{"id":46330,"date":"2020-11-05T14:44:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T18:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=46330"},"modified":"2020-11-05T14:44:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T18:44:00","slug":"first-look-at-the-new-xiegu-gsoc-touch-screen-transceiver-controller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/first-look-at-the-new-xiegu-gsoc-touch-screen-transceiver-controller\/","title":{"rendered":"First look at the new Xiegu GSOC Touch Screen Transceiver Controller!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Yesterday, I took delivery of the new Xiegu GSOC<\/strong> Touch Screen Controller which has kindly been sent to me by Radioddity<\/a> on loan for a frank evaluation. [Thank you, Radioddity!<\/em>] GSOC development has been closely watched by Xiegu owners since its announcement this summer.<\/p>\n

To be clear: the GSOC is not a transceiver, it’s a control head for the Xiegu G90<\/strong> and X5105<\/strong>. Readers might recall my recent review of the Xiegu G90<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Xiegu G90<\/p><\/div>\n

I’ve heard some GSOC reviewers on YouTube note that the GSOC may also work with the tiny Xiegu G1M<\/a> transceiver, but I’m not sure how it could convey the I\/Q information since I don’t believe the G1M has I\/Q output (perhaps someone can correct me as I’ve never used the G1M).<\/p>\n

Connecting the GSOC to the G90 is a simple process:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Remove the G90’s control head<\/li>\n
  2. Use the supplied 9 pin serial cable to connect the GSOC to the G90<\/li>\n
  3. Connect the G90 I\/Q out to the GSOC I\/Q in with the supplied 1\/8″ (3.5mm) stereo patch cable<\/li>\n
  4. Connect the G90 and the GSOC to a power supply or battery (each unit has a separate power connection)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The GSOC Sports a Large Touch Screen Interface<\/h1>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    No doubt, the best thing about the GSOC is the 7 inch color touch LCD screen. It’s a capacitive touch screen as well, so feels more like a tablet screen than a soft pressure-sensitive screen.<\/p>\n

    While it doesn’t seem to have the pixel density of some modern tables, the resolution is more than adequate for the task and is, frankly, quite attractive!<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>The GSOC has a large encorder with a finger dimple that “floats” as you turn the the knob (much like my Icom IC-756 Pro).<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>This firmware version does have a number of adjustable settings for the GSOC and transceiver–all are easy to use.<\/p>\n

    A huge bonus is that the GSOC sports two USB ports. I’ve connected my portable wireless Logitech keyboard\/trackpad to the GSOC via one of the USB ports and it works brilliantly.<\/p>\n

    I find it’s much easier to use a mouse or trackpad to click buttons on the screen as some buttons–especially the cluster below the frequency display–are tiny and a little more difficult to accurately click\/select with a finger.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Form factor<\/h1>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    The GSOC form factor works well for tabletop operation. There’s a fold-out bail that tilts the display forward for very easy operation. In fact, the GSOC bail must be used because it also acts as a stand-off to give the serial cable and IQ cable room to be connected. I prefer this rather than having all of the cables exit one side of the unit, for example.<\/p>\n

    When everything is connected, there are quite a few connections and cables in play:<\/p>\n