Pick Opus vs Uncompressed Audio for SmartLink

Select the audio codec AetherSDR uses over SmartLink or LAN connections. Opus reduces bandwidth at the cost of a small amount of compression; uncompressed PCM preserves full fidelity when bandwidth allows. Auto lets the radio choose.

Before you start

• AetherSDR must be connected to the radio. The Audio tab is not accessible without an active connection.
• Open Settings > Radio Setup... and click the Audio tab.

Steps

1. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the Audio tab.
3. Under Audio Compression (SmartLink):, click Auto, Uncompressed, or Opus to select the codec.
4. Auto — the radio negotiates the codec automatically (default).
5. Uncompressed — sends raw PCM audio; uses more bandwidth.
6. Opus — sends Opus-encoded audio; lower bandwidth, slight compression.
7. Close the dialog. The setting takes effect immediately and is saved.

What each control does

Control	Default	Valid values
Audio Compression (SmartLink): Auto / Uncompressed / Opus	Auto	Auto, Uncompressed, Opus
Audio Boost:	—	Enabled / Disabled
Audio Buffer:	200 ms	50–1000 ms
Recording: Radio Side / Client Side	Radio Side	Radio Side, Client Side
Save to:	—	Folder path
Auto-record on TX	—	Checked / Unchecked
Idle timeout:	120 sec	10–3600 sec
TX Follows Active Slice	False	TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with Active Slice Follows TX. Disabled automatically during Split operation.
Active Slice Follows TX	False	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	—	0–3. 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)	—	Enabled / Disabled. 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)	Connect	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 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)	Connect	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)	Connect	Opens/closes connection to the Antenna Genius (default port 9007). Saves IP and port to AG_ManualIp and AG_ManualPort. The row shows a Connected status only when the connected device is a non-ShackSwitch Antenna Genius.
Connect / Disconnect (ShackSwitch)	Connect	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)	—	Opens the ShackSwitch device's local web configuration interface in the system browser. Uses the beacon's webPort if > 1024, otherwise falls back to SS_WebPort or port 5000.
Cal Frequency (MHz):	—	Frequency used for manual calibration. Available regardless of whether a GPSDO is installed. If the field is empty when you click Start, a warning appears and calibration does not begin.
Start	—	Sets the calibration frequency, resets freq_error_ppb to 0, then starts the radio PLL calibration sweep. The button is disabled and labelled Busy while calibration is running.
Freq Offset (ppb):	—	Manual frequency offset in parts per billion.
10 MHz Reference Source:	Auto	Selects the oscillator reference source. Options shown depend on hardware installed (TCXO / GPSDO / External 10 MHz). The combo populates dynamically: TCXO and External 10 MHz entries appear whenever the radio reports oscillator status, the relevant hardware is present, or the current or configured value matches that source. GPSDO appears when a GPSDO is detected or the configured value is gpsdo. The lock status label beside the combo updates live and reflects Auto resolution (for example, Auto -> GPSDO Locked) and whether an external reference is detected.
Select Installer...	—	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. Label changed from Browse .ssdr... in v0.9.3.
APD (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)	INTERNAL	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.
Equalizer Reset (APD)	—	Sends apd reset to the radio, clearing all per-antenna APD training data so adaptation starts fresh.
Themes (tab)	—	UI customization tab — currently hosts the Slice Colors section.
Use Aether defaults / Custom colors	Use Aether defaults	Switches the slice color scheme between the built-in AetherSDR palette and a fully custom per-slice set. Backed by SliceColorManager::useCustomColors().
Slice A–H color buttons	—	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.
Reset All to Defaults (Themes)	—	Resets all custom slice colors to the built-in AetherSDR palette.

Firmware update — changes in v0.9.3

The Browse .ssdr... button on the Radio tab has been renamed to Select Installer.... It now accepts three file types in addition to a pre-extracted .ssdr file:

• .msi — the WiX-based SmartSDR installer used by FlexRadio from v4.2 onward.
• .exe — the older self-extracting installer.
• .ssdr — a firmware file you have already extracted yourself.

The firmware stager examines the first 8 bytes of the selected file to determine its format (OLE/MSI magic or PE/COFF MZ header) and extracts the .ssdr payload automatically without requiring any external tools. Progress is shown in the status area below the buttons.

When Check for Update reports that a newer firmware version is available, AetherSDR no longer offers to download the installer automatically. Instead the status area displays:

Update available: vX.Y.Z
Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com, then click 'Select Installer...' to stage it.

To update firmware:

1. Open Settings > Radio Setup... and click the Radio tab.
2. Click Check for Update. Note the version number shown in the status area.
3. Download the SmartSDR installer for that version from flexradio.com.
4. Click Select Installer... and choose the downloaded .msi, .exe, or .ssdr file.
5. AetherSDR stages the firmware. Watch the progress bar and status label.
6. When staging is complete, click Upload Firmware to transfer the firmware to the radio.

RX tab — frequency calibration changes in v0.9.2.1

In previous versions, the Cal Frequency (MHz): field and Start button were only shown when no GPSDO was installed. From v0.9.2.1, those controls are always visible on the RX tab. The status banner at the top of the group still indicates whether a GPSDO is present (green text) or not (amber text).

When you click Start:

1. AetherSDR validates that the Cal Frequency (MHz): field is not empty. If it is empty, a warning message appears next to the button and calibration does not proceed.
2. The frequency offset is reset to 0 (radio set freq_error_ppb=0) and the calibration frequency is sent to the radio (radio set cal_freq=<value>).
3. The radio PLL calibration sweep begins (radio pll_start).
4. The Start button is disabled and shows Busy for the duration of the sweep.
5. A status label next to the button updates as the sweep progresses and shows the result when complete.

RX tab — oscillator source changes in v0.9.7

The 10 MHz Reference Source: combo and its lock status label have been reworked.

Combo population. The list of available sources is now built dynamically each time the dialog opens or the radio reports oscillator status, rather than being fixed at dialog construction. The rules are:

• Auto is always present.
• TCXO appears when the radio reports any oscillator status, when tcxoPresent is true, or when the current or configured value is tcxo.
• GPSDO appears when gpsdoPresent is true or the current or configured value is gpsdo.
• External 10 MHz appears when the radio reports any oscillator status, when extPresent is true, or when the current or configured value is external. Note: the label has changed from External to External 10 MHz.

The combo pre-selects the value that matches the radio's current configured setting (oscSetting). If that value is not in the list, the previously selected item is used; if neither is present, Auto is selected.