Create a new transverter entry

Use this page to add a transverter definition to your FLEX-8600 so AetherSDR knows the IF-to-RF frequency offset and operating parameters for your transverter band.

Before you start

• The radio must be connected. Radio Setup requires an active radio connection.
• Know the IF frequency range your transverter uses and the RF frequency offset you want to display.

Steps

1. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the XVTR tab.
3. Click Create New Transverter.
4. A new nested tab appears. Configure the fields for the new entry on that tab.
5. To restrict the entry to receive only, set RX Only: to the enabled state.
6. To delete an entry you no longer need, click Remove on that entry's tab.
7. Close the dialog with Close.

What each control does

Control	Kind	Behavior
Create New Transverter	Button	Adds a new transverter entry and opens its configuration tab.
RX Only:	Toggle button	Forces the transverter to receive-only, preventing TX through it.
Remove	Button	Permanently deletes the selected transverter definition.
TX Follows Active Slice	Button	TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with Active Slice Follows TX. Disabled automatically during Split operation.
Active Slice Follows TX	Button	Switches the active slice when TX moves externally (e.g. WSJT-X or CAT). Mutually exclusive with TX Follows Active Slice.
Voice / CW / Digital filter sharpness sliders	Slider	Sets filter sharpness (0=lowest latency to 3=sharpest) per mode; slider is disabled when Auto is enabled. Commands sent as radio filter_sharpness <mode> level=<N>.
Auto (Voice / CW / Digital)	Toggle button	Enables automatic filter-level selection for that mode; disables the manual sharpness slider. Commands sent as radio filter_sharpness <mode> auto_level=1.
Connect / Disconnect (TGXL)	Button	Opens/closes direct TCP connection to the TGXL on port 9010. Saves IP and port to TGXL_ManualIp and TGXL_ManualPort on connect so AetherSDR auto-reconnects on startup. Required to recover TUNE on firmware 4.2+. When connected, the TUNE button sends the native autotune command directly to the TGXL instead of the radio-side tgxl autotune handle=<H> path broken in firmware 4.2. The TGXL drives radio PTT via its hardware interlock cable; no client-side keying is needed. If the IP field is empty and the radio has discovered the TGXL, the discovered IP is pre-filled.
Connect / Disconnect (PGXL)	Button	Opens/closes direct TCP connection to the Power Genius XL (default port 9008). Saves IP and port to PGXL_ManualIp and PGXL_ManualPort.
Connect / Disconnect (Antenna Genius)	Button	Opens/closes connection to the Antenna Genius (default port 9007). Saves IP and port to AG_ManualIp and AG_ManualPort. The row is hidden from the Connected state if a ShackSwitch (rather than a standard Antenna Genius) is the connected device.
Connect / Disconnect (ShackSwitch)	Button	Opens/closes connection to a ShackSwitch antenna switch via the AG UDP/TCP protocol on port 9007. Saves IP to SS_ManualIp and port to SS_ControlPort. ShackSwitch is detected by the 'ShackSwitch' field in the AG broadcast beacon. Auto-discovery via UDP also works without this row. Row hidden from Connected status if Antenna Genius (non-ShackSwitch) is the connected device.
⚙ Web UI (ShackSwitch)	Button	Opens the ShackSwitch device's local web configuration interface in the system browser. Uses the beacon's webPort if greater than 1024, otherwise falls back to SS_WebPort or port 5000.
Select Installer...	Button	Opens a file picker that accepts .msi (FlexRadio v4.2+ WiX installer), .exe (older self-extracting installer), or a pre-extracted .ssdr firmware file. The firmware stager auto-detects format from the first 8 bytes (OLE/MSI magic vs PE/COFF MZ) and extracts the .ssdr without external tools. When an update is available, the status label instructs you to download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com and then use this button to stage it. Label changed from Browse .ssdr... in v0.9.3.
APD (tab)	Tab	External Adaptive Pre-Distortion sampler configuration — per-TX-antenna selection of the feedback sample port (INTERNAL / RX_A / RX_B / XVTA / XVTB) and an equalizer reset button. Tab is hidden unless the radio reports apd configurable=1. Only FLEX-8x00 series with SmartSDR 4.2.18+ firmware exposes this; 6000-series and pre-4.2.18 radios keep the tab invisible.
ANT1 / ANT2 / XVTA / XVTB sampler combos (APD)	Combo box	Selects the feedback path the radio uses to sample the outgoing RF for APD training for that TX antenna. Choose an external RX/XVTR input when driving an external linear amplifier. Options are populated live from the radio's apd sampler sub-object. Falls back to INTERNAL if the radio reports an unrecognised value. Default: INTERNAL.
Equalizer Reset (APD)	Button	Sends apd reset to the radio, clearing all per-antenna APD training data so adaptation starts fresh.
Themes (tab)	Tab	UI customization tab — currently hosts the Slice Colors section.
Use Aether defaults / Custom colors	Radio button	Switches the slice color scheme between the built-in AetherSDR palette and a fully custom per-slice set.
Slice A–H color buttons	Button	Click any lettered button (A–H) to open a color picker and assign a custom color for that slice. Changes are visible immediately in VFO widgets, panadapter overlays, and CAT channel badges. Buttons are disabled when Use Aether defaults is selected. Up to 8 slices supported.
Reset All to Defaults (Themes)	Button	Resets all custom slice colors to the built-in AetherSDR palette.

Firmware update (Radio tab)

Use the controls in the Radio tab to check for and apply firmware updates.

1. Click Check for Update. AetherSDR queries the FlexRadio update server.
2. If firmware is up to date, the status label shows the current version in green.
3. If an update is available, the status label shows the version number and instructs you to download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com.
4. Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com (.msi for v4.2+, .exe for older releases).
5. Click Select Installer... and choose the downloaded installer or a pre-extracted .ssdr file. The stager detects the file format automatically and extracts the firmware without external tools. A progress indicator appears while staging completes.
6. Click Upload Firmware to transfer the staged firmware to the radio.

Frequency calibration (RX tab)

In v0.9.2.1 the calibration controls on the RX tab are available regardless of whether a GPSDO is installed. Previously, Cal Frequency (MHz):, Start, and Freq Offset (ppb): were hidden when a GPSDO was detected. The status label at the top of the group now reads:

• GPSDO installed. Manual frequency offset calibration available. (green) — GPSDO present.
• Manual frequency offset calibration available. (amber) — no GPSDO.

How calibration works in v0.9.2.1

The Start button now validates the cal frequency field before sending any commands, resets the frequency error to zero (radio set freq_error_ppb=0), then triggers the PLL sweep. While the sweep runs, Start is disabled and labeled Busy. A status label next to the button shows progress text. The button and label return to their normal states when the sweep completes or fails.

Control	Behavior
Cal Frequency (MHz):	Enter the reference frequency in MHz used for calibration. Must not be empty before clicking Start.
Start	Validates the field, resets freq_error_ppb to 0, and starts the calibration sweep. Disabled and labeled Busy while a sweep is in progress.
Freq Offset (ppb):	Manual frequency offset in parts per billion. Applied directly without running a sweep.
Status label	Shows current calibration state: Starting, progress text, or error. Updates live during the sweep.

10 MHz reference source (RX tab)

The 10 MHz Reference Source: combo box on the RX tab selects which oscillator the radio uses as its frequency reference. Starting in v0.9.7, the combo and the lock-status label beside it behave differently from earlier releases.

Combo box population

The combo is populated dynamically based on what the radio reports at the time the tab is built. Items appear according to the following rules:

Item label	When shown
Auto	Always present.
TCXO	Present when the radio has reported any oscillator status, when the radio reports tcxoPresent, or when the current or active setting is tcxo.
GPSDO	Present when the radio reports gpsdoPresent, or when the current or active setting is gpsdo.
External 10 MHz	Present when the radio has reported any oscillator status, when the radio reports extPresent, or when the current or active setting is external.

The combo selects the item matching the radio's current oscSetting. If that value is not in the list, the combo falls back to the current selection, then to Auto.

In releases before v0.9.7 the combo showed only the items corresponding to hardware flags present at dialog-open time, and the External item was labelled External rather than External 10 MHz.

Lock-status label

The label to the right of the combo shows the current oscillator state and lock condition. It updates when the radio pushes new status.

Condition	Label text	Color
No status received yet	Waiting for oscillator status	Grey
Setting is Auto, radio has selected a source	Auto -> \<source> Locked / Unlocked	Green (locked) / Red (unlocked)
Setting differs from active state	\ -> \<active> Locked / Unlocked	Green (locked) / Red (unlocked)
Setting matches active state	\<source> Locked / Unlocked	Green (locked) / Red (unlocked)
External selected but no external signal detected	\<text> (not detected) appended	Green (locked) / Red (unlocked)

The radio sends ext for the external source in some firmware responses. AetherSDR normalizes this to external before display, so the label always reads External 10 MHz rather than Ext.

Tips

• Each transverter gets its own nested tab inside the XVTR tab. If you have multiple transverters, use those tabs to switch between entries.
• If you need to return to this dialog later to adjust a transverter, reopen Settings > Radio Setup... and go directly to the XVTR tab.
• On the RX tab, always enter a known accurate reference frequency in Cal Frequency (MHz): before clicking Start. Leaving the field empty cancels the sweep.
• When Check for Update reports a new firmware version, download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com before