For context, there are two important factors related to this topic to understand:

  • Renewals can only be purchased by customers who have previously purchased the full software product and have an existing software activation key (regardless of whether or not New Features and Support has expired).
  • Your email address is your unique identifier in our systems - rather than your callsign. Your purchase history (since July 2017), software activation key, and access to technical support is tied to this email address.


With that in mind...


At the time a renewal purchase is made, the system will attempt to verify that a non-trial activation key was previously allocated to the email address you are attempting to use.


If you attempted to purchase a 12-month renewal of New Features and Support from our website and you received the message that says the following:



...there are a few common reasons why this can happen.


Note: Please do not create a new profile with a new email address.


Reason #1: You have not purchased the full software product nor received a software activation key. If this is the case, we would enjoy welcoming you as a Ham Radio Deluxe client. Click >>HERE<< to view the product that you should buy to receive your first and only activation key. (Note: Renewal purchases do not create new activation keys. They simply update the New Features and Support expiry on the existing key.)


Reason #2: Your browser is automatically filling the purchase form with a different email address and it happened so quick that you didn't notice it. (This happens quite often.)



Reason #3: You may have used an alias, or forwarding, email address for your previous purchase. When we send emails to <callsign>@arrl.net and you receive them to your actual email account, it's easy to forget that the alias was used.


Reason #4: You are attempting a purchase with an email address that is different from your previous purchase(s).


Most of us have multiple email addresses. It's sometimes hard to remember which email address we used for previous purchases. If this is the case, you can search your email for an email from sales@hrdsoftwarellc.com with the word "Order" in the Subject. (Most email systems can accept the search this way - "from:sales@hrdsoftwarellc.com subject:order" (without quotes.) This can help you find the order which has the email address in it.


You may have eliminated the email address you used for your previous purchase(s). If this is the case, it obviously won't work for you to reset your password, as you will not be able to receive the "password change" email.


If this happens, just let us know that you no longer have the email address you used for your purchase. We will reset the password associated with the old email address. Then you can login using the old email address and the password we provided. From there, you can update your email address, change your password, and make your purchase. Changing your email address is now a self-service activity. The process is described here:


Updating Your Email Address or Callsign with Ham Radio Deluxe Software


We apologize if you were having trouble with your purchase. We hope this information will be beneficial to you.


If none of this works, please contact the Sales team via email at sales@hrdsoftwarellc.com and they will assist you further.