New XIEGU G106 QRP transceiver.

Update August 2022: Before I ramble on, as Ham Radio Dude (HRD) points out in his video below, XIEGU has not released this radio to the market.

For some reason I guessed that the first cut of the XIEGU G106 would be trashy. According to HRD who ran through the features and functions this new QRP rig needs a lot of help.

Listening to the receiver reminded me of the X5105 I bought and quickly sold. The X5105 receiver had that constant, tiring background noise and provided no noise reduction.

HRD found that AM mode does not work on any frequency.

For FT8 the DE19 adapter is required. The factory box he received includes radio, mic, manual and power cord. HRD claims the mic is an MFJ look alike and the PTT makes and annoying clicking noise.

The power cable is not fused and is not double shielded. The feet on the radio do not provide any gripping capability and there is no stand or bail. The manual says the frequency coverage is from 3.8 to 29.7 MHz but the radio does transmit starting at 3.5 MHz. The radio does not transmit on 160 meters.

There is no SWR indicator or squelch control. No noise reduction or noise blanker. HRD said that his G106 went stupid after using it for 30 minutes during a park activation. You can hear the sound it made near the end of his video.

After waiting a period of time the radio started working again. HRD recorded the sound of CW transmit, it is nothing short of horrific. Listen to the end of his video to judge for yourself.

No programming cable is included for future firmware updates.

As HRD summarizes the G106, by the time you buy the radio, external tuner and accessories, a better bet would be to pick up a used G90. 72 es 73 de @ke2yk

K8MRD gives his SCATHING review of the XIEGU G106 in his video!

Original Post in June 2022: Preliminary information about the new XIEGU G106 is out. The G106 is a 5 watt QRP transceiver. After reading over the specs I get the feeling that the G106 may be geared a bit more toward CW since the specs mention 3 CW filter levels only (SSB filter(s) may have been an oversight).

I think the rounded edges on the case give it more of a modern look. A this point the functionality of some connectors and buttons remain unknown.

It will be interesting to watch video reviews of the G106 some time after it’s out for awhile. Tom K4SWL’s field report on QRPer.com will provide the information I’ll be looking for.

According to the XIEGU.EU site, the G106 is 379 Euros or about $400 dollars and will be released at the end of July 2022.

The G106 includes:

  • A general coverage receiver 0.55-30 MHz
  • Modes are SSB/CW/AM in the 80 to 10 meter bands
  • WARC bands included
  • Wide FM broadcast from 88-108 MHz
  • SDR architecture with 16bit sampling
  • Digital CW filter with three bandwidths for weak signals
  • Work the digital modes with the DE-19 / PD digital adapter

RX frequency range:         0.55~30MHz           88~108MHz (WFM)

TX frequency range:         

  • 3.5 to 3.9MHz, 10.1 to 10.15MHz, 18.068 to 18.168MHz, 24.89 to 24.99MHz,
  • 7.0 to 7.2MHz, 14.0 to 14.35MHz, 21.0 to 21.45MHz, 28.0 to 29.7MHz

RX Sensitivity:

  • CW: 0.25uV @10dB S/N
  • SSB: 0.5uV @10dB S/N
  • AM: 10uV @10dB S/N

Additional Specs:

  • Frequency stability:           ±1.5ppm within 30min after power on
  • Transmitting power:         ≥5W @13.8V DC
  • Transmitting spurious suppression:      ≥50dB
  • Audio output power:        0.3W
  • Operating voltage:             9~15V DC
  • Standby current:    0.37A @Max
  • Transmitting current:        2.8A @Max
  • Dimensions:             120*40*135 (mm)
  • Weight:         About 720g or ~ 1.5 lbs

 In The Box:

  • G106 radio unit
  • 12 Volt DC power cord
  • English manual
  • XIEGU Service Card
  • Full list of accessories (will be updated in the future)
  • (no mention of hand mic but probably just an oversight)

Has anyone found updated information about this radio?