Earlier this week, I mentioned that I purchased a Xiegu G106 in September. Its delivery was delayed because I had it shipped to my local post office, which, as you likely know, was flooded during Hurricane Helene.

With all the post-Helene chaos, I haven’t been able to do as much POTA as I’d like, so the G106 sat unopened in its box—until Wednesday, November 20, 2024, when I finally had a chance to take it out for its maiden activation at Lake James State Park (US-2739)!

Why the Xiegu G106?

Last year, Radioddity sent me a G106 on loan, and I wrote an in-depth review after taking it on several activations. That review was lengthy because radios like the G106—designed as price leaders—often have compromises that may not suit everyone. It’s essential to judge such radios based on their goals, not by comparing them to premium models like the Icom IC-705.

For the G106, the question I aimed to answer was: “Does this radio accomplish what it sets out to do?”

I believe its mission is to offer affordable field radio fun—capable of completing park or summit activations without excessive struggle, providing performance commensurate with its price point.

I decided to purchase the G106 because I had returned my loaner unit over a year ago, but questions about it kept coming from readers. Instead of requesting another loaner, I opted to buy one.

To my surprise, the pricing had dropped significantly. Here’s my order confirmation:

Interestingly, as I mentioned earlier this week, Amazon (at time of posting) has a Black Friday deal for the G106 (without accessories) $199 shipped for Prime members [QRPer affiliate link].

I’d have chosen that over the bundle I ordered had it been available at the time.

Unboxing to Activation

A common question from readers has been, “Would the Xiegu G106 work as a dedicated field radio for POTA activations?”

Most of these inquiries came from newcomers to ham radio, so I decided to test the radio in the field by setting it up from scratch—straight out of the box. This included attaching connectors to the power cord, configuring the radio, setting up the antenna, and hopping on the air.

I started the activation using SSB (voice) and later switched to CW (Morse Code) to give a full “out-of-the-box” experience.

The resulting activation video (below) is lengthy but was incredibly fun to film!

Gear:

Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio

• Xiegu G106 via Radioddity (Save 5% off purchase amount when you shop with our affiliate link) and via Amazon.com

Antenna & Cable Assembly

• MW0SAW homebrew end-fed half-wave
• ABR Industries 25’ RG-316 cable assembly with three in-line ferrites (Use Coupon Code ABR10QRPER for 10% Discount!)
  

Throw Line

• Weaver arborist throw line/weight and storage bag

Pack

• NEMO Resolve 25L Backpack

Logging Supplies

• KOH-I-NOOR 5219 2mm Lead Holder Pencil
• Rite In The Rain Top Spiral Notebook

Key and Cable

• Key cable: Cable Matters 2-Pack Gold-Plated Retractable Aux Cable – 2.5 Feet
  
• K6ARK designed “Pico” paddle (thanks for building, Jonathan)

Battery and Power Distribution

• Bioenno 3 Ah LiFePo Battery (Model BLF-1203AB)

Camera/Audio Gear

• DJI OSMO 4 action camera with Joby Telepod Sport Tripod
• DJI Wireless Microphones

Misc

• Leatherman Signal Multitool

On The Air

This activation was nothing short of amazing.

I began in SSB mode, using only the default mic settings. Despite operating at just 5 watts, I logged 21 hunters in 17 minutes—woo-hoo! While most signal reports were low, no one mentioned issues with my audio. I suspect results will improve once I fine-tune the mic gain settings.

Switching to CW, I was met with a deep, relentless pileup. While operating, I noticed some sluggish AGC action on strong signals, which occasionally clipped the first call letter. Additionally, CW keyer timing felt slightly off at times. These quirks aren’t deal-breakers but could likely be addressed with a firmware update.

In total, I logged 21 CW contacts in 20 minutes, bringing my activation total to 42 contacts!

QSO Map

Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map. Green lines represent CW contacts, and red lines indicate SSB contacts. Click to enlarge:

Activation Video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation.  As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have monetization turned off on YouTube, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.

Note that Patreon supporters can watch and even download this video 100% ad-free through Vimeo on my Patreon page:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Post-Activation Thoughts

I summarize my thoughts in the video, but here’s the gist:

At $200, the G106 offers impressive value.

While it does have quirks—such as sluggish AGC and occasional keyer timing issues—these are understandable at this price point. I’ll reach out to Xiegu to suggest addressing these issues in a firmware update. Whether they act on it remains uncertain, but it’s always worth asking.

Would it work as a dedicated, budget-friendly POTA or SOTA radio? Absolutely.

Before buying, I recommend reading my full review. But for $200, there’s not much to complain about. It offers more bands, modes, and out-of-the-box fun than anything else in its price range—though keep an eye on the QRP Labs QMX, which promises SSB support in the future.

If you own a G106, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Thank you

Thank you for joining me during this unboxing-to-activation experience!

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me! Have an amazing weekend!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)