A few moments ago, I got an email from Radioddity to download an extended manual for the 6100, 130 pages long, in pdf format. ?I am attaching the manual, just in case. ?Having a duplicate file online never hurts. ?6.3 MB.

---

Thank you to all on the information you provided.
I have never had many RFI issues so I never thought that could be it because the problem was so erratic.
I found some MFJ "RF Suppressors" (MFJ 700 A4) that I am going to try on all the paddles in the shack that I use.
I am also going to coil up the cable to minimize the length along with the "suppressors".
I think it will be interesting to see if there is any difference or if it will minimize the occurrences.

Thank you again for the help!

73 Paul

Rainer, DG1SMD is absolutely right.? EMC issues can be totally unpredictable and often just don't seem to make any sense.?

The best approach with the X6100, IMHO, is to put ferrites on every lead going into the radio. This doesn't guarantee you won't have issues but it will certainly reduce the chance.

I would also be very cautious in using the X6100 with an EFHW antenna for the same reasons. If you are going to do so then I would recommend using an elevated 0.05 wavelength counterpoise attached to the antenna ground and a good common-mode choke on the feedline at the antenna. I mentioned previously that I had some issues with "wonky" SWR readings on the X6100 when using it with my Alex Loop. I fixed that problem with a few ferrites on the antenna feedline but I had never seen any issues of this kind with this antenna on any other portable rig that I own (and I own more that a few).? So the moral of the story is don't underestimate how sensitive the X6100 is to RFI.??

Cheers

Michael VE3WMB

I've had no issues with the internal keyer running Iambic-B.

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Could not have put it better myself.?

Paul,

EMC issues are seldom straightforward. Even if you did not plan it that way, every wire/cable you connect to your radio becomes part of the antenna system, especially when operating in the near field of the antenna (think portable) and without a good earth system (think endfed).
One of your keys might have rf suppression capacitors built in and a shielded cable, the other not. Even differences in cable length might play a role.
Then it depends which type of ferrite you use: you need one that has a high impedance at HF frequencies, not at VHF and up like most stuff you can recycle from consumer electronics or buy at ham flea markets. Every time i have to solve an EMC problem at work, i have to carefully select the correct ferrite type for that problem. This is the cause why sample kits are so popular in EMC work :-)

Direct conversion receivers add another layer of problems to this: W7ZOI, Wes Hayward lists everything in that regard in his book "Experimental Methods in RF Design" (also called EMRFD for short). Chapter 8 contains all you want to know about direct conversion receivers, even things you dont want to know. Wes popularized DC receivers with his Nov. 1968 article in QST and has decades of experience with them.

So in short, when solving an EMC issue, dont stop when the first approach doesnt seem to help. EMC work is like peeling onions - the suffering does not stop with the first layer...

73,

Rainer DG1SMD

Hi Scott

My question: if it is a ferrite issue on the cable why is there no issue with a different set of paddles and an "un-ferrited" cable?
In manual mode there is no issue with the keying. I think, in my case, there is a glitch in the keyer.

73 Paul

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There is no glitch in my opinion, but adding a small clip on ferrite to the paddle cable at the radio end did solve all my iambic paddle jet error woes. Before the ferrite I had miss keys and errors but after adding they were gone. Many many good qso on CW with the 6100 perfectly. The ferrite is common to solve many issues .?

Hi Oleg,

First, thank you very much for your firmware; I like it much better than the Xiegu program!

Since it is working, I am going to leave it alone (at least for a while!).

Again, thank you!

73 Paul KE4SC

Hi, I am finally going to upgrade to a 100W transceiver, but this X6100 has provided me many contacts and has performed great for me. I had purchased it through HRO Milwaukee as I worked as the Repair Technician there. I had chosen the X6100 because of it built in sound card and built in antenna tuner over an IC-705 which was considerably more expensive.

The X6100 was never used outdoors, it was my home station with an end fed wire around my radio room. (smoke free house)

So you get the X6100 with original box and all original accessories and manual. (USB cable, battery charger etc)

ICOM AC Power supply (made for 705 but plug compatible and works great with 6100)

External speaker, carrying case, short non-coiled microphone cable (plus original). GPS Dongle and a copy of the latest R1CBU on SD card.

$475 plus shipping. I also have a Chameleon P-Loop, It is a QRP Magnetic Loop that covers 40-10 meters and can be carried by hand or used on the included tripod. Includes carrying pouch and cable to radio. (Works great with the X6100 too.) That would be $185 plus shipping. All items ship from Wisconsin.

All items complete and in excellent working and cosmetic condition.

If you have any questions, please message me or look me up on QRZ.com and send me an email.

Regards,
Everett-WB9FUW

On Sat, Jan 20, 2024 at 06:58 PM, Paul Matthews wrote:

This proves there is a glitch in the internal keyer. I have upgraded to the latest X6100 firmware and R1CBU firmware and it does not solve the problem.

The logic for working with the key is located inside the BB firmware. You need to compare exactly in different versions of BB firmware.

The price on both these batteries seems reasonable for the power and features.

So I would not do any of those batteries.? You need the Renogy 72000mAh 266Wh battery.? This thing can do 60W (12V @ 4A).? You can power up many things.? I only use it on 12V since going any higher than that could damage the radio.? I can run this for 48 hours pumping out greater than 10W.? It is weird, When I have the output set to 10W, it actually tells me on the screen 11.7 W most of the time.? It comes with the cable you need, any adapters you might need.? I find that I don't need adapters.? And you can power things with a cigarette adapter that is on it as well.? This battery is amazing.? You can plug in a solar power panel as well.? Pay attention to the warnings.? Some ports can't be used at the same time.? Go check this battery out.? 24 hours of continual use.? I used this for an entire Field Day start to finish.? A non field day, I have gotten 48 hours of use.??



One other battery that I use for my laptop that I can use for my radio as well is the Shargeek Storm 2.? This will need one of the adapters that the previous battery comes with but you can set the specific voltage at the 13.8V that Xiegu recommends.??

I have been fighting with the X6100 for some time now trying to figure out why the rig will miss the last dah on occasion.; for example the number 4 or a letter V omits the last character.
At times this is fluid other times it may happen as many as three times in a row and then it works a few times and then may only do it one time. VERY frustrating.
Well, this morning I was using my old Kenwood TS450s with my MFJ keyer paddle so I decided to try it on the X6100. I set the keyer mode in the rig to manual and I let the MFJ do the work.
That solved the problem. Now CW is fluid!
I guess I have one of the few rigs with this problem because I have not seen other complaints about this problem.
This proves there is a glitch in the internal keyer. I have upgraded to the latest X6100 firmware and R1CBU firmware and it does not solve the problem.
I am now very happy with the rig!
73 Paul KE4SC

This power pack was recommended by KM9G on his YouTube channel but it doesn't have enough source current at 12V as shown in the video??at 51 seconds in the output power of the radio is flickering as the source drops in voltage due to too much current draw and then recovers, repeat ad infinitum. I bought the power pack as well but was going to use it with my QMX at 9V, but it would also probably work with the X6100.?I looked at the quality of the output with a 9V trigger cable and transient loading of about an ampere. The sag and overshoot was very respectable and over with in short order. The issue is that under load it puts out quite a lot of 380kHz hash on the DC.
Gary
W9TD

The X6100 works best with al voltage around 10 Volt. Higher voltages just mean more waste heat development inside the rig.
I
f you are considering to use an external battery IMHO best is to build or buy a LiFePo4 batterypack in 3S (not 4S) configuration. Such a pack will deliver 10 V nominal, which is excellent for the X6100. Hopes this helps.
--
Robert

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You probably got this hoping to not have to bring along an external battery, but do keep in mind that even with a good internal battery you are limited to 5 watts.? If you're doing any kind of digital work, that's going to speed up the discharge.??

In my experience I have tried bringing along a 3aH Bioenno battery which has provided more than enough full power for my needs.? ?I can't say I've transmitted for hours and hours as you have, but I can say I've been able to use that same battery for multiple activations without recharging.??

Since a Bioenno battery only supplies 13 volts I've only been using it for the radio.? There are certainly times I want to bring along another device powered by USB.? I found this battery which provides plenty of PD volts to power up the radio:??

You'll need this cable for the radio:


With this battery now I have something useful both for the radio and other USB-powered devices, so it justifies bringing along an extra battery.

Of course, your needs may be different.

---mark, KM6ZPO

Hello All.

This is my first post to this group, and I thought I'd post my experiences with the X6100 with respect to the battery.

I am the second owner of my X6100. The history of the radio is that it was manufactured in March 2023, purchased from a UK dealer by the original owner in May 2023, and ended up in my grubby hands in June 2023. While I've owned the radio I have been sceptical about the battery performance, or should I say lack of performance. I'm not a newcomer to LiPo cells/batteries, having used them for many years in my RC hobby.

I took the back panel off of my radio and found that the battery appears to be just one cell, it could be two cells but they would be the thinnest cells I've ever seen as the total depth of the battery is around 4mm, if that. This appears to be a newer version compared to the two cells that were originally used, stuck side-by-side on the backplate, as it is fitted length ways with the Version2? BMS board mounted at the end, and the solder tabs of the cell soldered directly to the BMS.

Since owning the radio I don't think I've managed more than 90 minutes of receive before the radio shuts down. On transmit, into a dummy load. it will shut down immediately and will only come back on when external power is applied. Hardly a self contained field radio.

I contacted Radioddity EU, they are the European Support for Xiegu, to ask their advice and their first advice was to search for replacement cells on AliExpress. I emailed them back and asked that surely they could supply a genuine Xiegu battery assembly, their reply was as I didn't buy the radio from them they had no obligation to talk to me, and the conversation ended there.

As I'm typing this my X6100 has been switched on for just under an hour from a full overnight charge, and it has just locked up, no audio, no spectrum activity, and showing a battery Voltage of 6.5Volt. Not the first time and is an easy fix.

In the past I have done similar tests as those carried out by the OP but using my calibrated bench supply. From completely flat, the charging circuit consumes 653mA which fluctuates slightly as the green LED flashes. When the LED stops flashing the current falls to around 520mA and steadily falls throughout the charging process reaching 73mA after about 7hrs. I expect the 73mA consumption is due to the green LED being on constant and a few Linux processes still running (the battery monitoring runs when it is switched off). This is very similar to the way my IC-705 charges, and the battery capacity is the same. The difference is the 705, even thought it consumes nearly the same current on receive as the X6100, runs for many hours on receive, I don't know how many as I haven't spent long enough at the bench to find out. Another difference I've noticed is that the battery in the X6100 suffers from Voltage sag where as the 705 doesn't. I l can switch the X6100 off at say 7Volt, wait 10 minutes and switch it back on and the Voltage will be back up at 7.6Volt or so. This tells me that the C rating of the LiPo's being used is not sufficient for a constant current draw of around 400mA (measured current draw on receive), this may explain why they are so thin and not suitable for use in a this radio. It could explain why Radioddity EU didn't want to talk to me about batteries, as I'm sure they've probably already gathered that their choice of batteries was a foolish mistake.

Regards
Nidge (G0NIG)