Radio Setup¶
This page covers the Radio Setup dialog, the master per-radio configuration window. It includes radio information, network settings, GPS, TX, Phone/CW, RX, audio, filters, transverters, USB cables, peripheral connections, and pinned SmartLink certificate management. Many read-only values include a clipboard copy button for easy sharing with support.
Before you start¶
- Your radio must be connected to AetherSDR unless noted otherwise.
Opening Radio Setup¶
- Click
Settings > Radio Setup.... - The dialog opens with a left-hand navigation list of tabs and a right-hand configuration panel.
Copying values to the clipboard¶
Several read-only values (serial number, hardware version, model, options, IP address, MAC address, license fields) include a clipboard copy button (tray icon) immediately to the right of the value. Click it to copy the value to your system clipboard and paste it into a support ticket or email.
Copy the radio serial number¶
- Open
Settings > Radio Setup.... - On the Radio tab, locate the Radio SN read-only label.
- Click the clipboard copy button (tray icon) immediately to the right of the serial number value.
Copy the radio IP address or MAC address¶
- Open
Settings > Radio Setup.... - Click the Network tab.
- Locate the IP Address or MAC Address read-only label.
- Click the clipboard copy button (tray icon) immediately to the right of the value.
Copy firmware version or license info¶
- Open
Settings > Radio Setup.... - On the Radio tab, scroll to the License Info section.
- Click the clipboard copy button next to any field: Subscription, Expiration, Radio ID, or Licensed version.
You can also copy HW Version, Model, or Options from the Radio tab the same way.
Tabs¶
Radio¶
The Radio tab shows radio identification, license info, and firmware update controls.
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Radio SN | Chassis serial number (read-only). | Includes a clipboard copy button (tray icon) next to the value. |
| Region | Radio regulatory region. | |
| HW Version | Hardware version string. | 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. | |
| Reboot Radio | Reboots the connected radio with a confirmation dialog. AetherSDR disconnects and (on LAN) auto-reconnects once booting finishes. | 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. |
| 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. Sent to radio as 'client station <name>'. |
| License Info (Subscription / Expiration / Radio ID / Licensed version) | Displays license details from the radio. | Each field 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...' in a prior release. |
| Upload Firmware | Starts firmware upload with progress bar and status. |
Network¶
The Network tab shows radio network information and advanced network options.
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IP Address / Mask / MAC Address | Read-only network addresses. | Each includes a clipboard copy button. |
| Enforce Private IP Connections: | Rejects non-RFC1918 peers. | |
| 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. | 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. |
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. | |
| Rotate (Access Token) | Generates a new token and applies it immediately, locking out any client still using the old one. | |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | Presets 256 KB to 4 MB. The system caps the grant at net.core.rmem_max; a live 'granted: \<size>' label shows what the kernel actually granted. |
| granted: (VITA-49 RX buffer) | Shows the buffer size the kernel actually granted (vs the requested preset). | Shows '(applies on connect)' when no connection is active. |
| Network MTU: | Sets maximum outgoing VITA-49 UDP packet size in bytes. Default 1450. Range 576-9000 bytes. | Stored in AppSettings. |
| 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. |
GPS¶
The GPS tab shows GPS presence and live lat/lon/alt/time/satellites info.
TX¶
The TX tab configures TX timings, interlocks, max power, tune mode, waterfall display, slice/TX follow, and provides a TX Band Settings shortcut.
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 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'. Default False. | Disabled automatically during Split operation. |
| 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'. Default False. |
Phone/CW¶
The Phone/CW tab configures microphone, CW keyer, and RTTY defaults.
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 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 were added beside the Enabled toggle. |
| Iambic Mode: A / B | Selects Curtis iambic mode A or B for both the radio and the local software keyer. Default A. | Mutually exclusive pair. |
| Swap: | Swaps dit/dah. | |
| Sideband: | Selects CW pitch sideband. Options: LSB, USB. | |
| CWX: | Enables CWX macro keying. | |
| Decode: RX | Enables the CW decode overlay on the panadapter for received CW. Default True. | Persisted as nested JSON blob under CwDecoder with rx and tx fields. Legacy CwDecodeOverlay key auto-migrated on first read. |
| Decode: TX | Decodes the operator's own CW keying via client-side sidetone, useful as a self-training tool for paddle/bug timing. Default False. | |
| RTTY Mark Default: | Default RTTY mark frequency. |
RX¶
The RX tab handles GPSDO frequency offset calibration and 10 MHz reference source.
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 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: Auto, TCXO, GPSDO, External. Default Auto. | Lock status (Locked / Unlocked) is shown alongside the combo and updates live. |
Calibration¶
The Calibration tab is available only on radios whose backend requires host-side frequency calibration (currently only HL2 and similar RX-only backends). On FLEX radios, this tab is hidden because the radio performs its own hardware calibration on the RX tab.
When connected to a supported radio, the tab provides:
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| (Host frequency calibration controls) | Manually corrects the radio's local oscillator frequency in ppb/ppm. | Tab is hidden unless the connected backend reports hostFrequencyCalibration capability. Typing "calibration" in the dialog search box will not surface the tab on a FLEX radio. |
Antennas¶
The Antennas tab lets you assign custom display names to each antenna port (ANT1, ANT2, XVTA, XVTB, etc.). These names appear in the panadapter RX/TX antenna indicators instead of the raw port tokens.
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Port / Custom name / Preview / Clear (table columns) | Grid of antenna port rows. Each row has a read-only port label (e.g. ANT1), an editable text field (max 16 chars), a preview of the final display name, and a Clear button to reset the custom name. | Rows auto-update when slice antenna assignments change. When a port's custom name is empty, the raw port token is used as the display name. |
Audio¶
The Audio tab configures radio audio outputs, compression, PC devices, boost, buffer, recording, and the NVIDIA BNR container.
| Control | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Default Auto. | |
| Prevent system sleep while connected | Keeps OS awake while radio is connected to prevent audio/TCP/UDP stream drops during idle. Default False. | |
| PC Audio Devices: Input: / Output: | Picks host audio in/out devices. | |
| Audio Boost: | Enables extra gain on the client audio path. | |
| Audio Buffer: | Increases audio buffer in milliseconds for VPN/SmartLink jitter. Default 200. Range 50-1000 ms. | Stored as AudioBufferMs. |
| Recording: Radio Side / Client Side | Picks radio-side or client-side recording. Default Radio Side. | |
| Save to: | Folder for saved recordings (client-side only). Defaults to Documents/AetherSDR/Recordings. | |
| ... | Browses for recording folder. | |
| Auto-record on TX | Automatically records while transmitting. Default False. | |
| Idle timeout: | Seconds of silence before recording stops. Default 120. Range 10-3600 sec. | |
| NVIDIA BNR: Autostart Container / Start / Stop / Check Status | Controls the NVIDIA Broadcast noise- |