Earlier this week, I discussed that I bought a Xiegu G106 in September. Its supply was delayed as a result of I had it shipped to my native publish workplace, which, as you possible know, was flooded throughout Hurricane Helene.
With all of the post-Helene chaos, I haven’t been in a position to do as a lot POTA as I’d like, so the G106 sat unopened in its field—till Wednesday, November 20, 2024, after I lastly had an opportunity to take it out for its maiden activation at Lake James State Park (US-2739)!
Final yr, Radioddity despatched me a G106 on mortgage, and I wrote an in-depth evaluation after taking it on a number of activations. That evaluation was prolonged as a result of radios just like the G106—designed as worth leaders—usually have compromises that won’t swimsuit everybody. It’s important to guage such radios primarily based on their objectives, not by evaluating them to premium fashions just like the Icom IC-705.
For the G106, the query I aimed to reply was: “Does this radio accomplish what it units out to do?”
I consider its mission is to supply reasonably priced area radio enjoyable—able to finishing park or summit activations with out extreme wrestle, offering efficiency commensurate with its worth level.
I made a decision to buy the G106 as a result of I had returned my loaner unit over a yr in the past, however questions on it saved coming from readers. As an alternative of requesting one other loaner, I opted to purchase one.
To my shock, the pricing had dropped considerably. Right here’s my order affirmation:
Apparently, as I discussed earlier this week, Amazon (at time of posting) has a Black Friday deal for the G106 (with out equipment) $199 shipped for Prime members [QRPer affiliate link].
I’d have chosen that over the bundle I ordered had it been obtainable on the time.
A standard query from readers has been, “Would the Xiegu G106 work as a devoted area radio for POTA activations?”
Most of those inquiries got here from newcomers to ham radio, so I made a decision to check the radio within the area by setting it up from scratch—straight out of the field. This included attaching connectors to the facility wire, configuring the radio, organising the antenna, and hopping on the air.
I began the activation utilizing SSB (voice) and later switched to CW (Morse Code) to offer a full “out-of-the-box” expertise.
The ensuing activation video (beneath) is prolonged however was extremely enjoyable to movie!
Word: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity hyperlinks are affiliate hyperlinks that help QRPer.com for gratis to you.
Radio
Antenna & Cable Meeting
Throw Line
Pack
Logging Provides
Key and Cable
Battery and Energy Distribution
Digicam/Audio Gear
Misc
This activation was nothing in need of wonderful.
I started in SSB mode, utilizing solely the default mic settings. Regardless of working at simply 5 watts, I logged 21 hunters in 17 minutes—woo-hoo! Whereas most sign experiences have been low, nobody talked about points with my audio. I think outcomes will enhance as soon as I fine-tune the mic achieve settings.
Switching to CW, I used to be met with a deep, relentless pileup. Whereas working, I seen some sluggish AGC motion on robust alerts, which sometimes clipped the primary name letter. Moreover, CW keyer timing felt barely off at instances. These quirks aren’t deal-breakers however may possible be addressed with a firmware replace.
In complete, I logged 21 CW contacts in 20 minutes, bringing my activation complete to 42 contacts!
Right here’s what this five-watt activation regarded like when plotted out on a QSO Map. Inexperienced traces symbolize CW contacts, and crimson traces point out SSB contacts. Click on to enlarge:
Right here’s my real-time, real-life video of the whole activation. As with all of my movies, I don’t edit out any elements of the on-air activation time. As well as, I’ve monetization turned off on YouTube, though that doesn’t cease them from inserting advertisements earlier than and after my movies.
Word that Patreon supporters can watch and even obtain this video 100% ad-free by means of Vimeo on my Patreon web page:
Click on right here to view on YouTube.
I summarize my ideas within the video, however right here’s the gist:
At $200, the G106 gives spectacular worth.
Whereas it does have quirks—resembling sluggish AGC and occasional keyer timing points—these are comprehensible at this worth level. I’ll attain out to Xiegu to recommend addressing these points in a firmware replace. Whether or not they act on it stays unsure, however it’s all the time value asking.
Wouldn’t it work as a devoted, budget-friendly POTA or SOTA radio? Completely.
Earlier than shopping for, I like to recommend studying my full evaluation. However for $200, there’s not a lot to complain about. It gives extra bands, modes, and out-of-the-box enjoyable than the rest in its worth vary—although keep watch over the QRP Labs QMX, which guarantees SSB help sooner or later.
Should you personal a G106, I’d love to listen to your ideas within the feedback!
Thanks for becoming a member of me throughout this unboxing-to-activation expertise!
I hope you loved it as a lot as I did!
In fact, I’d additionally prefer to ship a particular due to these of you who’ve been supporting the positioning and channel by means of Patreon, and the Espresso Fund. Whereas not a requirement, as my content material will all the time be free, I actually admire the help.
As I discussed earlier than, the Patreon platform related to Vimeo makes it potential for me to share movies that aren’t solely 100% ad-free but in addition downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account additionally serves as a 3rd backup for my video information.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me! Have a tremendous weekend!
Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)
