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RimuSDR for Linux — Now Available

NV0E
NV0E Member ✭✭
edited April 10 in Third-Party Software

Hi everyone,

I’m happy to share that RimuSDR, the new Linux‑native software suite for FlexRadio users, is now officially available.

After extensive testing with a dedicated group of operators, the software has reached a stable, production‑ready state. The initial release includes a comprehensive feature set covering virtually all functionality operators rely on today, along with the companion tools:

  • RimuDAX — digital audio exchange
  • RimuCAT — CAT control for logging, digital modes, and automation

You can download the release, view screenshots, and read the full feature overview here:

https://rimusystems.com/rimusdr

Thank you to everyone who tested, provided feedback, and helped shape the first release. I’m looking forward to hearing how it works for you.

Comments

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator

    Congratulations Simon! I just downloaded 1.1.3 for the Raspberry Pi. I will give it a shot this evening.

  • WX7Y
    WX7Y Member ✭✭✭✭

    Great experience so far, I have not fully tested the CAT and DAX but it looks great, Kinda bothers me there are only 2 CAT ports available, Looks like a very close clone of SmartSDR in operation and settings.

    After trying to get a few CAT programs working easily and reliably on AetherSDR on Linux, I can tell you it is a very difficult task but possible and is getting better, and if the RimuDAX and RimuCAT pans out to work as good as they look it will be a game changer on Linux.

    I have ran it on Linux Ubuntu 24.04, and on my raspberry Pi5 and both run really well and graphics on the Ubuntu Linux computer are outstanding, except on the Pi5 SmartLink won't sign in and shuts down the Program.

    Good Job Simon on building something that we have waited for for more than 12 years.

    73

    Bret WX7Y

  • NV0E
    NV0E Member ✭✭

    Bret, thank you for the detailed feedback. I’m really glad to hear RimuSDR is running well for you on both Ubuntu and the Pi5, and that the graphics performance stands out.

    CAT is still early and the current limit of two CAT port protocols is just the initial implementation. I will be expanding it soon.

    The Pi5 SmartLink crash is especially helpful. I will contact you directly to gather more information.

    And a fun bit of trivia: you were actually the very first person to purchase RimuSDR after launch. I really appreciate you jumping in right away and giving it such a thorough workout.

    Thanks again for taking the time to test it and share your impressions. It has been a long wait for Linux users, and it is great to see it running well on your systems.

  • WX7Y
    WX7Y Member ✭✭✭✭

    Simon, Please add the FDVU and FDVL modes to RimuSDR so we can use the FreeDV-FlexRadio.appimage to give us Freedv on ALL 6000 and 8000 Radios. SmartSDR has it as does AetherSDR, I have ran this for several Months and it really works well. Below is the Information Page.

    https://github.com/drowe67/freedv-gui/releases/tag/v2.2.1

    I have it running here on the same computer that I have RimuSDR on and also on my Node-red Raspberry Pi as a backup, (Only one at a time) as long as the computer is on the same network the Radio will find it.

    So please add these FreeDV modes as I use them Daily.

    73

    Bret WX7Y

  • Joe Herreweyers
    Joe Herreweyers Member ✭✭

    I am brand new to Linux having just starting to explore it earlier this week. Will this program run efficiently under WSL. It seems to me to be a starting point as I explore Linux and the program/Apps available. It would also also seem to provide the option to run my 6700 and 8600 on the same PC and monitor cluster.

    Thank you, Joe N9EMC

  • NV0E
    NV0E Member ✭✭

    Hi Bret, I'll take a look at the FreeDV modes. It sounds quite interesting.

  • NV0E
    NV0E Member ✭✭

    Hi Joe, WSL will probably turn out to be problematic for this kind of software.

    WSL uses a NAT layer that isolates it from the host network, and that can interfere with radio discovery unless you start adding bridged‑adapter workarounds. Even then, it’s not always consistent. That alone makes it a shaky starting point.

    TX/RX audio is another issue. WSL doesn’t expose audio devices in a way that works well for low‑latency streaming, so RimuDAX is unlikely to behave correctly there. RimuCAT would be even more difficult, since WSL doesn’t provide real serial ports and its virtualized networking stack behaves differently enough that CAT bridging is likely to break.

    If you want to explore Linux, a lightweight VM or a small dual‑boot partition will give you a much smoother experience than WSL for anything involving radios, audio, or CAT. Dual‑boot in particular avoids all the virtualization quirks and gives you a clean, native environment to work with. I’ve set up a dual‑boot with Windows and Linux myself, and I find I spend most of my time in Linux now, only flipping back to Windows when I need an application that only exists there.

  • TimW
    TimW Member ✭✭

    I purchased a license yesterday and will be trying RimuSDR out on a Raspberry Pi 5 and a Linux distribution on an older HP Z2 mini. For the HP would you recommend Debian, Ubuntu, or something else?

  • NV0E
    NV0E Member ✭✭

    Hi Tim,

    RimuSDR runs equally well on both Debian 13 and Ubuntu 24.04. I personally run Ubuntu 24.04 so that's what gets tested the most. The list of tested distributions is here: https://rimusystems.com/ It's quite likely it runs on a much wider range of Debian based distributions that what we actually test on.

  • TimW
    TimW Member ✭✭

    Thanks Simon, I must have missed that list of tested distributions. Will try a couple of the others too before settling down.

  • digver
    digver Member ✭
    Hello!
    A quick receive check of the sdr appimage with Fedora 44 says it is Aokay. But that is only sdr, I have not tried dax or cat.
    73, digger ab3xu
  • NV0E
    NV0E Member ✭✭

    RimuSDR v1.1.5 - Release Announcement

    The v1.1.5 update for RimuSDR - Native Linux SDR for FlexRadio is now available. This release delivers major enhancements across RimuSDR, RimuCAT, and platform packaging, focusing on expanded capability, improved usability, and broader system support.

    RimuSDR - Native Linux SDR for FlexRadio

    Key Enhancements

    • RimuSDR Trial Mode — Trial mode is now available for downloads, providing evaluation access restricted to 80 m and receive‑only operation (no TX) prior to licensing.
    • FreeDV Support — Running the FreeDV FlexRadio AppImage automatically adds FDVU and FDVL slice modes to RimuSDR.
    • Quick Audio Recording/Playback — One‑click audio capture and instant playback for rapid verification and testing.
    • Sub‑Band Display Improvements — Added IARU region‑based sub‑band selections for more accurate band visualization.
    • USB Cable Menu — New menu option for USB cable configuration.
    • SmartLink Performance — Faster authentication and extended timeouts for operators on slower networks.
    • RimuCAT Protocols — Added Passthrough, N1MM Spots, Winkeyer, and ORTP (all minimally tested).
    • arm64 .deb Builds — Experimental arm64 packages now available.
    • RPM Packaging — Added RPM builds for Fedora 42, Fedora 43, Rocky 9, and Rocky 10.

    Fixes

    • RimuSDR Stability & UI — Corrected several operator‑visible issues including status‑bar alignment, profile‑based mode selection not toggling the Phone/CW panel, 1 Hz VFO drift during keyboard tuning, slice‑flag slider wheel jumps, and a multiFLEX reconnection case that could result in silent receive audio.
    • RimuDAX & RimuCAT Reliability — Resolved TX‑audio Busy‑state lockups, prevented Linux from auto‑switching audio defaults, fixed a Remote‑Audio interaction that could permanently suppress microphone audio, corrected a RimuCAT port‑deletion SIGSEGV, and fixed an API‑layer issue where the active slice was being determined incorrectly.
  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator

    I have been testing RimuSDR on my Raspberry Pi 4B and also on Windows 10. It is working great on both platforms!

    I can run RimuSDR and SmartSDR at the same time on the same computer without issue. This lets me connect to my 8600 locally in the shack and my club 6400 via SmartLink at the same time without dragging out another computer. RimuSDR has a nice feature that it keeps all of your SmartLink logins so that you don't have to re-enter your credentials when changing to a different SmartLink account. This is optional if you prefer to re-enter the information for security reasons.

  • AA0KM
    AA0KM Member ✭✭

    Amazing initial first install on R-pi 4/4gb-ram/125gb data ssd with argon40 case.

    I have R-pi 5 going to see how it does as well.

    Using Btop for cpu usage and not much Ram usage less than 600mbs out of the 4gbs.

    Processor usage adequate not too taxed on the 4-cores.

    So wondering R-pi with say lower memory like 2gb how it will perform.?

    Now with · arm64 · Raspberry Pi · Windows

    https://rimusystems.com/download

     · AppImage · Debian Packages · RPM · Installer

    Congratulations!

    ===========Fun to look at Raspberry Pi how it compares»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»>.>.>.

    • The earliest example is the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, released in January 2007
      • Clock speed: 2.4 GHz
      • Cores: 4
      • Architecture: Kentsfield (essentially two dual-core dies in one package)
      • —============================
      •  
      • November 2007 (Phenom 9500/9600, ~2.2–2.3 GHz)
      • Around 2.4 GHz level: not exactly at launch—AMD reached and slightly exceeded it in early 2008 with the Phenom 9850 (2.5 GHz)
  • Didier F6DXE
    Didier F6DXE Member ✭✭

    Installed on Linux Mint, works well on this side using the latest version.
    Thanks for all this work. A lot better than using Hamlib and nDax/nCat.
    73
    **** (Didier) F6DXE

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