Josh (KI6NAZ) over at Ham Radio Crash Course has (in what must have been a momentary lapse in judgement) invited me back on his Saturday Night Live Stream to talk packs, bags, and radios.
Of course, this being one of my favorite topics, I’m looking forward to it. That and Josh is a great host.
The live stream starts at 5:00PM PST/8:00PM EST on Saturday, February 18, 2023.
Josh (KI6NAZ), with Ham Radio Crash Course, has invited me to join him in a livestream tomorrow, February 26, 2022 at 20:00 EST/17:00 PST (01:00 UTC Feb 27, 2022).
We’ll be talking Morse Code, QRP, Field Radio and who knows what else! I’m looking forward to it.
If you’re interested in the new Xiegu X6100 QRP transceiver, I’d strongly encourage you to check out Josh’s latest view on the Ham Radio Crash Course YouTube channel:
Click here to view on the HRCC YouTube Channel.
I’m very pleased to see that Xiegu has addressed some of the issues found in their pre-production model. Most encourgaing!
I look forward to checking out the X6100 soon and putting it through the paces in the field. Although I say this with some apprehension, the X6100 does look promising.
I know that Scott (KN3A) will have his X6100 soon and also will share his thoughts and field experience. [Update] Scott comments with some unfortunate news:
“Sadly, I received mine on Monday morning, and I had to return it to HRO last evening. Intermittent problems with transmit/receive on all bands except 40 meters. Did a couple of videos to document the issues before returning it last night. Hopefully it was just a fluke and there will be a replacement. There are a lot of things I liked about the radio in the short time I used it on Monday. It certainly does have potential.“]
Stay tuned!
Josh (KI6NAZ), over at the excellent Ham Radio Crash Course YouTube channel, has just published a video demonstrating a pre-production Xiegu X6100.
If you’ve been interested in the X6100, I highly recommend checking it out.
Josh compares the X6100 with the X5105 in terms of size and functionality, and even makes a QSO with it. For CW ops, he also demoes the relay clicking sound (spoiler alert: it uses relays instead of PIN Diode switching).
His particular unit is really a pre-production unit–it sounds like the first production run (that many early adopters should soon be receiving) will have upgraded software and even hardware.
Josh (rightfully so) holds out on making a recommendation until he’s able to test the first production run unit–the same version early adopters will receive–which is being sent to him soon.
Check out his video below:
Click here to view on YouTube.
I’ve gotten so many questions about the X6100 from readers and YouTube subscribers. Fear not! I will get a chance to check out the X6100 in the near future. In fact, Josh is sending me the Radioddity loaner unit he’ll be testing. I’m not sure how long I’ll get to hold onto it, but I’ll give it a thorough workout.
In addition, I know Scott (KN3A) has purchased one of the first production run units and will give us his impressions–since he owns the IC-705 and has owned the X5105 in the past, he should have some valuable insight. Stay tuned!
If you’re considering purchasing the X6100, you might check out Radioddity’s upcoming Black Friday sale. They have a sign-up form on the X6100 product page. I have no inside information, but I must assume the X6100 will either be discounted or come with extra goodies (or both?).
Do you already have an X6100 on order? Curious if it looks like the X6100 is on track to meet your expectations after watching Josh’s demo.
Many thanks to Don (W7SSB) who shares the following video produced by Josh at Ham Radio Crash Course.
In this video, Josh tours the Chameleon Antenna manufacturing facility and gives viewers a close-up view of how their gear is built.
If you’re not familiar, Chameleon Antenna is a specialist antenna manufacturer that makes military-grade, field portable antennas that are low-profile and stealthy. Chameleon products are 100% made in the USA and their customers range from amateur radio operators to the armed forces.
I’m also honored that Chameleon Antennas sponsors QRPer because they love promoting field radio operating. They’ve sent me a number of their antennas to give a thorough evaluation in the field and I’ve been very pleased with their ease of deployment and overall quality.
To be clear, their antennas are not cheap, but they are a prime example when we talk about “you pay for what you get.” In all of my years of evaluating radio products, I’ve never seen better quality field antennas–they’re absolutely top-shelf.
You’ll see in this video how focused the company on producing quality products.
Thanks again, Don, for the tip!