DOCDocumentation
Open Signal documentation
Step-by-step guides for every part of Open Signal — from the first install to the map, profiles and troubleshooting. Screenshots come from the app's own demo mode, so callsigns and pictures are sample data.
01
Getting started
Install Open Signal, run the wizard, connect the radio and set your location.
Install Open Signal on WindowsInstall Open Signal on Windows 10 or 11 from the MSI installer, find where your settings and pictures live, and confirm which build you are running.Install Open Signal on Linux (Ubuntu)Run Open Signal on 64-bit desktop Linux: unpack the self-contained tarball, pick the right ALSA audio device, and open your rig's serial port.The first-run wizardWhat the Open Signal setup wizard asks on first launch — callsign, name, grid and email — and how the welcome-back path restores a previous installation.Sign in and restore your settingsOpen Signal sign-in is a one-time emailed code — no password. Once signed in, your portable settings back up automatically and restore on any new machine.Connect your radio to Open SignalPoint Open Signal at your rig's USB audio codec, choose a PTT method (VOX, serial RTS/DTR or CAT), and optionally add CAT frequency readout.Set your location (grid square)Your Maidenhead locator places you on the map, powers distance and bearing tags, and rides along with your CQ. Here is where to set it and what uses it.
02
Receiving
The Receive screen, your galleries, the shared feed and reception reports.
The Receive screen, a tourA guided tour of the Open Signal Receive screen: readout tiles, the latest picture pane, the heard list, the waterfall and the always-present composer.Copy a received pictureCopy any received picture to the clipboard as a file and paste it into email, chat or a folder — GIFs stay animated, and everything is on disk too.Your picture galleriesThe Pictures section keeps what you have received, what you have sent, and what the wider network is hearing — with callsign and band filters.The “Received from internet” tabThe shared feed shows pictures other Open Signal stations copied off the air — deduplicated per picture, listing every station that received it.Reception reports — who copied your picturesWhen another station decodes your picture, a reception report reaches you with their callsign, SNR, band and mode — even after you have QSYed.
03
Sending
Pictures, GIFs, send modes, macros, the beacon and station ID.
Send your first pictureStage a picture, see its exact cost in airtime before anything keys, and press Transmit. Nothing goes on air until you have seen what will be sent.Send modes explainedPhoto, Hybrid, Open Signal digital and analogue SSTV — what each send mode is for, what it costs in airtime, and which one to pick for the station you are working.Hybrid modeHybrid sends the full-quality picture via the internet and only a short link over RF — about five seconds of airtime, GIFs stay animated, no setup needed.SSTV modes in Open SignalSending and receiving classic analogue SSTV with Open Signal: automatic VIS detection on receive, the supported families, and the on-air countdown on transmit.Paste a picture from the clipboardStage a screenshot, a copied file or an image from the browser straight from the clipboard with Ctrl+V — no saving to disk first.Send an animated GIFAnimated GIFs over amateur radio: the built-in GIF search, sending from a file or the clipboard, and the one rule that keeps the animation alive.Edit a picture before sendingCrop, rotate, adjust colours or burn in a caption without leaving Open Signal — the staged preview rebuilds so you always see exactly what will transmit.The callsign stamp on your picturesEvery outgoing picture carries a “de YOURCALL” stamp. Choose its corner, colour and size — and know what still identifies you if you turn it off.Quick-text macros and tokensThe one-tap CQ, QRZ? and 73 buttons are fully editable, and tokens like {CALL} and {GRID} fill in your current details every time they are sent.Beacon and automatic station IDAuto-ID keeps every transmission identified, and the beacon keeps your station calling — or sending a picture — on a timer while you are away.
04
The map & other operators
Who's on air, following stations, and operator profiles.
The map — who's on airEvery Open Signal station currently on the air, placed at its grid square, with live lines between stations in contact and honest handling of missing locators.Following other stationsStar the operators you care about and Open Signal alerts you the moment they come on air — without nagging you all session.Profiles of other operatorsClick any callsign for the operator's profile: who they are, their station, distance and bearing from you, and the pictures they have published.Your own operator profileWhat other operators see when they click your callsign — and how picture publishing works, including how to keep everything local.
05
Making it yours
Colours, themes, text size and waterfall palettes.
Personalise — colours, themes, text sizeFive accent colours, four themes, four text sizes and per-alert notification toggles — everything applies live and persists. Amber always means transmit.Waterfall colour palettesClassic, greyscale, thermal or aqua — pick the waterfall colour ramp your eyes read best, right from the BAND header.
06
Updates & help
Staying current, troubleshooting and frequently asked questions.
Updates and new versionsHow you hear about a new Open Signal version — the in-app banner and email announcements — and how updating keeps your settings and galleries untouched.Troubleshooting audioFlat waterfall, a rig that keys but sends silence, or a soundcard wedged by RF — the audio checklist, in the order that usually finds it.Common problems and fixesTransmit held during a reception, an empty map, duplicate roster entries and other things that look like faults but usually are not.Frequently asked questionsDo you need the internet? Does the other station need Open Signal? What frequency, where are your files, and how do you move to a new computer?
Looking for the big picture instead?
The overview covers what Open Signal does, the four ways it sends a picture, and its honest current status.