Use TCI v2.0 volume/drive/rx_volume commands from external clients¶
External clients (logging software, digital-mode software, SDR programs) can control AetherSDR using TCI v2.0 volume, drive, and rx_volume commands when the TCI server is enabled and the radio is connected.
Before you start¶
- Enable the TCI server (click the TCI tray button on the right sidebar, then click Enable).
- Connect to a radio.
- Configure your external client to connect to AetherSDR's TCI server on the port shown in the TCI applet (default: 50001).
Steps¶
- In the TCI applet, note the Port number or change it by editing the text field and pressing Enter. Valid range: 1024–65535.
- Configure your external client to connect to AetherSDR's IP address and that port.
-
Send TCI v2.0 commands from your client:
-
volume— Sets the master RX volume. AetherSDR maps this to the RX gain for the currently active slice. drive— Sets the TX drive level. AetherSDR maps this toTciTxGain.-
rx_volume <channel>— Sets the RX gain for a specific DAX channel (1–4). AetherSDR maps this toTciRxGain1throughTciRxGain4. -
The TCI server receives these commands and updates the corresponding gain settings. The changes are reflected in the TCI applet's meter/slider controls and persisted to settings.
What each control does¶
| Command | Mapped setting | Default |
|---|---|---|
volume |
Active slice RX gain | 0.5 |
drive |
TciTxGain |
0.5 |
rx_volume <channel> |
TciRxGain1–TciRxGain4 |
0.5 |
| TX overflow mode (right-click) | Right-click the TX gain meter/slider to open a context menu selecting the TX overflow handling mode. Emits tciTxOverflowModeChanged. | New in v26.5.3. Clip clamps overshoots to ±1.0 with harmonic distortion; NaNGuard preserves bit-exact digital tones by only zeroing NaN/Inf; Measure counts overshoots for telemetry without mutation. Persisted as TciTxOverflowMode (0/½). |
TCI applet controls¶
The TCI applet shows the current state and lets you adjust gain settings:
| Control | Description | Setting key |
|---|---|---|
| RX1 gain+meter through RX4 gain+meter | Combined meter/slider for each DAX channel. Drag to set TCI RX gain. Emits tciRxGainChanged. Each control has an accessible name "TCI RX N gain" for screen readers. |
TciRxGain1, TciRxGain2, TciRxGain3, TciRxGain4 |
| TX gain+meter | Combined meter/slider for TX gain. Drag to set TCI TX gain. Emits tciTxGainChanged. Right-click to open the TX overflow mode picker. Has accessible name "TCI TX gain" for screen readers. |
TciTxGain |
| Port | Text field for the WebSocket server port. Change and press Enter. Out-of-range values snap to 50001. | TciPort |
| Enable | Toggle button to start or stop the TCI server. If bind fails, snaps back to off and status shows "(port in use)". | None |
TX overflow mode (right-click)¶
Right-click the TX gain+meter control to open a context menu for selecting how out-of-range (>1.0) samples from TCI clients are handled before reaching the radio. Emits tciTxOverflowModeChanged. The selected mode is persisted as TciTxOverflowMode (0/½).
| Mode | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Clip (saturating ±1.0) | 0 | Hard-clamp overshoots to ±1.0. Defensive default; introduces harmonics on overshoot but protects downstream int16 conversion. |
| NaN guard (zero NaN/Inf only) | 1 | Pass samples through bit-exact; only zero pathological NaN/Inf values. Preserves digital-mode tone fidelity; out-of-range floats reach the radio. |
| Measure only (true bypass) | 2 | Never mutate samples. Count overshoots for telemetry; the downstream int16 conversion still clamps in the radio-native DAX route. |
Default is Clip so existing users see no behavior change.
RX/TX slice assignment labels¶
| Label | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|
| RX1..RX4 status | Shows which slice drives each RX DAX channel. Displays as "Slice |
— or rich HTML slice label |
| TX status | Shows which slice is the active TX slice. Displays as "Slice |
— or rich HTML slice label |
Server status indicator¶
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
(stopped) |
Server is not running |
:<port> (N clients) |
Server is running on the specified port with N connected clients |
(port in use) |
Bind failed — the port is already in use by another application |
Tips¶
- The TCI server supports bidirectional state sync — changes made locally via the TCI applet's sliders are also sent back to external clients that subscribe to gain updates.
- The
rx_volumecommand accepts a channel number (1–4). Channel numbers correspond to the DAX channels displayed in the TCI applet's RX1–RX4 rows. - TCI TX audio is always allowed regardless of platform or hosted-DAX availability (v0.9.5.1, #2276).
- Slice assignment labels now use rich HTML formatting (v26.5.2.1, #2606), so disabled or special-state slices may display with text formatting (e.g., strikethrough).
- For bit-exact digital-mode tone fidelity, use NaN guard or Measure only mode to avoid harmonic distortion from the Clip limiter.
- The TCI applet container now uses themed styling (v26.6.1) — colors adapt to the active theme.
- All gain meters have explicit accessible names set for screen reader compatibility (v26.6.3). "TCI RX 1 gain" through "TCI RX 4 gain" for the RX channels, and "TCI TX gain" for the TX channel.