Radio Setup Dialog

The Radio Setup dialog (Settings > Radio Setup...) is the master per-radio configuration window. It contains tabs for radio information, network, GPS, TX, Phone/CW, RX, Antennas, audio, filters, XVTR, USB cables, peripherals, APD (Adaptive Pre-Distortion), Themes, SmartLink (pinned certificates), and serial (FlexControl).

Opening the dialog

1. Ensure AetherSDR is connected to the radio.
2. Click Settings > Radio Setup....
3. The dialog opens. You can drag the title bar to move the dialog and use the window edges to resize it. Dialog geometry is persisted between sessions.

If a tab contains more controls than fit vertically (e.g., on small or high-DPI displays), a scrollbar appears within that tab. The dialog itself does not grow beyond the screen edge.

Radio (tab)

The Radio tab displays radio information, identification, license information, and firmware update controls. Each read-only value has a small copy button to its right — click to copy the value to your clipboard.

Radio information

Control	Kind	Behavior
Radio SN	Indicator	Chassis serial number (read-only).
Region	Indicator	Radio regulatory region (e.g., USA).
HW Version	Indicator	Hardware version string.
Model	Indicator	Radio model.
Nickname	Text field	User-friendly radio nickname.
Callsign	Text field	Station callsign.
Station Name	Text field	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 <name>.
Remote On	Button	Enables remote wake / remote-on.
Options	Indicator	Shows licensed radio options.
FlexControl	Indicator	Detected state of FlexControl hardware.
multiFLEX	Indicator	multiFLEX enabled state.
License Info	Indicator	Displays license details (Subscription / Expiration / Radio ID / Licensed version) from the radio.
Reboot:	Button + confirmation	Reboots the connected radio. See "Rebooting the radio" below.

Rebooting the radio

1. Click Reboot Radio.
2. A confirmation dialog appears:
3. SmartLink/WAN session: The message reads "AetherSDR will disconnect. SmartLink/WAN sessions do not auto-reconnect today — you will need to reconnect manually once the radio finishes booting."
4. Local session: The message reads "AetherSDR will disconnect and automatically reconnect once the radio finishes booting."
5. Click OK to confirm. The dialog closes and AetherSDR disconnects. On local connections, reconnection happens automatically.
6. The button is disabled when the radio is disconnected.

Firmware update

Control	Kind	Behavior
Check for Update	Button	Queries the FlexRadio update server for firmware updates.
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 and extracts the .ssdr without external tools.
Upload Firmware	Button	Starts firmware upload with progress bar and status.
Firmware status	Indicator	Empty until a firmware upload begins, then progress and result text.

Checking for updates

1. Click Check for Update. AetherSDR queries the FlexRadio update server.
2. If firmware is up to date, the status label reads "Firmware is up to date (vx.x.x)." in green.
3. If an update is available, the status label reads "Update available: vx.x.x — Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com, then click Select Installer... to stage it." in amber.

Staging and uploading firmware

1. Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com if you do not already have it locally.
2. Click Select Installer.... A file picker opens that accepts:
3. .msi — FlexRadio v4.2+ WiX installer
4. .exe — older self-extracting installer
5. .ssdr — pre-extracted firmware file
6. Select the file. AetherSDR stages the firmware automatically. The stager detects the file format from the first 8 bytes and extracts the .ssdr payload without requiring any external tools. The status label shows "Preparing firmware from filename..." while staging is in progress.
7. When staging completes, click Upload Firmware. A progress bar and status label track the upload.

Network (tab)

The Network tab displays radio network information and advanced network options.

Control	Kind	Behavior
IP Address / Mask / MAC Address	Indicator	Read-only network addresses.
Enforce Private IP Connections:	Toggle	Rejects non-RFC1918 peers.
Network MTU:	Spinbox	Sets maximum outgoing VITA-49 UDP packet size in bytes (576-9000, default 1450). Stored in AppSettings as NetworkMtu. Default 1450 is safe for most VPN/SD-WAN tunnels.
DHCP / Static	Toggle	Switches between DHCP and Static IP modes.
IP Address: / Mask: / Gateway:	Text fields	Static IP configuration fields (enabled in Static mode).
Apply	Button	Pushes the network configuration to the radio.

GPS (tab)

The GPS tab displays GPS presence and live latitude/longitude/altitude/time/satellites information.

Control	Kind	Behavior
GPS information	Indicator	Live GPS data when a GPS module is installed and has a fix.

TX (tab)

The TX tab controls TX timings, interlocks, max power, tune mode, waterfall display, slice/TX follow, and TX Band Settings.

Control	Kind	Behavior
TX Band Settings	Button	Opens the dedicated per-band power/tune dialog.
Timings	Spinbox	TX hang / delay timings. See subtleties below.
Interlocks - TX REQ: RCA / Accessory	Toggle	Enables RCA and accessory interlock inputs.
Max Power:	Spinbox	Sets radio-level TX power cap (0-100%).
Tune Mode:	Combo box	Selects how the tune button behaves.
Show TX in Waterfall:	Toggle	Draws TX signal in the waterfall.
TX Follows Active Slice	Button	TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with Active Slice Follows TX. Disabled automatically during Split operation. Stored in AppSettings as TxFollowsActiveSlice.
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. Stored in AppSettings as ActiveFollowsTxSlice.

Timings

Field	Display unit	Radio unit	Behavior
ACC TX:	milliseconds	milliseconds	Delay after PTT before TX starts.
TX Delay:	milliseconds	milliseconds	Additional TX hold delay.
RCA TX1:	milliseconds	milliseconds	RCA interlock TX1 delay.
Timeout:	seconds	milliseconds	Interlock timeout. Displayed in seconds for readability; stored on the radio in milliseconds. Entry value is multiplied by 1000 before sending.
TX2:	milliseconds	milliseconds	Second TX timing delay.

Phone/CW (tab)

The Phone/CW tab controls microphone, CW keyer, and RTTY defaults.

Control	Kind	Behavior
Enable/Disable the Level Meter During Receive	Toggle	Shows mic level meter even in RX.
Iambic:	Toggle	Enables or disables the iambic keyer on the radio.
Iambic Mode: A / B	Button pair	Selects Curtis iambic mode A or B for both the radio and the local software keyer. Mutually exclusive.
Swap:	Toggle	Swaps dit/dah.
Sideband:	Combo box	Selects CW pitch sideband (LSB | USB).
CWX:	Toggle	Enables CWX macro keying.
Decode:	Toggle	Enables the CW decode overlay on the panadapter. Stored in AppSettings as CwDecodeOverlay.
RTTY Mark Default:	Spinbox	Default RTTY mark frequency.

RX (tab)

The RX tab controls GPSDO frequency offset calibration and 10 MHz reference source selection.

Control	Kind	Behavior
Cal Frequency (MHz):	Spinbox	Frequency used for manual calibration.
Start	Button	Starts the frequency calibration sweep.
Freq Offset (ppb):	Spinbox	Manual frequency offset in parts per billion.
10 MHz Reference Source:	Combo box	Selects oscillator reference source. Options shown depend on hardware installed. Lock status (Locked / Unlocked) is shown alongside and updates live.

Frequency calibration

The frequency calibration controls are available regardless of whether a GPSDO is installed.

A status label appears beside Start and provides inline feedback:

Status text	Meaning
Starting...	AetherSDR has sent the calibration commands to the radio.
Busy	The Start button is disabled; calibration is in progress.
(error text)	A problem was reported; check the value in Cal Frequency (MHz).

When GPSDO hardware is present, the label at the top of the group reads "GPSDO installed. Manual frequency offset calibration available." (green). Without GPSDO the label reads "Manual frequency offset calibration available." (amber).

10 MHz Reference Source

The combo box is populated dynamically based on what the radio reports:

Entry	Shown when
Auto	Always present.
TCXO	Radio reports TCXO hardware present, or TCXO is the current setting or active state.
GPSDO	Radio reports GPSDO hardware present, or GPSDO is the current setting or active state.
External 10 MHz	Radio reports an external reference detected, or External is the current setting or active state, or oscillator status has been received.

The lock-status label beside the combo shows the current oscillator state:

Condition	Label text (examples)
No status received yet	Waiting for oscillator status
Auto mode, radio resolved to a source	Auto -> GPSDO Locked
Setting differs from active state	TCXO -> GPSDO Locked
Setting matches active state	GPSDO Locked
Active source unlocked	GPSDO Unlocked
External selected, no signal detected	External 10 MHz Unlocked (not detected)

The label color is green when locked, red when unlocked, and muted blue-grey before status arrives.

To calibrate frequency offset

1. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the RX tab.
3. Enter a known-accurate reference frequency in Cal Frequency (MHz) (for example, a WWV or WWVH carrier).
4. Verify the value is correct. If the field is empty, the status label shows "Enter cal frequency" and calibration cannot start.
5. Click Start. The status label shows "Starting..." then "Busy" while the calibration sweep runs.
6. When complete, the Freq Offset (ppb) field updates with the calculated offset.

Antennas (tab)

The Antennas tab allows you to assign user-friendly names to each antenna port on the radio. This is useful for identifying which physical antenna is connected to each port.

Control	Kind	Behavior