Configure the AetherControl / FlexControl hardware controller¶

Configure a physical FlexControl or the virtual AetherControl wheel for tuning and button actions. The dialog lets you manage connection, wheel behavior, and button mappings for both hardware and virtual controllers.

Before you start¶

A physical FlexControl connected by USB (for hardware use)
For virtual use only, no hardware is needed

Steps¶

Open Settings > AetherControl...
To connect a physical FlexControl, click Detect in the Physical section. The dialog scans serial ports and connects automatically. If detection fails, click Close and try again.
To use the virtual wheel, double-click and drag around the Wheel indicator to tune the active slice. Double-click again to release capture, or press Escape.
Adjust the Wheel Tightness slider to set coasting drag (0 = tight, 100 = loose). Default: 45.
Adjust the Mouse Sensitivity slider to scale captured pointer movement (0 = less, 100 = more). Default: 50.
Toggle Compact to hide auxiliary buttons and show only the wheel and frequency readout.
Toggle External Spin to enable panadapter drag-initiated spin-wheel tuning.
Toggle Reverse to invert the wheel tuning direction.
Configure the wheel Push action: select an action from the Push combo box.
Configure the wheel Double-tap action: select an action from the Double-tap combo box.
To configure auxiliary buttons, click an aux button (labeled with dots). Then select actions from the Aux single-tap combo and Aux double-tap combo that appear.

What each control does¶

Control	Default	Valid range	Setting key	Behavior
Wheel	—	—	—	Virtual wheel: double-click to capture, then rotate with mouse/touch to tune the active slice. Double-click again or press Escape to release. Shows frequency and mode readout.
Physical	—	—	`FlexControlPort`, `FlexControlOpen`, `FlexControlAutoDetect`	Shows physical FlexControl connection state and port name. Detect/Close buttons manage the device. Automatically restores LED state after device reset.
Compact	—	—	`FlexControlCompactMode`	Hides auxiliary buttons; shows only wheel and frequency.
External Spin	—	—	`FlexControlVirtualExternalSpin`	Enables panadapter drag-triggered spin-wheel tuning.
Reverse	—	—	`FlexControlInvertDir`	Reverses wheel tuning direction.
Push	—	—	`FlexControlButtonAction_*`	Action assigned to single-tapping the wheel.
Double-tap	—	—	stored per-button	Action assigned to double-tapping the wheel.
Wheel Tightness	45	0–100	`FlexControlVirtualWheel` (looseness field)	Adjusts virtual wheel coasting drag. 0 = tight (fast stop), 100 = loose (long coast).
Mouse Sensitivity	50	0–100	`FlexControlVirtualWheel` (sensitivity field)	Scales captured pointer movement. 50 = 1.0x scale. De-jitter clamps single-event pointer deltas to 15°. Lazy re-anchoring: when pointer crosses through centre dead-zone, next movement re-anchors without computing a delta.
Aux buttons (1–5)	—	5 buttons	—	Click to select; then configure single- and double-tap actions.
Aux single-tap combo	—	—	`FlexControlBtn1Action0`–`FlexControlBtn4Action0`	Action for single-tapping the selected aux button.
Aux double-tap combo	—	—	`FlexControlBtn1Action1`–`FlexControlBtn4Action1`	Action for double-tapping the selected aux button.

Tips¶

The Wheel Tightness and Mouse Sensitivity sliders only affect the virtual wheel (trackpad/pointer use), not a physical FlexControl.
Pre-built action IDs include: Tune Slice, Band Zoom, Segment Zoom, RIT, XIT, Master Volume, Slice Audio Volume, Headphone Volume, AGCT, APF, Clear RIT, Clear XIT, Toggle APF, Change Active Slice, Split Active Slice, MOX, RF Power, CW Speed, Step Up, Step Down, Toggle Tune, Toggle Mute, Toggle Lock, Previous Slice, Toggle AGC, Slice AF Up, Slice AF Down, None, and CWX macros 1–12.
Settings are saved automatically when you adjust controls in this dialog.
The virtual wheel now uses double-click to capture and release, providing a more intuitive experience than the previous click-to-capture / Escape-to-release model. Escape still works as a secondary release path.
The FlexControl dialog automatically restores LED state on the physical device when it receives a hardware reset command, ensuring the Aux LEDs match the application's active wheel-mode button.

Troubleshooting¶

Physical FlexControl not detected — Ensure the device is plugged into a USB port. Click Detect again. If still not found, try a different USB cable or port.
Virtual wheel tuning feels sluggish — Increase Mouse Sensitivity and decrease Wheel Tightness for quicker response.
Aux LEDs on physical FlexControl don't match — This is now handled automatically. The dialog restores LED state after device resets, correcting any mismatch that could occur during power-on sequences.