SmartSDR v2.8.1 is Now Available

Tim - W4TME

FlexRadio Systems announces the immediate availability of SmartSDR v2.8.1.

This version of SmartSDR addresses critical issues that were introduced in previous versions of SmartSDR that affect the FLEX-6700, FLEX-6500, and FLEX-6300, specifically the inability to create slice receivers and operate SmartLink-enabled radios. FlexRadio highly recommends upgrading to SmartSDR v2.8.1 at your earliest convenience and strongly recommends not reverting to any previous versions of SmartSDR v2 to ensure the issues fixed in this release do not reoccur.

SmartSDR 2.8.1 can be downloaded from the FlexRadio website. SmartSDR v2.8.1 is a critical maintenance release containing important software bug fixes for version 2 of SmartSDR for Windows, SmartSDR for Maestro, SmartSDR for M models, SmartSDR CAT, and DAX. 

Please download and review the SmartSDR v2.8.1 Release Notes included with the release package before installing SmartSDR v2.8.1 on your FLEX-6000.

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IMPORTANT: Upgrading the Radio Firmware can be a Two-Step Process

Upgrading the radio firmware requires an extended, multi-step process, where the radio may reboot several times if upgrading from SmartSDR v3.2.39 and below. The upgrade may take upward to 15 minutes to complete depending on the model.

Beginning with SmartSDR v2.8.0, the radio firmware is upgraded following a multi-step process. The SD card media is formatted and checked, the radio operating system and firmware are updated, and a radio-specific firmware image is installed on the FPGA. Certain version upgrades may cause the radio’s fans to spin up at high speed during the upgrade process; this is normal and is no cause for concern.

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Release Highlights for SmartSDR v2.8.1

Fixed No Slice Receiver Resources defect: Updates to the radio firmware have resolved this problem for the FLEX-6700, FLEX-6500, and FLEX-6300. WARNING: downgrading SmartSDR to any version less than SmartSDR v2.8.1 will result in this issue returning. (SMART-9104)

Fixed SmartLink connection and configuration problems: Updates to the SmartLink infrastructure have corrected certain SmartLink issues related to the setup and connecting to a SmartLink-enabled radio. (SMART-9108)

NOTE: You may need to unregister and re-register your radio to your SmartLink account if the remote radio is not shown in the Radio Chooser or it is not passing the SmartLink network test when it was working previously.

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The SmartSDR v2.8.1 Changelog:

[SMART-9104] - Fixed: 6300, 6500, and 6700 are no longer susceptible to booting without active Slices and are unable to create new Slices. 

[SMART-9108] - Fixed: Resolved issues that prevented using SmartLink.