H,

There are some things that you should probably know, like that it does not have AGC.

There is an after-market AGC board, however, and there are guys who will build it for you.

There would also appear to be no filtering for the 60, 30, 17, or 12 meter bands. 

There are folks using this rig who have worked out modifications like these and others to improve performance. 

Given its low price, and once it’s been tweaked and so forth, it seems that users of it are generally happy with the X1M.

It’s available assembled for $350. It also doesn’t seem to be very accessible, judging from the operations manual.

On May 24, 2014, at 10:45 AM, Alan R. Downing <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Eric, I know nothing about this radio, but it brings to mind the old adage,
> "You get what you pay for."  If you buy one I hope that it works to your
> expectations, but it wouldn't surprise me if it turns out to be a real
> loser.
> 
> 
> Good luck. Best 73
> 
> Alan/KD7GC
> 
> 
> Alan R. Downing
> Phoenix, AZ
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Eric Oyen
> Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2014 5:46 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: a cheap portable HF radio from china
> 
> hello guys,
> 
> I was poking around to see if there was any portable solutions for HF =
> that didn't cost a mint. Here is the link to an article that is a review =
> for a chinese made HF Handy talkie:
> 
> =
> http://yo9irf.blogspot.com/2013/03/x1m-portable-chinese-hf-transceiver.htm=
> l
> 
> I would say, for $300 fully assembled (its also available as a kit for =
> cheaper), it is certainly more affordable than other "portable" =
> solutions. It can also be computer controlled with HRD (using the same =
> command set as the Icomm IC-718 (also supported in Hamlob under linux).
> 
> -eric
> n7zzt