Phone/CW Applet¶

The Phone/CW applet provides a mode-aware transmit panel that automatically switches between Phone and CW controls based on the active slice's mode. In voice modes, it shows microphone, processor, and monitor controls. When the active slice is in CW mode, it automatically switches to CW controls including delay, speed, sidetone, iambic, and pitch settings.

Opening the Applet¶

Click the P/CW button in the right sidebar or confirm it is already visible in the Applet Panel.
The applet requires an active connection to a FLEX-8600 radio.
The applet automatically switches between Phone and CW sub-panels based on the active slice's mode.

Phone Panel Controls¶

The Phone panel is displayed when the active slice is in a voice mode (LSB, USB, AM, FM, etc.).

Microphone Section¶

Control	Behavior	Default
Level	Shows microphone input peak level in dBFS. Suppressed to -150 when `met_in_rx` is off and not transmitting.	—
Mic profile	Selects a named microphone processing profile from the radio's available profiles. Calls `TransmitModel::loadMicProfile`.	—
Mic source	Selects microphone input source. Options include MIC, BAL, LINE, ACC, PC, plus any from the radio's `micInputList()`. Calls `TransmitModel::setMicSelection`.	—
Mic gain	Adjusts microphone input level. Range 0-100. For 'PC' source, uses local `PcMicGain` persistence since the radio always reports `mic_level=0` when source=PC.	50
+ACC	Toggles the accessory microphone input mix. Calls `TransmitModel::setMicAcc`.	—

Speech Processor Section¶

Control	Behavior	Default
PROC	Toggles the speech processor. Calls `TransmitModel::setSpeechProcessorEnable`.	—
NOR/DX/DX+	Three-position processor level slider: 0 (NOR), 1 (DX), 2 (DX+). Calls `TransmitModel::setSpeechProcessorLevel`.	0
Compression	Shows speech compression amount in dB. Gated on the radio's interlock TRANSMITTING state and speech processor enable: reads 0 dB during RX. Driven via `updateCompression()`, independent of the mic level path. Range -25 to 0 dB (reversed fill).	—

Audio Routing Section¶

Control	Behavior	Default
DAX	Enables DAX as the TX audio source. Calls `TransmitModel::setDax`.	—
MON	Enables TX sidetone monitor. Calls `TransmitModel::setSbMonitor`.	—
Monitor volume	Sets sideband monitor volume. Calls `TransmitModel::setMonGainSb`. Range 0-100.	—

ALC Meter¶

Control	Behavior	Range
ALC (Phone panel)	Shows automatic level control reading from `MeterModel::swAlcChanged` (post-software-ALC SSB peak in dBFS). Fills right-to-left: empty at -20 dBFS, full at 0 dBFS. Red zone above -3 dBFS. Rewired from HWALC (RCA voltage) to SW ALC meter in v26.5.1 (#2552).	-20 to 0 dBFS

CW Panel Controls¶

The CW panel is displayed when the active slice is in CW or CWL mode.

Timing and Speed Section¶

Control	Behavior	Default
Breakin	Toggles full break-in (QSK). When ON (QSK), key edges trigger TX and `break_in_delay` holds the relay. When OFF, keys are queued and the operator engages PTT manually. In v0.9.7, the CW keyboard/MIDI paths now fully honor this setting — the previous auto-PTT envelope that masked Breakin OFF and killed QSK hang time has been removed.	—
Delay (CW)	Sets CW break-in delay in milliseconds. Range 0-2000 ms (step 10). The adjacent QLineEdit accepts typed values (0–2000) (v0.9.8, #2429). In v0.9.8, `setCwDelay` was fixed to cache the value immediately so the radio emission doesn't snap the slider back (#2428).	500 ms
Speed (CW)	Sets CW keying speed in words per minute. Range 5-100 WPM. The adjacent QLineEdit accepts typed values (5–100) (v0.9.8, #2429).	20 WPM

Sidetone Section¶

Control	Behavior	Default
Sidetone	Toggles CW sidetone monitor. Controls both the radio's DAX-fed monitor and the client-side low-latency CwSidetoneGenerator (~10 ms latency) in lockstep (v0.9.1+). Pitch and pan always follow the radio's `cw_pitch` and `mon_pan_cw` automatically. In v26.5.3, the CW sidetone routes to the user-selected audio output instead of the default output (#2899).	—
Sidetone volume	Sets CW monitor volume. Controls both the radio-side (`mon_gain_cw`) and client-side sidetone volume in lockstep (v0.9.1+). Range 0-100. The adjacent QLineEdit accepts typed values (0–100) (v0.9.8, #2429).	50
L / R pan (CW)	Sets CW monitor stereo pan. Calls `TransmitModel::setMonPanCw` and applies constant-power pan to the local sidetone generator (v0.9.1+). Double-click recenters to 50 (centre). Range 0-100.	50

Keying Section¶

Control	Behavior	Default
Iambic	Toggles iambic paddle keyer. Calls `TransmitModel::setCwIambic`.	—
Pitch < / >	Sets CW sidetone pitch. QLineEdit with < / > buttons (CwTriBtn). Type a value (100–6000) or click the buttons to step by 10 Hz. Calls `TransmitModel::setCwPitch` (v0.9.8, #2429).	600 Hz

ALC Meter¶

Control	Behavior	Range
ALC (CW panel)	Mirrors the Phone-panel ALC gauge; both read from `MeterModel::swAlcChanged` for consistent readings across voice and CW. Added in v26.5.1 (#2552) as part of the SW ALC meter split. Uses `HGauge::setFillFromRight` mode. Red zone above -3 dBFS.	-20 to 0 dBFS

CWX Panel Integration¶

The embedded CWX panel's F1-F12 shortcuts are driven by the active slice's mode via MainWindow (CwxPanel::setShortcutsEnabled) instead of panel visibility — they fire when the slice is in CW/CWL mode regardless of whether the panel is visible (#2582), while staying mutually exclusive with DVK panel F-key bindings. CWX macros also release TX automatically when the queue drains (#2450, #2507).

Notes¶

In v26.6.1, all applet styling uses the theme system. Sliders and labels adapt to the selected theme rather than using hardcoded colors.
The ALC gauge on both panels is driven by the software ALC meter (MeterModel::swAlcChanged, post-SSBMeter-peak dBFS, #2552), replacing the previous HWALC (RCA voltage) path that produced meaningless readings.
In v0.9.8, the four CW value labels (Delay, Speed, Sidetone Volume, Pitch) are now QLineEdit widgets with QIntValidator — click any value and type a number directly (SmartSDR parity).
The sidetone bus is shared with Quindar tones (mutually exclusive at the mode level).
With Breakin OFF, no auto-PTT envelope is applied. The radio will not transmit queued characters until you engage PTT manually. Release PTT after the last character is sent to return to RX.
If you are using an external amplifier, Breakin OFF gives you time to close the amplifier's T/R relay before the keyer starts sending.
In v26.5.3, CW sidetone is automatically routed to the audio output device selected in AetherSDR Audio settings, not the system default output. Check your audio output selection if you hear no sidetone.

Troubleshooting¶

The radio transmits immediately when a key is pressed, even with Breakin apparently off — This was a known issue in versions prior to v0.9.7, where an auto-PTT envelope overrode the Breakin setting. Confirm AetherSDR is v0.9.7 or later.
The CW panel is not visible; Phone controls are shown — The applet switches to the CW sub-panel automatically only when the active slice is in a CW mode. Change the slice mode to CW on the radio.
The Delay slider snaps back after typing a value — This was fixed in v0.9.8 (#2428). The value is now cached immediately so the radio emission does not force the slider back.
The ALC meter shows a frozen reading — In v26.5.3, the ALC meter is initialized to -20 dBFS at construction. If the reading stays at -20 dBFS, verify the radio is transmitting and audio signal is present.
The mic level meter shows -150 dBFS during RX — In v26.5.3, the level meter is suppressed during receive when the "Meter level during receive" option is disabled in TransmitModel settings. To see mic level during RX, enable that option.
No CW sidetone heard — In v26.5.3, verify the correct audio output is selected in AetherSDR Audio settings. Sidetone now routes to the user's audio output, not the system default output (#2899).