).  The receive current is not tiny, but far more reasonable thatn the 2 Amps required by most ham transceivers on receive. 

Yes, my experience with our regional HRO (Woodbridge, Va) was very good.  There had been a power supply I ordered that was supposed to be an RF quiet, switching power supply - it was quietER but not quiet.  I replaced it using a large analop powersupply (no switching circuitry) after a good conversation with HRO.  They gave me a full refund which I put toward the larger and heavier analop power supply so that I would not have the RF noise.  Had I lived in a city, I might not have noticed the RFI from  the switching power supply, but out here on the peninsula with my antenna high and in the trees, it was quite disappointing. 

- Sir John Honeybucket

[patriotman]

Ham Radio Outlet just called me and all is good.

They are dropping a new one in the mail to me. They sent me a return label and asked that I drop off my unit at a UPS location in the next couple of days. The gentleman from HRO called it a "hot swap".

Just received an email from HRO, 60-minutes after I spoke to them, with a tracking number for my hot swapped new unit.

Holy moly, that is service!

I will keep the group abreast of the situation as it develops. So far so good.

 

Sounds awfully familiar to me.......I was having the exact same problem. At least your replacement process went much smoother thanks to HRO...

[JohnyMac]

Yupper Patriotman.

I discussed your experience with Radioddity with the HRO employee. He told me he has heard similar stories too.

Bottom line, I only deal with two radio oriented companies. Ham Radio Outlet and DXEngineering. Will you pay a few extra bucks, sure however, if you have an issue, they are all over it.

Side note, they both price match too. I am not going to worry about a few bucks her or there but, I will worry about a $100- or so difference though.

[Jackalope]

   I'm glad HRO handled the problem in an efficient manner.  However, the issue with your radio, Johny, and Patriotman's similar issue highlight the downside of Chinese products.  Yes, they are inexpensive, but they are also prone to performance issues, which are frequently caused by the manufacturers using substandard components.  There's a strategic reason why China wants Taiwan and Taiwan's semiconductor production capability.

    The Xiegu G90 has some remarkable capabilities, when they work.  That's why my Chinese radios have been relegated to second tier usage, because they are not dependable.  When I actively worked as a communications technician, I saw an average annual 10% failure rate of Chinese transceivers, compared to a less than 1% failure rate of Vertex, Kenwood, and Motorola radios.   

    Folks need to think about reliability versus cost. 

[JohnyMac]

All fair comments Jackalope. 

Not to mention what ever bug China choses to download into your radio when you do a firm ware update. 

[JohnyMac]

I am following the directions to change the bandwidth (BW) on my new G90. I follow the instructions by...

Momentary press FUNC, light comes on and push either the CMP/F-L (adjust lower-end of the BW) or the NB/F-H (adjust the high-end of the BW), then use the Main Knob to adjust the BW. EXECEPT, when I do that the frequency changes as I turn the Main Knob NOT the BW. You are supposed to use the Main Knob to change the BW.

I have followed the directions in the op's manual, gone on YT, and used a G90 cheat sheet. No matter what I do, Func > CMP / F-L or NB/F-H > turn the Main Knob, the frequency changes and not the Bandwidth.

1) What am I doing wrong?
2) How do I fix?

Frustrated in the redoubt.