99.9% of the incoming questions we have about Ham Radio Deluxe are answered by one of the following bullets:


  • Ham Radio Deluxe is not, and has never been, sold as a subscription.
  • You're buying a perpetual software license and a software activation key. Neither ever expire.
  • Your activation key will activate any current or future version of Ham Radio Deluxe (on a supported operating system).
  • If ever you can't find your software activation key, retrieve it here: https://keyretrieval.hamradiodeluxe.com 
  • We don't sell versions. We don't sell upgrades.
  • Annual fees are NOT required in order to continue using the software.
  • Bug fixes are free. Just keep downloading and installing the new versions for bug fixes and minor enhancements.
  • Your purchase includes new features & unlimited tech support for 12 months.
  • Beyond that 12 months, we offer optional 12-month renewals of New Features & Support. This isn't a subscription. It's an optional service that you may decide to buy if you either want access to new features or need tech support. (Many operators renew to help support the ongoing development costs.)
  • Yes, we're absolutely going to contact you to promote the optional 12-month renewals of New Features & Support. This is why you get reminder emails from us.
  • You can have the software activated on up to five PCs simultaneously.
  • Family members living at the same QTH can have their callsigns added to your key for no additional cost.
  • The answers to all other common support questions can be found at https://support.hamradiodeluxe.com by using a search on the topic you're interested in.
  • If you're not receiving email from us, that doesn't mean we're not responding. It's more likely that you have unsubscribed to our email, marked our emails as spam, or have an email address that's bouncing. Login directly at https://support.hamradiodeluxe.com to see the status of your support request and bypass the email.
  • We respond to customers on a first-in basis - whether the contact method is email, voicemail, or via https://support.hamradiodeluxe.com. The support staff is in outbound calls 100% of the time as they work through the queue on a first-in basis.

The longer version of this is...

As far as HRD Software is concerned, we sell two things - perpetual software licenses for Ham Radio Deluxe and optional renewals that provide "New Features & Support" benefits.

IMPORTANT: We don't sell "versions" of software. As such, you're not buying a "version" of the software. You're buying a perpetual software license that enables you to run ANY current or future version of Ham Radio Deluxe. As such, we don't sell "upgrades." We sell renewals of New Features & Support (see below).

The original purchase (reg. $99.95 USD) provides a perpetual software license that entitles the customer to:

(a) run any current or future version of Ham Radio Deluxe (see note),

(b) bug fixes forever (see note),

(c) all new features introduced within 12 months of the date of purchase, and 

(d) direct access to our tech support up to 12 months of the date of purchase.


Beyond 12 months from the original purchase, customers have the option to purchase a RENEWAL of New Features & Support benefits (reg. $49.95). This entitles the licensee to:

(c) all new features introduced within 12 months of the date of the renewal purchase, and 

(d) direct access to our tech support up to 12 months of the date of the renewal purchase.

NOTE: All of the above come with the following caveat - "to the extent that it is technically feasible to do so."

Technology changes over time. For example, Microsoft has ended support for older operating systems like Windows XP and Windows 7. As a result, they no longer make updates available (drivers, security, etc) for these operating systems.

Ham radio hardware manufacturers may not make drivers that work on older operating systems. 

At HRD Software, we seek to ensure that Ham Radio Deluxe works with the latest technology. As older technology is abandoned by their manufacturers, we cannot guarantee that newer versions Ham Radio Deluxe will work on obsolete technology.

Some folks have referred to the renewal “option” as a “subscription.” The fact is, we’ve never sold software on a subscription basis (and this is why it’s never necessary to buy it again and why it does not stop working after the New Features and Support expiration). We sell a "perpetual software license."

It is our objective to continue to add features to the software so that there will be value to you for buying the optional renewal.

[Editorial Comment: If the feature has a release date of 02-Jan-2019... then that date can be compared to your most recent New Features and Support expiration. If the expiration is before that date... you're expired and won't be able to use that feature. If the expiration is after that date, then you OWN that feature forever because you will never have an expiration date prior to the release of that feature. We will never disable features that people have purchased and are entitled to.]

For as long as it’s feasible to do so, bug fixes will always be free. For that reason, you should always try to stay reasonably current by downloading and installing the latest version of Ham Radio Deluxe. You are entitled to these bug fixes and this is the only way you’ll get them. If you end up calling on our Support team, the first thing they’ll do is ask you is to install the latest version (if you have not already done so). You can always download the software on www.HamRadioDeluxe.com using the Download links. The software installs as a new release, or will activate with your callsign and most recent software activation key on a fresh installation.

Lots of folks contact us and tell us they lost their software activation key. You don’t have to buy the software again to obtain your software activation key. 

You can retrieve your key from https://keyretrieval.hamradiodeluxe.com using the email address associated with your purchase.

The software activation key is tied to your email address. When you install the software, the installation is tied to your callsign.

You can install the software as many as FIVE computers as you will use it for your callsign.

If you have multiple callsigns (and this can be verified on QRZ.com), we add these additional callsigns to your existing software activation key at no charge.

If you have other family members in the same household (verified on QRZ.com), we can add these additional callsigns to the software activation key for the primary software owner upon request and at no charge. The proper method for running multiple family member callsigns on the same computer is to use different Windows User IDs per user. This keeps things like logs, awards, alarms, macros… etc… separate for each user. To request a key for a family member, send an email to [email protected].

We almost always provide FREE software activation keys for university and K12 clubs. The callsign must be verifiable on QRZ.com and the activation key must be requested by the club’s trustee. If you are the trustee of such a club, send an email to [email protected] for more information.

Ham Radio Deluxe is a Windows program. It runs on supported versions of Windows supported by Microsoft. The operating system and hardware requirements for Ham Radio Deluxe are listed here. We have a desire to create versions for Mac and Linux, but we're a couple years away from that.