The Xiegu G90 is the radio I hand to people who ask me where to start with portable HF and don’t want to spend FT-891 or FTX-1 money to find out if they like it. It’s a 20 watt QRP transceiver with a genuinely useful built-in antenna tuner, and it’s small enough that it changes how you think about getting on the air away from the shack. This page pulls together everything I’ve written about it.
Where the G90 Fits in My Lineup
I own four HF radios, and the G90 is the one I reach for when the goal is simple: get on the air, make contacts, and not think too hard about the gear. The FTX-1 and FT-891 are more capable and more expensive. The G90 is the one I don’t worry about scratching, dropping, or leaving in a hot car. It’s a workhorse in the cheapest, most literal sense.
The Built-In Tuner
The G90’s internal automatic tuner is one of its best features and one of the most underrated in this price range. It’ll match a wide range of wire antennas without an external box, which matters a lot when you’re trying to keep a field kit small. I go into exactly what it can and can’t handle in a dedicated post below.
Why the Size Matters
On paper, 20 watts and a small footprint sound like compromises. In practice, the G90’s size is the feature. It fits in a smaller bag than any of my other HF radios, it draws less power, and it doesn’t demand a full field table and chair to operate comfortably. For POTA activations where I’m hiking in, that size difference is the whole ballgame.
Power: 20 Watts and the Solar Cycle
Right now, 20 watts goes a lot further than it usually would. We’re still riding the elevated conditions of Solar Cycle 25’s peak, and higher solar flux means better ionospheric support even at QRP power levels. That won’t last forever. As the cycle declines over the next few years, the same 20 watts that’s punching out solid DX today will need to work harder for the same results. I’d rather be upfront about that now than let someone buy a G90 expecting current conditions to be permanent.
What’s In This Guide
- G90 Menu Deep Dive: Settings Worth Changing from Default
- Getting the Most from the G90’s Built-In Antenna Tuner
- G90 POTA Field Kit Walkthrough
- Is 20 Watts Enough? The G90 in the Current Solar Cycle
- G90 CAT Control Setup with Ham Radio Deluxe
- Common G90 Problems and How I’ve Solved Them
- FT-891 vs FTX-1 Field vs G90: Which Portable HF Radio Wins for POTA