Start the built-in demo radio

The built-in demo radio simulates a FLEX-8600 with synthetic RF noise, allowing you to explore AetherSDR's features without a physical radio connected. This is useful for learning the interface, testing configurations, or demonstrating the software.

Before you start

• AetherSDR must be installed and running.
• No physical FlexRadio needs to be connected.

Steps

1. Open Settings > Connect to Radio... from the menu bar.
2. In the connection dialog, select Demo from the radio list.
3. Click Connect.

The main window now shows a panadapter and spectrum display with synthetic noise. The Demo Mode applet panel becomes available in the tray at the bottom of the window.

What each control does

The Demo Mode applet panel appears only when the demo radio is connected. It contains the following controls:

Control	Type	Behavior
Noise channel toggles	Checkbox	Enable or disable individual noise sources (pink noise, white noise, QRM bursts, birdies).
Noise level sliders	Slider	Adjust the amplitude of each enabled noise source independently.
Scene presets	Push button	One-click buttons that set all noise channels to match a specific scenario (storm, night-40m, contest pileup, quiet band, etc.).

Tips

• The demo radio does not support transmit operations.

Related

• Demo Mode overview
• Shape synthetic RF noise with per-channel controls
• Load a noise scene preset for realistic band simulation