A new R1CBU firmware is available for the X6100.
I wrote the image to the micro SD card:
$ sudo dd if=x6100_r1cbu_v0.20.0_sdcard.img bs=1M of=/dev/sdb status=progress
It’s working fine. Auto levels for waterfall and spectrum seems useful, but it still shows the min/max level settings that do nothing while in auto. I had to set up all preferences again, since it comes with a new database on the image.
I’ve loaded the R1CBU UI on the X6100. Reading the manual exposes all sorts of great features and conveniences:
minicom -D /dev/ttyACM0, root, 123Here’s a good demo of what ALC is doing. It’s clipping off the top of the signal, so turn the power up to just before ALC reacts, whether it’s 0->100 like the radio in the video or 100->0 like Xiegu radios.
Tuned to 8416khz,
I received a Navtex weather report.
I tuned the X6100, CW, FIL2 set to be really narrow,
and I let fldigi decode the transmission as Navtex.
I originally had wsjt-x and js8call
talking directly to X6100 to do CAT,
but fldigi wants flrig,
so I set it up.
Now i have flrig running all the time,
and have wsjt-x talk to that.
Maybe it’ll be more reliable
with fewer hiccups and disconnects.
I’m running FT8 on 10m with only the internal battery. I’m finding I’m only able to push ~3W. SWR looks good.
On external power supply, I can push up to 10W
(After passing the test, I immediately ordered a Quansheng UV-K5 HT. I also ordered this weird $120 HF radio based off the open source usdx project. The HF radio was garbage: the screen was tiny, the audio/CAT control was confusing or non-existent, and it liked to lock up and stop updating its screen. I returned it to Amazon.)
I had been in a hurry, since I was heading to Florida for the week. While I was down there, I discovered the Ham Radio Outlet in Orlando, so I ran there to look around and purchased the Xiegu X6100 QRP rig.
I also picked up a couple accessories shortly afterward to go with it: