Xiegu X6100 HF-6 Meter Ham Radio Review Part 2 | The Bad & The Ugly

[@woodbass1]

Have had the x6100 for 4 weeks . Have had no probs with FT8 on my Mac.Had phone contacts ..works great. CW bandwidth changeability is a weak point. I would have liked a icom 705, but out of my budget. For me the X6100 is a nice portable radio .

[@SheepdogPreparedness]

Ham radios are like guns and cigars. There's something for every budget. For those of us who can't afford the FN pistol or the overpriced Icom 705, this radio is a gem. I absolutely love mine. The fact that it runs linux and is highly configurable makes me love it even more. I've worked FT8 to Canada and Australia with 5 watts. The screen is beautiful. Totally happy with mine.

[@RoelandJansen]

the 705 is a different beast. Calling it overpriced makes me wonder why. Don't come with lack of a tuner. With 5 or 10W you want a resonant antenna, not tune whatever is into heat. I have both and the 705 is a _very_ different beast. Comparing them is not even something you would do. No contest there. And yes, I like the X6100 (also becasue it's a playground/device that is going to beinvestigated to do other things)

[@vu3mes]

100 percent TRUE. I have the G90 and absolutely love it for it's portability and specs. There's no perfect rig hi.

[@n2rj]

A properly calibrated S-meter theoretically should have about S6 with no signal input. The same happens in a Flex 6000 series radio, and of course hams will complain... but that's just reality. Some other manufacturers zero the S meter to keep hams quiet. lol. But that is not to IARU spec (-73dBM at S9, with 6dB per S-unit).

[@benwilliams36]

This is interesting and I’d love to understand this more. Why does a properly calibrated S meter show S6??

[@n2rj]

@@benwilliams36 IARU's standard for S meters is -73dBm at S9 and 6dB per S unit. There is a minimum background noise level and it is about S6.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Great review, Mike! I can confirm that with the latest firmware, there are less birdies and the power output is spot-on. In fact, I've discovered that it's even reasonably accurate in the 0.1-0.9W range. I suspect they've tweaked keying as well. I've never had an issue and have taken it on 4 or 5 activations (?) but keyer timing seems to be very similar to that of the X5105. That might be why I have an easier time with it--the X5105 muscle memory kicks in. I do find that Xiegu keyer timing is a wee bit different than other manufacturers. Like you, I wished the X6100 would have been a home-run. It's not. At present, it's a very mixed bag and the receiver overload (in my view) is the biggest con. I bought one mainly to see how the updates might pan out over time. Plus, it's worked for me in the field and has been pretty fun to use. I seriously doubt they can fix the overloading, though. That's a hardware thing. Of course, a homebrew BCI filter will sort that out, but it's an extra accessory you shouldn't need with this little rig. Again great points! 72, Thomas

[@davidbrowne1588]

Hi Thomas Has the output power definitely been corrected on 40m,and 6m .and the bad FM tx audio if you go above 5-6w on 6m as I tested ,2 of these but sent back as there was a lot of birdies, it is good that most of them are now gone, I have the G90 , but do like this radio, so I will be getting another one soon as it is all better Thanks Dave 2E0DMB

[@HamTechRadioScannerDrones]

The latest firmware was very good just needs a slight tweek to the CW , BPSK Decode screen as it stays blank.-m0fxb

[@VE7QH]

I'd be interested in an update video because there have been a couple firmware updates since this came out. But I did notice a keying problem on my friends 6100. A couple weeks ago when I used it. He runs FT8 really successfully

[@eddy2561]

I appreciate your honest review Mike and there are plenty of other alternatives out there......73

[@phildurall7466]

Candid review Mike! I also concur with K4SWL with regards to the latest firmware. My biggest angst with this rig is the horrible battery life. I had the Wifi connected (which provides zero benefit at this point), and the battery died after being fully charged in receive only after 1 hour. 73, KF6IF

[@W0BNC]

I'm not sure why Xiegu even bothered to put a battery in this radio. A 2S 8.4v Li-Ion is pretty much useless for this purpose. The 5Ah Ring doorbell batteries are about 3mm too big to fit, otherwise I'd replace the 2 larger cells they used with the 3 smaller Ring batteries and at least have a 12.6v 5Ah battery that would be useful.

[@BetaBucky312]

I will say the knob on the X6100 is adjustable. That was the first thing I noticed with it. After a little digging I found that while not straight forward you can adjust it by lifting the outer rubber ring off. There is a hex screw that you can access. You can lift the inner knob up or down and lock into place. If you google it there are a few videos that pop up.

[@RobBob555]

Most if not all of the issues in this video have been fixed by firmware updates, think you jeed to revisit this Rado 🤷

[@hene193]

Icom 705 is 1500 euros and doesn't even have antenna tuner. It might be better but is it extra 900 euros better? Lab599 might have been an option but now the future of the company is so uncertain that I wouldn't want to spend 1000 euros on it. Finding good portable HF radio seems to be really difficult. If money was not a problem then maybe old PRC-138 could be an option.

[@snowdiddley4634]

I love my G-90 and my YL just got me a G1M for my birthday QRP at a third of the price and I’m very happy with it. Love the older Xiegu stuff, the new stuff seems to miss the boat a bit. Thx Mike 73

[@hamradiotube]

I couldn't agree more. I reviewed the G1M and though it was a very basic bare bones radio, it did what it needed to do. I didn't experience any issues with it in the month or so I had it.

[@TimRedman]

Don't let this scare you away from Radioddity. If you're looking for a first QRP radio, the X5105 is still a damned fine machine.

[@hamradiotube]

Very true. This isn't made by Radioddity either. They just sell them. And yes, I love my X5105 and G90's.

[@W9HJBill]

Exactly. I have a G90, two weather stations, and a pair of DMR radios from Radioddity. While they don't actually make any of them, they are a good reseller and their support is very good.

[@Blake-jl8lh]

id argue that the x5105 is better tailored to a field radio, it lacks some bells and whistles but it has what it needs and not much more. I don't have a experimental evidence for this but id imagine that the x5105 has a better battery life as its running less of an operating system and the different screen. I like it better than even the ic 705 for the same reasons, theres just less going on and you aren't paying for features that aren't that useful (imo) in a field radio.

[@TimRedman]

@@Blake-jl8lh As a X5105 user, I don't have any other QRP rigs to compare it to, but all the same, I'm still very happy with it. The only downside is that the on board battery takes FOREVER to charge. Since I almost always run off of external battery, it's never much of an issue. But it would be nice to be able to remove the internal battery, if for no other reason than to drop a bit of weight.

[@demizer1968]

They just need to put that screen on the G90 and it would "fix" the problem. I love my G90, but the screen is hard to use without a magnifying glass.

[@JosephAnthonyJosefius]

You're not nit picking at all concerning the VFO and CW tuning. wow, thanks man. 73 de AI5DD Also, with the tuning and the 50Khz wide spurious emission is troubling, I would imaging sending CW would be causing a lot of QRM, omg I'm at the part now where you're sending, that is terrible noise. I could definitely tell if someone is using a X6100 with all the splatter. It's definitely the Baofeng of the HF world.

[@chriscoel]

I had the opportunity to get a second radio.. it was likely to get this I ended up finding a 5105 bundle for 450 shipped.. sure I’m half power but glad I saved the cash and went 5105 after seeing the birdies especially!

[@artaficionado6429]

Mike, I love your videos. Could you please revisit this radio with current firmware updates ? Also, I have a Mac PowerBook but own a $250 Windoze notebook for FT-8 fieldwork. So it’s no big loss if it falls in the campfire. 73

[@hamradiotube]

Sure. I just need someone to send me one. This was on loan from Radioddity.

[@timlewis2068]

There is a tension adjustment - you have to pull off the rubber ring on the VFO knob to get at it.

[@techguy9023]

I keep hearing stories that make me think this isn’t ready for prime time. QC issues with surface mount jacks that pull off the board, overheating etc.

[@rich-kc3tbc286]

I wish I had seen this video before I purchased the x6100; it would have saved me a lot of time and trouble. The radio I got (with V1.1.5 firmware) had multiple birdies on all bands, including the armies charging and running away. Although, I did not need worry about local AM broadcast stations overloading the receiver, the radio itself was doing a fine job at that. So the radio is packed up and on its way back to Radioddity. Question: is the G90 any good or should I stay away from Xiegu? Thanks RL

[@hamradiotube]

The g90 is great. I have and would recommend it.

[@RicSpivey]

Definitely inconsistent with menu and option navigation, not a huge fan of the legs, dunno why you'd want RF gain all the way up lol, I keep mine at 50. I keep my qsk hang time at half a second, because I don't want to do actual break-in (you seemed to be killing that keying by the way!) For digital I have a win10 tablet I put Ubuntu on, had to use the right rig settings, but it works. The red on Blue is terrible! The toads on discord have an update that changes the text to white.(obviously it's hackable, which is a HUGE plus for me, as time progresses, people can make changes and not just wait on the company to do it) It's definitely not perfect, but I wanted a qrp rig that would do better than ~5 watts, cheaper than the 705, and a built in tuner!!! I plan to get a xpa125b for ssb, and use this solely for cw with a small battery pack. Add a USB keyboard and you can directly type cw, rtty, and psk messages without a computer, I've made a few rtty contacts that way. Certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm digging how it's the first radio that's not a kit that can be modified software-wise like it can. But thanks Mike for your write-up!

[@ronwolenski-n8wcr]

This is a good review. For someone that just wants a radio, you are spot on. Everyone else is tinkering with the radio, but for someone who just wants a radio, your review shows why they shouldn't get this one. I won't get it. or care to get it.

[@BikingHikingRadio]

Appreciate the review you did, although I knew how your feelings about the GSOC and gave you low expectations of the x6100. I've taken it on a dozen activations, 90% on CW and did not experience the CW issue you had. I wish you'd have shown us what firmware version you were on when reviewing it though. I will agree with you on one point though, the red and blue background was a poor choice for my old eyes. I personally still think the radio is a great buy for the price point. 73 Mike.

[@andrewbrafferty]

I have to agree with Scott's assessment. I bought mine planning to use it only on CW. Took it on it's first outing earlier this week and thought it did fine. Newest firmware and zero keying issues. Yes the birdie issues are still there with no antenna connected, but they've been improved and seem to be a non-issue to me while operating with an antenna. Reported front end overload is slightly concerning, but to me the biggest potential issue is heat. This puppy got HOT HOT HOT after a few hours of calling CQ at 10 Watts in 40 degree conditions. I'm afraid of what summertime temperatures will mean for it. Despite the issues, I appreciate the radio for what it is and hope that it shows decent durability over time.

[@hamradiotube]

I did show the firmware version. Might have been on the other video. It's not the new new one but the previous one. I updated it when I got the radio. It's just not the radio for me. Regardless of price. If this radio were given to me for free I still wouldn't like it.

[@BikingHikingRadio]

@@hamradiotube no it's definitely not for everyone. Thanks for sharing your honest opinion of the radio. One thing you did not touch on, which I'm still waiting for is BT to actually work. I use a BT headset with my IC 705 and would really like it to work on the x6100. 73.

[@gravestonemyth]

I just received mine yesterday. It's already back in the box for return to Radioddity. What a horrible radio! I live in a metro area and the broadcast-band interference this morning made it unusable. I could not even hear legitimate signals. I flipped the antenna to the KX3 and boom, I had S5 copy. I encountered this early on with a G90, but RF gain and attenuation did the job and I use it nearly every day in my car. The X6100 was slated to replace the G90, but no dice. I hoped the noise reduction would make a huge difference, but it muddies the CW pretty badly. I did make a few contacts last night, but two stations with S7-S9 received signals could barely hear me. I'm accustomed to working anyone I can hear. If you think this rig will come anywhere close to a KX2 or KX3, think again. It's a huge disappointment. I had high hopes. Incidentally, it had the February 2022 firmware, if that matters.

[@hamradiotube]

Wow. Yeah it's not a good radio. Some guys are loving it but not everyone has high standards I guess... I've not had any issues with my G90, and even in the early days, the g90 never had issues like this one does. The firmware updates haven't really been to "fix" so much as to enhance the G90. I don't think anyone is expecting KXx or 705 results out of this radio, but that's the market it's targeting. They better up their game if they expect to last. Of course, there are the people who will buy it solely based on price.

[@stevenhershman2660]

I subscribed after this Review. I see to many reviewers who get free merchandise and give glowing reports on some "so So" merchandise. I feel that I can get a honest review here. Keep up the excellent work !

[@hamradiotube]

Thanks Steve. Keep in mind, I do get free stuff from time to time and review them too. I know it prob doesn't mean much to just say this but I assure you, every review I give is honest. If I get something that is really junk, I simply won't review it. Or sometimes I'll point out its many flaws, such as in this video. Thanks for being here. 73

[@K1STG-Fred]

Thanks for the review. I think I am going to look for a used X5105 or FT-817. A FT-817 would give me 2M SSB.

[@antonisxenos1053]

First review I saw with a very critical view. Thanks. What about the auto ATU?

[@Andrew-dg7qm]

That’s a bummer because I’m a tech and settled on the G90 (over the G1m & x5105…or x6100) for when I get my general. But I’m itching to get on 6m and this is one of the only radios I can find with these frequencies

[@bassist230]

Thank you for this, it's the review video I've been looking for on this radio.

[@hamradiotube]

Glad I could help

[@wolfwizard406]

Do you have a link to that cow keyer Mike?..kinda nifty

[@hamradiotube]

I do not. But yes it is.

[@W9HJBill]

Finally a review of this "not ready for prime time" radio that is from the perspective of a user and not a Linux hacker. Maybe it will be eventually fixed, but then again, it might be just another GSOC. Another dumb thing is their color choice ... not only red on blue (you never do a primary color on a primary color), but green on blue. The reason ... most hams are men. What is the most common form of color blindness? Blue/Green.

[@hamradiotube]

Hey I applaud everything TO and the crew are doing but a hacker I am not. I'm not holding my breath for this one.

[@W9HJBill]

@@hamradiotube Oh, I'm not casting any shade on the hackers out there, I used to do that all the time, but on some things, I just want to pick it up and use it, and have it work as advertised.

[@nicks4489]

Hi Mike. Would you buy a G90? I was considering either a G90 or one of these. Or an FT991A but i'd have to hold off a while for that.

[@hamradiotube]

I have a g90 and love it. I would recommend it to anyone. An 891 is also a great choice.

[@MisterEmoto]

I don't want to call you wrong, but my x6100 does not have the noise/birdie issue or the self discharge issue you've got. Perhaps you've got a bad sample? Otherwise I agree with everything else mike. keep up the great videos.

[@hamradiotube]

I think you are in the minority. Who knows, maybe one pased QC and was sent out actually being good lol! Everyone else I talk to says the same thing about these issues. Maybe I'm just more vocal about it?

[@MisterEmoto]

@@hamradiotube I agree. I have heard your issues from multiple people. It's kind of sad because it's got a lot of potential if they would have just paid attention more. Maybe it'll be fixed someday or maybe they'll abandon it who knows. I already own it so I guess I'll hope for the best lol.

[@1MillionMileRoadTrip]

Rookie question, can you transmit on. 2 meter and 440?

[@MrZas2485]

No you cannot

[@Frank_K4FMH]

As a Xiegu engineer told me via WhatsApp re: the GSOC…well, at least we are willing to work on it! That’s your corporate mentality.

[@hamradiotube]

Wow. Just wow.

[@SwissAdventureRider]

Same problem as with the LAB599 its (from my understanding) the bending over of the alias spectrum.

[@davidbrowne1588]

Hi Mike Great video, I did buy this radio but sent it back because of the birdie's and the out put power, I now see the firmware update has helped with some of the birdie's but power is still the same, And on 6m above about 6w tx audio on FM is very distorted, If they fix this I will buy it again, Thanks Dave

[@joeblow8593]

Thanks, I appreciate the review. I've seen all the videos that Steve, Sean and others did on the X6100 and it looks like you found a few new issues. I was initially interested in this radio when it was first announced but after I saw all the issues everyone was having with it I decided against it. For now, it's a work in progress at best and not ready for prime time. Lastly, no should have to hack their radio in hopes of getting it to work as advertised.

[@dannystephenson4957]

What is spurs?

[@RobBob555]

Tottenham Hotspur, it's a football team in England 😂

[@erikpohl6450]

Vhen you watt to fst .000, you have to stand in cw mode, not usb mode showed in video, so this is no problem. KISS.

[@aaronakiyama]

Well you just cured me of wanting one!

[@alvarogaitan2529]

hey micke first good reason I see your videos is honesty is first 73

[@G7VFY]

All radios have birdies. But 20 year old FT817 or 817nd is still serviceable and the manufacturer offers a Service/repair/technical manual to anyone who wants one. Xiegu? Nothing. I am sure SOMEONE must have attached it to spectrum analyser, sometime. The x5105 is a more 'perfected' refined radio, especially the software. Stephen G7VFY

[@mikemiles3068]

You have done a great job on your review of the X6100👍 You found so many of the same idiosyncrasies that I found, I was hoping that it was going to do what it was advertised to do but sadly that was not the case.

[@k2wo1]

Thanks for the excellent hands-on review Mike. Very well done. I'm glad I didn't jump on the bandwagon for this rig when it first came out. I'm going to avoid it like Covid 19. Best 73, George K2WO

[@hamradiotube]

Glad I could help!

[@cecilmadden]

Is the noise related to power supply?

[@hamradiotube]

Nope.

[@willian.direction6740]

Was Who on 1 I forgot. Great review Mike good work.

[@hamradiotube]

I think so.

[@steveschilling9573]

What firmware level are you at?

[@hamradiotube]

I don't know, I show it in the video. It's not the new new one, but the second latest one.

[@MentalWhiplash]

Looking at the cw noise....yes, it is an HF Baofeng

[@ChrisN8PEM]

When life gives you a lemon, can't always make lemonade...

[@hamradiotube]

No and that sucks cuz I love lemonade.

[@ReedAB8AS]

well maybe a 5105. thanks Mike for the review

[@craigvk2paw17]

Glad I’ve never used my GSOC , also a lot of problems like what I had on my RS 918

[@hamradiotube]

Interesting. I have an RS-918 and have no issues with it.

[@craigvk2paw17]

Also I copied how you have your radio mounted in your car to mount my HF in my Ute , thanks for the idea

[@haramanggapuja]

Well, firmware fixes or no, I am still shy about the X6100. All the scuttlebutt on the various lists and discussion groups, reviews of many other folks' experience and exasperation with the radio and my previous experience with Xiegu (starting with the X1M) lead me to not buy into the hype. And don't even get me started on spurs. Please. I have taken to using a cheapo Chinese uSDX clone instead of the X5105 for QRP out-of-the-house operations. . . . I appreciate your review and definitely am on your side about waiting to see what Xiegu does to fix all this. As with the X5105 and definitely with the G90, where the fixes started to show up after the noise floor of complaints became too loud for the Maoist capitalists, I suspect it will be some time before Xiegu fixes the X6100 to the point of it being a good radio. Not a work-around-able radio. A good, solid performer radio. That or they'll go the GSOC route and abandon it so everyone can be a beta tester. (Me personally, I've given up on Xiegu.) . . . Thanks for the dead on review. Stay safe and sane. 73 de W8IJN By the way: The cat's got the best act ;-)

[@k2gk664]

Holy Crap Mike, Boy did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. A lot of what you brought us today is trivial. If you actually paid for this radio I might understand your subversive rhetoric. I have the X5105 and it was annoying to wait and wait for all the updates to the firmware, now even you love the radio. Same thing with the G90. I and everyone else had to wait and wait for the final firmware. Now, other than the itty bitty screen and the unreadable small print of the screens it is a darn good $400 radio. The X6100 is now in the 5th or 6th firmware and I enjoy playing with it. For $600 it is well worth the ride. Take care and take a calming chill pill before you push the record button. Love and hugs, sorry I missed you at Hamcation. Gary k2gk

[@hamradiotube]

I don’t need to pay for a radio to have feelings about it. Those have nothing in common. They lent me a radio to review. These are my findings.

[@k2gk664]

@@hamradiotube Hopefully the next reviewer will update to the newest firmware while maybe smok'en a dooby. Personally I am put off when someone yells at the top of their lungs from a high peak that he hopes all radio enthusiasts should hear...."Hey dumb ass, you threw $600 dollars out when buying this POS" and while that wasn't your exact words, that is how it came across. And come-on man, the 53mhz 6mtr chunck you found the bad ass birdies is not the most used by QRP pota, sota and outdoor lovers like on "Ham Radio Outdoors" a great special interest group on FB.

[@hamradiotube]

@@k2gk664 clearly we have different expectations and that’s ok.

[@tangle70]

Thanks for the review. I am sure it will save people some pain.

[@hamradiotube]

I hope so!

[@briantalley8415]

That was quite a litany of what-the-heck-were-they-thinking! Nice delivery - I needed the laughs. :) Xiegu would be wise to release their software as open source. We're really paying for the hardware, not the software. I guarantee bugs would be fixed and features added really quickly.

[@FreemanWithrow]

Your showing problems that have been resolved with firmware updates

[@hamradiotube]

Not really. It's not on the new new firmware, it's on the one before. I updated it when I got it. It still sucks.

[@petrok1rp254]

Excellent vid ! Many thanks. I hope you saved lot of money to lot of your subs…😉

[@Mottersmotters]

Hello yeah I agree with you all the way it's a pile of turd. The best thing is to box it up and send it to my house so I can recycle ♻ it properly. I am saving up for one of these. What a pile of crap. Send it to me and I will throw it in the trash. Promise Motters M7TRS 🇬🇧 73

[@diggadave4213]

Well i just fell into the trap and bought the X6100 and i can tell you that the problems are still there even after all this time,( 1/6/23 ) the bands are still full of birdies and the squelch for NFM still doesn't work even with the 1.1.6 firmware updates, had it for 2 days and sent it back....wish i had found your video earlier. Disappointed

[@MarvinParnell]

Man compared to others I think you might have gotten a messed up review unit lol those kick stands for one are supposed to have detent balls that hold them in place. I wonder if someone else has had that radio before and may have taken it apart. Been thinking about this radio and watched a ton of reviews and while there are some real issues they don't seem to have had near the problems your having. 73's

[@hamradiotube]

No, they are all like that. This is a demo unit that is going around us KZbinrs but others who have purchased it have said the same thing. I think I'm just more vocal about my expectations instead of just accepting it for what it is and hoping things will be fixed with software updates. Trust me. I talk to just about every ham radio KZbinr almost daily. This radio sucks.

[@MarvinParnell]

@@hamradiotube well that’s unfortunate. Appreciate the open honesty for sure. I guess I’ll be scratching that radio off the list and just keep saving for the 705. What a shame. 73’s and thanks for the great videos.

[@99corncob]

I was a software engineer and software development manager for over 30 years. This radio is not a product. It is just an interesting project at this stage. It is embarrassing that anyone would offer this for sale to the public and I would demand my money back if I had one. Xiegu may eventually come through with a firmware patch that actually delivers the features that it advertises, or they may not. If you give them money for this thing, good luck. I'll look at it again in a year and see if they made it work.

[@hillbilly4christ638]

Yup, I ordered a 5105 and promptly returned it. It is as if you are not allowed to question the trash that they bring to market. Bought an icom and am thoroughly pleased with it. They got their nerve polluting the ham community with such nonsense.

[@svtrilogywestsail3278]

you need a bci

[@PaulaBean]

It's a chines radio, it's meant to be tweaked.

[@DonzLockz]

It should not have been released. I think they forgot to do r&d on it. :/

[@caulktel]

Cool looking radio but not ready for prime time😩.

[@AliReza-zx8km]

❤️❤️❤️

[@jeffreypetchharrison4363]

total rubbish glad i got a nice used 857d for 350 bux looks almost new boxed,i would use that rig as a door stop .. jeff ..

[@philm7bvv42]

I must say it works well on windows it must be a Mac thing hi hi

[@hamradiotube]

Yeah, my Mac didn't want to catch whatever AIDS this radio has.

[@vkradio1656]

WTF? They have really dropped the ball, not for me!

[@HamTechRadioScannerDrones]

Unfair review not current firmware please add back my deleted comment.

[@hamradiotube]

Excuse me?? Unfair review?? I was sent a radio. I updated the firmware to the current one when I had it and this is the result. Who do you think you are to tell me what’s unfair?

[@HamTechRadioScannerDrones]

@@hamradiotube I added a detailed reply to your video why did you delete it ?? I am a person who watched your video then gave my opinion who do you think you're doing a biased review on a radio with older firmware then deleting honest comments !Try adding the current firmware then count the pros and cons you will see that the Pro list is very long and the cons is short .

[@hamradiotube]

@@HamTechRadioScannerDrones I didn't delete anything.

[@HamTechRadioScannerDrones]

@@hamradiotube Its in this Video- kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIrRf2CFj7igg5o&ab_channel=DIGITALHAMRADIODIARY-M0FXB

[@francescosorrentino1360]

Thank to you ... I save 680€ ;-) 73 iw9hfs

[@btsc1]

Paid advertisement by Icom 🤣

[@hamradiotube]

Lol I wish.

[@pauls8456]

The radio is now in 2024 better than this review…..

[@raydeeoh08]

It’s not pronounced “zaigoo”. It is pronounced “she-yay-goo”. If you’re going to review a product, at least learn how to pronounce it’s name… Also, “running RF Gain always at 100%” is, to say the least, dumb.

[@hamradiotube]

All we hear is Radio Gaga. Radio googoo. Radio Gaga. Radio what’s new? Radio, someone still loves you.

[@raydeeoh08]

@@hamradiotube At least you’ve good taste in music…

[@bwilder2324]

Sorry, - but after my experience with the X6100, I'm pretty sure the correct pronunciation is "she-yit-goo". My first X6100 had a totally non functional internal microphone, and lasted exactly 2 days before encountering the legendary Xiegu "HCF" [Halt-and-Catch-Fire] bug, which causes the X6100 to LOCK UP in a keyed state, refuse to respond to any key, and get so hot you will think it's going to burst into flames. I finally got it to power down by laying it on a table (to hot to hold) and hard pressing the power switch for about 30 seconds. To this day, I'm not sure if that long-press on the power switch actually forced a power down like a PC, or if the X6100 has some emergency internal temperature shutdown which finally kicked in - but I can say this... After getting it to finally power down, it refused to boot back up - powering up only to a blinking cursor - which is apparently ANOTHER classic X6100 failure mode known as the "Xiegu X6100 BSOD [Black Screen Of Death]". I was able to recover from the BSOD state by totally re-flashing the firmware on my X6100, but then there were other lingering issues - like the fact that the battery monitor/charge circuitry seemed to have lost it's mind, and started reporting random battery voltages [another classic X6100 issue]. Ironically, this was soooooo bad that I decided to give the X6100 another chance - based on the dubious theory that this first X6100 MUST just be a LEMON - because NOTHING could be that bad and be marketed as a finished product. Turns out that I was wrong, because EVERY ONE of the above problems has been reported by numerous others here on KZbin. So it would seem that, so far as the X6100 goes, it CAN be that bad. ... but there are numerous others using this radio on a daily basis, so I thought I would give it another chance - and I am happy to report that my SECOND X6100 is a bit better. For example, [at least so far] my SECOND X6100 hasn't experienced a meltdown with the nasty Halt and Catch Fire bug like my first one did... or a repeat of the dreaded BSOD [Black Screen Of Death] bug... and the internal microphone kind of works (kind of), at least in the USB/LSB SSB modes, because [unlike my first X6100], my SECOND X6100's internal mic HARDWARE is working - unfortunately, I can't say the same about Xiegu's half-baked firmware, because the internal mike is STILL TOTALLY DEAD IN AM AND FM MODES (only works in SSB). ... and speaking of *not speaking* - even with the latest firmware, you can FORGET about trying to pair and use a Bluetooth Mic [something I do routinely with my IC-705 and find really, really useful ]. ... and contrary to what has been claimed - NO - the firmware update does NOT "fix the birdies".

[@raydeeoh08]

Well, can’t speak for your problems with the radio and firmware but I’ve had mine now for 2 months and it’s running great. There is no Bluetooth audio (yet) but other Bluetooth devices connect and work well. Same with wifi. So, is it an IC-705? No, but it’s not meant to be and doesn’t pretend to be. And one doesn’t pay what a ‘705 costs. Want a ‘705, buy one and be happy.