Skip to main content
Version: Next (main)

Windows

AetherSDR runs natively on 64-bit Windows, as an installer or as a portable ZIP. This page collects everything that is specific to Windows: installing, the features that differ from Linux and macOS, where your files live, and fixes for Windows-only problems. Everything else in these docs applies to Windows as written.

Requirements​

PackageFileNotes
InstallerAetherSDR-*-Windows-x64-setup.exeSetup wizard with a Start Menu shortcut and an uninstaller
PortableAetherSDR-*-Windows-x64-portable.zipNo install. Extract anywhere and run AetherSDR.exe.
  • Both packages carry the Microsoft Visual C++ runtime with the application. No Visual C++ Redistributable install is needed, and repairing or removing the system redistributable does not affect AetherSDR.
  • The panadapter renders with Direct3D 11.
  • For digital-mode programs, plan on the TCI Server: AetherSDR ships no DAX audio driver on Windows (see below).

Setup​

Installing​

  1. Download the installer or the portable ZIP from GitHub Releases.
  2. Run the installer, or extract the ZIP and run AetherSDR.exe.
  3. The Windows builds are GPG-signed but not Authenticode-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may warn the first time you run them. Verifying the signature confirms the download is genuine; see Installation and docs/VERIFYING-RELEASES.md.
  4. The Connect to Radio window opens. Continue with First Connection, or try Your First Session with no radio.

Both packages keep your settings in the same place, %LOCALAPPDATA%\AetherSDR\, so you can switch between them.

Connecting digital-mode programs​

There is no built-in DAX audio driver on Windows. The DAX applet says so: "No built-in DAX driver on Windows. Use TCI, or SmartSDR DAX."

  • TCI carries audio and CAT over one connection and is the simplest route for WSJT-X. See TCI Server and WSJT-X Integration.
  • FlexRadio's own SmartSDR DAX also works with a FlexRadio.
  • CAT has no virtual serial ports on Windows. Point your program at one of the CAT applet's TCP ports instead. See CAT Control.

Using AetherSDR on Windows​

What is different on Windows​

  • Menus are behind the ☰ button at the left of the title bar. Alt+letter mnemonics (Alt+F, Alt+S, …) still open each menu. F11 toggles full screen. See Menu Reference.
  • Radio Setup is Settings → Radio Setup....
  • Window frame: a Qt-drawn frame with the system shadow and resize borders, with AetherSDR's own minimize, maximize and close buttons. Snap Layouts on hover over maximize does not appear yet.
  • GPU choice on hybrid laptops: the discrete GPU is used by default. The integrated GPU is listed in Display → SYSTEM → GPU: but greyed out ("disabled (#1921)"), because it crashes when a panadapter is popped out or docked. See GPU Rendering.
  • Noise reduction: BNR (NVIDIA Maxine, on an NVIDIA RTX/GeForce GPU) is available on Windows; its runtime comes as a single self-contained download. MNR is macOS only and is greyed out. See BNR GPU Noise Removal and DSP Noise Mitigation.
  • Copy Assist can use a Vulkan GPU (NVIDIA, AMD or Intel). See Copy Assist.
  • Credentials are kept in Windows Credential Manager, never in the settings database.
  • USB devices appear as COMn ports. A FlexControl knob that is unplugged and replugged may come back on a different COM port. The ThumbDV helper opens its port exclusively, so close any other program using it. See FlexControl Tuning Knob and D-STAR (ThumbDV).
  • Ulanzi Dial: Windows cannot give AetherSDR exclusive control of the dial, so each key press also reaches Windows (for example as a media key). See Ulanzi Dial.
  • Runtime Monitor: Windows does not report per-thread state, so the State column shows a dash. See Runtime Monitor.
  • Screen readers: NVDA, Narrator and JAWS. See Accessibility.

Reference​

Where files live​

WhatLocation
Settings database (AetherSDR.db), backups, quarantine%LOCALAPPDATA%\AetherSDR\
Application logs and support bundles%LOCALAPPDATA%\AetherSDR\logs\ (newest log also linked as an aethersdr.log shortcut)
NR2 FFTW wisdom%APPDATA%\AetherSDR\aethersdr_fftw_wisdom
BNR NVIDIA runtime%LOCALAPPDATA%\AetherSDR\AetherSDR\nvidia-afx\current\
Crash dumps (once enabled, below)%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps\
SmartSDR firmware files, after installing SmartSDRC:\ProgramData\FlexRadio Systems\SmartSDR\Updates\ (see Firmware Update)

See Settings and Backups and Support and Logging.

Environment variables​

Set these in System Properties → Environment Variables, or in a Command Prompt before starting AetherSDR.exe from the same window.

VariableEffect
AETHER_NO_GPU=1 or QT_OPENGL=softwareSoftware OpenGL for every panadapter, instead of Direct3D 11
AETHER_SETTINGS_DIR=<folder>Use a different configuration folder

Known issues​

  • On Windows 10 with Frameless Window on, click-to-tune, the panadapter right-click menu and the ☰ menu flash and close at once; turning off View → Frameless Window (Ctrl+Shift+F) avoids it (#6272).
  • On Windows 10 a thin white outline shows along the left, right and bottom window edges (#6266).
  • The BNR runtime download can stall with an empty .staging folder under nvidia-afx and leave BNR unavailable (#4132).
  • The RC-28 encoder can take several seconds to change frequency; unticking Use a Ulanzi Dial when detected has cured it for some users (#6225).
  • A Ulanzi D100H paired over Bluetooth can stay "Disconnected" in the mapper (#3485).
  • Popping out a panadapter has crashed AetherSDR with an older AMD Radeon HD 7000 series graphics card (#5990).

Troubleshooting​

Windows SmartScreen warns about AetherSDR​

The Windows builds are GPG-signed but not Authenticode-signed, so SmartScreen does not recognise the publisher.

  1. Verify the download's GPG signature, following docs/VERIFYING-RELEASES.md.
  2. If the signature is good, run AetherSDR anyway from the SmartScreen prompt.

WSJT-X or another digital-mode program gets no audio​

There is no DAX audio driver on Windows.

  1. Connect the program through the TCI Server, which carries audio as well as CAT. See WSJT-X Integration.
  2. Or, with a FlexRadio, use FlexRadio's SmartSDR DAX.

A logging or digital-mode program cannot find AetherSDR's serial port​

Windows has no CAT virtual serial ports.

  1. In the CAT applet, enable a port with the Rigctld, TS-2000 or Flex dialect.
  2. Point the program at that TCP port on this computer. See CAT Control.

The panadapter draws wrongly or shows "Spectrum renderer unavailable"​

The Direct3D 11 renderer failed or your driver draws incorrectly.

  1. Set AETHER_NO_GPU=1 (or QT_OPENGL=software) and start AetherSDR again to use software OpenGL.
  2. Help → About AetherSDR shows which renderer is in use. See GPU Rendering.

A USB knob, encoder or Stream Deck+ does nothing​

HID encoders are off by default.

  1. Open Settings → Radio Setup... → Serial & Controllers.
  2. Turn on Enable HID encoders / StreamDeck+ (RC-28, PowerMate, ShuttleXpress, …).
  3. Unplug the device and plug it back in. See USB Control Surfaces.

Reporting a crash​

Windows keeps a crash dump only if local dumps are switched on.

  1. In an administrator PowerShell, run:

    $k = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps\AetherSDR.exe'
    New-Item -Force $k | Out-Null
    New-ItemProperty -Force $k -Name DumpType -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 | Out-Null

  2. After the next crash, attach AetherSDR.exe.<pid>.dmp from %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps\ to your report from Help → File an Issue..., and say whether you ran the installer or the portable ZIP.

See Troubleshooting and docs/debugging-crashes.md.

See also​