--- a/src/fdmdv2_main.cpp
+++ b/src/fdmdv2_main.cpp
@@ -2216,7 +2216,7 @@
 
                 wxT("GNU Public License V2.1\n\n")
                 wxT("Copyright (c) David Witten KD0EAG and David Rowe VK5DGR\n\n")
-                wxT("svn revision: %s\n"), FREEDV_VERSION, SVN_REVISION);
+                wxT("Debian package version: %s\n"), FREEDV_VERSION, SVN_REVISION);
 
     wxMessageBox(msg, wxT("About"), wxOK | wxICON_INFORMATION, this);
 }
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@
     message(STATUS "Build type not specified, defaulting to ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}")
 endif(NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
 
+set(DEB_VERSION "" CACHE STRING "Debian packages build with this setting")
+
 # Work around for not using a svn working copy.
 add_definitions(-D_NO_AUTOTOOLS_)
 find_program(SVN_PATH svn)
@@ -65,13 +67,17 @@
     set(SVN_REVISION_RESULT 1)
 endif()
 
+if (NOT (${DEB_VERSION} STREQUAL ""))
+  add_definitions(-DSVN_REVISION="${DEB_VERSION}")
+  message(STATUS "Debian FreeDV version: ${DEB_VERSION}")
+else()
 if(SVN_REVISION_RESULT EQUAL 0)
     string(STRIP ${SVN_CURRENT_REVISION} SVN_REVISION)
     add_definitions(-DSVN_REVISION="${SVN_REVISION}")
 else()
     add_definitions(-DSVN_REVISION="None")
 endif()
-
+endif()
 
 # Set default build flags.
 set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -Wall")
