Yes, today is filler content day and this time it is about buying a radio. Snooze time!
So, you were not born in the Pittsburgh area thus failing to receive a heavy dose of the toxic chemicals found in the drinking water and in the air. I attribute those vicious chemicals acting as a catalyst to spark innovation, creativity and pushing the leading edge. Thus, lacking those poison effects instead of homebrewing a rig you buy one.
Xiegu G1M
There is an allure to going to an outdoor park, setting up a painter pole dipole with a small radio attached and thence shouting POTA CQ POTA, Parks on the Air. The side benefits include actually getting outdoors and the endless possibilities for meeting YL's, after all Ham Radio is indeed a Chick Magnet.
So, moving to reality and setting a goal of $200 what would you buy for a rig? It seems like that number ($200) has become the "bar level" of what is hawked on eBay. Lots of junk, old and NIB, at that price point. But what do you buy?
The Xiegu G1M (out of production and likely a predecessor to the G106C) caught my eye. It was the compact size and look that had curb appeal. I tried You Tube/eHam to get some reviews of the Rig and found two key points.
The first is how to unbox a radio and the second is the lack of a serious technical review. You know does it put out spurs and does it have a distorted signal quality? Reminds me of when I attended real estate school. When asked does the roof leak you were to reply only slightly when it rains. Spurs and distortion -- only slightly.
The eHam reviews were bi-polar in that there were some 5 Star ratings as a super radio to the 1 Star piece of crap. Does this mean it has a 2.5 Star rating?
But if the G1M did pass the smell test as a POTA radio, it might be OK if you are patient enough to be a QRP operator. As a one and only rig for use at home and POTA -- likely a huge disappointment as a $200 radio is just that a $200 radio. The G1M is not an IC7300.
On the negative side for me is my FFS (Fat Finger Syndrome). Those tiny push buttons were designed with a dainty YL op as a model and would soon frustrate me. The menu crap would likely drive me nuts. But it does look nice and can be had for around $200 from a supplier with a 91% rating.
The bottom line is to use a process to evaluate a rig purchase to take it from the emotional curb appeal to the reality of a small box sitting in front of you that you actually want to employ making contacts. As a portable radio (assuming it does work to current FCC specifications) then likely OK. But if you cannot fill in the blanks with + comments then pass.
There! You have been given a daily dose from N6QW.
73's
Pete N6QW