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Monitor the Main Cooling Fan Speed

Use the Meters applet to watch the FLEX-8600's main cooling fan speed in real time. This helps you confirm the fan is running and catch unusually high speeds that may indicate thermal stress.

Before you start

  • AetherSDR must be connected to the radio. The Meters applet requires an active radio connection.
  • The applet panel must be visible. If it is hidden, enable it via View > Applet Panel.

Steps

  1. Locate the MTR tray button on the right sidebar of the applet panel.
  2. Click MTR to toggle the Meters applet open.
  3. Read the Main Fan gauge under the Radio Hardware section header.

What each control does

Gauge What it shows Valid range
PA Temp PA temperature in °C, read from the radio's PATEMP meter 0–120 °C
+13.8V Supply voltage in volts. The gauge label updates dynamically to show the live radio-reported value (for example, +13.82V) instead of the static +13.8V placeholder. 10.0–16.0 V
Main Fan Current cooling fan speed in rpm, read from the radio's MAINFAN meter 0–3000 rpm

Gauge bars are cyan in the normal operating range. The PA Temp gauge turns red above 70 °C, the +13.8V gauge turns red above 15 V, and the Main Fan gauge turns red above 2500 rpm.

Tips

  • The Main Fan gauge updates as the radio reports new meter values. There may be a brief delay after the applet first opens while the meter index is resolved.
  • The gauge uses smoothed animation for value changes, so rapid fluctuations will appear as a smooth sweep rather than an instant jump.
  • The +13.8V gauge label reflects the live voltage value reported by the radio. The label updates each time the radio sends a new meter reading, so the displayed voltage (for example, +13.82V) is always current.

Troubleshooting

  • Main Fan gauge shows no movement after opening the applet — The fan meter index is resolved lazily on first update. Wait a few seconds for the radio to emit a meter reading. If the gauge remains at zero, verify the radio connection is active via Settings > Connect to Radio....
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