Ham Radio Deluxe Customers Should Upgrade to v6.9

And Why It Costs Customers Absolutely Nothing

Since the release of Ham Radio Deluxe 6.9 at the end of October, our development team has been focused on one thing: stability. We’ve spent months fixing bugs, improving performance, and tightening up every module. The result?

This is the most stable HRD release we’ve delivered in years.

Even long-time critics have given the latest maintenance builds high marks.

But here’s a surprising metric…

Out of nearly 50,000 licensed customers, just over 2,500 have downloaded any of the 6.9 maintenance updates. That means most HRD users are still running older versions—missing out on major fixes and improvements that are already available.

⭐ Upgrading to v6.9 Costs Nothing—Here’s Why

This is one of the most common questions we get:

“How much does it cost to upgrade to the latest version?”

The answer is simple:

$0.00 — We don’t sell versions, and we don’t sell upgrades.

• You are never stuck on the version you bought.

• You are always entitled to download the latest build.

• Whether you bought HRD last month or a decade ago—you can install v6.9 for free.

This is one of the biggest misunderstandings we see among customers, and we want to make it absolutely clear:

✔ No version fees

✔ No upgrade fees

✔ No restrictions on installing new releases

If you purchased HRD at any point in the past, you can run the newest version today.

⭐ Then What Is “New Features & Support”?

New Features & Support is not an upgrade fee.

It is a renewable service plan that includes:

1. Technical Support

Unlimited access to our team through the official support portal.

2. New Feature Development

New Features added to the software.

Enhancements, improvements, and future functionality beyond bug fixes.

Your renewal helps fund ongoing development.
But it is not required to install the latest update.

Many customers assume they must renew to upgrade—but that’s not the case.

⭐ Why We Need Customers on v6.9

Here’s why it’s so important for everyone to move forward:

✔ Many reported problems have already been fixed

Older versions contain issues resolved months ago.

✔ Compatibility with modern systems continues to evolve

Windows updates, 4K displays, rig firmware, LOTW/eQSL changes—
v6.9 handles these better than previous versions.

✔ Support works best when everyone is on the same baseline

Our team can diagnose issues far faster when customers are current.

✔ You will be ready for the next major releases

We’re actively working on:

• v6.10 – Rig Control modernization

• DM-780 improvements

• Rotator Control enhancements

• Satellite Tracking updates

You’ll get the smoothest experience if you’re already on 6.9.

⭐ Support Backlog + Team Expansion

At the end of last year, our support queue was backed up.

But we’ve since expanded the team and cleared the backlog.

Support is now responding faster than ever.

We appreciate your patience as we scaled up our capacity.

⭐ Please Upgrade Today — It Helps Everyone

If you haven’t installed v6.9 yet, we strongly encourage you to do so.

• It’s free

• It’s more stable

• It fixes a long list of issues

• It prepares your system for future development

The latest version is available here:
https://www.hamradiodeluxe.com/downloads/

Thank you for your continued support of Ham Radio Deluxe.

73,
Mike Carper, WA9PIE
 HRD Software, LLC