Reading the status panel

When the radio is connected, the app shows a live status panel that mirrors what is on the radio’s own screen and updates about five times a second. This guide explains how that live feed works and what each field means.

The live feed turns on by itself

You do not have to enable anything. When you connect, the app turns the status stream on for you, so the panel starts filling in within a second or two. The only control is the Toggle Log command (the T key, or the on-screen button): press it to silence the stream, press it again to bring it back.

Almost everything the app does (the status panel, tuning confirmation, seek and the spectrum scanner) relies on that stream. So if the panel goes blank or actions start timing out, the stream has been switched off. Press T once to restore it.

The fields, one by one

Frequency

The current tuned frequency, shown the way the radio shows it: MHz for FM, kHz for AM and SSB.

Band

The active band, for example VHF, 41M (a shortwave broadcast band) or 40M (a ham band).

Mode

The demodulation mode: FM, AM, LSB or USB.

RSSI

Received signal strength in dBµV (0 to 127). Higher is stronger; a small badge rates it at a glance.

SNR

Signal-to-noise ratio in dB (0 to 127). For listenable audio this matters as much as raw strength. A strong but noisy signal can be worse than a weaker, cleaner one.

BFO

Only meaningful in SSB: the fine-tuning offset (in Hz, up to about ±14000) that places you exactly on a single-sideband signal. The app sets it for you when you tune.

Calibration

A per-band frequency-calibration offset (in Hz, up to ±2000). Normally 0. You change it deliberately to zero-beat SSB.

Step

The current tuning step: how far each encoder click moves the frequency.

Bandwidth

The selected receiver filter width.

AGC

The automatic-gain-control or attenuation setting.

Volume

The audio level, from 0 (mute) to 63 (maximum).

Tuning capacitor

A diagnostic value the radio’s tuner reports for the current frequency. You rarely need it, but it is there.

Battery

The battery voltage. It is not shown while the radio is fully charged; the radio indicates charging with its hardware LED instead.

Firmware version

The running firmware. The app uses this to decide which features are available. Fast tuning and Bluetooth, for instance, need 2.34+.

RSSI and SNR are your two most useful numbers when hunting weak signals. Aim for the best SNR, not just the biggest RSSI.

To get a signal in front of the panel in the first place, see Tuning: steps, direct entry & fast tune.