# UDP - Auto-Start **URL:** \ **Category:** App Help & How-To\ **Created:** [October 15, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://community.worldradioleague.com/t/udp-auto-start/46770 "2026-10-15T19:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![N5DRG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.worldradioleague.com/n5drg/32/43230_2.png) [@N5DRG](https://community.worldradioleague.com/u/N5DRG)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://community.worldradioleague.com/t/udp-auto-start/46770/1 "2026-10-15T19:15:07Z")
I need a little help understanding how the UDP Auto-Start works. In the desktop app I have set the WSJT-X udp listener to auto-start. So after a reboot, I thought that’s what it would do. Am I to understand that I need to have the wrl desktop app run at startup as well? If so, the auto-start setting needs to be better labeled because I missed logging a bunch of QSOs because I thought it was auto-starting in the background. Thanks for the information, I appreciate it! ---
**Author:** ![K4AZE](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.worldradioleague.com/k4aze/32/36274_2.png) [@K4AZE](https://community.worldradioleague.com/u/K4AZE)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://community.worldradioleague.com/t/udp-auto-start/46770/2 "2026-10-15T19:35:01Z")
@N5DRG Hey Lonnie, No the desktop app does not need to be auto started on windows startup. Once you have the desktop setup correctly and your UDP listener set to start when the desktop app starts it will persists even after a restart of windows or an open/close of the desktop app. Thats the way I use it and whenever I open the desktop app (i never log out) i just go into my logbook and click the ‘connect radio’ button and my radio is connected via rig control and the UDP listener is already running. If this is not happening for you this could be a setting in your windows firewall or some other malware or antivirus software that is preventing this from running/starting automatically. ---
**Author:** ![N5DRG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.worldradioleague.com/n5drg/32/43230_2.png) [@N5DRG](https://community.worldradioleague.com/u/N5DRG)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://community.worldradioleague.com/t/udp-auto-start/46770/3 "2026-10-15T19:48:26Z")
I’m confident that I have it setup correctly because it’s easy to setup. You can see in the image that it says start when WRL opens (it means the desktop app, right?). I don’t see any Windows Services configured for auto-start. So how does it persist after a reboot, unless the WRL desktop runs? I guess what I’m asking for is some insurance, because I don’t want to lose QSOs because I forgot to start something. Especially when I’m remoting into my home machine to operate. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/americanradioclub/original/3X/6/9/696b23390e96977b914d6db0a18b5c56d8db7fde.png) Thank you! Lonnie N5DRG ---
**Author:** ![K4AZE](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.worldradioleague.com/k4aze/32/36274_2.png) [@K4AZE](https://community.worldradioleague.com/u/K4AZE)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.worldradioleague.com/t/udp-auto-start/46770/4 "2026-10-15T20:31:54Z")
@N5DRG There isn’t a windows service that runs. Its just the desktop app. When you have the ‘start automatically when WRL opens’ checkbox enabled it will auto start the UDP listener when you open the desktop app. When you open your logbook you can see this (and that its started and listening) underneath the cat control section underneath the main logging fields (see below). Then you just need to connect your radio. ![1](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/americanradioclub/original/3X/7/8/78a4c2c2682552af0869d3f4c438b9dc82dfbae5.png) ---
**Author:** ![N5DRG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.worldradioleague.com/n5drg/32/43230_2.png) [@N5DRG](https://community.worldradioleague.com/u/N5DRG)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://community.worldradioleague.com/t/udp-auto-start/46770/5 "2026-10-15T21:22:35Z")
Forgive me, but in your initial response you said that I do not have to set WRL Desktop to run on start up, so with that, if I don’t start WRL desktop (UDP Listener will not run), I will miss contacts made from WSJT-X. The Auto-Start on the UDP Listener will not be running after a reboot unless I start the WRL Desktop after the reboot. I understand that the configuration doesn’t go away, it persists, but when WRL Desktop is shutdown, so is the UDP Listener, do I have that right? If I want the UDP Listener to be running when I reboot, I need to add WLR Desktop to my startup folder. Am I making sense? I think a great enhancement would be to install the listener as a service that runs automatically at startup and syncs my contacts the same way it does when the WRL desktop is running. If I’m just doing FT8 or whatever, I may not want the desktop app running. Maybe you could add that to the backlog for future consideration. Thanks! Lonnie N5DRG ---
**Author:** ![K4AZE](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.worldradioleague.com/k4aze/32/36274_2.png) [@K4AZE](https://community.worldradioleague.com/u/K4AZE)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://community.worldradioleague.com/t/udp-auto-start/46770/6 "2026-10-15T22:34:14Z")
@N5DRG ok sorry so there is a miscommunication here. The desktop app has to be running for the UDP listener to work. If you have the checkbox enabled in the desktop app then the UDP listener will auto start when the desktop app is open. In your use case then yes you’ll need to have the desktop app auto start when the computer restarts, if you are not leaving the computer running (and the desktop app).