XieguX6100 HF Radio Transceiver, 10W Full Mode SDR Radio Supports BT with 4" LCD Screen

I have been a ham for a long while and I wanted to build a portable HF rig that I could take with me when camping, hiking and other outdoor activities. I looked at a lot of options and I decided to try the Xiegu X6100. Lots of reviews for this radio on YT, some good, some not so good. Bottom line is it is a SDR radio running on Linux. That says a lot and many people are looking into how it can be made better and even hacked to run a completely different software. Out of the box it seems to be a good radio, the receive seems to be quite sensitive, the user interface is easy to understand, the landscape and waterfall work well, and it has a built in tuner plus swr sweep. And it has a built in sound card so you can hook up to your computer with just one simple cable.I have not done any TX with it yet but all the reviews say it will do exceptionally well even on 5 watts and pretty much around the world on 10 watts with the right conditions. Especially on digital modes.All in all I expect this to be a fun and rewarding radio with lots of options coming down the road.

Good news! Now that the Xiegu X6200 has arrived, its predecessor, the X6100 is selling at a deep discount. I've been closely following reviews for the X6100 since the beginning, and truth be told, a lot of those early reviews were not favorable. Flash forward 2 years, and a number of firmware updates later, and this little radio rocks! With a fully charged battery, I found the radio can stay powered on for up to 3 hours, (with minimal transmitting and screen off.) The X6100's internal battery recharges fully to 8.4V in about 4 hours. My X6100 arrived with a well written (slim) manual that explains many of the radio's features. In addition, an updated 149 page operating manual is available online for download. Other items you'll find in the box, include a full featured keypad microphone, the X6100's battery charger/power wall wart, a data transfer cable, and an extra DC power cable suitable for use with an external power source. The X6100's, easy-on-the-eyes, 4" screen is the darling of this radio. The LCD screen has a resolution of 800x480 and is bright and beautiful. The display includes all the operating information you could possibly want or need. The radio's digital noise reduction filter is surprisingly good and compares very favorably to my FT-991A's DNF. The rig's small speaker can be made decently loud and sounds quite pleasing at normal volumes. The X6100 includes a built in ATU and a very useful SWR analyzer. Without touching on every feature of the radio, I'll just say, at its current bargain price, you can't beat the value. For a guy who would never consider paying a thousand dollars for the ICOM alternative this compact QRP radio is a dream. In my opinion, the X6100 has matured into a capable and currently very affordable QRP radio. If you are considering adding the X6100 to your shack, now is the time to snap one up before they are gone.5 MONTH UPDATE: I still like the looks and functionality of this little portable radio. The ATU and DNF work well. Battery life is decent. It has a good receiver except, now I'm clearly aware of the many birdies the radio generates, as discussed in other reviews. That's very disappointing. Honestly, I haven't made a single contact using the radio, likely due to a poor antenna set up and my location. I am leaving my review at 5 stars because the radio has likeable features and doesn't cost a small fortune to own. However, knowing what I know now, I would seriously recommend skipping the X6100 and buying something with a better design like the FT-891 or FT-991A. If ultra portability is your priority the FT-891 is the way to go. If you need a portable radio with a built-in ATU then the 991A is the way to go.

FINAL EDIT: I tried jumping on the 10 meter (29 MHz) band. Got the SWR down to 1.1:1 and hit the PTT button. DEAFENING static feedback through my headphones (S/P in headphones mode). Some kind of faulty wiring inside the unit. It's yet another defective radio I've bought. This product DOES NOT work as advertised, DOES NOT work on all bands, and IS NOT a deal as it WILL NOT perform as advertised. I couldn't even get Amazon to exchange the item, refund only. Zero stars - would not recommend.**************************I'm using it with a JPC-12 antenna and a short length of RG-8x (15 feet). All contacts are 20 and 40 meters, SSB voice on the 5-watt internal battery!Drawbacks - documentation and battery life. The former is more lacking than the latter. Yes, you'll get a couple birdies. I've never had a radio that didn't. They're temporary, so spin the dial and go back. It's a QRP rig.Edit: Bluetooth will pair and connect to a speaker, but it won't pipe the sound out. So that feature is useless. As the internal speaker is *almost* useless, you'll want to use a wired speaker or earbuds. You'll need high-bass earbuds because you'll need to keep the radio setting on speaker. Switching the unit into headphones mode barely gets you any audio. I dinged them a star on that one. Advertised features need to actually work!I'd give it 4 stars... But the documentation sucks and a 3,000 mAh battery is lacking. Then factor price. I would expect more from both at $490 USD. And I would expect Bluetooth to work for an external speaker.But no, I'm keeping it! I do love it and would buy one again! 73!

This radio is OK. Compared to other manufacturers, it falls short. If you have had an Elecraft, you will immediately see the difference. A lot of people have complained about over heating and battery failure. If you can't afford an Elecraft or Icom QRP radio, get this one, but do not use the internal battery and save yourself a lot of future problems.

For the money you cannot find a better little radio. It does everything. China makes good radios at an afforable price. I love mine. I also own the G90. I have been a amatuer radio operater for thirty years and lic. since 1997. I have owned many radios Xiegu maks great radios. I am going to purchase the x6200 soon.

Good radio, small form factor great for beginner or for QRP. But the most impressive part was the customer service. I had an issue with cat control and the service rep spent 3 days with actual troubleshooting tips and when the troubleshooting failed i had a replacement radio within the week