diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ClusterGrid.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ClusterGrid.tsx
index 44c4165..019e98f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ClusterGrid.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ClusterGrid.tsx
@@ -120,12 +120,15 @@ function tok(name: string, text: string): Badge {
 function cellChip(value: any, name: string | null): any {
   const txt = value === undefined || value === null || value === '' ? '' : String(value);
   if (!name) return txt || <span style={{ color: 'var(--muted-foreground)', fontSize: 10 }}>—</span>;
+  // Inherit the column's font size (no fixed 9px / height) so a pill around a
+  // callsign stays the same size as the plain callsigns next to it — just tinted
+  // and rounded, not shrunk.
   return (
     <span style={{
-      display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', height: 15, lineHeight: 1,
+      display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', lineHeight: 1.1,
       backgroundColor: `var(--${name}-muted)`, color: `var(--${name}-muted-foreground)`,
-      border: `1px solid var(--${name}-border)`, fontWeight: 700, fontSize: 9,
-      padding: '0 5px', borderRadius: 999, letterSpacing: 0.3, whiteSpace: 'nowrap',
+      border: `1px solid var(--${name}-border)`, fontWeight: 700,
+      padding: '1px 6px', borderRadius: 999, whiteSpace: 'nowrap',
     }}>{txt}</span>
   );
 }
@@ -153,15 +156,15 @@ const makeColCatalog = (t: TFn): ColEntry[] => [
     headerName: t('clg2.c.call'), field: 'dx_call' as any, width: 120,
     defaultVisible: true,
     cellClass: 'font-mono',
-    // Only STATUS calls get a colour: new DXCC entity → filled cell (no padded
-    // pill, so calls stay aligned), worked-call → blue. A plain spot inherits the
-    // theme's normal text colour (var(--foreground)) so callsigns blend in with
-    // the rest of the row across every theme instead of always shouting orange.
-    cellStyle: (p: any): any => {
+    // NEW DXCC → a danger pill around the call, consistent with the NEW BAND /
+    // NEW MODE pills (same look, same tokens). Worked-call stays blue bold text;
+    // a plain spot inherits the theme's normal text colour so callsigns blend in
+    // with the rest of the row instead of always shouting a colour.
+    cellRenderer: (p: any) => {
       const s = statusFor(p);
-      if (s?.status === 'new') return { backgroundColor: 'var(--danger-muted)', color: 'var(--danger-muted-foreground)', fontWeight: 700 };
-      if (s?.worked_call) return { color: 'var(--info)', fontWeight: 700 };
-      return { fontWeight: 700 };
+      if (s?.status === 'new') return cellChip(p.value, 'danger');
+      const color = s?.worked_call ? 'var(--info)' : undefined;
+      return <span style={{ color, fontWeight: 700 }}>{p.value ?? ''}</span>;
     },
     tooltipValueGetter: (p: any) => {
       const s = statusFor(p);
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/DvkPanel.tsx b/frontend/src/components/DvkPanel.tsx
index cc4330d..e3d359e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/DvkPanel.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/DvkPanel.tsx
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ export function DvkPanel({ messages, status, onPlay, onStop, onClose }: Props) {
       <div className="flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-1.5 border-b border-border bg-muted/40 shrink-0">
         <Mic className="size-3.5 text-primary" />
         <span className="text-[11px] font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider">{t('dvkp.voiceKeyer')}</span>
-        <span className={cn('size-2 rounded-full', status.playing ? 'bg-warning animate-pulse' : 'bg-success')} />
-        {status.playing && <span className="text-[10px] text-warning font-medium">tx...</span>}
+        <span className={cn('size-2 rounded-full', status.playing ? 'bg-danger animate-pulse' : 'bg-success')} />
+        {status.playing && <span className="text-[10px] text-danger font-medium">TX</span>}
         <div className="flex-1" />
         <Button variant="ghost" size="sm" className="h-6 px-2 text-[11px]" onClick={onStop} disabled={!status.playing}>
           <Square className="size-3" /> {t('dvkp.stop')}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/theme.tsx b/frontend/src/lib/theme.tsx
index afbe388..754d7fa 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/theme.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/theme.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import { createContext, useContext, useState, useEffect, useCallback, type ReactNode } from 'react';
+import { createContext, useContext, useState, useEffect, useCallback, useRef, type ReactNode } from 'react';
 import { writeUiPref } from './uiPref';
+import { GetUIPref } from '../../wailsjs/go/main/App';
 
 // Theme system. Each choice maps to a `data-theme` value on <html> that the
 // CSS variables in style.css key off of. 'auto' follows the OS light/dark
@@ -49,13 +50,44 @@ export function useTheme(): Ctx { return useContext(ThemeCtx); }
 
 export function ThemeProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
   const [theme, setThemeState] = useState<ThemeChoice>(() => readStored());
+  // Set once the operator changes the theme by hand, so the self-heal below
+  // never clobbers a fresh choice with a value it read a moment earlier.
+  const userPicked = useRef(false);
 
   const setTheme = useCallback((t: ThemeChoice) => {
+    userPicked.current = true;
     setThemeState(t);
     applyThemeToDom(t);
     writeUiPref(LS_KEY, t);
   }, []);
 
+  // Self-heal the persisted theme. The synchronous boot read (localStorage) can
+  // miss it when the WebView cleared its storage, OR when syncPortablePrefs ran
+  // while the backend was still starting (settings store not wired yet → GetUIPref
+  // returned "" with no error, so nothing was restored) — the "restart lands on
+  // the light theme sometimes" bug. Re-read the portable pref from the DB once the
+  // backend is up and apply it, retrying briefly to ride out a slow startup.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let cancelled = false;
+    let tries = 0;
+    const load = () => {
+      tries += 1;
+      GetUIPref(LS_KEY).then((raw) => {
+        if (cancelled || userPicked.current) return;
+        const v = raw as ThemeChoice;
+        if (v && ALL.includes(v)) {
+          try { localStorage.setItem(LS_KEY, v); } catch { /* quota */ }
+          applyThemeToDom(v); // idempotent — safe to call unconditionally
+          setThemeState(v);
+          return; // restored
+        }
+        if (tries < 8) window.setTimeout(load, 300); // empty (unset or backend not ready yet) → retry
+      }).catch(() => { if (!cancelled && tries < 8) window.setTimeout(load, 300); });
+    };
+    load();
+    return () => { cancelled = true; };
+  }, []);
+
   // While in 'auto', re-resolve when the OS light/dark preference flips.
   useEffect(() => {
     if (theme !== 'auto') return;