Xiegu

Who this page is for

Operators who want a wide-range internal ATU (G90), a USB-C portable SDR (X6100), or a budget QRP box (G106). Firmware and dealer manuals vary by revision (Xiegu / Radioddity / others). Confirm on your radio. We do not host dealer PDFs.

Field vs shack in this family

Xiegu also ships other SKUs (X5105, G90S variants, X6200-class). They are not written up until they show up in parks enough to earn a subsection. Comment if that is you.

Power, battery, Anderson, USB, CAT, GPS, Bluetooth

• Anderson Powerpole on the 13.8 V lead. G90 at 20 W is still a current budget; thin leads and a tired pack cause the voltage display to fall over on SSB.
• Heat: G90 10–15 W in hot weather or long FT8/CW keys to avoid thermal foldback. Watch the voltage readout; keep the supply above ~11.5 V. 4S LiFePO4 stop still ~12.0 V as a habit — ethics.
• USB-C (X6100): CAT and audio on the DEV port. In loggers, try Xiegu X6100 first; some stacks still speak to it as Icom IC-7000 emulation. (Not “emulsion.”)
• G90 CAT: 8-pin mini-DIN / dealer cable. AC Log: try Xiegu, then IC-7000 emulation, then type band in Polo.
• GPS / Bluetooth: not the reason you bought a G90. X6100 has more portable-computer features; still do not bet the log on wireless CAT.
• G106: no ATU, 5 W. Resonant EFHW or you are buying a tuner anyway — at which point look at the G90.

First radio to buy in this family

G90. The ATU is the product. G90 + random wire is the “I have a tuner” answer. G90 + 4WAVE is the parking-lot answer.

Buy an X6100 if you want a waterfall and one USB-C cable to a phone or laptop and you will stay near 10 W. Buy a G106 only if the budget is the constraint and you already have a resonant antenna.

G90 (20 W SDR, built-in wide-range ATU)

• Internal ATU is useful into high SWR (Xiegu claims on the order of 10:1 — still respect the antenna and feed).
• Long-press TUNE = tune cycle. Short-press TUNE = ATU in/out once matched.
• Do not mash tune into a dead short or a 3-foot dummy “random” wire and call it an antenna.

Manual: current revision from your dealer (Radioddity and others). Start at the manufacturer/dealer support page for your hardware revision.

X6100 (10 W portable SDR)

• One USB-C DEV cable for CAT and audio when the drivers behave.
• Internal ATU is a helper, not a 9:1 random-wire miracle worker on every length. Same rule as the IC-705: resonant antenna or a real tuner.
• Internal battery is for the sitting, not a weekend without a plan. Carry Powerpoles anyway.

G106 (5 W budget QRP)

• No internal ATU. This is an EFHW / resonant-dipole radio, or it is a radio plus a QRP tuner you also have to pack.
• Fine for learning CW and SSB at a park. Slow FT8 is possible with a sound interface; the G90/X6100 path is less fiddly.
• If you outgrow it in a season, that is expected — sell it and move to the G90.

Cabling to Digirig / USB codec / WSJT-X

digirig.net — Xiegu G90 cable is not the X6100 USB-C cable.

WSJT-X still needs time sync. Split the WSJT ADIF from Polo and merge in ADIF Doctor. How: WSJT-X.

Habits / gotchas / checklist (Xiegu)

• G90: long-press TUNE = cycle; short-press = in/out. Back off to 10–15 W in heat or long FT8. Digirig on ACC, not a 705 USB cable.
• X6100: DEV USB-C for CAT+audio. Logger model Xiegu X6100 first, then IC-7000 emulation. Internal ATU is a helper.
• G106: no ATU. Resonant wire or you bought the wrong radio for a random.
• Voltage display falling on SSB = thin leads or a tired pack. Powerpoles anyway.
• Firmware forks exist. Dealer PDF for this revision.

Official manuals

Dealer/OEM support for your G90 / X6100 / G106 revision. Firmware forks exist. We will not host the PDFs.

• Xiegu / Radioddity product pages (search current seller)
• Community wikis exist — treat them as hints, not gospel

Still missing a model?

X5105, X6200, and G90S-only quirks are not a full subsection yet. Comment on this page with revision and what you actually pack (ATU, battery, Digirig SKU).