DAX Audio¶
The DAX Audio applet shows per-channel RX meters and gain sliders for DAX 1-4 plus a single TX meter, with a master Enable toggle that persists as AutoStartDAX. In v0.9.7 (Linux), DAX RX latency drops from ~400 ms to ~200 ms via a native PipeWire pw_stream source path, replacing the previous PulseAudio client.
Opening DAX Audio¶
Click the DAX Audio button in the toolbar.
DAX Audio Layout¶
The DAX Audio window contains controls for enabling the DAX audio bridge, setting per-channel RX gain, TX gain, and viewing slice assignments.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAX Enable | off | on/off | AutoStartDAX |
Starts the DAX audio bridge; emits daxToggled. Button label is "Enable"; master switch for all DAX RX and TX streams. |
| DAX 1 gain+meter | 0.5 | 0.0–1.0 | DaxRxGain1 |
Combined meter/slider; drag to set RX gain on DAX channel 1. Emits daxRxGainChanged(1, g) and persists. |
| DAX 2 gain+meter | 0.5 | 0.0–1.0 | DaxRxGain2 |
Combined meter/slider; drag to set RX gain on DAX channel 2. |
| DAX 3 gain+meter | 0.5 | 0.0–1.0 | DaxRxGain3 |
Combined meter/slider; drag to set RX gain on DAX channel 3. |
| DAX 4 gain+meter | 0.5 | 0.0–1.0 | DaxRxGain4 |
Combined meter/slider; drag to set RX gain on DAX channel 4. |
| TX gain+meter | 0.5 | 0.0–1.0 | DaxTxGain |
Combined meter/slider for the DAX TX stream. |
Slice Assignment Indicators¶
Each DAX channel shows which slice (if any) is currently routed to it.
| Indicator | States | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| DAX 1 assignment | —, Slice A..H | The slice (if any) currently assigned to this DAX channel. |
| DAX 2 assignment | —, Slice A..H | The slice (if any) currently assigned to this DAX channel. |
| DAX 3 assignment | —, Slice A..H | The slice (if any) currently assigned to this DAX channel. |
| DAX 4 assignment | —, Slice A..H | The slice (if any) currently assigned to this DAX channel. |
| TX assignment | —, Slice A..H | The slice currently holding TX privileges (drives DAX TX). |
CAT Control¶
The CAT Control applet runs up to four rigctld-compatible TCP servers (and PTY symlinks on Linux/macOS) so external logging and contest software can control one slice per channel. AetherSDR implements a native Hamlib NET rigctl protocol, eliminating the need for a standalone rigctld bridge.
Opening CAT Control¶
Click the CAT Control button in the toolbar, or press Ctrl+Shift+C.
CAT Control Layout¶
The CAT Control window contains controls for enabling TCP and TTY servers, configuring the base port, and monitoring per-channel status.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable TCP | off | on/off | CatTcpPort |
Starts/stops all four rigctld TCP servers on Base..Base+3. Also persists the current base port. |
| Enable TTY | off | on/off | — | Starts/stops all four PTY symlinks under $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/aethersdr/cat-A..D (Linux) or ~/Library/Caches/AetherSDR/cat-A..D (macOS). |
| Base | 4532 | 1024–65535 | CatTcpPort |
Base TCP port; channels bind to port, port+1, port+2, port+3. Out-of-range values snap back to 4532; servers restart with new port if currently enabled. |
Per-Channel Status¶
Each channel (A/B/C/D) displays its status in a row:
| Channel | TCP Status | PTY Path |
|---|---|---|
| A | (stopped) | Path to symlink or "stopped" |
| B | (stopped) | Path to symlink or "stopped" |
| C | (stopped) | Path to symlink or "stopped" |
| D | (stopped) | Path to symlink or "stopped" |
The TCP Status shows:
- (stopped) when the server is not running
- :<port> (1 client) when one client is connected
- :<port> (N clients) when multiple clients are connected
The PTY Path shows the symlink path logging software can open as a serial device:
- Linux: $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/aethersdr/cat-A through cat-D
- macOS: ~/Library/Caches/AetherSDR/cat-A through cat-D
- Displays "stopped" when the TTY server is not running
Security Notes¶
In v26.5.3, the PTY symlink location moved from /tmp to per-user runtime directories to fix a cross-user symlink vulnerability (GHSA-qxhr-cwrc-pvrm). Atomic symlink replacement via symlink(.tmp) + rename(.tmp, final) closes the TOCTOU window.
SpotHub¶
The SpotHub dialog is the central hub for connecting to DX spot sources — DX cluster, Reverse Beacon Network, WSJT-X, SpotCollector, POTA and FreeDV — and configuring how spots are displayed on the panadapter.
Opening SpotHub¶
Click the SpotHub button in the toolbar, or press Ctrl+Shift+S.
SpotHub Layout¶
The SpotHub dialog contains a multi-tab interface. Each source tab provides connection controls, a data console, and a spot color picker. A separate Display tab controls panadapter spot visualization, Signal History tunables, and DXCC coloring.
Cluster Tab¶
The Cluster tab provides a telnet connection to a DX cluster.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server: | — | — | ClusterHost |
Hostname of DX cluster to connect to. |
| Port: | — | 1–65535 | ClusterPort |
Telnet port on DX cluster. |
| Callsign: | — | — | ClusterCallsign |
Login callsign sent to cluster. |
| Connect / Disconnect | Connect | — | — | Toggles telnet connection to the cluster. |
| Auto-connect on startup | — | — | ClusterAutoConnect |
Auto-connects cluster on launch. |
| Cluster Console | — | — | — | Read-only telnet console of raw cluster traffic. |
| Send | — | — | — | Sends a typed command to the cluster. |
| Spot Color: | — | — | ClusterSpotColor |
Opens a color picker for cluster spots. |
RBN Tab¶
The RBN tab provides a Reverse Beacon Network telnet source with rate limiting.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server: | — | — | RbnHost |
RBN telnet hostname. |
| Port: | — | 1–65535 | RbnPort |
RBN telnet port. |
| Callsign: | — | — | RbnCallsign |
Login callsign to RBN. |
| Rate Limit: | — | — | RbnRateLimit |
Caps RBN spots per second. |
| Connect / Disconnect (RBN) | Connect | — | — | Toggles RBN connection. |
| Auto-connect on startup (RBN) | — | — | RbnAutoConnect |
Starts RBN automatically. |
| RBN Console | — | — | — | Read-only console of RBN traffic. |
| Send (RBN) | — | — | — | Sends command to RBN. |
| Spot Color: (RBN) | — | — | RbnSpotColor |
Color picker for RBN spots. |
WSJT-X Tab¶
The WSJT-X tab provides an UDP listener for WSJT-X decodes with filters and colors.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Address: | — | — | WsjtxAddress |
UDP bind address for WSJT-X messages. |
| Port: | — | 1–65535 | WsjtxPort |
UDP port for WSJT-X. |
| Start / Stop | — | — | — | Starts or stops UDP listener. |
| Auto-start on startup (WSJT-X) | — | — | WsjtxAutoStart |
Auto-starts listener on launch. |
| CQ | — | — | WsjtxFilterCQ |
Show only CQ calls from WSJT-X. |
| CQ POTA | — | — | WsjtxFilterPOTA |
Show CQ POTA calls. |
| Calling Me | — | — | WsjtxFilterCallingMe |
Show only decodes addressed to your callsign. |
| CQ color / POTA color / Calling Me color / Default color | — | — | WsjtxColorCQ / WsjtxColorPOTA / WsjtxColorCallingMe / WsjtxColorDefault |
Color pickers for each WSJT-X spot category. |
| WSJT-X Decodes | — | — | — | Console of decoded transmissions. |
| Spot Life: | — | — | WsjtxSpotLife |
Seconds WSJT-X spots remain on panadapter. |
SpotCollector Tab¶
The SpotCollector tab provides an UDP listener for Ham Radio Deluxe SpotCollector broadcasts.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UDP Port: | — | 1–65535 | SpotCollectorPort |
UDP port SpotCollector broadcasts on. |
| Start / Stop (SpotCollector) | — | — | — | Starts or stops UDP listener. |
| Auto-start on startup (SpotCollector) | — | — | SpotCollectorAutoStart |
Auto-starts listener on launch. |
| SpotCollector Spots | — | — | — | Console of received SpotCollector spots. |
POTA Tab¶
The POTA tab polls api.pota.app for current activations.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server: | api.pota.app (HTTP polling) | — | — | Shows fixed POTA endpoint. |
| Poll Interval: | — | — | PotaPollInterval |
Seconds between POTA polls. |
| Start / Stop (POTA) | — | — | — | Starts or stops POTA polling. |
| Auto-start on startup (POTA) | — | — | PotaAutoStart |
Auto-starts POTA on launch. |
| POTA Activations | — | — | — | Console of activation feed. |
| Spot Color: (POTA) | — | — | PotaSpotColor |
Color picker for POTA spots. |
FreeDV Tab¶
The FreeDV tab provides a WebSocket feed of FreeDV QSO reporter spots. This tab is only available when AetherSDR is built with WebSocket support.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server: | qso.freedv.org (WebSocket) | — | — | Shows fixed FreeDV endpoint. |
| Start / Stop (FreeDV) | — | — | — | Connects or disconnects the FreeDV WebSocket. |
| Auto-start on startup (FreeDV) | — | — | FreeDvAutoStart |
Auto-starts FreeDV on launch. |
| FreeDV Spots | — | — | — | Console of FreeDV activity. |
| Spot Color: (FreeDV) | — | — | FreeDvSpotColor |
Color picker for FreeDV spots. |
Spot List Tab¶
The Spot List tab shows a unified searchable table of all live spots from all sources.
| Control | Default | Range | Setting Key | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bands: | — | — | — | Per-band checkboxes toggle visibility in table. One checkbox per band (160m |