Xiegu G90 HF Radio Transceiver 20W SSB/CW/AM/FM SDR Structure with Built-in Auto Antenna Tuner

I hear a lot of people debating whether or not this would be a good first HF radio. There are too many variables to give a straight yes or no but here's my take. Pro: It has a ton of high-end features for a radio in this price range. Con: Those features come with a learning curve. Since this is an SDR radio, many of the settings are through multi-function buttons. It can take some getting used to. For my most common use buttons, I printed out some labels with my label maker and stuck them to the top for when I want to bounce between phone and digital. Pro: Small and lightweight. Great for backpacking, POTA, etc. Con: A radio this size can only fit so many watts. This is a 20 watt radio. A beginner might get frustrated not being able to make contacts without a decent antenna in the air. I have a tri-band inverted V dipole at 25' and I worked Indonesia this morning on 40m. That's over 9000 miles away. If you're willing to tackle the learning curve and do some homework so you understand the purpose of the various functions, (AGC, Attenuator, Preamp, various operating modes, etc), and you're willing to put up a decent antenna at a decent height, you can't go wrong. The tuner in this radio is amazing. It can tune anything you can attach it to, however, don't let that be an excuse to not have a quality, resonant antenna. On 10, 15, 20 and 40m, I keep the tuner disabled because a 40m over a 20m fan dipole is resonant on quite a few bands with SWR as low as 1.1 and only 1.6-1.7 on the high end. When possible, resonant is ALWAYS better. Lastly, a full 100W radio with all of these functions would cost you a minimum of $1000 for a decent used radio. I'm giving it 5 stars because I can't find any faults. The features work, and there are many of them at this price point. The waterfall is indispensable for finding signals. My IC-718 doesn't have a waterfall and I have to manually tune up and down the band to find activity. I don't think I'd ever be without a waterfall again.

The Xiegu g90 boasts a rather retro-modern, barebones appeal with a few very notable functions. The g90 has a small screen; puts out 20w full power; is highly menu-driven; and has been shown to have some manufacturing inconsistencies. Despite these 'shortcomings', the Xiegu g90 shines as the perfect POTA and beach rig. Typically speaking, my traveling set up was cumbersome and included a manual antenna tuner. Now, with the g90, it's the radio, small LifePo 12v 8a battery (size of a box or crayons); and an antenna (or 2). The antenna tuner has been said to have the ability to tune: a wet noodle, a folding chair, a screen door, the gutters on your house, (etc.. this list isn't exhaustive!). Very funny, but I can attest to the truth in the jokes. The g90 seems to tune just about any wire I throw at it. It likes a BalUn/UnUn but doesn't need it in most cases- without one the tune is about 3-5 seconds longer. Pretty amazing. Along with the tuner there is an onboard antenna analyzer. This combination is what gives this hf rig far more value than other rigs on the market. Highly responsive/selective VFO, easy data connectivity on both tablet and laptop, incredibly clear and loud sound, filters are awesome and firmware keeps getting better. With 20w, you can make it around the world. With the solar cycle peak, 10m is global all day and soon to be all night. SSB can be tough in some cases, especially if you are attempting to break a pileup. CW, FT8, RTTY, and just about any digital mode you can throw at it work amazingly. The option to upgrade to a 100w amplifier is an option, albeit a rather expensive one (a bit more than the cost of the radio itself). The number one question about this radio is, "Should this be my first HF rig?". My answer is mostly 'no'. If this were my first rig I would have likely gotten frustrated. When the ink was still drying on my General ticket, I was not equipped for anything other than SSB. CW, FT8, and other modes were just terms in my exam prep book. 20w is plenty in the CORRECT circumstances but not in most. If you are coming into the HF game with some fluency in digital modes/CW then this might be the perfect rig. Otherwise, grab an IC-7300 and really learn everything inside of the range of 1-100w. Once you master the 7300, the g90 will make far more sense and its purpose a bit more clear. Turning your 7300 down to 20w will also give you a pretty good idea of what the g90 can do at full power. Now onto a rather important detail that I eluded to earlier on- the manufacturing inconsistencies. It isn't my assumption or based on reading Reddit rumors- the first radio that I was sent had a few glaring issues. First thing I noticed was the antenna tuner sounded 'clunky' and it was taking much longer than what I had been watching in review videos. In this case I wasn't tuning a 'wet noodle' but a near fully band-resonant antenna. The tuner was also sending out an ~8w carrier signal when the spec sheet from Radioddity says ~2-4w. The second issue was that there was a loud popping noise at every turn of a dial. We all know what it sounds like when a rig changes bands or goes in and out of Tx frequencies. These are relay clicks and normal sounds. What I was getting was an audible speaker pop- VFO, volume knob, filter buttons- all caused a pop. Thirdly, the radio had severe swings in Tx power and after many attempts to adjust mic gain, output power, data lines, I decided it was time to go back as I was closely approaching Amazon's 30 days at 28days in. The fourth and final issue I didn't even realize was an issue until I got my replacement unit- the handheld microphone didn't light up green; the new one does as soon as the rig powers on. A word to the wise: Amazon's new return policy on expensive items can be a big deterrent- this may be my last $200+ purchase on Amazon. After packaging and returning my original (defective) unit and bringing it to UPS, I began to track my return. I reached out to customer support for an ETA on the refund so that I could repurchase the item. I was told that I would have to wait 30 days for my refund. I hand't heard of this but upon further research, it checks out. In the past I can personally attest to this not being the case, so I am not entirely sure of what happened between my last big purchase and now, but something has. My refund luckily did arrive before the full 30 days. However, if you are looking to drop off your new defective "whatever" at UPS and go home to reorder a new one, you might be rather disappointed in the lack of instant gratification. In my case, Radioddity was running a 10% off sale and I was nervous I would have to eat the extra $45.00 on round 2. Luckily, I was able to make it in before the sale ended. If perhaps you are looking at a new TV, for example, it may be wise to use Walmart or another big box retailer. In those cases, if there is an issue, you have the physical returns counter (even for online purchases) with an instant refund. Despite my defective unit. Despite some of the obvious shortcomings of a 20w rig. Despite Amazon holding cash hostage for a month. I fully endorse this radio as an addition to your shack. Grab an apache case from Harbor Freight, a small LifePo battery and a speaker wire dipole and you are on the air just about anywhere.

I absolutely love this little rig. While it wasn't my first venture into the realm of compact Chinese transceivers, it has quickly become my favorite. My previous experience with the Radioddity QR20 was a disappointment on every level, but this rig excels in multiple areas. It's loud, powerful enough for its size, well-built, versatile, and boasts a large user community, making it easy to find answers regarding usage or repairs. I've customized mine by housing it in a 50mm ammo can, creating a super loud, portable, and stylish "ham in a can." I've used it with the DigiRig and corresponding cables to operate nearly every digital mode out there, from FT8 and SSTV to Winlink and VaraC. This rig is perfect for travel, and even when powered by a 10Ah LiFePO4 battery, I can operate 20-watt SSB all day. If you're new to ham radio and looking to dip your toes in, this is an excellent and budget-friendly option. For those interested in learning Morse code, this rig offers a mode where you can generate a tone without transmitting, making it a great practice tool. I use mine with either my 110’ doublet or a CHA EMCOMM IIIB end-fed antenna, both yielding fantastic results. I've received excellent feedback on my audio from DX stations. With this little rig, I've worked the world on SSB, from Baton Rouge to Barcelona - proving that 20 watts is plenty when paired with a quality antenna. My favorite way to use it is in backyard portable setups, enjoying an old-fashioned cocktail while engaging in trivia on 80m. I truly love this little radio.

Very nice transceiver and very inexpensive for what it can do. A lot of complexity and a good learning curve to understand its many functions. Though I also bought a cooling fan made for it; found it defective for its supposed to have variable fan speed depending on G 90s case temperature. It just doesn't work properly.

Great radio. I'll run digital modes on 18 watts, and also have the cooling stand purchased from Radioddity. Using the stand, I have never had a problem with overheating, even while running ditigal modes for a few hours at a time. If you don't have the cooler, I recommend angling the two handles on the front downward as to create an air space for heat dissipation. It can be a little challenging to operate, so be sure to look for guides online to help you get set up. Occasionally the software can be a little buggy when using it with a computer, but restarting the computer and radio has solved the issues. I'm on a budget, and this is my primary HF radio. I use it portable, pota, and even as a shortwave listening radio. The built in tuner does an excellent job at making just about any antenna function with it to some degree. Overall I don't have many complaints. It's a great size for portability, has good features, and priced well.

This has a 20W transmitter. That's a lot less limiting than you might think. I've made good contacts over 4000 miles away, with an omnidirectional antenna. You'll hear that the antenna tuner is the G90 is great. It really is. The praise for this is not exaggerated. It will get you 1:1 SWR on antennas that my old school tuner couldn't tune at all. Sure the 1:1 might be over a narrow range if the antenna is poorly suited, but if that's the range you're using it really doesn't matter. Even better is the SWR graph when you have an adjustable antenna. First turn off the tuner (press TUNE if there's an antenna icon on the top row). Then put the G90 into SWR mode (hold down PWR button) and it will show you the SWR over your current band. Next adjust your antenna while watching the graph. Once it's reached a minimum SWR for your band, exit back to the main interface, then hold down TUNE to let the tuner calculate a new match. Then enjoy a clear and easy transmission! A well tuned antenna with a 20W transmitter is better than a poorly tuned one with 100W behind it. The G90's low xmit power also means it will run all day on a small battery. It's light, portable, and outperforms my heavy 100W rig almost every time.

I love the G-90, it does not have quite the flash of many radios twice the price but is amazing! It is built like a tank for starters the user interface is simple and rugged, the screen is small but amazingly crisp and beautiful with all the important information you need! Al the primary controls are right there to adjust while on the air! The antenna tuner is the beast I have ever seen and I own two tuners that cost almost as much as this radio, and lets not forget the analyzer, it does what my RIg expert does and that was almost three hundred dollars. The audio is very loud you will probably never have it full and the sound quality is fantastic! To put it into perspective I ordered the X6100 because of my experience with the G90, the X 6100 broke literally the day I received it see my review on it! My fist day with the G90 I heard a Boeing 737 at 28,000 feet over the baha straights California, I am in north Alabama! I quickly rushed outside and through a resonant 20 meter vertical antenna up connected the G90 on a battery tuned to the 10 meter band and on the third attempt made contact, my first aero-nautical mobile contact! This little radio got it done on twenty watts! It may not have the form factor of an IC-705 or X6100 but it's small enough, tough enough and capable enough to be a base station radio or field radio! I am glad I bought this radio first because it is a diamond in the rough, it can do what my Yaesu FT-891 can't and that's tune a fence!

After receiving the unit I decided to do a lot of listening. The purpose of this was twofold, to give the unit a chance to burn in and give me a chance to become familiar with the controls. Turns out this was a good idea. I would highly recommend that you look at a lot of YouTube videos as they will make you aware of almost hidden features. After approximately a week of receiver burn in, not detecting any defects, I decided to try and make some contacts on 20 m. Well after a couple of times of keying up the mic I noticed that the receiver started making an audible pop about every 100 to 200 kg when tuning. Admittedly the antenna was not resonant on the frequency however I did use the auto tuner to achieve some degree of matching. Now here is the real reason I sent this unit back. After the pop in the receiver generated a noticeable surge in the waterfall. After that I noticed what appeared to be a signal just outside of my tuning range. When I attempted to tune to the appearance signal it maintained its position just outside of my turning range. Yes I thought how odd it's changing frequency with me. It was some type of a phantom internally induced signal. I never could tune to it. It would on occasion go away when I tuned to a stronger signal such as a beacon. However if the signal I tune to was not strong enough it would remain. I decided I don't want to Chase internally generated Phantom signals across 20 meters Spectrum so I sent it back. I was very disappointed I kind of like the little radio. But that told me all I needed to know about the build. Not recommended

Magnifico equipo de radioaficionados Funciona de maravilla Lo recomiendo ampliamente

After the first time on-air with the Xeigu G90, I can say this transceiver is a winner — and a Keeper. Loaded with features, efficient, easy to use and compact. I mated this transceiver with the new Super AntennaMP1DXG SuperStick Portable HF Antenna. Multi-band 40m - 10m. My entire package: transceiver, battery, antenna, and cables, including backpack, weighed in at under 20lbs As a bonus, Amazon shipping and delivery was excellent - as usual.

Excellent SDR transceiver - global coverage with a hidden all band antenna on SSB, CW and digital modes.

Great unit. Amazon give a 1 year warranty. But I'm unsure how you get it repaired in Australia after the warranty expires. The antenna tuner has lots of relays and I'm think one of those would probably go first as the unit ages. I hardly use knob on the bottom left. It should be programmable to be mic gain/line in gain but I've not seen any option to do this. The audio line in/out shares the connector to the power amp they sell. So if you connect a power amplifier you need a separate break out adapter to access line in out for digital. They sell the adaptor but it's another bit of equipment you need to purchase and mess about with. I use a digirig and digirig cables with it and that works well.

I bought this for portable use. I had a wee backpack that I am setting up with everything necessary.