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

WaveCap-SDR server running at http://localhost:8087

MCP enabled in wavecapsdr.yaml:

yaml

mcp:
  enabled: true
  api_key: your-secret-key

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

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

No Devices Found

Call refresh_devices to rescan
Check get_device_health for SDRplay issues
Verify SDR is connected via USB

Poor Signal Quality

Use get_channel_metrics to check SNR
Increase gain via update_capture
Adjust squelch via update_channel

Search AI Tools

wavecap-controller

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SKILL.md