Xiegu G106 SDR HF Transceiver, 5W QRP Radio, SSB CW AM WFM, Support FT8

This radio is fantastic for what it is. Keep in mind it is a budget QRP radio. It has the standard functions one would need for POTA activations and does FT8 well. The unit has a good build quality and has a low power draw which makes it ideal for extended battery use. The speaker is ok and using a deflector helps greatly. The small form factor makes it ideal for a field pack and quick activation. Remember, this is a budget unit. Don't compare it to its larger offerings.

I've been keeping an eye on this little radio for a while. Reviews vary from terrible to not too bad at all. One thing I noticed was that many early reviewers that gave it a bad rating had earlier firmware versions. This radio that I received came with the current firmware (1.3) and it works just fine. I do wish it had a way of measuring SWR though. You will need an external meter or ATU to do so. Maybe a future firmware will address this if it's possible. For portable use one shouldn't have to carry a SWR meter with them too.I don't like that the headphone jack is in the microphone, which by the way isn't all that great. Some have suggested drilling a hole in the face of the mic to improve the audio. I'm not drilling holes in my microphone! The few voice contacts I have made on SSB said it sounded fine but wasn't very loud. I did turn up the mic gain via the menu and it helped a little. There doesn't seem to be any other microphones compatible with this radio. Hopefully a third party comes up with one because I doubt that Xiegu will.You're going to need the DE-19 if you want to connect the G106 to your PC and use digital modes. Setup with the DE-19 and my PC was a bit cumbersome. WSJTX to the rescue. Just make sure to choose Xiegu G90 (G106 isn't an option for some reason) and it will work just fine. You might need the driver too, which is on Radioddity's website. I didn't need this driver with Windows 11. I just plugged everything in and ran WSJTX and it worked.I purchased this radio for $199 on Prime Day and later got the DE-19. You can't get any other radio for under $300 that can do what this combination can do, and do it so well. It's a nice starter radio and great for QRP and in a POTA/SOTA setup. Don't expect good filtering (except for on CW) or an AGC that you can adjust (it claims to have an automatic one), or a lot of features. It's a $250 radio after all. For that price it works way better than expected. The receive preamp was an unexpected surprise and it works pretty well too.Why wasn't a fuse holder included? I get that it's a cheap radio but fuse holders are only a few cents if purchased in bulk. Don't run this radio without a fuse. Fortunately I have several holders. A 3.5 amp fuse will be enough.It's a chunky little guy. Heavy for its small size. Feels durable. I wouldn't want to drop it on my foot.

A decent QRP rig at a good price but full of quirks. The headphone jack in the microphone is just plain ridiculous and the tiny little power jack seems to be poorly thought out. But signal reports on CW were good and the CW filters are very effective.My main reason for returning it wasn't the product itself but the lack of good documentation and especially the lack of support on the web.Tip - at least twice recently, Amazon has dropped the price to about $200, so keep an eye out for sales.And despite many people stating otherwise is DOES have an S-Meter!!!

This radio is wonderful! I have used it for ft8 and made contacts all over the U.S. and Europe! That’s at 5 watts! I am using a vertical 40’ wire, an UNUN balun and atu.

This radio is comfortable, and fun, to use. There's a lot Xiegu got right in this little rig. And some things they got wrong.* Minimal (1 level) menu diving! SDX users will appreciate.* No 1/8" headphone jack* The sound is adequate, but could be much better, even for speaker size* No prestored sequences for the CW keyer (compare with (tru)SDX)* No custom containerization for transport* No SWR metering (compare with (tru)SDX)* Nice big grounding terminal with thumb nutThe radio does have a minimal spectrum display in three formats but the display itself is monochrome. It does function as a general coverage receiver, and so far I haven't found many birdies: the ones I have found were not serious. I am sure I've missed some, though.This radio is great for POTA/SOTA and will function as a base-station too. Hooks up to G90 accessories.Note: I have not tried this rig with digital modes, nor have I opened it up, so I can't comment on the internals.Top Story, Again: This radio has a great feel, and if you've used a lot of different multiband multimode rigs, you will appreciate the feel of this rig even though it's bare-bones in terms of features. Some of this may change in future software updates, some may not.73, even on 160 meters with this rig !

I never lost the CW bug (pun intended) since my first ham radio license 63 years ago. Now, at 75 years old, my wife and I live in a rental that is not amenable to setting up a ham shack. So, I decided to take it on the road. Several days each week I pack up my 5 watt Xiegu G106 transceiver, my keyer, a small 12 volt battery and my Shark 10 meter Hamstick and drive 15 minutes to the site of a former airport in a little town called Bethany, Connecticut (elevation 700 feet+). I sit in the passenger seat of my car with the TINY G106 in my lap using its terrific built-in automatic keyer to bang out CW QRP on 10 meters to my heart's content. My first three three contacts with this set-up were England, Colorado and Spain. No complaints here!This is one tiny but very impressive rig for CW. Can't say anything about the other bands and modes that the rig supports but you definitely need to give this guy a try!

I got my G106 about 10 days ago and made a few SSB skip contacts on 10m right out the box . everything seems to be in order and I have no complaints. I do wish it has a 3.5mm audio out in the case instead of the mic. you need a stereo to mono 3.5 mm pigtail to get sound out of both earphones