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Radio Setup

The Radio Setup dialog is the master per-radio configuration window. It contains tabs for radio information, network, GPS, TX, Phone/CW, RX, Calibration, audio, antennas, filters, XVTR, USB cables, peripherals, APD, themes, serial port, SmartLink pinned certificate configuration, and KiwiSDR public receiver access.

Opening the dialog

  1. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
  2. The dialog opens as a persistent window. Its size and position are saved between sessions.

Radio tab

The Radio tab displays radio information, identification, license info, and firmware update controls.

Radio information

Control Type Behavior
Radio SN Chassis serial number (read-only). Includes a clipboard copy button (tray icon) next to the value. New in v26.5.3 (#2976).
Region Indicator Radio regulatory region.
HW Version Hardware version string. Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value (#2976).
Model Radio model. Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value (#2976).
Options Shows licensed radio options. Includes a clipboard copy button next to the value (#2976).
FlexControl Indicator Detected state of FlexControl hardware.
multiFLEX Indicator multiFLEX enabled state.
Nickname Text field User-friendly radio nickname.
Callsign Text field Station callsign.
Station Name Text field Identifies this AetherSDR client to other multiFLEX stations. Defaults to the OS hostname if empty. Stored in AppSettings. Sent to radio as 'client station \<name>'.
License Info Indicator Displays license details from the radio (Subscription, Expiration, Radio ID, Licensed version).
Select Installer... Opens a file dialog for a SmartSDR installer (.msi, .exe) or pre-extracted .ssdr firmware file. Passes the selected path to FirmwareStager which extracts .ssdr payload and emits progress. Label changed from 'Browse .ssdr...' to 'Select Installer...' in v26.5.3.
Reboot Radio Push button Reboots the connected radio. Disabled when the radio is disconnected. Shows a confirmation dialog before rebooting. On LAN connections, AetherSDR auto-reconnects after the radio boots; on SmartLink/WAN, manual reconnection is required. New in v26.8.4 (#4448).
SmartLink (tab) Pinned SmartLink TLS certificate management. Lists each pinned certificate (host, SHA-256 fingerprint, pinned date) with per-row Forget and Forget All. New in v26.5.3 (#2951 Phase 2). Lazy-built when first clicked. Phase 2 of GHSA-wfx7-w6p8-4jr2: cert-pin mismatch now hard-pauses the handshake with a modal dialog.
Pinned SmartLink Certificates (section) Section header for the pinned certs table inside the SmartLink tab. Lists every host this client has pinned on first connect (trust-on-first-use). Phase 2 of GHSA-wfx7-w6p8-4jr2. Pin schema migrated from plain strings to {fp, pinnedAt} objects.
Host / SHA-256 fingerprint / Pinned (table columns) 3-column read-only table: Host (hostname), SHA-256 fingerprint (monospace), Pinned (YYYY-MM-DD or '(pre-phase 2)'). Backed by WanCertCache in WanConnection.cpp.
Forget selected Removes the selected host's pinned cert fingerprint so the next connect re-pins silently.
Forget all Clears every pinned cert (with confirmation). Next connect to each radio silently re-pins. Shows QMessageBox::question before wiping.
Check for Update Push button Queries for firmware updates.
Upload Firmware Push button Starts firmware upload with progress bar and status.
Agent Automation (MCP): Enables the in-app automation bridge so an AI coding assistant (via the MCP server) can introspect and drive the running app. Off by default; the operator opts in. 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. 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). Off by default; first enable raises an operator-responsibility confirmation. 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. 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 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. 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: ' label shows what the kernel actually 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.

Each read-only value has a copy-to-clipboard button next to it (a small icon appearing on hover). Click the button to copy the value.

Remote On

Click Remote On to enable remote wake / remote-on functionality.

Reboot Radio

Click Reboot Radio to restart the connected radio. A confirmation dialog warns:

  • LAN connection: AetherSDR disconnects and automatically reconnects once the radio finishes booting.
  • SmartLink/WAN connection: AetherSDR disconnects. You must reconnect manually after the radio reboots.

The button is disabled when the radio is disconnected or reconnecting. It re-enables automatically when the radio reconnects.

Firmware update

Check for Update queries the radio for available firmware updates. When a newer version is found, AetherSDR displays an informational message:

Update available: vX.Y.Z Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com, then click 'Select Installer...' to stage it.

Select Installer... (renamed from Browse .ssdr... in v0.9.3) accepts three file types:

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

  1. Download the SmartSDR installer from flexradio.com.
  2. Open Settings > Radio Setup....
  3. Click the Radio tab.
  4. Click Select Installer....
  5. In the file picker, select the .msi, .exe, or .ssdr file.
  6. AetherSDR extracts and stages the firmware. Watch the progress bar and status line for progress and any errors.
  7. When staging is complete, click Upload Firmware to send the firmware to the radio.

Network tab

The Network tab displays radio network information and advanced network options.

Network information

Control Type Behavior
IP Address / Mask / MAC Address Indicator Read-only network addresses. Each includes a clipboard copy button (#2976).

Network settings

Control Type Default Range Behavior
Enforce Private IP Connections Toggle button — — Rejects non-RFC1918 peers.
Network MTU Spinbox 1450 576–9000 bytes Sets maximum outgoing VITA-49 UDP packet size in bytes. Default 1450 is safe for most VPN/SD-WAN tunnels. Stored in AppSettings.
DHCP / Static Toggle button — — Switches between DHCP and Static IP modes.
IP Address / Mask / Gateway Text field — — Static IP configuration fields.
Apply Push button — — Pushes the network config to the radio.

GPS tab

The GPS tab shows GPS presence and live latitude, longitude, altitude, time, and satellites information.

TX tab

The TX tab contains TX timings, interlocks, max power, tune mode, waterfall display, slice/TX follow options, and a TX Band Settings shortcut.

TX Band Settings

Click TX Band Settings to open the dedicated per-band power/tune dialog.

Timings

The TX timings section includes spinbox fields for millisecond values.

Control Display label Default Behavior
ACC TX ACC TX: — ACC timing delay in ms.
TX Delay TX Delay: — TX delay in ms.
RCA TX1 RCA TX1: — RCA TX1 delay in ms.
Timeout Timeout (sec): — Interlock timeout displayed in seconds. The radio stores this value in milliseconds.

Interlocks

TX REQ: RCA and TX REQ: Accessory toggle buttons enable RCA and accessory interlock inputs.

Power and tune

Control Type Default Range Behavior
Max Power Spinbox — 0–100% Sets radio-level TX power cap.
Tune Mode Combo box — — Selects how the tune button behaves.

Waterfall and slice follow

Control Type Default Setting key Behavior
Show TX in Waterfall Toggle button — — Draws TX signal in the waterfall.
TX Follows Active Slice Push button False TxFollowsActiveSlice TX follows the active slice. Mutually exclusive with 'Active Slice Follows TX'. Disabled automatically during Split operation.
Active Slice Follows TX Push button False ActiveFollowsTxSlice Switches the active slice when TX moves externally (e.g. WSJT-X or CAT). Mutually exclusive with 'TX Follows Active Slice'.

Phone/CW tab

The Phone/CW tab configures microphone, CW keyer, and RTTY defaults.

Microphone

Enable/Disable the Level Meter During Receive toggles showing the mic level meter even in RX.

CW keyer

Control Type Default Range Behavior
Iambic Toggle button — Enabled / Disabled Enables or disables the iambic keyer on the radio.
Iambic Mode Push button A A / B Selects Curtis iambic mode A or B for both the radio and the local software keyer. Mutually exclusive pair.
Swap Toggle button — — Swaps dit/dah.
Sideband Combo box — LSB / USB Selects CW pitch sideband.
CWX Toggle button — — Enables CW
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