wavecap-controller

TobiasWooldridge's avatarfrom TobiasWooldridge

Control WaveCap-SDR server via MCP tools. Use when the user wants to tune frequencies, start/stop captures, manage channels, or control P25 trunking systems.

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[Developer Tools]

When & Why to Use This Skill

The WaveCap-SDR Controller skill enables seamless interaction with WaveCap-SDR servers via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It empowers users to control Software Defined Radio (SDR) hardware through natural language, simplifying complex tasks such as frequency tuning, demodulation channel management, and P25 digital trunking system monitoring without requiring manual API or GUI interaction.

Use Cases

  • Public Safety & Emergency Monitoring: Automatically tune to and monitor P25 trunking systems, track active voice calls, and manage talkgroups for emergency services.
  • Maritime and Aviation Communication: Quickly access marine VHF distress channels (Ch 16) or aviation guard frequencies (121.500 MHz) using simple conversational commands.
  • RF Signal Analysis and Troubleshooting: Retrieve real-time signal metrics including RSSI, SNR, and S-meter readings to evaluate reception quality and diagnose hardware or interference issues.
  • Automated Radio Captures: Streamline the process of setting up RF captures for NOAA weather reports, amateur radio (Ham), or FRS/GMRS bands by automating device and channel configuration.
namewavecap-controller
descriptionControl WaveCap-SDR server via MCP tools. Use when the user wants to tune frequencies, start/stop captures, manage channels, or control P25 trunking systems.

WaveCap-SDR Controller

Control the WaveCap-SDR server using MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools. This skill enables AI-assisted radio tuning, capture management, and trunking system control.

Prerequisites

  1. WaveCap-SDR server running at http://localhost:8087
  2. MCP enabled in wavecapsdr.yaml:
    mcp:
  enabled: true
  api_key: your-secret-key
  3. Environment variable set: export WAVECAP_MCP_KEY=your-secret-key

Available MCP Tools

Device Management

Tool Description
list_devices List available SDR devices with capabilities
refresh_devices Rescan for connected devices
get_device_health Check SDRplay API service health

Capture Control

Tool Description
list_captures List active RF captures
create_capture Create new capture (device, freq, sample_rate, gain)
get_capture Get capture details
start_capture Start a capture
stop_capture Stop a capture
update_capture Update capture settings

Channel Control

Tool Description
list_channels List channels for a capture
create_channel Create demodulation channel (mode, offset, squelch)
update_channel Update channel settings
delete_channel Remove a channel
get_channel_metrics Get RSSI, SNR, S-meter readings

P25 Trunking

Tool Description
list_trunking_systems List configured trunking systems
start_trunking Start a trunking system
stop_trunking Stop a trunking system
get_active_calls Get active voice calls
get_talkgroups List talkgroups with aliases

Utilities

Tool Description
get_recipes List available capture recipes
identify_frequency Identify radio service by frequency
get_system_health Overall system health check

Usage Examples

Tune to NOAA Weather Radio

User: "Tune to NOAA weather on 162.475 MHz"

Steps:
1. Call create_capture with center_hz=162475000, sample_rate=250000
2. Call create_channel with offset_hz=0, mode="nbfm", name="NOAA Weather"
3. Call start_capture

Monitor Marine VHF Channel 16

User: "Listen to marine distress channel"

Steps:
1. Call create_capture with center_hz=156800000, sample_rate=250000
2. Call create_channel with offset_hz=0, mode="nbfm", name="Ch 16 Distress"
3. Call start_capture

Check Signal Quality

User: "How's the signal on my current channel?"

Steps:
1. Call list_captures to get capture ID
2. Call list_channels to get channel ID
3. Call get_channel_metrics to get RSSI, SNR, S-meter

Start P25 Trunking

User: "Start monitoring the SA-GRN trunking system"

Steps:
1. Call list_trunking_systems to find system ID
2. Call start_trunking with system_id
3. Call get_active_calls to see current activity

Frequency Reference

Common frequencies:

  • NOAA Weather: 162.400-162.550 MHz (NBFM)
  • Marine VHF Ch 16: 156.800 MHz (NBFM)
  • Aviation Guard: 121.500 MHz (AM)
  • FRS/GMRS: 462.5625-467.7125 MHz (NBFM)
  • 2m Ham Calling: 146.520 MHz (NBFM)

Demodulation Modes

  • nbfm - Narrowband FM (12.5-25 kHz, public safety, ham, marine)
  • wbfm - Wideband FM (200 kHz, broadcast radio)
  • am - Amplitude Modulation (aviation, shortwave)
  • usb / lsb - Single Sideband (ham, marine HF)
  • p25 - P25 Phase 1 digital voice
  • dmr - DMR digital voice
  • raw - Raw IQ samples

Troubleshooting

MCP Connection Failed

  1. Verify server is running: curl http://localhost:8087/api/v1/health
  2. Check MCP is enabled in config
  3. Verify API key matches environment variable

No Devices Found

  1. Call refresh_devices to rescan
  2. Check get_device_health for SDRplay issues
  3. Verify SDR is connected via USB

Poor Signal Quality

  1. Use get_channel_metrics to check SNR
  2. Increase gain via update_capture
  3. Adjust squelch via update_channel