Auto-discover an Antenna Genius on the LAN¶
AetherSDR listens for 4O3A Antenna Genius devices on your local network using UDP discovery. When a device is found, the Antenna Genius applet appears automatically and connects without any manual steps.
Before you start¶
- Your Antenna Genius must be powered on and connected to the same LAN as the computer running AetherSDR.
- The applet panel must be visible. If it is not, click
View > Applet Panelto show it.
Steps¶
- Launch AetherSDR. Discovery starts immediately in the background — no action required.
- When a device is found, the AG tray button appears in the right sidebar. Click AG to open the Antenna Genius applet.
- Check the status label below the device selector. It will read Device found, then change to Connected — \<name> v\<version> once the automatic connection completes.
- Confirm the correct device is shown in the Device combo. If more than one Antenna Genius is on the LAN, use the combo to select the one you want, then click Connect.
What each control does¶
| Control | What it does | Default | Setting key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device combo | Lists all Antenna Genius units discovered via UDP. Auto-selects and connects to the first device found, unless that device is a ShackSwitch (which is handled by the ShackSwitch applet). | — | — |
| Connect / Disconnect | Connects to the selected device in the combo, or disconnects if already connected. Label switches between Connect and Disconnect to reflect current state. | Connect | — |
| Manual IP | Enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address and press Enter to connect directly to port 9007. Used when the device is not on the local LAN. The last-used value is restored on next launch. | — | AG_ManualIp |
| Status label | Shows discovery and connection state: No device found, Device found, Connected — \<name> v\<version>, Disconnected, Error: \<msg>, or Invalid IP address. | No device found | — |
Tips¶
- If your network has more than one Antenna Genius, the Device combo lists all discovered units. AetherSDR connects automatically only to the first discovered device that is not a ShackSwitch. Select a different entry and click Connect to switch.
- Port B controls are hidden automatically when the connected device reports only one radio port.
Troubleshooting¶
- Status label stays at "No device found" — Verify the Antenna Genius is powered on and on the same subnet. Firewalls or managed switches that block UDP broadcast traffic will prevent discovery. If the device is on a different network, use Manual IP instead.
- Status label shows "Invalid IP address" — The text entered in Manual IP could not be parsed as a valid IPv4 or IPv6 address. Correct the address and press Enter again.
- Status label shows "Error: \<msg>" — The connection attempt was made but the device refused or dropped it. Check that no other client is holding an exclusive connection to the Antenna Genius.
- A ShackSwitch on the LAN is not auto-connecting here — ShackSwitch devices discovered via UDP are intentionally skipped by the Antenna Genius applet. Use the ShackSwitch applet to connect to and control a ShackSwitch.