Would have liked it at what us Battery users use ie. 12.4v But for me I thank you for the work you have done it makes sense that on avg 12.4v is the best ;) 73
Hey Ape, I watched this morning, 10/14/24, and you got me thinking. I broke out my G 90 and weighed it on the kitchen scale. I got 3 3/4 pounds. Mine is about 3 years old. 73, KC1MTM
Great test, thanks for sharing the results. I have a few 100 watt rigs that are older than the G90 and I have to say the G90 is a juice sipper compared to them at the same output power. Also, intentional or not, you kinda debunked all the people on the internet that claimed you really need to run it at max voltage to get max power. I've heard that repeatedly. Ok, sure it was slightly higher on most bands at 16.5, but seriously maybe a smidge? Good job ya hairy animal.
Thanks Norrin, glad you liked the video. What I have come to realize is that most internet know-it-alls simply parrot something they heard in an attempt to sound smart.
It’s pretty good for an incomplete test. I say that because you could have showed all of us how many amps this radio uses for monitoring and how many amps this rig uses during transmit. Maybe you can do another video that would cover this and help folks to figure out LifePO4 amperage battery sizes needed for the Xiegu G90 for all day use and POTA Activations….🤔
@@TheSmokinApe Ah, don’t worry about it, Ape. I just figured these measurements as to amperages for the G90 for monitoring and again for transmitting would of been high on the list and would be pretty simple to do if given the right testing equipment and your usual gift of doing testing that we don’t even consider ourselves. Maybe you could provide those results for the G90 only in the comments section here and I can copy it from here. Maybe even a step further as far as testing of the G90 and maybe other radios also. Just some background, I’m in the painful process of building three manpacks with two G90’s by using the bracket kits for the IC-705 since the coax connectors are on the backside of the radio and one Gohetec PMR 171, which is built like a Chinese military field radio or almost like the PRC 77 US military radios that we carried around in Vietnam, which was the first military radio that I got to learn to use while serving in the U.S. Marines. So I bought some LifePO4 charge controllers from HRO and I have different wattage fold up solar panel kits. So my goal is to figure out how many amps does the G90 use whether monitoring verses transmitting to figure out what size LifePO4 battery would I need to operate for 15 hours, which would cover two hours before and after darkness for an average length day year round. Once the sun is back up, I can go into charging mode. I would even consider carrying two batteries instead of just one. One charging while one is being used and I would only need to carry one 60w fold up solar panel kit in case that is the size of a hardback book. I would venture to guess that a radio like the FT-891 would require larger size batteries and the same for the fold up solar panel kits, which I do have in 100w and 110w also but they are more than twice the size of my 60 watt folding solar panels. Thanks for sharing that battery video and I will watch for a second time to take some notes and include that information in the planning phase of these manpack builds. Mahalo to you! 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻
My G90 is 3+ yrs old. Great portable radio, thousands of POTA contacts. Easy to carry, easy to use, I guess next time I spot on the POTA page I'll have to add >20 watts and a wire! My battery is a 20ah LiPo - haven't killed it yet 12.9v. Great video, thanks. KI5IMV
Just got my first G90. It arrived today from Las Vegas. It is the other model with the built in heat sink on the bottom. You got me wondering if it is the same other than the chassis and power connector
I think G90 runni g at 19watts is not a lot to quibble about the 19watts may actually help prolong the lives of the output Mosfets/ output transistors. I am not sure what the use in the output configuration. Even if it was 18 watts I would have still brought the G90 which I am a onwer of and very pleased with howit performs.
Good work, Ape. Bear in mind: the Nissei meter is most likely a 10% meter (e.g., Bird is a 5% reliability). So a bandwidth of the meter’s rated reliability superimposed over your meter readings might be a good strategy. Just a thought from a former statistics professor, 😂
Keep in mind that Bird 43 is only a 5% meter…just like the Drake W-4 Wattmeter. It’s just that when they’re close like your (amazing) measurements, it might be good to recognize the reliability of the meter. Joe Smith, of NanoVNA fame, has a TH-cam video on a version of this meter (which I also have, OEM’d to MFJ. You do some great stuff on bench measurements and explain them well.
Brand new ham here- fired up ny g90 and made my first ever HF contact despite the band conditions. Took me a second to figure out i was on 1watt out of the box and cranked it to 20- then everyone could hear me 😂
The thing is, as I understand it, there is other power in the radio's emission besides desirable rf, so the net effect is useful transmit power is somewhat less since the meter is counting ALL the power. The meter is unable to differentiate between all the usable and worthless output. It is like there are erratic or mis-shaped components of the signal like a carrier or DC offset type of things that shunt to ground. We would need a more expert technician than me to explain it properly. One would have to calculate the loss or use an oscilloscope to pick out the spurious streams and calculate their rms and subtract. I would guess 10 to 15% less usable power than what the meter shows and in addition to other normal system losses.
... have one of the original and "heavier" G90's and I immediatly took the back off and installed Power Poles...it's not too hard. Biggest single problem with the G90 is they used a cheap mechanical encoder instead of an optical encoder. Mine wore out and with much trepidation, took the head apart and I replaced it.... all is good now, but don't be putting one of those heavy after-market aluminum knobs on so it spins up and down the band faster or you'll be replacing the encoder sooner rather than later. How does the G90 perform? ...powered with a 50ah LiFePO4 battery and with a simple and near invisible $50 homebrew EFHW; I worked Slovenia from the West Coast, second call, .....my next contact was a 5X8 from Chile. Folks...You don't need to spend $20,000 on a $$ 1kw linear then a, beam, rotor and tower in order to make a radio work... Richard VA7AA/XE1
@@TheSmokinApe Fortunately the encoder is a fairly big part on the board, kinda like an old pot...just snip the pins off at the top, this gets rid of the old encoder, then useing dry-wick you can suck the remainder of pins off the board and clean out the pin holes...just be slow and careful...and don't be using a 250 watt Weller.. I used a DC 12V 50 or 60 watt iron with a pointy tip. The 50ah has the best price point (mine is now $169.. TimeUSB).. lotsa reserve, you could probably run a G90 or FT891 on it for several days, yet it is highly portable... only 11lbs... I use an old 250 watt solar panel (it was given to me) and a Renogy Rover MPPT solar controller/charger to charge mine.
love the charts at the end ! nice touch ! I was wondering how voltage would affect output . Many run G 90 on a LiFePO4 battery . most stay around 13-13.2V throughout most of discharge . 10.5 V is around the BMS cut off . I see no problem running LFP battery for POTA/SOTA with the G 90. I do not have a G 90 at this time ,But I do hear a lot of them on the air. Popaler POTA radio. With a End Fed Half wave . The Poseidon is a great antenna to go with the G 90. 73
Good testing and data. 1 question. Is that voltage rating for "under load"? Basically can you bump up your power supply to 17 since the g90 would see it as 16.5 when you xmit?
I realize this is anecdotal, but I've never had overheating problems with my original G90. Also anecdotal, but I did hear from a first run G90 owner that had one shut down on him while operating due to overheating. The culprit was running full power FT8, outside during the summer in Texas. Worked fine when he hooked it back up inside the house. My only gripe with the G90 is the tiny screen hurts my old eyes and I'm not paying for the GSOC. If I found a good deal, I would totally buy a second.
What mode? If you are doing AM or FM you should see a carrier and then if you speak you will see sidebands. If you are USB / LSB you won't see anything until you speak.
Ugh... I really wanted to get a G90, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay several hundred bucks for a Chinese radio. In the end, I got a 2nd hand Kenwood TK-90 commercial mobile HF set. It has the same front panel size as a mobile radio, but the body is a bit longer. 100W in a backpack is no joke, but my poor old SLABs are taking a beating, and they're too damn heavy. One day, when I'm rich and famous, I'll have to grab a G90 and some Li-ion batteries.
G90 feels like one of those must have radios like the 5R's
That’s why I’m on my second 👍
This was a really good test! But now I want to buy this rig!!!
Thanks for watching, much appreciated 👍
Great info, I use mine for POTA and the easier SOTA activations, 73.
These seem to be popular for that 👍
Mine's in route. 😊. Finally pulled the trigger.
Nice 👍
Me too.
I broke my old G-90, time to buy another one! This baby can BARK🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🎯
Hey Walter, thanks for watching 👍
Would have liked it at what us Battery users use ie. 12.4v But for me I thank you for the work you have done it makes sense that on avg 12.4v is the best ;) 73
Maybe I’ll do a battery one. Thanks for the feedback and for watching Brian 👍
Great test. I just ordered my G90 should be here Friday and I hope it has the power poles on it. Thanks Ape
Awesome man, congrats on the new radio 👍
Thanks Ape. What kind of power supply do you recommend
You are going to want 10A minimum, check out the astrons.
Hey Ape, I watched this morning, 10/14/24, and you got me thinking. I broke out my G 90 and weighed it on the kitchen scale. I got 3 3/4 pounds. Mine is about 3 years old. 73, KC1MTM
you gonn amake me break out the scale!
@@TheSmokinApe Could you please weigh it?
Great test, thanks for sharing the results. I have a few 100 watt rigs that are older than the G90 and I have to say the G90 is a juice sipper compared to them at the same output power. Also, intentional or not, you kinda debunked all the people on the internet that claimed you really need to run it at max voltage to get max power. I've heard that repeatedly. Ok, sure it was slightly higher on most bands at 16.5, but seriously maybe a smidge? Good job ya hairy animal.
Thanks Norrin, glad you liked the video. What I have come to realize is that most internet know-it-alls simply parrot something they heard in an attempt to sound smart.
Another banger! Appreciate you.
Thanks BJHS 🍻
It’s pretty good for an incomplete test. I say that because you could have showed all of us how many amps this radio uses for monitoring and how many amps this rig uses during transmit. Maybe you can do another video that would cover this and help folks to figure out LifePO4 amperage battery sizes needed for the Xiegu G90 for all day use and POTA Activations….🤔
Let me know if this covers it Choosing a Battery for HAM Radio - TheSmokinApe
th-cam.com/video/rc6SHdtUtR0/w-d-xo.html
@@TheSmokinApe Ah, don’t worry about it, Ape. I just figured these measurements as to amperages for the G90 for monitoring and again for transmitting would of been high on the list and would be pretty simple to do if given the right testing equipment and your usual gift of doing testing that we don’t even consider ourselves.
Maybe you could provide those results for the G90 only in the comments section here and I can copy it from here.
Maybe even a step further as far as testing of the G90 and maybe other radios also.
Just some background, I’m in the painful process of building three manpacks with two G90’s by using the bracket kits for the IC-705 since the coax connectors are on the backside of the radio and one Gohetec PMR 171, which is built like a Chinese military field radio or almost like the PRC 77 US military radios that we carried around in Vietnam, which was the first military radio that I got to learn to use while serving in the U.S. Marines.
So I bought some LifePO4 charge controllers from HRO and I have different wattage fold up solar panel kits. So my goal is to figure out how many amps does the G90 use whether monitoring verses transmitting to figure out what size LifePO4 battery would I need to operate for 15 hours, which would cover two hours before and after darkness for an average length day year round. Once the sun is back up, I can go into charging mode. I would even consider carrying two batteries instead of just one. One charging while one is being used and I would only need to carry one 60w fold up solar panel kit in case that is the size of a hardback book.
I would venture to guess that a radio like the FT-891 would require larger size batteries and the same for the fold up solar panel kits, which I do have in 100w and 110w also but they are more than twice the size of my 60 watt folding solar panels.
Thanks for sharing that battery video and I will watch for a second time to take some notes and include that information in the planning phase of these manpack builds.
Mahalo to you! 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻
My G90 is 3+ yrs old. Great portable radio, thousands of POTA contacts. Easy to carry, easy to use, I guess next time I spot on the POTA page I'll have to add >20 watts and a wire! My battery is a 20ah LiPo - haven't killed it yet 12.9v. Great video, thanks. KI5IMV
Haha, thanks for watching Bees 👍
Wondering if I should buy a G90 vs spending a lot for a Yaesu. Hope G90 quality controls are getting better. Great info Ape!
It’s a tough call, thanks for watching 👍
Just got my first G90. It arrived today from Las Vegas. It is the other model with the built in heat sink on the bottom. You got me wondering if it is the same other than the chassis and power connector
I’m wondering too 🤔 thanks for watching bro 👍
Wow excellently done and presented. You put another pin in my just order the thing column
Glad you liked it Philip, thanks for watching 👍
I’m planning on hooking up an extended db9 cable and using the remote head from the bed. 12 feet cable. Hopefully it won’t be too long of a cable
Hopefully it works, good luck with it…
I think G90 runni g at 19watts is not a lot to quibble about the 19watts may actually help prolong the lives of the output Mosfets/ output transistors. I am not sure what the use in the output configuration. Even if it was 18 watts I would have still brought the G90 which I am a onwer of and very pleased with howit performs.
I’m on my second. Not the best radio but it’s great for 400$
Good work, Ape.
Bear in mind: the Nissei meter is most likely a 10% meter (e.g., Bird is a 5% reliability). So a bandwidth of the meter’s rated reliability superimposed over your meter readings might be a good strategy. Just a thought from a former statistics professor, 😂
Exactly
Totally agree Frank, but fear not… I have plans for a more accurate meter.
Keep in mind that Bird 43 is only a 5% meter…just like the Drake W-4 Wattmeter. It’s just that when they’re close like your (amazing) measurements, it might be good to recognize the reliability of the meter.
Joe Smith, of NanoVNA fame, has a TH-cam video on a version of this meter (which I also have, OEM’d to MFJ.
You do some great stuff on bench measurements and explain them well.
Joe Smith has a fantastic channel, love his stuff. I picked up the LP-100A which I’ll be using in the future 👍
Brand new ham here- fired up ny g90 and made my first ever HF contact despite the band conditions. Took me a second to figure out i was on 1watt out of the box and cranked it to 20- then everyone could hear me 😂
Awesome man, welcome to the club
The thing is, as I understand it, there is other power in the radio's emission besides desirable rf, so the net effect is useful transmit power is somewhat less since the meter is counting ALL the power. The meter is unable to differentiate between all the usable and worthless output. It is like there are erratic or mis-shaped components of the signal like a carrier or DC offset type of things that shunt to ground. We would need a more expert technician than me to explain it properly. One would have to calculate the loss or use an oscilloscope to pick out the spurious streams and calculate their rms and subtract. I would guess 10 to 15% less usable power than what the meter shows and in addition to other normal system losses.
Great test .Gotta love the G90.
Thanks for checking it out John 👍
Nice testing, keeping it real 😊😊
Thanks TG140, appreciate you watching 👍
Great test , thanks !
Thanks RBD 👍
@@TheSmokinApe I own 2 G90 radios, one for mobile uses and other in the shack ! Best bang for the buck, both bought second hand under $400 each !
Nice 👍
... have one of the original and "heavier" G90's and I immediatly took the back off and installed Power Poles...it's not too hard. Biggest single problem with the G90 is they used a cheap mechanical encoder instead of an optical encoder. Mine wore out and with much trepidation, took the head apart and I replaced it.... all is good now, but don't be putting one of those heavy after-market aluminum knobs on so it spins up and down the band faster or you'll be replacing the encoder sooner rather than later.
How does the G90 perform? ...powered with a 50ah LiFePO4 battery and with a simple and near invisible $50 homebrew EFHW; I worked Slovenia from the West Coast, second call, .....my next contact was a 5X8 from Chile. Folks...You don't need to spend $20,000 on a $$ 1kw linear then a, beam, rotor and tower in order to make a radio work... Richard VA7AA/XE1
Hey Richard, sounds like you’re handy with the tools. I have a 50Ah that I will be using with this one as well 👍
@@TheSmokinApe Fortunately the encoder is a fairly big part on the board, kinda like an old pot...just snip the pins off at the top, this gets rid of the old encoder, then useing dry-wick you can suck the remainder of pins off the board and clean out the pin holes...just be slow and careful...and don't be using a 250 watt Weller.. I used a DC 12V 50 or 60 watt iron with a pointy tip. The 50ah has the best price point (mine is now $169.. TimeUSB).. lotsa reserve, you could probably run a G90 or FT891 on it for several days, yet it is highly portable... only 11lbs... I use an old 250 watt solar panel (it was given to me) and a Renogy Rover MPPT solar controller/charger to charge mine.
Another interesting fact: current is fare away from the 6 Amps, Xiegu is showing in their datasheet
Hmmm…. Maybe I’ll do a video on that 👍
love the charts at the end ! nice touch ! I was wondering how voltage would affect output . Many run G 90 on a LiFePO4 battery . most stay around 13-13.2V throughout most of discharge . 10.5 V is around the BMS cut off . I see no problem running LFP battery for POTA/SOTA with the G 90. I do not have a G 90 at this time ,But I do hear a lot of them on the air. Popaler POTA radio. With a End Fed Half wave . The Poseidon is a great antenna to go with the G 90. 73
@@robertmeyer4744 hey Robert, your point about the LiFePO4 is the exact reason I did this test, and yes I’m planning to run it with the Poseidon 👍
Hey Ape, is there any possible way to add power pole connectors to the back of a normal G 90? 0:02
Here’s what I did for the first g90: Xiegu G90 - Power Cable Upgrade - TheSmokinApe
th-cam.com/video/4f_HHExV6-4/w-d-xo.html
@@TheSmokinApe Many thanks, Ape!
Thanks Ape!
Hey BA, thanks for watching bro 👍
Good video
Thanks for checking it out Thump 👍
Good testing and data. 1 question. Is that voltage rating for "under load"? Basically can you bump up your power supply to 17 since the g90 would see it as 16.5 when you xmit?
I looked in the manual and it didn’t say. So to be honest, I have no idea 😂
@@TheSmokinApe one way to find out :)
@@AndyAAzeroAM I suppose you are correct 🤔
Great test 👌! I ❤️ my G90.
Ape2024!
Thanks man, glad you liked it 👍
I thought the G90 had issues overheating? I have older one with heat sink bottom & sides.
I never had that problem with my first one 👍
I realize this is anecdotal, but I've never had overheating problems with my original G90. Also anecdotal, but I did hear from a first run G90 owner that had one shut down on him while operating due to overheating. The culprit was running full power FT8, outside during the summer in Texas. Worked fine when he hooked it back up inside the house. My only gripe with the G90 is the tiny screen hurts my old eyes and I'm not paying for the GSOC. If I found a good deal, I would totally buy a second.
@@norrinradd8952 I actually traded my first one and have been wanting to replace it ever since
@@TheSmokinApe I have yet to connect the mike. I 've had it over a year. RX only
Time to get after it 👍
I have g90 how do i get modulation meter to work thanks
Hey Jimmy, what do you mean by modulation meter?
@@TheSmokinApe when i key the mic no modulation swing on radio meter.i know tadio is getting out
What mode? If you are doing AM or FM you should see a carrier and then if you speak you will see sidebands. If you are USB / LSB you won't see anything until you speak.
Good testing from a primate.😊
... unexpectedly good results, too. G90 FTW! ;)
Thanks Don 👍
Ugh... I really wanted to get a G90, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay several hundred bucks for a Chinese radio.
In the end, I got a 2nd hand Kenwood TK-90 commercial mobile HF set. It has the same front panel size as a mobile radio, but the body is a bit longer.
100W in a backpack is no joke, but my poor old SLABs are taking a beating, and they're too damn heavy.
One day, when I'm rich and famous, I'll have to grab a G90 and some Li-ion batteries.
Hey DRH, those slabs are heavy too! Thanks for watching 👍
Thanks Ape! I have a G90. I enjoy it for fun and FT8. Never thought testing its power out! Thanks again!
Thanks for watching Greg 👍
I wish my G-90 had power poles for power input. 73
It’s a huge upgrade
👍👍
Thanks for watching GHR
So is it worth the grab
It puts out what it says
It's not lighter, you just got stronger
I supposed that’s a possibility 🤔
She goo. Say it. Say her name. She goo! She goo !
Ten years living in china. I speak Chinese.
It’s She goo.
I thought that’s what I said 👀