Radio Setup Dialog¶
The Radio Setup dialog is the master per-radio configuration window. It is opened from Settings > Radio Setup... and requires an active radio connection.
Dialog Layout¶
The dialog window uses the persistent dialog framework, saving and restoring its geometry automatically between sessions. The main content area contains a tabbed interface with the following tabs:
- Radio — Radio information, identification, license info and firmware update
- Network — Radio network information and advanced network options
- GPS — GPS presence and live lat/lon/alt/time/satellites info
- TX — TX timings, interlocks, max power, tune mode, waterfall display, slice/TX follow and TX Band Settings shortcut
- Phone/CW — Microphone, CW keyer, RTTY defaults
- RX — GPSDO frequency offset calibration and 10 MHz reference source
- Calibration — Manual host-side frequency calibration (HL2 and other backends that cannot self-calibrate; hidden for radios with hostFrequencyCalibration capability)
- Antennas — Antenna name configuration
- Audio — Radio audio outputs, compression, PC devices, boost, buffer, recording and NVIDIA BNR container
- Filters — Low-latency / Sharp filter options per bandwidth
- XVTR — Per-transverter configuration
- USB Cables — Assigns USB serial adapters to CAT, BCD, bit, and PTT cable types
- Peripherals — External devices manual IP connection (TGXL, PGXL, Antenna Genius)
- APD — External Adaptive Pre-Distortion sampler configuration (FLEX-8x00 with SmartSDR 4.2.18+ only)
- Themes — UI customization including slice colors
- SmartLink — Pinned SmartLink TLS certificate management
- Serial — FlexControl serial port configuration and paddle/button mapping
- KiwiSDR — KiwiSDR receiver configuration, custom nickname, and public/private receiver management
Several tabs (Radio, Themes, Audio, Filters, Peripherals) are wrapped in a scroll area so that their content remains accessible on small or high-DPI screens. The scrollbar appears automatically when the content exceeds the dialog's visible height; it hides when all content fits without scrolling.
The dialog geometry (position and size) is saved automatically when you close the dialog and restored on next open. The dialog inherits from PersistentDialog which handles geometry persistence under the key RadioSetupDialogGeometry.
Radio Tab¶
The Radio tab displays radio information, identification, license details, and firmware update controls.
Radio Information¶
The following indicators are read-only and show information retrieved from the connected radio:
| Control | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Radio SN | Chassis serial number |
| Region | Radio regulatory region (e.g., USA) |
| HW Version | Hardware version string |
| Model | Radio model |
| Options | Licensed radio options |
| FlexControl | Detected state of FlexControl hardware |
| multiFLEX | multiFLEX enabled state |
| License Info | Subscription status, expiration date, radio ID, and licensed version |
Each read-only field has a copy button (clipboard icon) that appears on hover or focus. Click the copy button to copy that field's value to the system clipboard. A brief popup confirms the copy action.
User Configuration Fields¶
| Control | What it does | Setting Key |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | StationName |
| Remote On | Enables remote wake / remote-on | — |
Reboot Radio¶
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reboot Radio | Sends a reboot command to the connected radio. A confirmation dialog appears before rebooting. The button is disabled when the radio is disconnected. |
Click Reboot Radio to restart the connected radio. A confirmation dialog appears:
- For LAN connections: "AetherSDR will disconnect and automatically reconnect once the radio finishes booting."
- For SmartLink/WAN connections: "AetherSDR will disconnect. SmartLink/WAN sessions do not auto-reconnect today — you will need to reconnect manually once the radio finishes booting."
Click OK to confirm. The dialog closes, and the radio reboots.
The button is enabled only when the radio is connected and the backend supports a client reboot. For example, HL2 is RX-only so the button is disabled. It disables automatically on disconnect and re-enables on reconnect.
Firmware Update¶
The Radio tab includes firmware update controls. For details, see the Firmware Update section below.
Network Tab¶
The Network tab displays network information and allows configuration of the radio's network settings.
Network Information¶
The following indicators are read-only:
| Control | What it shows |
|---|---|
| IP Address / Mask / MAC Address | Read-only network addresses |
Network Configuration¶
| Control | What it does | Default | Range | Setting Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DHCP / Static | Switches between DHCP and Static IP modes | — | — | — |
| IP Address: / Mask: / Gateway: | Static IP configuration fields | — | — | — |
| Enforce Private IP Connections: | Rejects non-RFC1918 peers | — | — | — |
| Network MTU: | Sets maximum outgoing VITA-49 UDP packet size in bytes | 1450 | 576-9000 bytes | NetworkMtu |
| Apply | Pushes the network config to the radio | — | — | — |
Note: The default MTU of 1450 is safe for most VPN/SD-WAN tunnels. This setting is stored in AppSettings.
Automation Bridge (MCP)¶
The Network tab includes controls for the in-app automation bridge that lets an AI coding assistant (via the MCP server) introspect and drive the running app.
| Control | What it does | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent Automation (MCP): | Enables the in-app automation bridge | Disabled | New in v26.8.4 (#3646). Persisted via AutomationBridgeSettings. The AETHER_AUTOMATION launch environment variable force-enables the bridge regardless of this toggle and disables the control in the UI. Transmit-keying stays blocked unless AETHER_AUTOMATION_ALLOW_TX is set. |
| Access Token: | Read-only display of the MCP access token; paste it into the assistant's AETHER_MCP_TOKEN environment variable. Stored in the OS secret store. |
(none) | New in v26.8.4. Auto-mints a 128-bit hex token when the bridge is enabled without one. Placeholder '(loading…)' until the keychain read lands. |
| Copy (Access Token) | Copies the access token to the clipboard | — | New in v26.8.4. |
| Rotate (Access Token) | Generates a new token and applies it immediately, locking out any client still using the old one | — | New in v26.8.4. |
| Allow TX via MCP: Enable transmit control | Lets an MCP client key the transmitter (MOX/PTT/TUNE/ATU/CWX) | False | New in v26.8.4. Enforced in the bridge; no client can flip it. Overridden by AETHER_AUTOMATION_ALLOW_TX (force on) and AETHER_AUTOMATION_NO_TX (pinned off). A force-unkey watchdog limits bridge-originated TX. |
| Observe only: Read-only (block all driving) | Makes the bridge observe-only: MCP clients can read state but every mutating verb (set/invoke/connect/tune/capture) is refused | False | New in v26.8.4 (#4188). Enforced in the app, so a client cannot bypass it. AETHER_AUTOMATION_READONLY launch variable pins it on for headless/CI runs. |
VITA-49 Receive Buffer¶
| Control | What it does | Default | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VITA-49 RX buffer: | Snap-to-preset slider setting the kernel receive buffer (SO_RCVBUF) for the VITA-49 stream socket; larger absorbs panadapter/waterfall bursts so packets aren't dropped | 4 MB | 0.25-4 MB (presets) | New in v26.8.4 (#3810). Presets 256 KB to 4 MB. The system caps the grant at net.core.rmem_max; a live 'granted: |
| granted: (VITA-49 RX buffer) | Shows the buffer size the kernel actually granted (vs the requested preset) | — | — | New in v26.8.4. Shows '(applies on connect)' when no connection is active. |
GPS Tab¶
The GPS tab displays GPS presence and live information when a GPS receiver is installed.
| Control | What it shows |
|---|---|
| GPS | Live lat/lon/alt/time/satellites information |
TX Tab¶
The TX tab configures transmit timings, interlocks, power, tune mode, and slice/TX follow behavior.
TX Band Settings¶
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| TX Band Settings | Opens the dedicated per-band power/tune dialog |
TX Configuration¶
| Control | What it does | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timings | TX hang / delay timings. Includes ACC TX, TX Delay, RCA TX1, and Timeout fields. | — | — |
| Interlocks - TX REQ: RCA / Accessory | Enables RCA and accessory interlock inputs | — | — |
| Max Power: | Sets radio-level TX power cap | — | 0-100 % |
| Tune Mode: | Selects how the tune button behaves | — | — |
| Show TX in Waterfall: | Draws TX signal in the waterfall | — | — |
Timing Fields¶
The Timings section includes four fields:
| Control | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ACC TX: | ACC transmit delay in milliseconds | — |
| TX Delay: | Transmit delay in milliseconds | — |
| RCA TX1: | RCA TX1 delay in milliseconds | — |
| Timeout (sec): | Interlock timeout displayed in seconds. The radio internally stores this value in milliseconds. | Enter the value in seconds; the dialog converts to milliseconds before sending to the radio. |
Note: The Timeout field previously displayed minutes but now shows seconds for finer resolution on short-cycle TOT settings.
Slice/TX Follow¶
| Control | What it does | Default | Setting Key |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX Follows Active Slice | TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with Active Slice Follows TX. Disabled automatically during Split operation. | False | TxFollowsActiveSlice |
| Active Slice Follows TX | Switches the active slice when TX moves externally (e.g. WSJT-X or CAT). Mutually exclusive with TX Follows Active Slice. | False | ActiveFollowsTxSlice |
Phone/CW Tab¶
The Phone/CW tab configures microphone, CW keyer, and RTTY defaults.
| Control | What it does | Default | Range | Setting Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable/Disable the Level Meter During Receive | Shows mic level meter even in RX | — | — | — |
| Iambic: | Enables or disables the iambic keyer on the radio | — | Enabled / Disabled | — |
| Iambic Mode: A / B | Selects Curtis iambic mode A or B for both the radio and the local software keyer. Mutually exclusive pair. | A | A / B | — |
| Swap: | Swaps dit/dah | — | — | — |
| Sideband: | Selects CW pitch sideband | — | LSB / USB | — |
| CWX: | Enables CWX macro keying | — | — | — |
| Decode: RX | Enables the CW decode overlay on the panadapter for received CW | True | — | CwDecoder (nested JSON, rx field) |
| Decode: TX | Decodes the operator's own CW keying via client-side sidetone, useful as a self-training tool for paddle/bug timing | False | — | CwDecoder (nested JSON, tx field) |
| RTTY Mark Default: | Default RTTY mark frequency | — | — | — |
Note: Mode A and Mode B buttons are available beside the Iambic Enabled toggle. Mode A = Curtis A; Mode B = Curtis B. These also drive the local software iambic keyer (IambicKeyer) which mirrors the radio's iambic state for sub-5 ms sidetone.
Note: The Decode: RX and Decode: TX toggles were split from a single
CwDecodeOverlaytoggle in v26.5.3. They persist as a nested JSON blob underCwDecoderwithrxandtxfields. The legacy `CwDecode