Monitor the RMS level of each IQ stream¶
The DAX IQ applet includes a real-time level meter for each of the four IQ streams. Use these meters to confirm that a stream is active and receiving signal.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be connected to the radio. The DAX IQ applet requires an active radio connection.
- At least one IQ stream must be enabled. A disabled stream shows a meter value of 0.
Steps¶
- Click the IQ tray button on the right sidebar to open the DAX IQ applet.
- Locate the row for the channel you want to monitor: IQ 1, IQ 2, IQ 3, or IQ 4.
- Confirm the toggle button for that channel shows On. If it shows Off, enable the stream first — see Enable an IQ stream for external SDR software.
- Observe the level meter in the center of the row. The bar updates in real time as IQ data arrives from the radio.
What each control does¶
| Control | What it shows | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQ 1–4 meter | RMS level of the IQ stream, scaled for display | 0–100 (scaled from RMS × 200) | Resets to 0 when the stream is disabled, the radio disconnects, or the stream is not bound to a pan. The meter uses the current theme accent color for the progress bar chunk. |
| IQ 1–4 Off/On | Whether this IQ stream is currently active | Off / On | Stream must be On and bound to a pan for the meter to advance above 0 |
| IQ 1–4 rate | Selected sample rate for the IQ stream | 24k (24000), 48k (48000), 96k (96000), 192k (192000) | Changing the rate emits a signal to the radio. The combo box syncs back to the radio-reported rate when a stream is active, but does not overwrite the user selection during stream disable or rate-settling. |
Tips¶
- An On stream may still show a meter at 0 if the radio has no active slice, the external software has not opened the stream yet, or the stream is not bound to a pan.
- The meter resets to 0 on disconnect and on any stream that is toggled to Off.
- The meter value is a display-only indicator. It has no persisted setting key and no effect on radio configuration.
- The rate combo box preserves the user-selected rate even when the stream is off. If you choose a non-default rate while the stream is off, that rate is applied when you next enable the stream.
Troubleshooting¶
- Meter stays at 0 even though the stream is On — The radio resets all IQ streams per session. If you just reconnected, AetherSDR waits approximately 1.5 seconds before re-enabling persisted streams. Wait for the toggle to settle to On, then check the meter again.
- Stream toggles back to Off immediately after connecting — The radio was not ready when the enable request was sent. AetherSDR retries automatically after the session setup settles. If the button remains Off, click it manually to request the stream again.
- Meter stays at 0 on a newly enabled stream with a non-default rate — The rate setting is applied when the stream is enabled. The meter may read 0 momentarily while the rate settles. If it remains 0, verify the stream is bound to a pan (the meter drops to 0 when unbound).