G1M G-CORE SDR radio

[TACAIR]

I have published an English manual for the radio.  Let me know if you want it posted here.
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Having spent a week digging into the operational aspects of the rig, I'll offer this short version of the manual Front Matter.

The G1M is a 4 band transceiver with ~5 watts power out. Rx is 550 KHz (AM bcast band) to 30 MHz. Modes are CW/AM/LSB/USB.

Requires 12 to 15 VDC to operate per the Vendor manual That's not a typo. 12 VDC min input voltage. NOTE this radio set IS NOT reverse polarity protected. Hook it up "backwards" and the Magic Smoke will escape. This is specifically **not** covered under warranty,.

Current consumption on rx is 450Ma. Tx runs a couple of amps.

RX is a SDR setup. Pretty small form factor was well. Light weight. OLED display, easy to see in full daylight. The display is small, smaller than the FT817. This simpley because so much data is displayed.
The radio offers a rudimentary spectrum scope. .A fun addition to say the least.


Now for the text

G1M G-CORE QRP HF radio set system:

Overview:
The G1M G-CORE is a product-improved version of the older G1M, itself an outgrowth of the even older X1M (released 2013) radio set from Xiegu Technology. To say this is an on-going work-in-progress using the ham community as a set of Beta testers is not too far from what we see today. (X1M > X1M Platinum > G1M > G1M G-CORE)

While the feature set, build Quality and performance has varied wildly from set to set, the current iteration, the G1M G-CORE (released 2020) has obviously benefited from a long line of owner feedback, frankly harsh reviews and warranty returns. This is to say, this little rig has improved quite a bit from the initial offering. It also has some more distance to travel IMO.

It is small and lightweight, there is no argument here on the size/weight of the rig. The SDR Rx also provides extraordinary range for the SWL fan as well. The supplied Operations manuals could be best described as "sparse" and in the early versions only available in Chinese. The current manual offers some English and the illustrations are a mix of both Chinese and English.

Reliability:
There are multiple reports of radios arriving DOA and a high level of infant mortality found on the web. There are reports some of the radios running hot and other reports that the connectors have been described as 'fragile'. To say there are still some serious QC issues is apparent.

No technical data of any kind has been released to my knowledge. The Company website (https://xiegu.eu/downloads/) offers nothing in the way of support to the owner for this radio set.

The manufacture offers firmware downloads for its other offerings (G-90/X51045) but nothing is offered for the G1M. Sadly, instructions on how to back up the rig firmware are also lacking on the company website. However, there is still data out on the web.

Software Updates and How To:
A dealer offers this https://www.radioddity.com/pages/xiegu-download with software for Ver 1.07 for the G1M (G1M_ZIF_FW_V 1.07) the latest version of the firmware.
You will need Tera Term, a ssh communication program. This can be found at the www.Radioddity.com site under the G90 support section

See also https://groups.io/g/XIEGU-G1M/topic/upgrade_to_firmware_1_07/76487478?p=
To join, go to https://groups.io/g/XIEGU-G1M

I strongly recommend that new owners obtain and store on their PC, a copy of the 1.07 software and the Instructions on how to load this software. Since there have been updates, I expect more will be released at some point in the future, so best to be ready for that happy occurrence.

In reading many of the posts on-line it became apparent that something better had to be written for the G1M. The sister radio to this – the G-90 has a large community and they, not the vendor, have written the English manual for that rig.


This ** is not ** a rig I would recommend to the new operator or someone technically challenged.

OTOH, a Segean ATS-909 is in the same class of receiver, but much larger. The ATS-909 sells for about $220. For $250 (buying from China direct) you get full HF coverage - and down to the bottom of the AM B'cast band. Cool. And you get a 4 band ham rig.

For comparison, the bigger (20 watt) G90 retails for $499.

Depending on your tastes, the G1M G-CORE may be worth a good look.

This had been replaced by the newer G-106, with all the same faults etc.   For the record, I am not a fan of the Xiegu product line.  I see them as badly supported junk.....