diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index cf8ee20d..3b4933d2 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ endif(APPLE)
 
 # Adds a tag to the end of the version string. Leave empty
 # for official release builds.
-set(FREEDV_VERSION_TAG "devel")
+set(FREEDV_VERSION_TAG "")
 
 # Prevent in-source builds to protect automake/autoconf config.
 # If an in-source build is attempted, you will still need to clean up a few
diff --git a/USER_MANUAL.md b/USER_MANUAL.md
index 798ef7a4..d22e31ab 100644
--- a/USER_MANUAL.md
+++ b/USER_MANUAL.md
@@ -889,7 +889,7 @@ LDPC | Low Density Parity Check Codes - a family of powerful FEC codes
 
 # Release Notes
 
-## V1.9.7 TBD 2024
+## V1.9.7 January 2024
 
 1. Bugfixes:
     * Use double precision instead of float for loading frequency list. (PR #627)