AetherSDR v26.6.4

AetherSDR v26.6.4

Headlined by a KiwiSDR public-receiver integration, a selectable SmartMTR meter view for the VFO flag, an in-app agent automation/test bridge for the GUI, GPU-composited slice flags with a multi-GPU render selector, a first accessibility pass for custom-painted widgets, and a large round of CAT/rigctld parity fixes. Governance moves to Constitution v2.0.0. (80 commits since v26.6.3.)

New features

• KiwiSDR public-receiver browser — an API-policy-aware directory browser to find and connect to public KiwiSDR receivers worldwide, independent of the FlexRadio path. Honest, policy-aware receiver picker with the public-directory Limits marker; diversity receive interlock with receive-only TX inhibit on Kiwi panadapters; source-attributed terminal denial messages (badp codes + MSG keys); clearer connection-failure messages; dedicated Support-menu logging categories. See docs/kiwisdr-public-directory.md. (#3668, #3679, #3676, #3678, #3699, #3706, #3707, #3716, #3749, #3759)
• SmartMTR selectable meter view for the VFO flag — an opt-in alternative to the S-meter (which stays pixel-identical when not selected). Analog d'Arsonval bar ballistics, sliding-window min/max "extremes" markers (1s/3s/5s), optional numeric value labels, and a TX mic-level meter. Renders correctly in the GPU flag-sprite path. (#3723, #3750, #3751, #3752, #3753, #3760, #3771)
• Agent automation / test bridge — an in-app, agent-drivable bridge for the GUI (dumpTree/grab/invoke/get, slice/VFO verbs), with TX automation hardening (meter freshness, ATU, two-tone, safety rails), input validation, redaction of masked fields, and a log-observability suite. Off in production, gated behind AETHER_AUTOMATION. See docs/automation-bridge.md. (#3646, #3710, #3722, #3727, #3728, #3738, #3717, #3747)
• GPU-composite slice flags instead of translucent raster siblings — removes the main-thread re-blend over the QRhi waterfall each frame, plus a multi-GPU render-GPU selector (Display menu) for multi-adapter systems and a flag re-raster pause when a flag isn't presented. (#3617, #3695, #3656, #3746, #3713)
• Accessibility — QAccessibleInterface implementations for custom-painted widgets (a Grouping summary for the VFO flag; the ESC level bar), backed by a new CI accessibility static-analysis check. See docs/a11y.md. (#3754, #3758)
• Net Reminder Scheduler — recurring net reminders with one-click tuning. (#3684)
• PSK Reporter map gains band-condition shading, a lookback window, and a hover card, with cross-platform spot-delivery fixes. (#3635)
• FreeDV Reporter: 6m+ band coverage and multi-select. (#3591)
• Maidenhead grid-locator field in the APRS position row. (#3672)
• Memory editor: NUL sanitisation, field dropdowns, smoother editing. (#3657)
• Continuous edge auto-pan while dragging a slice. (#3581)
• Status-bar date follows the system locale. (#3690)
• Support bundles are deflate-compressed. (#3691)
• Waveform install over the Docker file-upload protocol. (#3585)

CAT / rigctld parity

• Resolve SmartSDR Flex/TS-2000 split-behavior gaps + block TS-2000 satellite-mode TX. (#3739)
• Resolve rigctld behavior gaps and fix on-demand split VFO. (#3724)
• Match missing Hamlib rigctld functionality — VFO mode, mode mapping, CTCSS/FM tones, levels & funcs. (#3619)
• Behaviour: VFO B is a dialect capability — disabled for rigctld, preserved across dialect switches and smaller-radio reconnects. (#3694/#3698)
• Don't cap running CAT ports by receiver count. (#3693/#3697)
• Fix (safety): a bare ZZTX; is a read, not a key — no more uncommanded TX in the Flex dialect. (#3625/#3629)
• Make the CAT per-port enable toggle visible. (#3618)

Fixes & hardening

• TCI DAX RX audio routed by a cached channel→TRX map, resilient to transient dax=0; cache cleared on disconnect teardown. (#3669/#3759, #3766/#3767)
• Crash: guard the slice DAX-recall single-shot against a dangling slice (use-after-free). (#3733)
• Live state (Principle II): setDax, setCwSidetone, setSbMonitor, and setAmCarrierLevel now update their cached state optimistically. (#3737, #3736, #3734, #3712)
• Reproject only the active waterfall stream while panning. (#3700/#3701)
• Draw the panadapter grid below the FFT trace in the GPU path. (#3606/#3713)
• Use the radio's auto-black level for an evenly-levelled waterfall floor. (#3586)
• Independently themable LIVE chip (red live / grey history). (#3761)
• Pace TX waterfall rows to line_duration to match the RX scroll rate. (#3686)
• Profile FFT settling on load. (#3604, #3573)
• Prune dead followers in AudioOutputRouter. (#3660/#3661)
• Capture TX audio in client-side QSO recordings. (#3556/#3632)
• Run the CWX local sidetone keyer on a steady_clock worker thread. (#3644)
• Stream Deck Tune Toggle parsed the wrong TCI status field. (#3647)
• Migrate hardcoded highlight/disabled-state colours to ThemeManager tokens (Principle IX); persist Theme Editor overrides under pre-seeded applet scopes. (#3645, #3688)
• Ulanzi dial on Linux: detect an inaccessible evdev device and offer a one-click udev grant. (#3677)
• RX BW indicator shows bandwidth, not the hi-cut. (#3659/#3696)
• Idle MOX button gets a distinct accent so it reads as the transmit button. (#3763)
• Fan-mode button label clarity; Fahrenheit toggle for amplifier temperature. (#3651, #3652)

Internal — audio sink factory (Phase 6, #3306)

• New AudioOutputRouter registry for output-following sinks; Pudu/QSO/CW and Quindar sinks finished onto the factory with format negotiated through it. (#3630, #3631, #3655)
• Architecture note: WebSDR-sourced VFO/slice design. (#3621)

Governance

• Constitution v2.0.0 — trims the domain conventions (relocated to AGENTS.md) and adds governance principles; net 14 principles. (#3602)

Packaging / CI

• Build and bundle qtkeychain for SmartLink credential persistence on the Linux AppImage (#3640) and Windows (#3634).
• Pin + verify SHA256 for all third_party setup-script downloads. (#3665/#3692)
• AppStream metainfo for Linux + Flathub-submission polish; a simple manpage. (#3673, #3709, #3674)
• Dependabot: actions/checkout 6.0.3→7.0.0, microsoft-store-apppublisher 1.1→1.3, action-gh-release 3.0.0→3.0.1. (#3682, #3681, #3680)

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Full changelog: v26.6.3...v26.6.4

Linux (AppImage), Windows (installer), and macOS (DMG) build artifacts are attached below as the platform CI jobs complete; signed checksums follow.