PRESS RELEASE | HRD Software, LLC | Ham Radio Deluxe® v6.9

HRD Software Announces Most Significant Ham Radio Deluxe® Release Under Sole Ownership

Prosper, TX — HRD Software, LLC, maker of Ham Radio Deluxe® — the world's most widely used amateur radio software suite — today announced the general availability of Ham Radio Deluxe® v6.9, the most stable and feature-rich release in the software's two-decade history. The release marks a significant milestone for the company, which has operated under the sole ownership of Dr. Michael Carper (WA9PIE) since July 2021.

Ham Radio Deluxe® v6.9 delivers comprehensive improvements across all five modules of the suite — Rig Control, Logbook, Digital Master (DM-780), Satellite Tracking, and Rotor Control — available to all existing Ham Radio Deluxe® customers. All Ham Radio Deluxe® customers are encouraged to install v6.9 to take advantage of the latest enhancements and new features enabled through New Features & Support.

About Ham Radio Deluxe®

Ham Radio Deluxe® is an integrated software suite for amateur radio station automation, supporting nearly 50,000 licensed operators in 130 countries worldwide. Originally developed as freeware by Simon Brown (HB9DRV) beginning in 2003, the software was acquired by HRD Software, LLC in 2011. To ensure a smooth transition for the existing user community, HRD Software released several additional free v5.x versions before transitioning to a paid perpetual licensing model with the release of version 6.0 in late 2012.

The suite provides CAT control for over 100 transceivers from Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Elecraft, FlexRadio, and Ten-Tec; a full-featured QSO logging system with support for over 200 operating awards across 16 programs; integrated digital mode communications supporting CW, RTTY, PSK31, SSTV, and dozens of additional modes; automated satellite tracking with Doppler correction; and antenna rotor control. Ham Radio Deluxe® is sold under a perpetual license model — customers purchase once and own their license permanently, with optional annual renewals for New Features & Support.

Company History and Current Ownership

HRD Software, LLC was founded in 2011 by three partners who acquired the rights to Ham Radio Deluxe® from its original author. Following a customer service incident in 2016 that drew significant community attention, one partner departed the company. The remaining two partners — Randy Gawtry and Dr. Michael Carper (WA9PIE) — assumed full operational control and led a period of substantial development and organizational rebuilding.

Between January 2017 and July 2021, HRD Software delivered 825 documented software improvements, averaging eight releases per year, and grew its licensed user base by 28% year over year. On July 31, 2021, Dr. Carper acquired Randy Gawtry's equity in the company, becoming sole owner. Gawtry departed to focus on Timewave Technology Inc., his separate commercial enterprise.

"Over the past few years, Mike and I transformed HRD Software, LLC into a solid, cloud-based organization," said Randy Gawtry at the time of the transition. "This foundation enabled us to improve Ham Radio Deluxe® and move it into the market-leading position that it is today. Mike is well poised to lead HRD Software into the next phase of its growth."

Dr. Carper has been a licensed amateur radio operator since 1974 (WN9PIE, now WA9PIE) and holds DXCC Honor Roll status with 332 of 340 mixed entities confirmed. He brings direct operational experience to the software's development priorities.

v6.9 Highlights

Ham Radio Deluxe® v6.9 represents the culmination of development under sole ownership, delivering nine new features and over 160 enhancements since its initial release in late October 2025. New features — capabilities that are permanently enabled through a New Features & Support renewal — include Dark Mode for Logbook, QRZ profile photo display at callsign lookup, operator location map display at lookup, integrated support for POTA (Parks on the Air), SOTA (Summits on the Air), and WWFF (World Flora & Fauna) award programs, DX Histogram for visual representation of cluster spot activity, and new alarm delivery options via Blynclight and UDP light poles.

Beyond new features, v6.9 delivers more than 160 enhancements — improvements to existing capabilities available to all Ham Radio Deluxe® customers regardless of New Features & Support status. Highlights include full CQ DX Marathon tracking integrated directly into Logbook, expanded awards tracking with 2m Digital and WAS awards, Elecraft K4 support added to Rig Control, NASA All satellite database added to Satellite Tracking, 4K display scaling improvements across all modules, MSHV logging integration, N3FJP log import support, FSQ and MFSK-128 digital modes added to DM-780, VUCC award LoTW download integration, and significant improvements to the DX Cluster, Bandmap, and ALE window throughout. All Ham Radio Deluxe® customers may install v6.9 at no additional charge, including access to all enhancements as a free update.

Availability

Ham Radio Deluxe® v6.9 is available for download at www.hamradiodeluxe.com/downloads. A free 30-day trial is available at www.hamradiodeluxe.com/trial. The perpetual software license is priced at $99.95. Optional annual renewals for New Features & Support are available at $49.95 per year.

For media inquiries, review copies, or interview requests, contact Dr. Michael Carper, WA9PIE at press@hrdsoftwarellc.com or (469) 842-7001.

About HRD Software, LLC
HRD Software, LLC is the maker of Ham Radio Deluxe® , the world's most widely used amateur radio software suite. Based in Prosper, Texas, HRD Software has served the global amateur radio community since 2012. Ham Radio Deluxe® and Ham Radio Deluxe® Software® are registered trademarks of HRD Software, LLC. More information is available at www.hamradiodeluxe.com.

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