Check the Radio's Live DC Supply Voltage¶
The Meters applet shows the supply voltage reported live by the radio. Use it to confirm your DC power source is within a healthy range during operation.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be connected to the radio. The Meters applet requires an active radio connection.
- The applet panel must be visible. If it is hidden, enable it via
View > Applet Panel.
Steps¶
- Click the MTR tray button on the right sidebar to open the Meters applet.
- Read the +13.8V gauge. The label in the center of the bar updates live to show the current voltage — for example,
+13.82V.
What each control does¶
| Gauge | Valid range | Red above |
|---|---|---|
| PA Temp | Displays PATEMP meter reading from the radio; the gauge label shows the live value with the selected unit. | Scale and tick marks re-render when the °C/°F toggle is used, snapping immediately to avoid animating across the unit jump. |
| Main Fan | Displays MAINFAN meter value (resolved lazily by MeterModel::findMeter); label shows the live rpm. | PACURRENT intentionally omitted: the 10A meter range clips under full PA draw on FLEX-8000 hardware. |
| °C / °F toggle | Toggles the PA temperature display between Celsius and Fahrenheit; the choice persists to the 'MtrApplet' settings object (tempFahrenheit field). | Located in the header row next to the 'Radio Hardware' section label. |
| +13.8V (supply voltage) | Displays supply voltage meter; label dynamically updates to show the live voltage value (e.g. '+13.82V') via HGauge::setLabel. | |
| ## Header row controls |
The Radio Hardware header row includes a temperature unit toggle button.
| Control | Label | Behavior | Accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature unit toggle button | °C or °F |
Click to toggle the PA temperature display between Celsius and Fahrenheit. The setting is persisted and restored on next launch. | Accessible description: "Toggles PA temperature display between Celsius and Fahrenheit" |
Persisted settings¶
The temperature unit preference is stored under the MtrApplet settings key:
- tempFahrenheit — stored as "True" or "False" to indicate Fahrenheit or Celsius display.
Accessibility notes¶
Each gauge has an accessible name set for screen reader compatibility: - PA Temp gauge: "PA temperature" - Supply voltage gauge: "Supply voltage" - Main Fan gauge: "Main fan speed" - Temperature unit toggle button: Accessible description describes its function.
These names are announced when the gauge receives focus or is navigated to with assistive technology.
Tips¶
- The gauge label changes on every telemetry update from the radio, so the value shown in the bar center is always current — it is not a static placeholder.
- The bar fills cyan in the normal range and turns red above 15 V. A red bar indicates a supply voltage that is above the expected operating range.
- The PA temperature gauge turns red above 70 °C. If this occurs, reduce transmit power or duty cycle.
- Click the temperature unit toggle button (next to "Radio Hardware") to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit. The setting is remembered across sessions.
- The Main Fan gauge turns red above 2500 rpm. This is normal during high-power operation and indicates the cooling fan is working as expected.
- The PA Temp gauge label reflects the current temperature in the selected unit (e.g.,
45°Cor113°F), and the scale re-renders instantly when you toggle units.
Troubleshooting¶
- Gauge shows no movement or a fixed label — The radio is not connected, or the telemetry stream has not started. Confirm the connection status and reconnect via
Settings > Connect to Radio.... - PA Temp gauge is blank or not updating — The radio is not reporting a PATEMP reading. Verify the radio is connected and that the PA temperature telemetry is available on your hardware.