G106

If you don't have a HF transceiver and are looking to get into digital modes I think the G106 is a good and inexpensive way to start. I've read online that a lot of people have struggled to get the G106 to work in digital mode. That was my experience also until I finally figured out all the necessary settings. On 40 meters at night I am now able to receive and decode stations all over Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, and PSK reporter shows my transmissions are being received there as well. This with a 5 watt QRP transmitter! It's amazing. I bought the G106 and DE19 from Amazon a year and a half ago. I bought them solely to use with FT8 and especially JS8Call. Even though I bought them a year and a half ago, I only just got around to putting up an antenna. I really struggled to get FT8 and JS8 working. I tried Linux, Mac and Windows 10 and just could not get CAT control to work getting all kinds of Hamlib errors. Then I updated the G106 firmware from 1.3 to 1.4. After I did that, FT8 and JS8 magically started working in Windows 10 using the Icom 7100 as the rig. I don’t know for sure if it was the updating of firmware or maybe I just finally got lucky and got all the WSJT-X software settings plus Windows 10 audio settings correct. It was working beautifully. Then all of a sudden the transmitter stopped working. I was still able to receive fine, but zero transmit power was coming out. I had let WSPR run all night and it was the next morning that the transmitter suddenly quit. I thought I had burned up a component inside, maybe having exceeded the transmit duty cycle. I took the G106 apart and visually inspected the circuit boards but there was zero sign of any damage. As a result of the tear-down, it was very obvious the high build-quality of this transceiver. I was not expecting that high of quality from something so inexpensive. This was not the sub-par, crude Chinese stuff I’ve seen in the past. This was easily equal to high quality Japanese equipment. Very surprising. Finding nothing obviously wrong I was quite disappointed. Out of desperation I contacted Radioddity customer service not really expecting much but to my surprise I got a very personal response the next day from what sounded like someone from their engineering staff with a bunch of possible reasons for the problem and a bunch of suggestions and instructions on what to try next. I had given them the purchase date which was over a year ago, nevertheless he even asked me to send him my Amazon order number so he could check if it might still be covered under warranty. As a result of his help, I found the problem. It ended up being an incorrect audio setting in Windows 10! There was absolutely nothing wrong with the radio at all. I have no idea how the setting got changed but I am VERY happy it’s now working perfectly again. However, after taking the G106 apart and seeing the quality, and before I received the help from Radioddity, thinking the G106 was irreparable, I ordered a G90. I only originally bought the G106 to get me by until I could find a good deal on a used Yaseu or Icom but now I don’t see the point. I'm convinced Xiegu is a great product at a good price and Radioddity obviously stands behind it and offers outstanding customer service, so that’s all I can ask for. I can’t wait to get the G90, but in the mean time, I’ll be on 40 meters every night with my little G106 having a blast with FT8 and JS8Call.

A compact SDR transceiver that works well. Been reading and watching videos on the G106 and G90. I couldn't make up my mind so I bought both! Takes care of that... The 106 is compact, well built and just works. Not a load of bells and whistles but works well for CW and QRP SSB. Was on 40m earlier with a fella with both the 106 and 90 - how about that! Been wanting to downsize and these Xiegu units are fitting for what I was looking for. Ran both on a 40m dipole and for the 106 matched it with the Z-Tuner for other bands. Both exceed my expectations. My only wish on the 106 is the jack for headset/earbuds is on the mic., should have a dedicated jack on the unit. Weird! Winter is coming so both units will get a bit of airtime. Makes a nice unit for POTA/SOTA, or backyard patio table - recliner works for me... 73 or 72 for QRP/QRPp Add (11/16/2025): Been using this mostly CW (Putikeeg magnetic straight key) and have also received good reports on SSB QRP. In addition to using the Z-Match tuner I also added the ATU-100 tuner (with internal battery). When using the ATU-100, I set the G106 right on top of it also (the ATU-100 is larger/longer than the G-106. Match this up with the JPC-12 antenna and you have a portable kit that's easy to deploy which will make a nice POTA kit etc. On the mic I added an adapter to the headphone/earbud jack and I keep this piece plugged in all the time so if plugging something into it, it makes it much easier. Sometimes I plug in a APTx LL Bluetooth unit and use Bluetooth LL neck band earbuds - this works well for me, frees up having another cord. So, providing an update, I have had no issues with the G106 (or G90) so far. This little unit has been working well. Seems well built and never a glitch so far. Very happy with this QRP unit at the price point.

I've had the radio 3 weeks and am very pleased. Solidly made rig with very easy short menu selections. Receiving good audio reports on SSB even with marginal antennas. DE-19 expansion box needed for CAT control and digital audio. Runs FT8 very well (IC-7000 setup at 19,200 baud). Pros- small, well built, easy to operate, output a solid 8 watts with little SWR fold-back. Cons-poor supplied power plug lead, DE-19 driver installs ok in Win 11, but not Win 7 (thus far); DE-19 soundcard too loud; no DSP for receive (but then QRP rigs generally don't have DSP). For the price - an 'A' 73 W1WAB Update-- The digital connections are made via the DE-19 unit that is purchased separately from the radio. The DE-19 is powered and connects to your PC -- and comes with a CAT cable that connects between the "CIV" port on the DE-19 and the COM port on the back of the radio. The DE-19 also has a ACC cable for audio that connects to the radio ACC port. The setup is just like an ICOM 7100. In fact the DE-19 will expect to have the IC-7100 selected in the control software (I use HRD). The setup works great (FT8, PSK). But note-- there is no volume control on the Radio menu and the rig mic input is 'hot'. There is a hardware update available for the radio to provide a volume control, but I have instead fiddled with the Windows control to get the process to work. I like this little QRP rig. 73 GL Bill W1WAB

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.

The amazing thing about this radio is that it just works great! I have made many SSB and FT8 contacts with it and it just amazes me every time I turn it on how much fun I have QRP. Paired with the DE-19, it is simply plug-n-play for FT8. At less than $250, it is of great value. Compared to the G90, it is my opinion that the G106 is much quieter with less noise.

Made my first SSB contacts with this radio. The one negative is the receiving/loudness on this radio. I'd recommend trying an external speaker.

For a basic QRP HF tranciever this is a great value. If it had RIT it'd be darn near perfect. I'm very happy with mine.

The G-106, as an inexpensive little radio, is well-built and functions as you would expect it to, at least initially, given the price. I bought mine a little over a year ago, used it about 10 times and had good luck with FT8. Unfortunately, the PTT inexplicably ceased to function recently. I contacted Radioddity about the problem and got what is essentially a runaround. They suggested I test two resistors to determine if that might be the issue. They did refund $10 for the cost of a new microphone, but, if you can find a replacement mic, they cost much more than that, of course. It was suggested, after about 5-6 email exchanges, that I contact another company to see about a repair, but that has begun to result in something equivalent to a "black hole." I have another similar radio from a well-known company that developed a power output problem a while back. That company instantly offered repair even though the rig was out of warranty. Within 10 days the xcvr was returned and completely repaired. So, my warning is: you'll probably, like me, have little success in getting technical assistance if you have problems with this radio. Given that it was only operated a few hours, despite the fact that it is now technically out of warranty, means in my mind that the company should have been more responsive. Buyer beware.

Goede tranceiver voor weinig

Funziona benissimo, leggero e compatto ottimo per stazioni QRP. Funziona con alimentazione da 12 a 16.5V, la potenza RF varia tra 5 e 10W: a 16V eroga intorno a 8W su antenna risonante in 20m. Funzioni base. Audio poco performante, meglio in cuffia o con un altoparlante amplificato aggiuntivo, es. potresti inventarti di collegare una di quelle piccole casse bluetooth con ingresso jack. La presa cuffie è disponibile solo a bordo del piccolo microfono palmare. Ha presa dati, presa CAT e presa controllo eventuale amplificatore RF aggiuntivo. Se abbinato ad apposita scheda Xiegu DE 19 diventa stazione digitale (FT8, FT4 ecc.) controllato via USB da PC, laptop o tablet.

Très honnêtement petit TX assez bluffant !! (déjà par sa dimension de poche en le déballant !!) quelques essais au mois d'aout, très concluant avec des reports de 5/5 à 5/8 et quelques QSO avec des stations : LY / EW / CN / I / E78/ F/ sur 40 M/20 M/17 M , avec bien sur la propagation HF du moment, et une antenne filaire en L inversé (marconi) de 40 m (10 m de haut) ayant la chance d'avoir de l'espace (accordé avec un petit tuner 100 pro +) pour ajuster l'accord au mieux, en annonçant aux om mes conditions de trafic ! ceux ci restant assez surpris ! pour du matériel chinois ! le SDR faisant vraiment le Job ! cela me changeant de mon TX (marque japonaise la plus célèbre) de 5 à 100 watts ! bien sur il n'y a pas le DSP pour filtrer le qrm , mais bon...(le micro servant de hp en RX , avec un son correct et pas trop mal au niveau du réglage du microphone avec ma modulation !) Donc pour l'instant Top ! et que du bonheur ! compact , pour du qrp en vacances et portable : ground plane ,filaire , dipôle...), très sympa, tout cela bien sur en fonction de votre antenne ! (et la propagation !) si vous voulez vous équipez à moindre frais, et vous faire plaisir allez y !! Cordiales 73'. Stéphane

Estupendo equipo. Básico, pero desempeño muy bueno. Es imprescindible actualizar a la última versión.

Funktioniert tadellos.Macht was es soll.Sparsam im Verbrauch. WSPR Haupteinsatzgebiet. Eine zusätzliche Filterung für usb-digital,usb normal, wäre wünschenswert.