Radio Setup Dialog

The Radio Setup dialog is the master per-radio configuration window. It contains tabs for radio information, network, GPS, TX, phone/CW, RX, calibration, antennas, filters, XVTR, USB cables, peripherals, serial/FlexControl, themes, APD, and SmartLink certificate management. Many read-only values include a clipboard copy button next to the label for easy sharing with support.

Opening the dialog

1. Click Settings > Radio Setup....
2. The dialog opens with the Radio tab selected.

General dialog behavior

• The dialog geometry is persisted across sessions using PersistentDialog.
• Changes made on some tabs are applied immediately; others require clicking an Apply or Connect button.
• If you clear an IP field on the Peripherals tab and close the dialog without clicking Connect/Disconnect, the saved manual IP and port are automatically removed and the device disconnects.
• Tabs whose content may exceed the dialog's visible height (Themes, Audio, Filters, Peripherals on small or high-DPI displays) are wrapped in a vertical scroll area so the dialog does not overflow the screen edge.
• All QCheckBox indicators use ThemeManager tokens for visibility in dark mode, with hover and disabled pseudo-states.
• The search filter respects capability-gated pages: typing a keyword that matches a hidden page (e.g. "calibration" on a Flex) does not surface a page the radio cannot use.

Radio (tab)

The Radio tab displays radio information, identification, license info, firmware update controls, and a reboot button.

Control	Description	Notes
Radio SN	Chassis serial number (read-only).	Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value. New in v26.5.3 (#2976).
Region	Radio regulatory region (read-only).
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 (read-only).	Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value.
FlexControl	Detected state of FlexControl hardware (read-only).
multiFLEX	multiFLEX enabled state (read-only).
Model	Radio model (read-only).	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 \<name>".
License Info	Displays license details from the radio: subscription, expiration, radio ID, and licensed version.	Each field (Subscription, Expiration, Radio ID, Licensed version) includes a clipboard copy button next to the value.
Check for Update	Queries for firmware updates.
Select Installer...	Opens a file dialog for a SmartSDR installer (.msi, .exe) or pre-extracted .ssdr firmware file. Passes the selected path to FirmwareStager which extracts .ssdr payload and emits progress.	Label changed from 'Browse .ssdr...' to 'Select Installer...' in v26.5.3.
Upload Firmware	Starts firmware upload with progress bar and status.
Reboot Radio	Reboots the connected radio with a confirmation dialog. AetherSDR disconnects and (on LAN) auto-reconnects once booting finishes.	New in v26.8.4 (#4448). Only enabled when connected and the backend supports a client reboot (e.g. HL2 is RX-only so the button is disabled). On SmartLink/WAN the operator must reconnect manually after the reboot.
Agent Automation (MCP):	Enables the in-app automation bridge so an AI coding assistant (via the MCP server) can introspect and drive the running app. Off by default; the operator opts in.	New in v26.8.4 (#3646). Persisted via AutomationBridgeSettings. The AETHER_AUTOMATION launch environment variable force-enables the bridge regardless of this toggle and disables the control in the UI. Transmit-keying stays blocked unless AETHER_AUTOMATION_ALLOW_TX is set.
Access Token:	Read-only display of the MCP access token; paste it into the assistant's AETHER_MCP_TOKEN environment variable. Stored in the OS secret store.	New in v26.8.4. Auto-mints a 128-bit hex token when the bridge is enabled without one. Placeholder '(loading…)' until the keychain read lands.
Copy (Access Token)	Copies the access token to the clipboard.	New in v26.8.4.
Rotate (Access Token)	Generates a new token and applies it immediately, locking out any client still using the old one.	New in v26.8.4.
Allow TX via MCP: Enable transmit control	Lets an MCP client key the transmitter (MOX/PTT/TUNE/ATU/CWX). Off by default; first enable raises an operator-responsibility confirmation.	New in v26.8.4. Enforced in the bridge; no client can flip it. Overridden by AETHER_AUTOMATION_ALLOW_TX (force on) and AETHER_AUTOMATION_NO_TX (pinned off). A force-unkey watchdog limits bridge-originated TX.
Observe only: Read-only (block all driving)	Makes the bridge observe-only: MCP clients can read state but every mutating verb (set/invoke/connect/tune/capture) is refused.	New in v26.8.4 (#4188). Enforced in the app, so a client cannot bypass it. AETHER_AUTOMATION_READONLY launch variable pins it on for headless/CI runs.
VITA-49 RX buffer:	Snap-to-preset slider setting the kernel receive buffer (SO_RCVBUF) for the VITA-49 stream socket; larger absorbs panadapter/waterfall bursts so packets aren't dropped.	New in v26.8.4 (#3810). Presets 256 KB to 4 MB. The system caps the grant at net.core.rmem_max; a live 'granted: ' label shows what the kernel actually granted.
granted: (VITA-49 RX buffer)	Shows the buffer size the kernel actually granted (vs the requested preset).	New in v26.8.4. Shows '(applies on connect)' when no connection is active.

Copyable values (Radio tab)

The Radio SN, HW Version, Options, Model, and each License Info field display a small copy button when hovered or focused. Clicking the button copies the displayed value to the system clipboard and shows a brief "Copied!" popup near the button.

Rebooting the radio

1. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the Radio tab.
3. Locate Reboot Radio button.
4. Click Reboot Radio.
5. A confirmation dialog appears with different text depending on connection type:
   • WAN/SmartLink: "AetherSDR will disconnect. SmartLink/WAN sessions do not auto-reconnect today — you will need to reconnect manually once the radio finishes booting."
   • LAN: "AetherSDR will disconnect and automatically reconnect once the radio finishes booting."
6. Click OK to confirm.
7. The dialog closes automatically.
8. The radio reboots and AetherSDR disconnects.

Firmware update (Radio tab)

AetherSDR does not download firmware automatically when an update is detected. Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com yourself, then stage it manually.

Staging a firmware update

1. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the Radio tab.
3. Click Check for Update.
4. If an update is available, a status message tells you the available version and directs you to download the installer from flexradio.com.
5. If firmware is current, a green status message confirms the installed version.
6. Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com. Accepted formats:
7. .msi — WiX installer (FlexRadio SmartSDR v4.2 and later)
8. .exe — older self-extracting installer
9. .ssdr — pre-extracted firmware file
10. Click Select Installer....
11. A file picker opens filtered to *.msi, *.exe, and *.ssdr.
12. Select the file you downloaded.
13. When the upload button becomes active, click Upload Firmware.
14. A progress bar tracks the upload.
15. Do not close the dialog or disconnect from the radio while the upload is in progress.

Firmware status messages

Message	Meaning
Update available: vx.y.z	A newer firmware version exists. Download the installer from flexradio.com, then click Select Installer....
Firmware is up to date (vx.y.z)	No action needed.
(error text in red)	Upload failed. Check the file is a valid SmartSDR firmware file and try again.

Network (tab)

The Network tab displays radio network information and lets you configure advanced network options.

Control	Description	Default
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".	—
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 configuration to the radio.	—

Changing the Network MTU

The Network MTU setting controls the maximum packet size the radio sends over the network. Lowering it prevents fragmentation when you connect through a VPN or other tunnel that reduces the available path MTU.

1. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the Network tab.
3. Locate the Network MTU: spinbox.
4. Set the value to match your network path MTU.
5. Click Apply to push the new MTU to the radio.

GPS (tab)

The GPS tab displays GPS presence and live latitude, longitude, altitude, time, and satellite information.

Control	Description
GPS status	Shows GPS presence and live position data.

TX (tab)

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

Control	Description	Default
TX Band Settings	Opens the dedicated per-band power/tune dialog.	—
Timings (in ms)	TX hang / delay timings.	—
ACC TX:	ACC TX delay in milliseconds.	—
TX Delay:	TX delay in milliseconds.	—
RCA TX1:	RCA TX1 delay in milliseconds.	—
Timeout (sec):	Interlock timeout in seconds (displayed in seconds, stored on radio in milliseconds).	—
TX2 Delay:	TX2 delay in milliseconds.	—
Interlocks - TX REQ: RCA / Accessory	Enables RCA and accessory interlock inputs.	—
Max Power:	Sets radio-level TX power cap (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.	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.	False

TX Timing fields

The TX timing fields control delays and timeouts for transmit operations. Note that the Timeout field displays in seconds for