Xiegu G90 20 Watt Portable SDR quick review

Love it or hate it, the Xiegu G90 software-defined radio may just have a place in your portable radio go-bag

Here’s a quick 10+ minute first look at the Xiegu G90, a portable software-defined radio (SDR) that operates on the HF bands. The Xiegu G90 is priced from around $470 to $500, which comes with programming/interface cable and separation cable (for operating with the controller head and radio body separately).

I plan to write a more comprehensive review soon. What I like about this radio is its low power draw during standby, at around 500 mA, with an additional 50–100 mA when the fan attachment is in use — perfect for use in portable operations.

I think the logic of the UI is quite intuitive. The radio is not without its faults, such as harsh audio and high operating temperatures without the fan attachment. It’s also not a shack-in-a-box, as it does not support VHF nor UHF (nor even 6 meter) operation.

At this price point, though, I think it would make for a good go bag / go box radio. I am reviewing this particular radio in the next few weeks. I shall share more observations as I do some field/portable ops.

Here’s a demonstration of the CW reader, by the way:

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