Equalizer (Graphic) Applet¶
The EQ applet provides an 8-band graphic equalizer applied inside the radio itself via the TCP/IP API. Each vertical slider controls one octave band from 63 Hz to 8 kHz with a range of ±10 dB. The applet has separate RX and TX views so you can shape receive and transmit audio independently.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be connected to the radio. The EQ applet requires an active radio connection.
- The EQ applet must be open. If it is not visible, click the EQ tray button in the right sidebar applet panel to show it.
Steps¶
- Click the EQ tray button in the right sidebar to open the Equalizer tile if it is not already visible.
- Select the path you want to shape: click RX to work on the receive equalizer, or click TX to work on the transmit equalizer. The applet opens on the last-used path; the first time you open it, the TX view is selected.
- Adjust any band slider (63, 125, 250, 500 Hz or 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k) by dragging the handle up or down. The value label below the slider updates live.
- When dragging a slider, a popup appears near the slider handle showing the exact dB value with a sign (for example, "+3 dB" or "-5 dB").
Adjust bands using keyboard shortcuts¶
You can nudge the band sliders with small keyboard steps when the EQ applet has focus. The same drag-value popup appears to show the new value, then lingers briefly before fading.
- Ensure the EQ applet window has keyboard focus.
- Use the Up Arrow or Down Arrow keys to adjust the currently focused slider by one small step.
- The value popup appears near the slider center, mirrors the mouse-drag readout, and fades with the same timeout.
Reset all bands to flat with one click¶
The reset function sets all eight equalizer bands for the currently-selected path (RX or TX) back to 0 dB in one action. Use it to clear a custom curve and return to a flat response without adjusting each slider individually.
- Select the path you want to reset: click RX to work on the receive equalizer, or click TX to work on the transmit equalizer.
- Click the reset arc button (the ¾-circle arrow icon, immediately to the right of ON). Its tooltip reads "Reset all bands to 0 dB."
All eight band sliders move to 0 dB and their value labels update to 0.
What each control does¶
| Control | What it does | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| ON | Enables or disables the equalizer for the selected path (RX or TX). Shows green when enabled. | unchecked | — |
| RX | Selects the receive path for display and editing. Shows blue when active. | unchecked | — |
| TX | Selects the transmit path for display and editing. Shows blue when active. | checked on first launch; then remembers last selection | — |
| Reset arc button | Resets all 8 bands of the currently-selected path to 0 dB. | — | — |
| Band sliders (63–8k) | Vertically-oriented sliders; each trims one octave band for the selected path. Value label below each slider updates live. When dragging a slider or using keyboard arrow keys to adjust, a popup near the handle shows the exact dB value with a sign (for example, "+3 dB" or "-5 dB"). The slider handle is colored with the theme accent color. | 0 dB | −10 to +10 dB |
| +10 / 0 / -10 dB scale | Reference labels to the left and right of the slider column indicating the range of the sliders. | — | — |
Tips¶
- The applet remembers which view (RX or TX) you last used across sessions. The first time you open the applet after installation, it defaults to TX.
- The reset acts only on the path currently shown. To reset both paths, select RX, click the reset arc button, then select TX and click it again.
- Resetting bands does not disable the equalizer. ON remains in its current state after a reset.
- The drag popup shows the value with a sign (for example, "+3 dB" for positive values, "0 dB" for zero, "-5 dB" for negative values). This matches the behavior of other sliders in the application.
- After releasing a slider handle or pressing a keyboard arrow key, the popup lingers briefly before disappearing so you can read the final value.
- Keyboard nudges for the EQ sliders are routed through a shortcut lease so global operating shortcuts can resume after each adjustment.
- The applet uses theme colors for all UI elements. Colors update live when you change the application theme.