Radio Setup Dialog¶
The Radio Setup dialog is the master per-radio configuration window. It provides controls for radio information, network, GPS, TX, Antennas, Phone/CW, RX, audio, filters, XVTR, USB cables, peripherals, serial (FlexControl), APD, Themes, and SmartLink pinned certificate management.
Opening the dialog¶
- Select
Settings > Radio Setup...from the main menu. - The dialog opens as a persistent window that remembers its position and size between sessions. You can drag it by the title bar.
- Close the dialog by clicking the X button on the title bar or pressing
Escape.
Radio tab¶
The Radio tab displays radio identification, license information, and firmware update controls. The tab content is wrapped in a scrollable area so all controls remain accessible on small or high-DPI displays.
Radio information (read-only)¶
Each read-only field includes a copy button (clipboard icon) that appears on hover or focus. Click the button to copy the field value to the system clipboard. A brief "Copied!" popup confirms the action.
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Radio SN | Chassis serial number. Click the copy button to copy. |
| Region | Radio regulatory region. |
| HW Version | Hardware version string. Click the copy button to copy. |
| Model | Radio model. |
| Options | Shows licensed radio options. Click the copy button to copy. |
| FlexControl | Detected state of FlexControl hardware. |
| multiFLEX | multiFLEX enabled state. |
| License Info | Displays subscription, expiration, Radio ID (click the copy button to copy), and licensed version details. |
Identification fields¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Nickname | User-friendly radio nickname. |
| Callsign | Station callsign. |
| Station Name | Identifies this AetherSDR client to other multiFLEX stations. Defaults to the OS hostname if empty. Stored in StationName setting. Sent to radio as "client station |
Remote On¶
Click Remote On to enable remote wake / remote-on capability.
Reboot Radio¶
Click Reboot Radio to restart the connected radio. A confirmation dialog appears before the reboot proceeds.
- On a LAN connection: AetherSDR disconnects and automatically reconnects once the radio finishes booting.
- On a SmartLink/WAN connection: AetherSDR disconnects. You will need to reconnect manually after the radio finishes booting.
The button is disabled when the radio is disconnected. It re-enables automatically when the radio reconnects, without requiring you to reopen the dialog.
Firmware update¶
- Click Check for Update to query the FlexRadio update server for available firmware versions.
- If firmware is up to date, the status label shows the current version in green.
- If an update is available, the status label shows the version number and instructs you to download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com.
- Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com (
.msifor v4.2+,.exefor older releases). - Click Select Installer... and choose the downloaded installer or a pre-extracted
.ssdrfile. The stager detects the file format automatically and extracts the firmware without external tools. A progress indicator appears while staging completes. - Click Upload Firmware to transfer the staged firmware to the radio.
Network tab¶
The Network tab displays radio network information and provides advanced network options.
Network information (read-only)¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| IP Address / Mask / MAC Address | Read-only network addresses. Each field includes a copy button (clipboard icon) that appears on hover or focus. Click the button to copy the value to the system clipboard. |
Network settings¶
| Control | Default | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enforce Private IP Connections: | Off | - | Rejects non-RFC1918 peers. |
| Network MTU: | 1450 | 576-9000 bytes | Sets maximum outgoing VITA-49 UDP packet size in bytes. Default 1450 is safe for most VPN/SD-WAN tunnels. Stored in NetworkMtu setting. |
| DHCP / Static | DHCP | - | Switches between DHCP and Static IP modes. |
| IP Address: / Mask: / Gateway: | - | - | Static IP configuration fields (shown when Static mode is selected). |
| Apply | - | - | Pushes the network configuration to the radio. |
GPS tab¶
The GPS tab shows GPS presence and live latitude/longitude/altitude/time/satellites information.
TX tab¶
The TX tab controls TX timings, interlocks, max power, tune mode, waterfall display, slice/TX follow, and provides a shortcut to TX Band Settings.
TX Band Settings¶
Click TX Band Settings to open the dedicated per-band power/tune dialog.
TX timings¶
| Control | Default | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timings (in ms) | - | - | TX hang / delay timings. |
Other TX controls¶
| Control | Default | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interlocks - TX REQ: RCA / Accessory | Off | - | Enables RCA and accessory interlock inputs. |
| Max Power: | - | 0-100 % | Sets radio-level TX power cap. |
| Tune Mode: | - | - | Selects how the tune button behaves. |
| Show TX in Waterfall: | Off | - | Draws TX signal in the waterfall. |
| TX Follows Active Slice | False | - | TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with Active Slice Follows TX. Disabled automatically during Split operation. Stored in TxFollowsActiveSlice setting. |
| Active Slice Follows TX | False | - | Switches the active slice when TX moves externally (e.g. WSJT-X or CAT). Mutually exclusive with TX Follows Active Slice. Stored in ActiveFollowsTxSlice setting. |
Antennas tab¶
The Antennas tab allows you to assign custom names to each antenna port on the radio. This tab is lazily built when first clicked.
Antenna name fields¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| ANT1 - ANT8 | Text fields for assigning user-friendly names to each antenna port. Names are stored on the radio. |
Phone/CW tab¶
The Phone/CW tab configures microphone, CW keyer, and RTTY defaults.
Audio meter¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Enable/Disable the Level Meter During Receive | Shows mic level meter even in RX. |
CW keyer¶
| Control | Default | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iambic: | Disabled | Enabled / Disabled | Enables or disables the iambic keyer on the radio. |
| Iambic Mode: A / B | A | A / B | Selects Curtis iambic mode A or B for both the radio and the local software keyer. Mutually exclusive pair. |
| Swap: | Off | - | Swaps dit/dah. |
| Sideband: | - | LSB / USB | Selects CW pitch sideband. |
| CWX: | Off | - | Enables CWX macro keying. |
| Decode: | True | - | Enables the CW decode overlay on the panadapter. Stored in CwDecodeOverlay setting. |
RTTY¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| RTTY Mark Default: | Default RTTY mark frequency. |
RX tab¶
The RX tab provides GPSDO frequency offset calibration and 10 MHz reference source selection.
Frequency calibration¶
The calibration controls are available regardless of whether a GPSDO is installed. The status label at the top of the group reads: - GPSDO installed. Manual frequency offset calibration available. (green) — GPSDO present. - Manual frequency offset calibration available. (amber) — no GPSDO.
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Cal Frequency (MHz): | Enter the reference frequency in MHz used for calibration. Must not be empty before clicking Start. |
| Start | Validates the field, resets freq_error_ppb to 0, and starts the calibration sweep. Disabled and labeled Busy while a sweep is in progress. |
| Freq Offset (ppb): | Manual frequency offset in parts per billion. Applied directly without running a sweep. |
| Status label | Shows current calibration state: Starting, progress text, or error. Updates live during the sweep. |
10 MHz reference source¶
The 10 MHz Reference Source: combo box selects which oscillator the radio uses as its frequency reference.
Combo box population¶
The combo is populated dynamically based on what the radio reports. Items appear according to the following rules:
| Item label | When shown |
|---|---|
| Auto | Always present. |
| TCXO | Present when the radio has reported any oscillator status, when the radio reports tcxoPresent, or when the current or active setting is tcxo. |
| GPSDO | Present when the radio reports gpsdoPresent, or when the current or active setting is gpsdo. |
| External 10 MHz | Present when the radio has reported any oscillator status, when the radio reports extPresent, or when the current or active setting is external. |
The combo selects the item matching the radio's current oscSetting. If that value is not in the list, the combo falls back to the current selection, then to Auto.
Lock-status label¶
The label to the right of the combo shows the current oscillator state and lock condition.
| Condition | Label text | Color |
|---|---|---|
| No status received yet | Waiting for oscillator status | Grey |
| Setting is Auto, radio has selected a source | Auto -> \<source> Locked / Unlocked | Green (locked) / Red (unlocked) |
| Setting differs from active state | \ |
Green (locked) / Red (unlocked) |
| Setting matches active state | \<source> Locked / Unlocked | Green (locked) / Red (unlocked) |
| External selected but no external signal detected | \<text> (not detected) appended | Green (locked) / Red (unlocked) |
The radio sends ext for the external source in some firmware responses. AetherSDR normalizes this to external before display, so the label always reads External 10 MHz rather than Ext.
Audio tab¶
The Audio tab configures radio audio outputs, compression, PC devices, boost, buffer, recording, and NVIDIA BNR container. The tab content is wrapped in a scrollable area so all controls remain accessible on small or high-DPI displays.
Radio outputs¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Line Out: | Line-out gain slider. |
| Mute (Line Out) | Mutes line-out. |
| Headphone: | Headphone gain slider. |
| Mute (Headphone) | Mutes headphone. |
| Front Speaker: / Mute | Mutes front speaker (model-specific). |
Audio compression¶
| Control | Default | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Audio Compression (SmartLink): Auto / Uncompressed / Opus | Auto | Selects audio codec for SmartLink/LAN. Stored in AudioCompression setting. |
Power management¶
| Control | Default | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Prevent system sleep while connected | False | Keeps OS awake while radio is connected to prevent audio/TCP/UDP stream drops during idle. Stored in InhibitSleepWhileConnected setting. |
PC audio devices¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| PC Audio Devices: Input: / Output: | Picks host audio in/out devices. |
Audio boost and buffer¶
| Control | Default | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Boost: | Off | - | Enables extra gain on the client audio path. Stored in AudioBoost setting. |
| Audio Buffer: | 200 | 50-1000 ms | Increases audio buffer in milliseconds for VPN/SmartLink jitter. Stored in AudioBufferMs setting. |
Recording¶
| Control | Default | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Recording: Radio Side / Client Side | Radio Side | Picks radio-side or client-side recording. Stored in RecordingMode setting. |
| Save to: | Documents/AetherSDR/Recordings | Folder for saved recordings (client-side only). Stored in QsoRecordingDir setting. |
| ... | - | Browses for recording folder. |
| Auto-record on TX | False | Automatically records while transmitting. Stored in QsoRecordingAutoRecord setting. |
| Idle timeout: | 120 | 10-3600 sec |
NVIDIA BNR¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA BNR: Autostart Container / Start / Stop / Check Status | Controls the NVIDIA Broadcast noise-removal container. The status dot indicates Running/Stopped/Unknown. |
Filters tab¶
The Filters tab provides low-latency / sharp filter options per bandwidth. The tab content is wrapped in a scrollable area so all controls remain accessible on small or high-DPI displays.
| Control | Default | Range | Behavior