Configuration guide

Once you have successfully set up your receiver, you will probably want to configure it to your specific needs and purposes. This guide should help you getting started.

Where is the configuration located?

Starting with OpenWebRX 1.0, most configuration options are available in the new web configuration, which is accessible directly from your browser by clicking the "Settings" icon on the top right of the receiver window. You can also access the Settings page by appending /settings to the receiver URL.

You will need to create a user account in order to be able to log into the web configuration. Please see the user management documentation for details on this step.

The web configuration has a number of sections that allow you to configure the behavior of your receiver.

Configuration files

Some parts of the configuration are still stored in configuration files.

Depending on your installation, the configuration files will be located in one of the following location:

/etc/openwebrx (this is the default location when installing from packages, on the RasPi images, and also works on manual installs)
stored on a docker volume (if you followed the instructions here, it should be /var/lib/docker/volumes/openwebrx-config/_data)
in your checkout directory (manual installation; only if you didn't create config in /etc/openwebrx)

Please note that not all configuration files are necessarily in the same location.

`openwebrx.conf`

This file contains low-level configuration options that typically require few adjustments.

Defaults:

[core]
data_directory = /var/lib/openwebrx
temporary_directory = /tmp

[web]
port = 8073

[aprs]
symbols_path = /usr/share/aprs-symbols/png

There is also the option of storing parts of this configuration in a config directory structure in /etc/openwebrx/openwebrx.conf.d. This allows you to override parts of the configuration without the need to modify the original file.

Modifications to this file or files in the config directory require a restart of OpenWebRX.

`bands.json`

This file contains information about bands and frequencies. It is used to configure digimode frequencies for both background decoding and green bookmarks, as well as for reverse band lookups on decodes.

Deprecated files

These files have been superseded by the new web configuration and the new configuration storage. The files can still be read by OpenWebRX for migration purposes. See Migrating to OpenWebRX 1.0.

config_webrx.py
bookmarks.json
users.json

Note: this only applies to files found in the storage locations described above. The new configuration storage system uses files with the same name internally.

Setting up the basics

The "General settings" section of the web config contains some basic settings that will describe your receiver to users that visit it. It's recommended to set these if you share your receiver. Some of these settings are also used for other features of the receiver.

"Receiver Name": A commonly used name for your receiver or receiver location.
"Receiver location": Some verbal description of your receiver location (e.g. city, country, ...)
"Receiver elevation": The height of your receivers' antenna above sea level.
"Receiver admin": The E-Mail where your users can contact you.
"Receiver coordinates": The exact location of the receiver (yes, this gets sent to the client. If you want to keep your receiver location a secret, do not fill this in. This will however impose limitations on other features.)
"Photo title": A short title for the receiver photo, if you set any.
"Photo description": Verbose description of the receiver and its location. This input can handle HTML.

There is a lot of other settings on this and the other sections of the web configuration. Feel free to explore.

Setting up SDR devices and profiles

The "SDR devices and profiles" section is where you set up the SDR devices that OpenWebRX uses, and the profiles that will be available to your users. A device typically corresponds to a physical SDR device that is connected to your receiver (typically via USB or network). A profile defines a frequency range, together with the corresponding parameters for the device.

Note: In OpenWebRX, one device can only run a single profile at any given time.

When adding a new device, you will be asked for the "Device type". This type determines what settings will be available on the following pages, so it cannot be changed after creation.

If your device type is listed on the supported hardware page, but is missing from the list, please check if the necessary dependencies are installed on the feature report.

Some of the device settings are optional, they can be added and removed. These are settings which are only useful in certain situations, or where the default is typically applicable for most use cases.

Many optional settings are available both on the device settings and on the profiles. These settings will inherit the value configured on the device level if they are not set on the profile.

What's in the box?

In order to get most people started quickly, the default configuration already includes a set of common SDR devices and profiles that cover some amateur radio bands.

RTL-SDR USB Stick with profiles for VHF and UHF (2m / 70cm)
Airspy HF with shortwave profiles (20m / 30m / 40m / 80m)
SDRPlay with shortwave profiles (20m / 30m / 40m / 80m)

It's best to think of this as an example. There's no need to stick to this configuration, the web configuration allows you to remove or add devices at any time.