Firmware Update

Firmware Update

⚠️ CAUTION: Firmware update is currently a highly experimental feature. Use at your own risk. We still recommend updating via the SmartSDR Windows application.

Overview

AetherSDR can update your radio's firmware directly from Linux — no Windows machine required.

Access via Settings → Radio Setup → Radio tab → Firmware Update section.

Check for Updates

1. Click Check for Update
2. AetherSDR queries the FlexRadio website for the latest version
3. Compares against your radio's current firmware (major.minor.patch)
4. Shows "Up to date" or "Update available: vX.Y.Z"

Download and Stage

If an update is available:

1. The button changes to Download vX.Y.Z
2. Click it — downloads the SmartSDR installer (~460 MB) from FlexRadio
3. Verifies the installer's MD5 hash against FlexRadio's published hash file
4. Extracts the .ssdr firmware file from the installer
5. Validates the extracted file (checks Salted__ header)
6. Shows "Firmware staged and ready" with file size and MD5

The installer is cached locally — subsequent checks skip the download.

Upload

1. Click Upload Firmware (only enabled after staging or browsing)
2. Confirmation dialog warns about radio reboot
3. Progress bar shows upload progress (chunked TCP transfer)
4. Radio validates, applies, and reboots
5. AetherSDR reconnects automatically

Manual File Selection

Click Browse .ssdr... to select a firmware file you already have. The .ssdr files can be found at:

• Windows: C:\ProgramData\FlexRadio Systems\SmartSDR\Updates\
• Or extracted from the SmartSDR installer

Firmware Files

File	Models
FLEX-6x00_vX.Y.Z.ssdr	All consumer radios (6000, 8000, Aurora series)
FLEX-9600_vX.Y.Z.ssdr	Government only (FLEX-9600 / DragonFire)

All consumer FlexRadios (Microburst, DeepEddy, BigBend, Aurora platforms) use the same FLEX-6x00 firmware.