Connect TGXL, PGXL, Antenna Genius, or ShackSwitch by IP¶
Use this page to manually connect a TGXL, PGXL, Antenna Genius, or ShackSwitch device to AetherSDR when automatic discovery has not picked up the device.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must already be connected to a FLEX-8600 radio. The Peripherals tab is only available when a radio connection is active.
- Have the IP address of the TGXL, PGXL, Antenna Genius, or ShackSwitch device ready.
Steps¶
- Open
Settings > Radio Setup.... - Click the Peripherals tab.
- Locate the row for the device you want to connect (TGXL, PGXL, Antenna Genius, or ShackSwitch).
- Enter the device's IP address in the field for that device.
- Click Connect for that device.
To disconnect a device, click Disconnect on its row.
Peripherals tab — device rows¶
| Device | Default port | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TGXL | 9010 | Required to recover TUNE on firmware 4.2+. Saves IP and port to TGXL_ManualIp and TGXL_ManualPort. If the IP field is empty and the radio has already discovered the TGXL, the discovered IP is pre-filled. |
| PGXL | 9008 | Saves IP and port to PGXL_ManualIp and PGXL_ManualPort. |
| Antenna Genius (AG) | 9007 | Saves IP and port to AG_ManualIp and AG_ManualPort. The row shows Connected status only when the connected device is a non-ShackSwitch Antenna Genius. |
| ShackSwitch | 9007 | Uses the AG UDP/TCP protocol. 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 IP. The row is hidden from Connected status if an Antenna Genius (non-ShackSwitch) is the connected device. |
Opening the ShackSwitch web interface¶
Each ShackSwitch row includes a ⚙ Web UI button. Clicking it opens the ShackSwitch device's local web configuration interface in the system browser.
AetherSDR determines the port for the web interface as follows:
- If the connected ShackSwitch beacon advertises a
webPortgreater than 1024, that port is used. - Otherwise, the value stored in
SS_WebPortis used. - If neither is available, port 5000 is used as the fallback.
The button uses the IP address stored in SS_ManualIp. If that field is empty and a ShackSwitch is currently connected, the live peer address is used instead. The button does nothing if no IP address can be determined.
Related¶
- Radio Setup overview
- Manually connect to an AG over a remote network
- Change network MTU for VPN/remote setups
Radio Setup — Firmware Update (v0.9.3 changes)¶
Selecting a firmware file¶
In v0.9.3 the Browse .ssdr... button has been renamed to Select Installer.... The button now accepts three file types in addition to pre-extracted firmware:
| File type | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SmartSDR WiX installer | .msi |
FlexRadio v4.2 and later |
| SmartSDR self-extracting installer | .exe |
Older SmartSDR releases |
| Extracted firmware file | .ssdr |
As in previous AetherSDR versions |
The firmware stager detects the format automatically from the first 8 bytes of the file (OLE/MSI magic versus PE/COFF MZ header) and extracts the .ssdr payload without requiring any external tools.
To stage firmware from a local installer¶
- Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com.
- Open
Settings > Radio Setup.... - Click the Radio tab.
- Click Select Installer....
- In the file picker, select the
.msi,.exe, or.ssdrfile. - AetherSDR extracts and stages the firmware. Watch the progress bar and status line for progress and any errors.
- When staging is complete, click Upload Firmware to send the firmware to the radio.
Check for Update behavior change¶
When Check for Update finds a newer firmware version, AetherSDR now displays an informational message rather than offering an in-app download:
Update available: vX.Y.Z
Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com,
then click 'Select Installer...' to stage it.
Download the installer from flexradio.com independently, then use Select Installer... as described above.
Radio Setup — RX Tab: 10 MHz Reference Source (v0.9.7 changes)¶
Oscillator source combo box¶
The 10 MHz Reference Source: combo box in the RX tab has been updated in v0.9.7. The list of available sources is now built dynamically based on hardware present and the radio's reported oscillator state, rather than being fixed at the time the dialog opens.
Available options¶
| Label | Internal value | When shown |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | auto |
Always shown |
| TCXO | tcxo |
Shown when TCXO hardware is present, oscillator status has been received, or the current or saved setting is tcxo |
| GPSDO | gpsdo |
Shown when GPSDO hardware is present or the current or saved setting is gpsdo |
| External 10 MHz | external |
Shown when an external reference is present, oscillator status has been received, or the current or saved setting is external |
Previously, the external reference option appeared in the combo as External. It now appears as External 10 MHz.
Lock status display¶
The lock status label beside the combo now shows richer information than the plain <STATE> Locked / Unlocked text used previously.
| Situation | Example text shown |
|---|---|
| Oscillator status not yet received | Waiting for oscillator status |
| Auto mode has resolved to a source | Auto -> GPSDO Locked |
| Saved setting differs from active state | TCXO -> GPSDO Locked |
| Setting and state agree | GPSDO Locked |
| External selected but reference not detected | External 10 MHz Unlocked (not detected) |
The label color updates automatically: green (#00c040) when locked, red (#c04040) when unlocked, and grey (#8aa8c0) while waiting for status.