Toggle low-latency vs sharp filters per bandwidth

The Filters tab in Radio Setup lets you choose between low-latency and sharp DSP filters for each receive bandwidth, and optionally force low-latency filters when using digital modes.

Before you start

• AetherSDR must be connected to the radio. The Filters tab is only available when a radio connection is active.
• Open Radio Setup via Settings > Radio Setup....

Steps

1. Click Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the Filters tab.
3. Click the Low Latency / Sharp Filters toggle button to switch between the two filter families for the current bandwidth. The button reflects the active selection.
4. To force low-latency filters whenever a digital mode (DIGU or DIGL) is active, check Use Low Latency Filters for Digital Modes.
5. Close the dialog. Settings take effect immediately.

What each control does

Control	Kind	Behavior
Low Latency / Sharp Filters	Toggle button	Switches the filter-family preference between low-latency and sharp filters for the selected bandwidth.
Use Low Latency Filters for Digital Modes	Checkbox	When checked, overrides the per-bandwidth filter choice and uses low-latency filters whenever a DIGU or DIGL slice is active.
Voice / CW / Digital filter sharpness sliders	Slider	Sets filter sharpness (0=lowest latency to 3=sharpest) per mode. The slider is disabled when Auto is enabled. Commands sent as radio filter_sharpness <mode> level=<N>.
Auto (Voice / CW / Digital)	Toggle button	Enables automatic filter-level selection for that mode and disables the manual sharpness slider. Commands sent as radio filter_sharpness <mode> auto_level=1.
TX Follows Active Slice	Push button	TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with Active Slice Follows TX. Disabled automatically during Split operation.
Active Slice Follows TX	Push button	Switches the active slice when TX moves externally (for example WSJT-X or CAT). Mutually exclusive with TX Follows Active Slice.
Connect / Disconnect (TGXL)	Push button	Opens or closes a direct TCP connection to the TGXL on port 9010. Saves IP and port to TGXL_ManualIp and TGXL_ManualPort on connect so AetherSDR auto-reconnects on startup. Required to recover TUNE on firmware 4.2+. When connected, the TUNE button sends the native autotune command directly to the TGXL instead of the radio-side tgxl autotune handle=<H> path broken in firmware 4.2. The TGXL drives radio PTT via its hardware interlock cable; no client-side keying is needed. If the IP field is empty and the radio has discovered the TGXL, the discovered IP is pre-filled.
Connect / Disconnect (PGXL)	Push button	Opens or closes a direct TCP connection to the Power Genius XL (default port 9008). Saves IP and port to PGXL_ManualIp and PGXL_ManualPort.
Connect / Disconnect (Antenna Genius)	Push button	Opens or closes a connection to the Antenna Genius (default port 9007). Saves IP and port to AG_ManualIp and AG_ManualPort. The row is hidden from Connected status if a ShackSwitch (rather than an Antenna Genius) is the connected device.
Connect / Disconnect (ShackSwitch)	Push button	Opens or closes a connection to a ShackSwitch antenna switch via the AG UDP/TCP protocol on port 9007. Saves IP to SS_ManualIp and port to SS_ControlPort. ShackSwitch is detected by the ShackSwitch field in the AG broadcast beacon. Auto-discovery via UDP also works without manually entering an address. The row is hidden from Connected status if an Antenna Genius (non-ShackSwitch) is the connected device.
⚙ Web UI (ShackSwitch)	Push button	Opens the ShackSwitch device's local web configuration interface in the system browser. Uses the beacon's webPort if greater than 1024, otherwise falls back to SS_WebPort or port 5000.
Select Installer...	Push button	Opens a file picker that accepts .msi (FlexRadio v4.2+ WiX installer), .exe (older self-extracting installer), or a pre-extracted .ssdr firmware file. The firmware stager auto-detects format from the first 8 bytes (OLE/MSI magic vs PE/COFF MZ) and extracts the .ssdr without external tools. When an update is available, the status label instructs you to download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com and then click this button to stage it. Label changed from Browse .ssdr... in v0.9.3.
APD (tab)	Tab	External Adaptive Pre-Distortion sampler configuration — per-TX-antenna selection of the feedback sample port (INTERNAL / RX_A / RX_B / XVTA / XVTB) and an equalizer reset button. Tab is hidden unless the radio reports apd configurable=1. Only FLEX-8x00 series with SmartSDR 4.2.18+ firmware exposes this; 6000-series and pre-4.2.18 radios keep the tab invisible.
ANT1 / ANT2 / XVTA / XVTB sampler combos (APD)	Combo box	Selects the feedback path the radio uses to sample the outgoing RF for APD training for that TX antenna. Choose an external RX/XVTR input when driving an external linear amplifier. Options are populated live from the radio's apd sampler sub-object. Falls back to INTERNAL if the radio reports an unrecognised value.
Equalizer Reset (APD)	Push button	Sends apd reset to the radio, clearing all per-antenna APD training data so adaptation starts fresh.
Themes (tab)	Tab	UI customization tab — currently hosts the Slice Colors section.
Use Aether defaults / Custom colors	Radio button	Switches the slice color scheme between the built-in AetherSDR palette and a fully custom per-slice set. Backed by SliceColorManager::useCustomColors().
Slice A–H color buttons	Push button	Click any lettered button (A–H) to open a color picker and assign a custom color for that slice. Changes are visible immediately in VFO widgets, panadapter overlays, and CAT channel badges. Buttons are disabled when Use Aether defaults is selected. Up to 8 slices.
Reset All to Defaults (Themes)	Push button	Resets all custom slice colors to the built-in AetherSDR palette.

Firmware update workflow (v0.9.3)

Starting in v0.9.3, the firmware update flow no longer downloads the installer automatically. When Check for Update finds a newer version, the status area instructs you to download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com yourself. Use Select Installer... to point AetherSDR at the file you downloaded.

Supported installer formats

File type	Description
.msi	FlexRadio WiX installer (SmartSDR v4.2 and later). Recommended.
.exe	Older self-extracting installer (pre-v4.2 releases).
.ssdr	Pre-extracted firmware file.

The stager reads the first 8 bytes of the file to identify the format (OLE/MSI magic or PE/COFF MZ header) and extracts the .ssdr payload without requiring any external tools.

Steps

1. Click Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the Radio tab.
3. Click Check for Update. If an update is available, the status area displays the version number and instructs you to download the installer from flexradio.com.
4. Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com.
5. Click Select Installer... and locate the downloaded .msi, .exe, or .ssdr file. AetherSDR stages the firmware and reports progress in the status area.
6. When staging completes, click Upload Firmware to transfer the firmware to the radio.

Frequency calibration (RX tab)

In v0.9.2.1 the frequency calibration controls on the RX tab are available regardless of whether a GPSDO is installed. Previously, the Cal Frequency and Start controls were hidden when a GPSDO was detected.

• When a GPSDO is installed, the status label reads "GPSDO installed. Manual frequency offset calibration available." in green.
• When no GPSDO is installed, the status label reads "Manual frequency offset calibration available." in amber.

Calibration procedure

1. Click Settings > Radio Setup....
2. Click the RX tab.
3. Enter a known-accurate reference frequency in Cal Frequency (MHz).
4. Click Start. AetherSDR resets the frequency error to 0 ppb (radio set freq_error_ppb=0), sets the calibration frequency, and starts the PLL calibration sweep. The status field beside the Start button updates as the calibration progresses.
5. While calibration is running, the Start button is disabled and shows "Busy". It re-enables when calibration completes or fails.
6. Adjust Freq Offset (ppb) manually if needed after calibration completes.

Calibration controls

Control	Kind	Behavior
Cal Frequency (MHz)	Spinbox	Frequency used for calibration. Must not be empty before clicking Start.
Start	Push button	Resets the frequency error to 0 ppb, applies the calibration frequency, and starts the PLL calibration sweep. Disabled and labelled "Busy" while a calibration is in progress.
Freq Offset (ppb)	Spinbox	Manual frequency offset in parts per billion.
10 MHz Reference Source	Combo box	Selects oscillator reference: Auto, TCXO, GPSDO, or External 10 MHz. Options shown depend on installed hardware and the radio's reported oscillator state. If Auto is selected and the radio has resolved to a specific source, the status label shows the resolved source (for example, "Auto -> GPSDO"). If the selected source differs from the active state, both are shown (for example, "GPSDO -> TCXO"). Lock status (Locked / Unlocked) is appended to the label and updates live. If External 10 MHz is selected but no external reference is detected, the label additionally shows "(not detected)". The label color is green when locked and red when unlocked.

Tips

• Low-latency filters reduce processing delay, which benefits real-time digital mode decoding and CW. Sharp filters provide steeper skirt selectivity, which is more useful for crowded SSB conditions.
• The Use Low Latency Filters for Digital Modes checkbox applies across all bandwidths, so you do not need to toggle the per-bandwidth setting each time you switch to a digital mode.
• If Start does not become active after entering a calibration frequency, check that the Cal Frequency field is not empty.
• When Check for Update reports an available update, AetherSDR no longer downloads the installer for you. Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com, then use Select Installer... to stage it.
• To open the ShackSwitch web interface directly from AetherSDR, click ⚙ Web UI in the Peripherals tab. AetherSDR uses the IP from SS_ManualIp or the active connection, and the port from the beacon's webPort field (if greater than 1024), SS_WebPort, or port 5000 as a fallback.
• The 10 MHz Reference Source status label on the RX tab now shows the full resolution path when Auto mode is active and when the active source differs from the configured source. Check this label to confirm the radio has locked to the intended reference.

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