Real-time CW keying now works on radios that key through a built-in USB port on Linux, plus fixes for idle auto-receive and the mobile FT8 waterfall.
Real-time CW keying on built-in USB ports (Linux)
Some radios key CW through a USB port whose Linux driver won't let a program toggle the keying line the usual per-tap way (the FT-891's built-in USB is the common example). Until now, CW macros and typed text worked on these radios, but a live key — the mobile app's straight-key button, or a MIDI paddle plugged into it — did not.
POTACAT now runs a small dedicated keyer that holds the port open and keys the line in real time, so a straight key or paddle from a mobile device keys the radio just like macros do. Nothing extra to install beyond the Python and pyserial you already needed for CW text on these ports, and it leaves a locally-connected paddle at the radio completely untouched. Text macros keep using the exact path they used before, so nothing about existing CW text sending changes.
This is new, so if you key CW remotely on one of these radios, a quick on-air check is worth doing.
Other fixes
- Idle auto-receive no longer cancels itself. Starting WSPR or PSK31 from idle could immediately stop with a repeating "already decoding" message; it now stays running.
- The mobile FT8 waterfall survives reconnects and screen sleep. Brief drops — an app backgrounding, the phone screen sleeping, a WiFi blip — no longer leave the waterfall blank until you toggle the panel.
Windows, macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), and Linux (x64 + arm64) installers are attached below; the app auto-updates from here.