Quick Start

Quick Start

The five-minute on-ramp. Brand new to Lyra? Do these in order and you'll be listening — and talking — fast. This same guide is built into the app (Help → Quick Basics).

Currently supported: Windows 10 (64-bit, v1809+) or Windows 11, a DirectX 11 / OpenGL 3.3 GPU (built-in graphics are fine), and a wired Ethernet link to a Hermes Lite 2 / 2+. Full detail on PC Requirements. (Not on Windows? Linux and macOS are on the Roadmap.)

1 · Wire it up 🔌

• Connect the Hermes Lite to your PC with an Ethernet cable — wired, not Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi in the radio path is the most common cause of pops and dropouts.
• Power the radio on.

2 · Launch & connect 📡

• Download and run the installer, then open Lyra. It scans the network and lists any radio it finds.
• Double-click your radio to open it. On a fixed IP or different subnet, use Add by IP.
• First launch only: Lyra spends a few minutes tuning its DSP math to your CPU — a one-time step. Let it finish; it opens by itself.

3 · Start the radio ▶️

• Click ▶ Start in the top header. The spectrum comes alive.

4 · Hear a signal 🔊

• Open Settings → Audio → Out and pick where you listen: "HL2 audio jack (AK4951)" (headphones plugged into the radio) or your PC speakers / headset.
• Turn the Volume up.
• Click on the panadapter or the waterfall to tune to a signal, and set the mode — SSB (USB above 10 MHz, LSB below), or AM / FM.

5 · Talk 🎙️

• See First Voice Setup (SSB / AM / FM) — it walks the microphone and PTT in a couple of steps, for a mic on the radio or on the PC.

---

If something's not working

• No radio found → check the wired cable and that the radio is powered. Wi-Fi and sleeping network adapters are the usual culprits.
• No audio → check Settings → Audio → Out (right device?) and the Volume.
• Can't transmit → see First Voice Setup — most first-time TX problems are the mic not set up in Windows, or the wrong Mic source in Lyra.

More in the FAQ & Troubleshooting.

Where to go next

Everything lives in the in-app Help guide (open it from the Help menu, or the cyan ? on any panel) and in the User Guide:

• 🎙️ First Voice Setup — your first phone contact, step by step
• 📖 User Guide — the panadapter, tuning, filters, bands, audio, TX rack, CW, profiles…
• ✅ Feature Status — everything Lyra can do today

Welcome aboard, and 73.