I really appreciate this video. I was considering this radio but have taken it of my mental list of possibilities based on this video and the helpful first-hand comments here from other owners.
big mistake getting this ... I got burned with mine the first HS2 ... tried to warn as many people as I could, bad company, bad product horrible brand (brands) they don't fix any issues, it's money down the drain ...
I received this Q900 radio from Banggood in a completely inoperable condition. It cannot even be switched on. It gives no sign of life. Banggood has been holding the return/repair ticket open for almost 2 months now, but has not provided any solution.
Hi Dietrich. It’s very sad to see that this radio hasn’t improved with age. I have the Version One of this radio, marketed as the Ailunce HS2. The firmware in this radio is a fork of the UHSDR project originally produced for the McHF QRP SDR radio by M0NKA, in fact text strings within the firmware still have M0NKA tags. When I received mine I found that the RF power output was all over the place, but much more worrying the RF output was not clean and harmonics and spurious emissions were all over the place, in some cases the spuri were less than 15dB below the fundamental. The original McHF radio had a very comprehensive setup routine involving setting up the PA Bias and followed by calibration of each of the bands for the correct power output. Unfortunately it appears this was not performed on the Ailunce HS2 or the radios that followed it. The VHF/UHF feature of this radio is totally unusable. There is minimal bandpass filtering and the output of this radio on those bands is the dirtiest I’ve ever seen. Phase noise on transmit is also totally unsatisfactory. Sadly there is no manufacturer support for these radios (HS2/QR20/Q900). I’ve only used mine a few times on HF and even then I had to use an external Low Pass Filter to reduce the unwanted emissions above 30MHz. I do hope the seller from whom you purchased the radio treats you with respect and provides you a full refund. Regards Nidge (G0NIG)
@@jeffkardosjr.3825 If you’re on a tight budget, and who isn’t these days, the Xiegu radios are worth a look. The G90 is very popular and has a good reputation amongst its users. I have a X5105 and whilst it’s not perfect it’s still a very good portable performer. My only real criticism of the X5105 is the audio from the internal speaker. The X6100’s reputation is getting better as firmware improvements are being released. You do well to stay clear of the Q900. Even the boot-up screen of these radios advise that it should only be used as a receiver, or words to the effect of, that’s why when you receive it transmit is disabled.
Hello Dietrich, I didn't know about the hidden switch. The Q900 only tunes on the HF bands, not on 6m, 2m or 70cms. I don't have the GPS in mine but you need to get a proper GPS antenna for it to work. I have done a video on the settings I use on my CZcams channel. I've found it works well when you get it setup correctly. Ben de M7FRS
Thanks for sharing…. I will avoid this radio…. I build my own rigs…. Which are often garbage…. But fun and cheap garbage 73 de VK2AOE…. Hope they refund or fix it for you.
finally after endless waiting I got the sales price and shipping back from Alibaba. lost about 150 € on importation, tax and return fright. 73 de EA8- DF6GU, ex VK4DHB
Nice to hear you build your own. I built my own too 30+ years ago, based on the G4CLF p.c.b. It works well. Compared it with a friends FT817 and mine not as good on 10m but could still hear the beacon, no rx amplifier. Just putting it into a larger case as I'm adding 60m so it needs a new band pass filter. Ssb and cw, QRP using originally VN66AF's but the driver blew up so putting one RD06HHF1 and two in p.a. now. It's big, could get six FT817's in it. G4GHB
I purchased the Retevis version of this SDR transceiver. The first one I was sent was a version 1 unit without DMR. I had ordered a version 3 with DMR. In addition, the transceiver refused to be unlocked. Retevis replaced that with a version unit 3 but left out the DMR module. I could unlock it but it refused to transmit even after setup according to their instructions. Retevis sent me another version 3 with DMR. It did not work on DMR and it was unusable on SSB as it had distorted audio. Finally I returned it for a full refund.
Same case of DF6GU, just put Omnirig (because emulation 817 dont work win version) the Q900 goes to transmit, I DONT RECOMMEND THIS TRANSCEIVER, and discover that the standard versión not include V/UHF Regards EA4BKW
Hello Dietrich, guess in the meantime you have found a solution to your problem. Probably best thing had been to reload the firmware into the Q900 once more. After all the radio is about half the price of the new Icom qrp rig. And that one is rather a brick and not as elegant as the Q900.
Moin DF6GU gibt es was neues? Ich habe auch einen Q900. Dieser empfängt sehr gut. Ich habe nur noch nicht die optimalen Einstellungen für UHF/VHF Sendebetrieb gefunden. 73 DO2FWS
Oh no!!!! Its always a risk but sometimes you get something exceptional, unfortunately not in your case. I feel sorry for you...hope you get it repaired somehow soon?
While this radio outspecs the G90 on paper the G90 performs very well. Mines been going 3 years with zero problems. One last try for you might be reprogramming.
Where is the control and how? Mine will not transmit on VHF/UHF, and reception is very poor. On the low bands, I am amazed at the DSP capabilities, but headphone output is so low that I can barely hear anything, and if I plug in an amplifier, I have to turn volume to maximum. (AF headphone volume on radio at max also). If you can work out the instabilities of the radio, it's worth keeping! Xiegu regularly improves their G90 with updated firmware, helping to make their radio very popular with users!
@@robertaldrich2635 turn off frequency hopping mode：MENU->FHSS-frequency hopping-OFF. 1、The headset volume and speaker volume are controlled independently. Please refer to the user manual. Please use shortwave antenna for shortwave. Very short antenna cannot receive shortwave signal. The RFG parameter setting can adjust the reception sensitivity. Please refer to the user manual setting.
@sales guohedz Thank you sir, for responding. I checked and did not have frequency hopping turned on. Tha AF controls are correct, with speaker volume turned to minimum, headphone volume to max, only a faint sound can be heard using ANY headphones or amplifier. As far as the speaker being too small, why can a cellphone sound so loud and clear? Thanks for responding!
Low headphones volume is caused by headphones sound going to the speaker mic! Unplug it or use the tiny headphones jack on the mic and you have normal volume levels! Why isn't this in the manual?
Wäre mal ratsam einUpdate zu machen , das Teil läuft bei uns schon seit es raus gekommen ist ohne Probleme . Und ja man sollte bei denn Teil aufpassen was man drückt !
Wait a minute, didn’t you say at the beginning of your video. That your power supply was giving that little QRP Rig 16 volts? Hmm…. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. 🤭🤭
This is what the manual says: Q900 is designed with three power supply modes, including built-in battery, USB port power supply and DC port power supply. The power supply voltage range is 5VDC ~ 32VDC. At the same time, all power ports support anti reverse connection protection
It looks like Chinese manufacturers are taking your money not good for business now I'm not going to buy one I'm going to stick up or icom pay a little extra money and get a good radio ic705 these companies don't seem like they stand by their product they break down icom is a much better component ic 705 for a couple hundred hours more it's worth buying 👍
China is really bad with HF radios. There are a few brands for VHF and UHF handhelds, like Beofeng and Retevis, that are decent for the price but stay away from the all band and HF radios unless they’re being sold by a dealer in your country that accepts returns with a full refund. Stick with Icom, Yaesu, Elecraft, etc.
That is exactly what I have learned and why I made the Video. When one searches for opinions of users one gets the impression that everything is wonderful.
@@nine7295 These (yours)are completely different QRP HF Transceivers . The Q900 has excellent features, is HF/VHF/UHF. Complete usable unit , no computer needed. Unfortunately my unit failed badly.
Hello Miami SWL I'm answering those comments that contain a question. I'm not answering general comments or comments that contain problems that other people have, where I feel I cannot contribute to a solution. What is your question?
@@islandxpressI had no idea you were using a secondary account to reply. It isn't entirely obvious at all. As long as you are interacting with the grateful people here then it's all fantastic in my eyes because your video was excellent and extremely helpful. Much appreciated.
Power current : 13,8 V and you send 16 v ??? "I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. 🤭🤭". RX: 5v to 32 v ; TX: 5v to 13v . Hey are you sure every things are ok ?
Moin Dietrich, so ist das bei den Chinesen. Selbst wenn das Gerät an und für sich gut ist, so mangelt es immer an Qualitätskontrolle. "Wie eine Schachtel Pralinen, man weiß nie was man bekommt". Ich kauf in China nur kleines Zubehör, niemals etwas was teurer als 50 EU ist. Wenn so was von keinem Händler in Deutschland verkauft wird, hat das schon seinen Grund. 128,
I really appreciate this video. I was considering this radio but have taken it of my mental list of possibilities based on this video and the helpful first-hand comments here from other owners.
big mistake getting this ... I got burned with mine the first HS2 ... tried to warn as many people as I could, bad company, bad product horrible brand (brands) they don't fix any issues, it's money down the drain ...
Thanks for the warning. The name alone is enough to make me shudder.
I received this Q900 radio from Banggood in a completely inoperable condition. It cannot even be switched on. It gives no sign of life. Banggood has been holding the return/repair ticket open for almost 2 months now, but has not provided any solution.
Hi Dietrich. It’s very sad to see that this radio hasn’t improved with age. I have the Version One of this radio, marketed as the Ailunce HS2. The firmware in this radio is a fork of the UHSDR project originally produced for the McHF QRP SDR radio by M0NKA, in fact text strings within the firmware still have M0NKA tags. When I received mine I found that the RF power output was all over the place, but much more worrying the RF output was not clean and harmonics and spurious emissions were all over the place, in some cases the spuri were less than 15dB below the fundamental. The original McHF radio had a very comprehensive setup routine involving setting up the PA Bias and followed by calibration of each of the bands for the correct power output. Unfortunately it appears this was not performed on the Ailunce HS2 or the radios that followed it. The VHF/UHF feature of this radio is totally unusable. There is minimal bandpass filtering and the output of this radio on those bands is the dirtiest I’ve ever seen. Phase noise on transmit is also totally unsatisfactory. Sadly there is no manufacturer support for these radios (HS2/QR20/Q900). I’ve only used mine a few times on HF and even then I had to use an external Low Pass Filter to reduce the unwanted emissions above 30MHz. I do hope the seller from whom you purchased the radio treats you with respect and provides you a full refund.
Regards
Nidge (G0NIG)
Sigh! Seems like I'll be looking forward to an icom or Yaesu.
@@jeffkardosjr.3825 If you’re on a tight budget, and who isn’t these days, the Xiegu radios are worth a look. The G90 is very popular and has a good reputation amongst its users. I have a X5105 and whilst it’s not perfect it’s still a very good portable performer. My only real criticism of the X5105 is the audio from the internal speaker. The X6100’s reputation is getting better as firmware improvements are being released. You do well to stay clear of the Q900. Even the boot-up screen of these radios advise that it should only be used as a receiver, or words to the effect of, that’s why when you receive it transmit is disabled.
Very sorry OM. Local suppliers stop carrying if support is too difficult. 73
Hello Dietrich, I didn't know about the hidden switch.
The Q900 only tunes on the HF bands, not on 6m, 2m or 70cms.
I don't have the GPS in mine but you need to get a proper GPS antenna for it to work.
I have done a video on the settings I use on my CZcams channel. I've found it works well when you get it setup correctly.
Ben de M7FRS
Is possible SSB mode on the 50 MHz/VHF/UHF bands?
@@zxz7000 Yes, all modes available, AM, FM, USB, LSB, CW, FT8 etc..
Thanks for sharing…. I will avoid this radio…. I build my own rigs…. Which are often garbage…. But fun and cheap garbage 73 de VK2AOE…. Hope they refund or fix it for you.
finally after endless waiting I got the sales price and shipping back from Alibaba. lost about 150 € on importation, tax and return fright. 73 de EA8- DF6GU, ex VK4DHB
Nice to hear you build your own. I built my own too 30+ years ago, based on the G4CLF p.c.b. It works well. Compared it with a friends FT817 and mine not as good on 10m but could still hear the beacon, no rx amplifier. Just putting it into a larger case as I'm adding 60m so it needs a new band pass filter. Ssb and cw, QRP using originally VN66AF's but the driver blew up so putting one RD06HHF1 and two in p.a. now. It's big, could get six FT817's in it.
G4GHB
Yes…. I like the opportunity to earn the band. It’s fun to add modes, bands…. Power… whatever takes your fancy ! 73 de VK2AOE
There is another hole between the USB and USB-C port, is that a switch too? A firmware upgrade/re-installation should fix it.
The looks of that shipping box was a red flag…
I purchased the Retevis version of this SDR transceiver. The first one I was sent was a version 1 unit without DMR. I had ordered a version 3 with DMR. In addition, the transceiver refused to be unlocked.
Retevis replaced that with a version unit 3 but left out the DMR module. I could unlock it but it refused to transmit even after setup according to their instructions.
Retevis sent me another version 3 with DMR. It did not work on DMR and it was unusable on SSB as it had distorted audio. Finally I returned it for a full refund.
wonder what version you got OM as the later has VHF / UHF on antenna socket 2 (SMA) and not socket 1
Anything Guohetic seems to be junk, sorry this happened to you.
hi 73 , i have same problem with my q900 :( , no reception , no tramsmition on any hf band
Thank for your video i was ready to buy one at Aliexpress, but warenty or refund is always difficult, so I decided not to buy one
Same case of DF6GU, just put Omnirig (because emulation 817 dont work win version) the Q900 goes to transmit, I DONT RECOMMEND THIS TRANSCEIVER, and discover that the standard versión not include V/UHF
Regards EA4BKW
Bonjour super le son de Arnaud SWL
Hello Dietrich, guess in the meantime you have found a solution to your problem. Probably best thing had been to reload the firmware into the Q900 once more. After all the radio is about half the price of the new Icom qrp rig. And that one is rather a brick and not as elegant as the Q900.
Moin DF6GU gibt es was neues? Ich habe auch einen Q900. Dieser empfängt sehr gut. Ich habe nur noch nicht die optimalen Einstellungen für UHF/VHF Sendebetrieb gefunden. 73 DO2FWS
Oh no!!!! Its always a risk but sometimes you get something exceptional, unfortunately not in your case.
I feel sorry for you...hope you get it repaired somehow soon?
16V? I would have assumed 13.8V DC Max. The noise floor looks to be at the ceiling the whole time too.
the manual says 5...32 V
@@islandxpress I doubt seriously than any radio accepts 32V power. Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems wrong?
If I remember correctly the manual says 13.8 - 16.8 volts (but maybe less for UV Bands).
I will stay away from this radio!
While this radio outspecs the G90 on paper the G90 performs very well. Mines been going 3 years with zero problems.
One last try for you might be reprogramming.
Please turn off frequency hopping mode
Where is the control and how? Mine will not transmit on VHF/UHF, and reception is very poor.
On the low bands, I am amazed at the DSP capabilities, but headphone output is so low that I can barely hear anything, and if I plug in an amplifier, I have to turn volume to maximum. (AF headphone volume on radio at max also). If you can work out the instabilities of the radio, it's worth keeping! Xiegu regularly improves their G90 with updated firmware, helping to make their radio very popular with users!
@@robertaldrich2635 turn off frequency hopping mode：MENU->FHSS-frequency hopping-OFF.
1、The headset volume and speaker volume are controlled independently. Please refer to the user manual. Please use shortwave antenna for shortwave. Very short antenna cannot receive shortwave signal. The RFG parameter setting can adjust the reception sensitivity. Please refer to the user manual setting.
@sales guohedz Thank you sir, for responding. I checked and did not have frequency hopping turned on. Tha AF controls are correct, with speaker volume turned to minimum, headphone volume to max, only a faint sound can be heard using ANY headphones or amplifier.
As far as the speaker being too small, why can a cellphone sound so loud and clear?
Thanks for responding!
Low headphones volume is caused by headphones sound going to the speaker mic! Unplug it or use the tiny headphones jack on the mic and you have normal volume levels! Why isn't this in the manual?
Chinese aren't they?
I'd be wary of getting one until they have a proven record of being reliable.
Wäre mal ratsam einUpdate zu machen , das Teil läuft bei uns schon seit es raus gekommen ist ohne Probleme . Und ja man sollte bei denn Teil aufpassen was man drückt !
Wait a minute, didn’t you say at the beginning of your video. That your power supply was giving that little QRP Rig 16 volts? Hmm…. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. 🤭🤭
This is what the manual says:
Q900 is designed with three power supply modes, including built-in battery, USB
port power supply and DC port power supply. The power supply voltage range is 5VDC
~ 32VDC. At the same time, all power ports support anti reverse connection protection
@@islandxpress TX: 5v to 13v, go back to school !
It looks like Chinese manufacturers are taking your money not good for business now I'm not going to buy one I'm going to stick up or icom pay a little extra money and get a good radio ic705 these companies don't seem like they stand by their product they break down icom is a much better component ic 705 for a couple hundred hours more it's worth buying 👍
China is really bad with HF radios. There are a few brands for VHF and UHF handhelds, like Beofeng and Retevis, that are decent for the price but stay away from the all band and HF radios unless they’re being sold by a dealer in your country that accepts returns with a full refund. Stick with Icom, Yaesu, Elecraft, etc.
That is exactly what I have learned and why I made the Video. When one searches for opinions of users one gets the impression that everything is wonderful.
My Xiegu X108G and G90 are decent radios and they have generally positive reviews from many owners. I disagree.
@@nine7295
These (yours)are completely different QRP HF Transceivers .
The Q900 has excellent features, is HF/VHF/UHF. Complete usable unit , no computer needed.
Unfortunately my unit failed badly.
Why don't you reply to your comments?
Hello Miami SWL
I'm answering those comments that contain a question. I'm not answering general comments or comments that contain problems that other people have, where I feel I cannot contribute to a solution.
What is your question?
@@islandxpressI had no idea you were using a secondary account to reply. It isn't entirely obvious at all. As long as you are interacting with the grateful people here then it's all fantastic in my eyes because your video was excellent and extremely helpful. Much appreciated.
@@624radicalham
Yes, thanks
Power current : 13,8 V and you send 16 v ??? "I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. 🤭🤭". RX: 5v to 32 v ; TX: 5v to 13v . Hey are you sure every things are ok ?
In the Manual it says 16 V, to get full power
Moin Dietrich,
so ist das bei den Chinesen.
Selbst wenn das Gerät an und für sich gut ist, so mangelt es immer an Qualitätskontrolle.
"Wie eine Schachtel Pralinen, man weiß nie was man bekommt".
Ich kauf in China nur kleines Zubehör, niemals etwas was teurer als 50 EU ist.
Wenn so was von keinem Händler in Deutschland verkauft wird, hat das schon seinen Grund.
128,