AetherSDR
Fiscal Host: Open Source Collective
AetherSDR brings FlexRadio operation to Linux and macOS without Wine or virtual machines.
Contribute
Become a financial contributor.
Financial Contributions
Top financial contributors
1
WP4SK
$250 USD since Aug 2026
2
Nigel
$200 USD since Jul 2026
3
Guest
$100 USD since Jul 2026
4
Garrett
$100 USD since Jul 2026
5
John Katerenchuk
$100 USD since Aug 2026
6
Russ KR6W
$100 USD since Aug 2026
7
Marcin SQ1DOZ
$100 USD since Sep 2026
8
Bob
$70 USD since Jul 2026
W1WRA
$57 USD since Jul 2026
10
Mike
$50 USD since Jul 2026
11
Jeff Skerker
$50 USD since Jul 2026
12
Mark Skowronski, K9MQ
$50 USD since Jul 2026
13
Guest
$50 USD since Jul 2026
Trevor Hopps
$50 USD since Jul 2026
KN7K-Sergey
$50 USD since Jul 2026
WW4GA - Ryland
$50 USD since Aug 2026
W5TSU
$50 USD since Sep 2026
18
N6KN
$50 USD since Sep 2026
19
N6UG
$40 USD since Jul 2026
20
Gregory Fischer
$40 USD since Jul 2026
AetherSDR is all of us
Our contributors 37
Thank you for supporting AetherSDR.
Jeremy Fielder
Admin
Ryan - NF0T
Core Contributor
CJ WT2P
Core Contributor
WP4SK
$250 USD
Nigel
$200 USD
Guest
$100 USD
Garrett
$100 USD
John Katerenchuk
$100 USD
Russ KR6W
$100 USD
Marcin SQ1DOZ
$100 USD
Budget
Transparent and open finances.
About
What is AetherSDR?
AetherSDR is a Linux-native and macOS-native client for FlexRadio's SmartSDR-controlled transceivers — the FLEX-6000 and FLEX-8000 series. FlexRadio ships an excellent client, but only for Windows. AetherSDR mirrors the full SmartSDR experience on the operating systems FlexRadio doesn't reach: native Qt6, GPU-accelerated rendering, no Wine, no Parallels, no compromises.
If you've ever booted a Windows VM just to run your radio, this project exists for you.
Why it exists:
The FLEX-6000 and FLEX-8000 series are some of the most capable amateur radio transceivers ever made. Their SmartSDR protocol is well-documented, their hardware is open to anyone who can speak it. But the official client only runs on Windows — and a lot of operators run Linux desktops, work from a MacBook, or simply prefer a UNIX-native rig control experience.
AetherSDR closes that gap. It speaks the SmartSDR protocol directly, parses VITA-49 streams natively, and renders the panadapter on your GPU. It's not a wrapper, not a translation layer — it's a from-scratch Linux/macOS implementation of the same operator workflow Windows users get.
Why we joined Open Source Collective:
A growing number of operators have asked how to support the project. Until now there was no transparent way to accept funds, reimburse infrastructure costs (AI subscriptions, Apple Developer Program, code-signing certificates, CI hardware), or recognize community contributors with more than a thank-you. Open Collective lets us do all three with a public ledger every backer can audit.
If you operate a Flex on Linux or macOS — or you'd like to — your support goes directly back into making that experience better.
What AetherSDR does today:
RX & spectrum
- Multi-panadapter spectrum + waterfall (GPU-accelerated via QRhi)
- All filter modes, AGC, squelch, NB/NR, DSP flags, antenna switching
- Slice management with click-to-tune, frequency-stepping, RIT/XIT
- VITA-49 audio + meter streams
TX & DSP
- Full TX chain: mic → channel strip → compressor → EQ → ALC
- Aetherial Audio: DAW-grade voice processing built into the radio chain
- CW keying via netcw (sidetone, weight, break-in)
- FreeDV / RADE digital voice integration
Multi-Flex (multi-client)
- Connect simultaneously with the Windows client; AetherSDR honors slice ownership and client_handle filtering at every layer
Hardware integrations
- Stream Deck (Elgato + StreamController) for tactile control surfaces
- HID encoders (Griffin PowerMate, Contour ShuttleXpress, ShuttlePro v2)
- MIDI control surfaces with full mapping
- Serial-port FlexControl
- Antenna Genius (1×8 and 2×8)
- PG-XL & TG-XL amplifiers + ATU automation
Beyond the rig
- DX cluster, WSJT-X bridge, POTA/SOTA spotting, propagation forecast
- TCI server, RigCtl server, MQTT publishing, SmartLink WAN
- DAX (digital audio exchange) — RX & TX
Compatible hardware:
FLEX-6300/6400/6400M/6500/6600/6600M/6700
FLEX-8400/8400M/8600/8600M
PG-XL amplifier
TG-XL amplifier | latest
Antenna Genius 2×8 | latest
FLEX-8400/8400M/8600/8600M
PG-XL amplifier
TG-XL amplifier | latest
Antenna Genius 2×8 | latest
A few numbers:
- 474 source files, ~7,300 named C++ symbols
- 26 calendar-versioned releases shipped (currently v26.5.1)
- Weekly builds for x86_64 Linux, arm64 macOS, x86_64 Windows
- Signed releases — GPG for Linux source/AppImage, Apple-notarized for macOS, Authenticode for Windows
Get the software:
- Source & releases: github.com/aethersdr/AetherSDR
- Issues / requests: github.com/aethersdr/AetherSDR/issues
- Contributing: see CONTRIBUTING.md in the repo
73,
Jeremy Fielder · KK7GWY
Project maintainer
Jeremy Fielder · KK7GWY
Project maintainer