Choose PC input/output audio devices¶
This page explains how to select which PC audio devices AetherSDR uses for radio receive audio output and microphone input. You need to do this when you first set up AetherSDR or when you change headsets, speakers, or audio interfaces.
Before you start¶
- The radio must be connected. Radio Setup controls are unavailable without an active radio connection.
- Know which audio input and output devices your PC exposes (check your OS audio settings if unsure).
Steps¶
- Click
Settings > Radio Setup...to open the Radio Setup dialog. - Click the Audio tab.
- Under PC Audio Devices:, click the Input: drop-down and select the device you want to use for microphone or audio input.
- Click the Output: drop-down and select the device you want to use for receive audio playback.
- Close the dialog. The selections take effect immediately.
What each control does¶
| Control | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Radio SN | Chassis serial number (read-only). Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value. | — |
| Region | Radio regulatory region. | USA |
| HW Version | Hardware version string (read-only). Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value. | — |
| Remote On | Enables remote wake / remote-on. | — |
| Options | Shows licensed radio options. Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value. | — |
| FlexControl | Detected state of FlexControl hardware. | — |
| multiFLEX | multiFLEX enabled state. | — |
| Model | Radio model. Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value. | — |
| Nickname | User-friendly radio nickname. | — |
| Callsign | Station callsign. | — |
| Station Name | Identifies this AetherSDR client to other multiFLEX stations. Defaults to the OS hostname if empty. Stored in AppSettings as StationName. Sent to radio as 'client station |
— |
| License Info | Displays license details (subscription, expiration, radio ID, licensed version) from the radio. Each field includes a clipboard copy button next to the value. | — |
| Reboot: / Reboot Radio | Opens a confirmation dialog; on confirmation sends a reboot command to the radio. The button is disabled when the radio is disconnected. On LAN, AetherSDR auto-reconnects after the radio boots; on SmartLink/WAN, you must reconnect manually. The dialog shows the appropriate message for LAN vs WAN. | — |
| Check for Update | Queries for firmware updates. | — |
| 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 v26.5.3. | — |
| Upload Firmware | Starts firmware upload with progress bar and status. | — |
| IP Address / Mask / MAC Address | Read-only network addresses. Each includes a clipboard copy button. | — |
| Enforce Private IP Connections: | Rejects non-RFC1918 peers. Toggle button shows "Enabled" when checked. | — |
| Network MTU: | Sets maximum outgoing VITA-49 UDP packet size in bytes. Range 576-9000 bytes. Default 1450 is safe for most VPN/SD-WAN tunnels. Stored in AppSettings as NetworkMtu. |
1450 |
| DHCP / Static | Switches between DHCP and Static IP modes. | — |
| IP Address: / Mask: / Gateway: | Static IP configuration fields. | — |
| Apply | Pushes the network config to the radio. | — |
| TX Band Settings | Opens the dedicated per-band power/tune dialog. | — |
| Timings (in ms) | TX hang / delay timings. | — |
| Interlocks - TX REQ: RCA / Accessory | Enables RCA and accessory interlock inputs. | — |
| Max Power: | Sets radio-level TX power cap. Range 0-100%. | — |
| Tune Mode: | Selects how the tune button behaves. | — |
| Show TX in Waterfall: | Draws TX signal in the waterfall. | — |
| TX Follows Active Slice | TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with Active Slice Follows TX. Disabled automatically during Split operation. Stored in AppSettings as TxFollowsActiveSlice. |
False |
| Active Slice Follows TX | Switches the active slice when TX moves externally (e.g. WSJT-X or CAT). Mutually exclusive with TX Follows Active Slice. Stored in AppSettings as ActiveFollowsTxSlice. |
False |
| Enable/Disable the Level Meter During Receive | Shows mic level meter even in RX. | — |
| Iambic: | Enables or disables the iambic keyer on the radio. Mode A and Mode B buttons beside the toggle select Curtis A or B mode. These also drive the local software iambic keyer (IambicKeyer) which mirrors the radio's iambic state for sub-5 ms sidetone. | Enabled |
| Iambic Mode: A / B | Selects Curtis iambic mode A or B for both the radio and the local software keyer. Mutually exclusive pair. | A |
| Swap: | Swaps dit/dah. | — |
| Sideband: | Selects CW pitch sideband. | — |
| CWX: | Enables CWX macro keying. | — |
| Decode: | Enables the CW decode overlay on the panadapter. Stored in AppSettings as CwDecodeOverlay. |
True |
| RTTY Mark Default: | Default RTTY mark frequency. | — |
| Cal Frequency (MHz): | Frequency used for manual calibration. | — |
| Start | Starts the frequency calibration sweep. | — |
| Freq Offset (ppb): | Manual frequency offset in ppb. | — |
| 10 MHz Reference Source: | Selects oscillator reference source. Options shown depend on hardware installed (TCXO/GPSDO/External). Lock status (Locked / Unlocked) is shown alongside the combo and updates live. | Auto |
| Line Out: | Line-out gain. | — |
| Mute (Line Out) | Mutes line-out. | — |
| Headphone: | Headphone gain. | — |
| Mute (Headphone) | Mutes headphone. | — |
| Front Speaker: / Mute | Mutes front speaker (model-specific). | — |
| Audio Compression (SmartLink): Auto / Uncompressed / Opus | Selects audio codec for SmartLink/LAN. Stored in AppSettings as AudioCompression. |
Auto |
| Prevent system sleep while connected | Keeps OS awake while radio is connected to prevent audio/TCP/UDP stream drops during idle. Stored in AppSettings as InhibitSleepWhileConnected. |
False |
| PC Audio Devices: Input: | Selects the host audio input device (microphone, audio interface, etc.). | System default |
| PC Audio Devices: Output: | Selects the host audio output device (speakers, headphones, audio interface, etc.). | System default |
| Audio Boost: | Applies extra gain on the client audio path. Stored in AppSettings as AudioBoost. |
Off |
| Audio Buffer: | Increases the client audio buffer in milliseconds for VPN/SmartLink jitter. Range 50-1000 ms. Stored as AudioBufferMs. |
200 ms |
| Recording: Radio Side / Client Side | Selects whether recordings are captured at the radio or the client. Stored in AppSettings as RecordingMode. |
Radio Side |
| Save to: | Folder for saved recordings (client-side only). Defaults to Documents/AetherSDR/Recordings. Stored in AppSettings as QsoRecordingDir. |
— |
| ... | Opens a folder browser to select the recording directory. | — |
| Auto-record on TX | Automatically records while transmitting. Stored in AppSettings as QsoRecordingAutoRecord. |
False |
| Idle timeout: | Seconds of silence before recording stops. Range 10-3600 sec. Stored in AppSettings as QsoRecordingIdleTimeout. |
120 s |
| NVIDIA BNR: Autostart Container / Start / Stop / Check Status | Controls the NVIDIA Broadcast noise-removal container. Status dot indicates Running/Stopped/Unknown. | — |
| Voice / CW / Digital filter sharpness sliders | Sets filter sharpness (0=lowest latency to 3=sharpest) per mode. Disabled when Auto is enabled for that mode. Commands sent as 'radio filter_sharpness |
— |
| Auto (Voice / CW / Digital) | Enables automatic filter-level selection for that mode and disables the manual sharpness slider. Commands sent as 'radio filter_sharpness |
— |
| Use Low Latency Filters for Digital Modes | Forces low-latency filters in DIGU/DIGL. | — |
| RX Only: (per transverter) | Forces RX-only on that transverter. | — |
| Remove (per transverter) | Deletes the transverter definition. | — |
| Create New Transverter | Adds a new transverter entry. | — |
| Cables list / Status | Detected USB cables per type with Plugged/Unplugged status. | — |
| Name: / Enabled / Speed / Data Bits / Parity / Stop Bits / Flow / Source / Auto Report / BCD Type / Polarity / Bit Configuration (0-7) | Per-cable serial parameters and behavior. | — |
| Connect / Disconnect (TGXL) | 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 |