Sidetone with Flex ?

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Andrew O'Brien

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Feb 22, 2026, 12:12:10 PM (9 days ago) Feb 22
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I am casually working a few in the ARRL contest .  Last night I had sidetone audio while in the contest but not today , odd .  Is there a setting I forgot to save ?  I am using a Flex 8400 with SmartSDR 4.1.5  and using a laptop on my home LAN ,  I am NOT connected directly to the radio .  I get sidetone if I test via CWX  but none when I key via SDC .

Andy K3UK 

Andrew O'Brien

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Feb 23, 2026, 1:53:12 PM (8 days ago) Feb 23
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Attached is a screenshot .  I am sure I was hearing sidetone on Saturday but not Sunday , and not today either.

ANdy K3UK 



Screenshot 2026-02-23 135149.png

Andrew O'Brien

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Feb 24, 2026, 11:51:05 AM (7 days ago) Feb 24
to Phil-, SDC Software Defined Connectors
I have two operating positions in the house .  Using my Mac right next to the Flex I can get the sidetone since it comes from the radio .  My second operating position is in another room , away from the Flex.  I have PC AUDIO in blue as active  and can hear the audio from my Flex  via my LAN . I hear the "sidetone"  from CWX  but not when keying CW in SDC.  Maybe I was mistaken when I said I had sidetone on Saturday ?    I thought Flex SmartSDR 4.1.5 had added sidetone capability .  I know in the past we could not get sidetone unless directly connected to the rig .




73 de K3UK 

On Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 4:36 AM Phil- <ic8...@gmail.com> wrote:
HI Andy, I use two pair of speakers: first pair are connected to the FLEX on the rear panel (self-powered) and the second pair are the PC
speakers . Then in the FLEX main window on the upper right is the exchanging audio button which is marked PC_Audio ON when is BLUE
 when the audio comes from the rear of the TRX and GREYED when PC_speakers are ON... 
I know it is somewhat confusing at first but it works and the sidetone comes from the rear of the radio....
My 5 cents after one year using the FLEX 8k6
73
Phil 
 IU0EBV
ex IC8POF


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Andy

UT4LW Yuri Pavlov

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Feb 24, 2026, 1:11:22 PM (7 days ago) Feb 24
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Andy, when I installed 4.1.5, I also thought that remote sidetone was working. But it only worked once, and then it stopped working.
RIG Audio will solve this problem.

вторник, 24 февраля 2026 г. в 18:51:05 UTC+2, andre...@gmail.com:

Andrew O'Brien

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Feb 24, 2026, 1:22:54 PM (7 days ago) Feb 24
to UT4LW Yuri Pavlov, SDC Software Defined Connectors
Thanks Yuri, it is odd that it worked only once for me .  In SDC do I do anything in rig audio other than tick the box in Setup ? 

Andy K3UK 

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Andy

UT4LW Yuri Pavlov

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Feb 24, 2026, 1:34:10 PM (7 days ago) Feb 24
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Andy, there is a section called "RIG Audio" in the manual.
I must warn you right away—it's not easy, but when you succeed, you will hear a completely different sound from your transceiver and gain a lot of new possibilities.

вторник, 24 февраля 2026 г. в 20:22:54 UTC+2, andre...@gmail.com:

Andrew O'Brien

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Feb 24, 2026, 3:17:25 PM (7 days ago) Feb 24
to UT4LW Yuri Pavlov, SDC Software Defined Connectors
Thanks.  I am going on holiday .  It will make good holiday reading for me to spend time with the SDC manual .  73 de ANdy K3UK 



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Andy

Andrew O'Brien

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Feb 24, 2026, 10:12:32 PM (6 days ago) Feb 24
to UT4LW Yuri Pavlov, SDC Software Defined Connectors
I now have sidetone when sending CW via the F keys in SDC while using a laptop on my LAN and not near the Flex 8400.  I am not sure what I did but it started working again this evening . 

Andy K3UK
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Andy

UT4LW Yuri Pavlov

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Feb 25, 2026, 1:07:02 AM (6 days ago) Feb 25
to SDC Software Defined Connectors
Andy, if the Sidetone button is enabled on the transceiver and its volume is turned up, but you cannot hear it, then there is an error in the transceiver's software. This is a new system in SmartSDR, so any issues should be reported to FlexRadio.

среда, 25 февраля 2026 г. в 05:12:32 UTC+2, andre...@gmail.com:

Grégory Salaun

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Feb 28, 2026, 11:39:25 AM (3 days ago) Feb 28
to SDC Software Defined Connectors
Hi Yuri,
Can you please elaborate what Rig Audio can bring to the table please ?
I still do not understand the benefit of using it with Flex 8600 SO2R or one VFO only, I have the sidetone without any issue without the Rig Audio.
Thanks

UT4LW Yuri Pavlov

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Feb 28, 2026, 1:29:27 PM (3 days ago) Feb 28
to SDC Software Defined Connectors
Hi
In the Manual, under the heading "RIG Audio," you will find the advantages of the RIG Audio system.
From the very beginning, it was designed to combine sound from several transceivers, but then it began to develop rapidly. 
Fans of SO2R, SOxR, and xBSIQ appreciate the SHIFT function, which shifts the frequency of the slice sound up or down. This makes it easier to listen to multiple channels simultaneously.

I use RIG-Audio for these reasons:
RIG Audio AGC system - You will hear a completely different high-quality reception sound for CW mode.
RX/TX switching is now free of noise and crackling.
CW Macros has many additional features: shortened intervals, ligatures,...
CW Key with increased number of key press memory cells.
Audio files - You can create full-fledged audio recordings of QSOs.

The system is being refined. A new feature has recently been added that allows for alternative audio, for example, from another receiver. And "Listen Buffer". You can listen again to the audio that preceded this moment.


суббота, 28 февраля 2026 г. в 18:39:25 UTC+2, rou...@gmail.com:

Grégory Salaun

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Feb 28, 2026, 4:09:54 PM (2 days ago) Feb 28
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ok great I will have a look into it.
Thanks a lot

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