Enable an IQ stream for external SDR software¶
The DAX IQ applet lets you activate one or more of four IQ streams on your FLEX-8600 so that external SDR software can receive raw IQ data from the radio. Each stream can be independently enabled with its own sample rate.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be connected to a FLEX-8600 radio. IQ streams are not available without an active radio connection.
- The DAX IQ applet is hidden by default. You must open it before you can enable a stream.
Steps¶
- Click the IQ tray button on the right sidebar to show the DAX IQ applet.
- In the row for the channel you want (IQ 1 through IQ 4), select a sample rate from the rate combo box. The default is 48k. Available rates are 24k, 48k, 96k, and 192k.
- Click the Off button in that channel's row. The button label changes to On and the button style changes to indicate the stream is active.
- Configure your external SDR software to connect to the corresponding DAX IQ channel.
What each control does¶
| Control | Default | Valid values | Persisted key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate combo box (IQ 1–4) | 48k |
24k (24000), 48k (48000), 96k (96000), 192k (192000) |
None |
| Off/On toggle (IQ 1–4) | Off |
Off, On |
DaxIqEnabled1 – DaxIqEnabled4 |
| Level meter (IQ 1–4) | 0 | 0–100 (scaled from RMS × 200) | — |
Tips¶
- Your enable state is persisted across sessions. When you reconnect to the radio, AetherSDR waits briefly for the session to settle before re-enabling any streams that were active in the previous session.
- The rate combo box syncs back to the radio-reported rate only when a stream is active and is not in a rate-settling state. If you select a rate while the stream is off and then enable it, your selection is applied to the freshly-created stream rather than being lost to the radio's 48k default.
- When enabling a stream with a non-default rate, the radio briefly reports 48k while settling. The combo box avoids syncing to that transient value, preserving your intended selection.
- The level meter resets to 0 whenever a stream is disabled, the stream is not bound to a pan (pan ID is empty or
0x0), or the radio disconnects.
Troubleshooting¶
- The IQ tray button is not visible — The applet panel may be hidden. Go to
View > Applet Panelto show it, then click the IQ tray button. - The button switches to On but no data arrives in external software — The stream request may have been sent before the radio was ready. Disable the stream by clicking On to return it to Off, wait a moment, then click Off again to re-enable it.
- The rate combo reverts after enabling — If the stream is still in a rate-settling state, the combo box waits for the final rate. In rare cases where the radio overrides your selection after settling, the combo will sync to the radio's value.
- Streams are not restored after reconnecting — This can happen if the applet loads after the radio connection is already complete. AetherSDR now checks for an already-connected radio at startup and restores persisted streams immediately.