Front Panel Setup Menu

Front Panel — Setup Menu

The Setup menu is where you enter your station identity and check your software versions. You'll use it once when you first set up the radio, and occasionally afterward.

Open it with Menu → SETUP.

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What's in the Setup menu

Field	What it's for
MY CALL	Your amateur radio callsign
MY GRID	Your Maidenhead grid locator (e.g. EM79)
PASS KEY	The passkey used to protect remote/web access
Panel version	The front‑panel firmware version (display only)
Software version	The Pi application version (display only)

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Setting your callsign

Your callsign is used on the air (in FT8 and CW exchanges), in your logbook, and in the web interface.

1. Menu → SETUP.
2. Tap the MY CALL field.
3. The on‑screen keyboard appears. Type your callsign.
   • Tap the case/symbol key to switch between uppercase, lowercase, and symbols. Callsigns are normally uppercase.
4. Tap [x] to close the keyboard when done.

Until you set a callsign, some features (like FT8 auto‑replies that use your call) won't work correctly. Set this first.

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Setting your grid locator

Your grid square is your Maidenhead locator — a short code that identifies your location (for example, EM79 or FN31). It's exchanged in FT8 and used by the grid map in the web interface.

1. Menu → SETUP.
2. Tap the MY GRID field.
3. Type your grid (usually 4 characters, uppercase letters and digits).
4. Close the keyboard.

If you don't know your grid, you can look it up online from your location, or the web interface's grid map can help you find it.

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Setting the passkey

The PASS KEY protects remote access to your radio (for example, controlling it over the web interface from outside your own network). Set a passkey you'll remember.

1. Menu → SETUP.
2. Tap the PASS KEY field.
3. Type your chosen key.
4. Close the keyboard.

Treat this like a password — if you plan to expose the web interface beyond your local network, choose something not easily guessed.

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Checking your software versions

The two version lines in the Setup menu are display only — you can't edit them, but they're important:

• Panel version — the firmware running on the front‑panel Pico (e.g. 5.11f).
• Software version — the zBitx application on the Pi (e.g. zbitx v5.09s).

Use these when you upgrade: each Pi release lists the minimum panel firmware it requires, and this is how you confirm the two are compatible.

The Software version appears a moment after you open Setup. When you open the Setup menu, the panel asks the Pi for its version and displays the reply. If it briefly shows --- before filling in, that's normal. If it stays at ---, the panel and Pi aren't communicating — see Troubleshooting.

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Do my settings save automatically?

Yes. Anything you set here is stored on the Pi and saved automatically — a few seconds after you change it, and again on a clean shutdown. After a reboot, your callsign, grid, and passkey should reappear on their own.

If they don't come back after a power cycle, see the settings section of Troubleshooting — this is usually a save/recall issue that has a known fix.

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Related: Front Panel Operation » · Options & Controls »