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Gain and Shared Controls
Applies to the published v0.3.0-beta.1 release. The illustrated overlays below are explicitly marked demo captures from a PNG-capable build based on later main source.
| Control | What it changes |
|---|---|
| SMART on FM/AM | OrcSDR chooses tuner gain using measured signal level and clipping |
| TUNER AGC | The receiver's tuner gain automation, where supported |
| MANUAL / RF GAIN | A fixed tuner gain from the connected receiver's supported steps |
| RTL AGC | RTL digital automatic gain control, separate from tuner gain |
| AUDIO BOOST on Shortwave | Gain after demodulation; does not increase RF sensitivity |
| Volume / mute | Speaker output level and whether audio is heard |
On a familiar FM station, try SMART first. If the audio distorts, lower manual RF gain and compare; adjust speaker volume separately. A disabled tuner-gain control on a direct-sampling route is expected.
Tap the GAIN box on Home. FM and AM offer SMART; other supported paths offer tuner AGC. Manual gain uses the attached receiver's steps, so positions differ between dongles. Controls depend on the receiver and active frequency route. The Home guide shows the gain panel on the device; the live FM Radio and AM Radio pictures show their own gain controls.
On FM/AM, SMART starts at low gain, checks signal level and clipping, and increases gain while selecting a level. After selection it can reduce gain when clipping appears. It is not continuous upward tracking of fading signals. Switching to MANUAL keeps the current gain; moving the slider sets a fixed gain and stops SMART. FM SMART remains enabled across a normal retune and selects again.
Try SMART first on FM/AM. If a strong station distorts or clipping rises, reduce manual gain and compare. Maximum gain is not necessarily the clearest reception.
A direct-sampling route bypasses the tuner, so tuner RF gain and tuner AGC can be unavailable. RTL AGC is separate and is available on the supported V3c direct-sampling AM path. Audio Boost and speaker volume do not replace an appropriate HF antenna.
Shortwave's TUNER AGC operates tuner automation, not FM/AM SMART. Its RF gain slider selects manual gain only when that route supports it.
FM, AM and Shortwave share the larger direct-frequency keypad; AM also has DIRECT TUNE. Step controls move by the selected increment. Spectrum span changes the displayed range; filter bandwidth changes the received channel width.
Tap the header speaker control for volume and mute. Changing volume does not silently unmute. Relative signal values in dBFS are not calibrated dBm or antenna-power measurements.
These are actual 1280 × 720 Tab5 captures from 29 September 2026, using PNG-capable source 897c60a. They show the interface, not proof of reception. Live and demo refer to capture mode; the source is newer than the published release binary. See Screenshot Catalog for file hashes and provenance.
PR #113: gain UI and receiver routing records the shared controls. See the beta.1 release for the packaged driver version. The published release identifies the installed package. A merged PR or source test alone does not establish live reception on every setup. Screenshots from the later capture build are identified in Screenshot Catalog.