TX Controls overview¶
Introduced in v0.9.0. Updated for v26.6.1.
The TX Controls applet provides all transmit-related controls: forward power and SWR meters, RF/Tune power sliders, TX profile selector, and TUNE/MOX/ATU/MEM buttons. It also includes the APD (Adaptive Pre-Distortion) toggle with Active/Cal/Avail status indicators.
Opening the TX Controls applet¶
- Click the TX tray button (TX icon) in the right sidebar of the main window.
- The TX Controls applet opens as a floating panel.
Forward power and SWR meters¶
The forward power meter displays the output power at the exciter. A peak-hold bar tracks the peak envelope power (PEP) on each transmission with a 2-second hold and gradual decay back to the current smoothed power level. The peak-hold resets to zero immediately when the transmitter is un-keyed.
The SWR meter displays the standing wave ratio at the exciter output.
The forward power meter automatically scales based on the connected radio model: - Barefoot FlexRadio: 0–120 W (red zone above 100 W) - With Aurora 500W amplifier: 0–600 W (red zone above 500 W)
RF Power and Tune Pwr sliders¶
| Control | Default | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| RF Power | 100 | 0–100 | Sets the transmit RF power level as a percentage of maximum. When dragging the slider handle, a tooltip shows the value in percent (e.g., "75%"). |
| Tune Pwr | 10 | 0–100 | Sets the tune-carrier power level for tuning operations as a percentage of maximum. When dragging the slider handle, a tooltip shows the value in percent (e.g., "25%"). |
Both sliders display a tooltip showing the current value in percent while you drag the handle. The tooltip appears next to the slider handle and updates in real time as you adjust the value. The slider fill color follows the selected theme.
TX Profile selector¶
The TX Profile combo box lists all TX profiles stored on the radio. Selecting a profile loads it onto the active slice.
Transmit control buttons¶
| Button | Type | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| TUNE | Push button | Starts/stops a tune carrier. Button text changes to "TUNING..." with red background while active. Right-click to select carrier shape. |
| MOX | Toggle button | Toggles manual transmit. Button turns red while transmitting. Routes through Quindar-tone coordinator when QUIN chip is enabled. |
| ATU | Push button | Starts the internal ATU tuning cycle. Right-click for pre-tune and memory management options. |
| MEM | Toggle button | Toggles ATU memory recall on/off. |
TUNE button right-click menu¶
Right-click the TUNE button to select the carrier shape for the next tune cycle. This is a one-shot setting — the choice is not persisted across power cycles.
Available options: - Mono Tone — Single tone carrier - Two Tone — Two-tone carrier for intermodulation distortion testing
The current selection shows a check mark next to the active option.
ATU button right-click menu¶
Right-click the ATU button to access additional tuning features. The menu appears when MEM is enabled.
Available options: - Pre-tune bands… — Opens the pre-tune sweep dialog to run tuning sweeps across multiple bands (requires MEM enabled) - Clear ATU memories… — Clears all stored ATU memories after confirmation
ATU button behavior¶
The ATU button toggles between starting a tune cycle and switching the tuner into bypass, depending on the current ATU status and transmit frequency.
| Situation | What ATU click does |
|---|---|
| No previous tune on this frequency, or ATU is not in a Successful/OK state | Starts a fresh ATU tune cycle |
| ATU status is Successful or OK, and TX frequency has not changed since the last tune | Switches the ATU into bypass |
| ATU status is Successful or OK, but TX frequency has changed since the last tune | Starts a fresh ATU tune cycle |
In practice: - The first click on a new frequency always starts a tune cycle. - After a successful tune, clicking ATU again on the same frequency bypasses the tuner. - Changing frequency resets the toggle, so the next click starts a fresh tune cycle regardless of the previous status. - Entering bypass clears the stored tuned frequency, so the next click always starts a fresh tune.
ATU status indicators¶
| Indicator | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Success | Green | ATU tuning result is successful or OK |
| Byp | Orange | ATU is in Bypass or ManualBypass |
| Mem | Green | ATU is using a stored memory |
APD (Adaptive Pre-Distortion) controls¶
The APD toggle button enables or disables adaptive pre-distortion on the radio. When enabled, three status indicators show the calibration progression.
| Control/Indicator | Type | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| APD | Toggle button | Toggles adaptive pre-distortion on/off |
| Active | Indicator (green) | Lit when APD is on and the equalizer is actively applied |
| Cal | Indicator (green) | Lit when APD is on and still calibrating |
| Avail | Indicator (green) | Lit when APD is on and a calibration is available but not yet applied |
The APD status indicators follow this progression: Cal (calibrating) → Avail (ready) → Active (applied).
MOX and Quindar tones¶
Starting in v0.9.7, clicking MOX routes through the Quindar-tone coordinator rather than toggling transmit directly. When the QUIN chip is enabled in the Audio Channel Strip and the active TX slice is on a phone mode, clicking MOX to engage transmit plays the K tone and clicking it again to disengage plays the BK tone. When Quindar is disabled or the active TX slice is not on a phone mode, MOX behaves as before and toggles transmit directly.
Tips¶
- The forward power peak-hold bar helps you monitor PEP during voice transmission. The 2-second hold gives you time to read the value, and the gradual decay prevents distracting jumps.
- Use the TUNE button right-click menu to select a two-tone carrier for intermodulation distortion testing when working with external amplifiers.
- The ATU right-click menu provides access to pre-tuning multiple bands at once, saving time during band changes.
- If Byp lights after the tuning cycle, the ATU was unable to find a match and has bypassed itself. Check your antenna system and SWR before transmitting at full power.
- If Mem lights, the ATU applied a previously stored tuning memory rather than running a full tune. This is normal when MEM is enabled and a valid memory exists for the current frequency.
- To manually force the tuner into bypass after a successful tune, click ATU a second time without changing frequency.
- When adjusting the RF Power or Tune Pwr sliders, the tooltip that appears while dragging shows the exact value in percent, making fine adjustments easier.
Troubleshooting¶
- ATU button is unresponsive — The radio's TGXL is in OPERATE mode. ATU is disabled in this mode. Switch the TGXL out of OPERATE mode before attempting to tune.
- Success indicator does not light after tuning — The ATU may have bypassed (check Byp) or the tune-carrier power may be too low for the ATU to work with your antenna. Increase Tune Pwr and try again.
- Clicking ATU bypasses instead of tuning — The ATU status is Successful or OK and the TX frequency has not changed since the last tune. This is the expected second-click bypass behavior. Change frequency to force a fresh tune cycle, or leave the tuner in its current matched state.
- Quindar tones do not play on MOX — Confirm that the QUIN chip is enabled in the Audio Channel Strip and that the active TX slice is set to a phone mode. Quindar tones are not played on CW or digital modes.
- TUNE button right-click menu is unresponsive — The radio may not be connected or the TX controls may be in a transitional state. Ensure the radio is connected and try again.
Related¶
- Recall an ATU memory
- Start a tune carrier to check SWR
- Set tune-carrier power
- Run a pre-tune sweep
- Clear ATU memories