Tune the radio by typing a frequency into the VFO panel¶
Direct frequency entry lets you jump to an exact frequency without clicking around the panadapter. Type a value in MHz into the VFO panel's frequency display and press Enter.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be connected to your FLEX-8600 radio.
- The VFO panel for the target slice must be open. If it is not visible, click the VFO marker flag for that slice on the spectrum display.
Steps¶
- Click the Frequency display once. The display enters direct entry mode.
- Type the desired frequency in MHz.
- Press Enter or Tab to apply. The slice retunes immediately.
What each control does¶
| Control | Behavior | Default | Persisted key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency display | Shows the current slice frequency. Click once to begin direct entry; type MHz and press Enter or Tab to apply. Scroll the mouse wheel over the display to step-tune up or down by the current step size. | — | — |
| Collapse toggle | Collapses the VFO panel to a compact frequency-only strip. In collapsed mode, scrolling anywhere on the strip tunes by the current step size. | Expanded | SliceFlagCollapsed_{N} |
DSP tab controls¶
The DSP tab contains toggle buttons for noise reduction and filtering algorithms supplied by the radio. The following buttons are available in the VFO panel DSP grid:
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| NR | Noise reduction. |
| NB | Noise blanker. |
| ANF | Automatic notch filter. |
| APF | Audio peak filter. Visible only when the slice is in CW mode. |
| NRL | Noise reduction level. |
| NRS | Spectral subtraction. |
| RNN | RNN noise reduction. |
| NRF | Spectral noise filter. |
| ANFL | LMS notch filter. |
| ANFT | FFT notch filter. |
All buttons default to off.
Client-side noise reduction modules — NR2, NR4, MNR, BNR, DFNR, and RN2 — are no longer shown in the VFO panel DSP grid. Access those algorithms from the spectrum overlay menu or the AetherDSP applet.
DSP level slider¶
When one or more radio-side DSP algorithms that support a level control are active, a level slider appears below the DSP button grid. The slider label shows the name of the most recently enabled algorithm that supports leveling (for example, NR, NB, ANF, NRL, NRS, NRF, or ANFL). The adjacent numeric readout shows the current value.
- Drag the slider to set the level for the targeted algorithm (0–100).
- The slider retargets automatically when you enable a different leveled algorithm.
- When no leveled algorithm is active, the slider row fades out but remains in position so the button grid does not shift.
Tips¶
- If the panel is collapsed to the frequency-only strip, click anywhere on it to expand it so the Frequency display is accessible for direct entry.
- The scroll wheel also tunes the slice when the pointer is over the Frequency display, stepping by the slice's current step size. On macOS, inertial scroll events are ignored to prevent unintended tuning after a gesture ends.
Troubleshooting¶
- Typing has no effect — Check that the slice is not locked. A locked slice ignores tune commands. Unlock it before entering a frequency.
- The VFO panel is not visible — Click the VFO marker flag for the desired slice on the spectrum display to open the panel.
- NR2, NR4, MNR, BNR, DFNR, or RN2 buttons are missing from the DSP tab — These client-side modules were moved out of the VFO panel in v0.9.7. Toggle them from the spectrum overlay menu or the AetherDSP applet.
- The DSP level slider is faded and does not respond to clicks — The slider is inactive when no radio-side DSP algorithm that supports leveling is currently enabled. Enable NR, NB, ANF, NRL, NRS, NRF, or ANFL to activate the slider.