Amplifier overview¶
The Amplifier applet provides real-time telemetry and OPERATE/STANDBY control for a connected Power Genius XL (PGXL) amplifier. Use it to monitor forward power, SWR, drain current, temperature, drain voltage, mains voltage, and fan speed.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be connected to a Flex radio.
- A Power Genius XL amplifier must be detected by the radio. The applet and its tray button are hidden until the radio reports a PGXL.
How it works¶
The Amplifier applet appears in the right-side applet panel when AetherSDR detects a PGXL amplifier on the network. Toggle it open or closed with the AMP tray button on the right sidebar.
All telemetry is pushed from the radio in real time. The gauges update as the PGXL reports new values; no polling or manual refresh is needed. Live value labels (PWR, SWR, Id) update at 10 Hz to avoid flicker, and the gauge's ballistics give a slow-release peak-hold feel that matches the S-meter. The OPERATE / STANDBY button reflects the amplifier's current state and lets you switch between the two.
In v26.7.4, the temperature display gained a unit toggle. Click the temperature label to switch between Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F); the choice is persisted across sessions. In v26.8.4, the fan speed control changed from a cycle button to a pull-down menu that surfaces all three modes.
What each control does¶
| Control | Kind | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| PWR | Value + Gauge | Shows PGXL forward power output as a numeric value and a gauge. The gauge shows a white peak tick held for 2.5 s after the last new peak. The numeric label only shows a value when power >= 5 W. The gauge is red above 1500 W. The SWR gauge resets to 1.0 when forward power drops below 5 W. |
| SWR | Value + Gauge | Shows PGXL SWR at the amplifier output as a numeric value and a gauge. The gauge is red above 2.5. The numeric label only appears when forward power is 5 W or greater — SWR is not meaningful at idle. |
| Id | Value + Gauge | Shows PGXL drain current as a numeric value and a gauge. The numeric label only appears when current >= 0.5 A. The gauge is red above 60 A. |
| Temp | Clickable text | Shows PGXL heatsink temperature as xx.x C (default) or xx.x F. Click to toggle between Celsius and Fahrenheit. The preference is saved and restored next session. Displays tempA/tempB °C when both sensors report, or tempA °C otherwise. Added in v26.7.4. |
| Vdd | Text indicator | Shows PGXL drain voltage as Vdd xx V on a direct PGXL connection. Shows a dash when the drain supply is off (vdd < 1 V) or when connected via the radio proxy. Greyed out when proxied through the radio. |
| Vac | Text indicator | Shows PGXL mains voltage as Vac xx V on a direct PGXL connection. Only updated on a direct connection; greyed out when proxied through the radio. |
| ● RADIO / ● DIRECT | Text indicator | Shows the source of telemetry data. ● RADIO when proxied through the radio, ● DIRECT when read directly from the PGXL. Vdd/Vac/fan mode are only available on the DIRECT path. |
| Fan speed (combo box) | Drop-down list | Selects the PGXL fan mode from STANDARD, CONTEST, and BROADCAST. Hidden until a direct PGXL connection delivers the first fan mode status. Uses GuardedComboBox so accidental mouse-wheel scroll while hovering does not change fan mode when the dropdown is closed (#3905). |
| OPERATE | Button | Toggles the amplifier between OPERATE and STANDBY. Hidden until the radio reports amplifier state. Shows OPERATE (green) when the PGXL is in IDLE, OPERATE, TRANSMIT_A, or TRANSMIT_B state. Shows STANDBY when the PGXL is in STANDBY, POWERUP, or FAULT state. |
The three gauges use a color-coded bar: green below the yellow threshold, yellow-amber in the caution zone, and red above the red threshold. Tick labels on each gauge are color-matched to their zone.
The temperature unit preference is the only persisted setting — all other values come live from the PGXL.
Layout¶
The Amplifier applet displays telemetry in two sections:
- Top section: Three rows, each with a label on the left and a gauge on the right:
- PWR — forward power (0–2000 W, red > 1500 W)
- SWR — SWR (1.0–3.0, red > 2.5)
-
Id — drain current (0–70 A, red > 60 A)
-
Bottom section: A text information stack on the left and the OPERATE button on the right:
- Temperature (Temp, clickable to toggle °C/°F)
- Drain voltage (Vdd)
- Mains voltage (Vac)
- Data source indicator (
● RADIO/● DIRECT) - Fan speed control (drop-down)
The numeric value labels (PWR, SWR, Id) show the field name and live value in bold light-blue text.
Temperature unit toggle¶
- Click the temperature label to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
- The chosen unit persists across AetherSDR sessions.
- The label shows one decimal place regardless of unit.
- The tooltip announces the unit clicking would switch to.
Fan speed control¶
- Select the fan mode from the Fan speed drop-down: STANDARD, CONTEST, or BROADCAST.
- The control is hidden until a direct PGXL connection delivers the first fan mode status.
- The drop-down prevents accidental fan mode changes from mouse-wheel scrolling while hovering over the control when the dropdown is closed.
Accessibility¶
All gauges have accessible names set to "Forward power", "SWR", and "Drain current" respectively. The fan speed control sets its accessible name dynamically, for example "Fan speed: STANDARD". The temperature toggle button has an accessible description "Toggles amplifier temperature between Celsius and Fahrenheit" and can be reached with Tab key focus.