ft991a-control 0.3.4

AI-controllable Yaesu FT-991A transceiver interface with web GUI, CLI, and MCP server

FT-991A Control Package

AI-controllable Yaesu FT-991A transceiver interface with web GUI, command-line tools, and MCP server for AI integration.

🤖 AI Assistants: This package exposes FT-991A ham radio control via MCP (Model Context Protocol). Use ft991a-mcp to launch the MCP server, then control frequency, mode, power, PTT, and monitor S-meter readings through standardized MCP tools.

Features

• 🌐 Web GUI: Real-time web interface with WebSocket updates
• 🖥️ CLI Tools: Direct command-line control (ft991a-cli)
• 🤖 MCP Server: AI integration via Model Context Protocol (ft991a-mcp)
• 📡 Full CAT Control: Frequency, mode, power, PTT, S-meter, band switching
• 🔒 Safety Features: TX lockout, power limits, frequency validation
• 📊 Real-time Monitoring: Live status updates and S-meter readings
• 🎛️ Memory Management: Access programmed memory channels
• 🔌 Hardware Interface: USB serial CAT control (38400 baud)

Quick Install

# Install from PyPI
pip install ft991a-control

# Launch web GUI
ft991a-web

# Launch MCP server for AI
ft991a-mcp

# Direct CLI control  
ft991a-cli status

Quick Start Guide

1. Hardware Setup

1. Connect FT-991A: USB-A to USB-B cable between radio and computer
2. Enable CAT: Radio Menu → 031 CAT RATE → 38400 baud
3. Check Device: Verify /dev/ttyUSB0 appears (Linux)
4. Permissions: Add user to dialout group: sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER

2. Web GUI Mode

# Start web server
ft991a-web

# Open browser
firefox http://localhost:8000

Web Interface Features:

• Real-time frequency/mode display
• Click-to-tune frequency control
• S-meter visualization
• Mode buttons (LSB/USB/CW/FM/AM/FT8)
• Power control slider
• PTT button (with safety confirmation)
• Band switching buttons

3. Command Line Mode

# Get radio status
ft991a-cli status

# Set frequency (20m FT8)
ft991a-cli freq set 14074000

# Change mode to USB  
ft991a-cli mode set DATA_USB

# Set power to 50W
ft991a-cli power set 50

# Switch to 40m band
ft991a-cli band 40M

# Get S-meter reading
ft991a-cli smeter

4. MCP Server Mode (AI Integration)

# Launch MCP server
ft991a-mcp --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --baud 38400

Available MCP Tools:

• get_frequency / set_frequency - Tune the radio
• get_mode / set_mode - Change operating modes
• get_power / set_power - Control TX power
• ptt_on / ptt_off - Key/unkey transmitter
• get_smeter - Read signal strength
• get_status - Complete radio status
• set_band - Switch amateur bands
• get_memories / recall_memory - Memory channels

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    WebSocket     ┌─────────────────┐
│   Web Browser   │◄─────────────────┤   FastAPI       │
│   (ft991a-web)  │    Real-time     │   Web Server    │
└─────────────────┘    Updates       └─────────────────┘
                                             │
┌─────────────────┐                         │
│   AI Assistant  │◄── MCP Protocol ────────┤
│   (Claude, etc) │                         │
└─────────────────┘                         │
                                             │
┌─────────────────┐                         │
│   CLI Tools     │◄── Direct Access ───────┤
│   (ft991a-cli)  │                         │
└─────────────────┘                         │
                                             │
                          ┌─────────────────┴─────────────────┐
                          │         FT991A CAT Library        │
                          │         (ft991a.cat)             │
                          └─────────────────┬─────────────────┘
                                           │ USB Serial
                                           │ 38400 baud 
                                           │ ASCII CAT
                                           ▼
                                     ┌─────────────────┐
                                     │  Yaesu FT-991A  │
                                     │  Transceiver    │
                                     └─────────────────┘

Installation Options

From PyPI (Recommended)

pip install ft991a-control

Development Install

git clone https://github.com/heliosarchitect/lbf-ham-radio.git
cd lbf-ham-radio
pip install -e .

With Optional Dependencies

# Development tools
pip install ft991a-control[dev]

# Audio processing (future)  
pip install ft991a-control[audio]

Configuration

Serial Port Settings

# Default settings
--port /dev/ttyUSB0
--baud 38400

# Custom settings
ft991a-cli --port /dev/ttyACM0 --baud 9600 status
ft991a-web --radio-port /dev/ttyUSB1 --radio-baud 19200
ft991a-mcp --port /dev/serial/by-id/usb-FTDI... --baud 38400

Radio Menu Settings

• Menu 031 (CAT RATE): Set to 38400 or match --baud parameter
• Menu 032 (CAT TOT): 10 min or longer for continuous operation
• Menu 033 (CAT RTS): Enable for hardware flow control

Safety & Best Practices

⚠️ Important Safety Notes:

• RF Exposure: Observe FCC/IC RF exposure limits
• Antenna: Always verify proper antenna connection before PTT
• Power: Start with low power (5-10W) for testing
• Licensing: Ensure amateur radio license privileges for frequency/mode
• TX Lock: Use toggle_tx_lock tool to prevent accidental transmission

🔒 Built-in Safety Features:

• Frequency range validation (30kHz - 56MHz)
• Power limits (5-100W)
• Mode validation per frequency
• TX lockout functionality
• Serial timeout protection

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

# Check USB device
lsusb | grep -i ftdi

# Check serial ports  
ls -la /dev/ttyUSB*

# Test permissions
groups $USER | grep dialout

# Manual connection test
ft991a-cli --port /dev/ttyUSB0 status

Common Problems

• Permission denied: Add user to dialout group, logout/login
• Device not found: Check USB cable, try different port
• Radio not responding: Verify CAT enabled (Menu 031), correct baud rate
• Web GUI not accessible: Check firewall, try --host 0.0.0.0

API Reference

Python Library

from ft991a import FT991A, Mode

# Connect to radio
radio = FT991A(port="/dev/ttyUSB0", baud=38400)
radio.connect()

# Basic operations
freq = radio.get_frequency()
radio.set_frequency(14074000)  # 20m FT8
radio.set_mode(Mode.DATA_USB)
status = radio.get_status()

REST API (Web Server)

• GET /api/status - Get radio status
• POST /api/frequency - Set frequency
• POST /api/mode - Set mode
• POST /api/power - Set TX power
• WebSocket /ws - Real-time updates

Contributing

# Development setup
git clone https://github.com/heliosarchitect/lbf-ham-radio.git
cd lbf-ham-radio
pip install -e .[dev]

# Run tests (Note: tests need API signature updates)
pytest tests/

# Code formatting  
black src/ tests/
isort src/ tests/

# Type checking
mypy src/

Note: Unit tests need to be updated to match the actual FT991A API signatures. Current tests use placeholder signatures and will be fixed in v0.3.1.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file.

Hardware Support

Tested Hardware:

• Yaesu FT-991A (primary target)
• Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 11+)
• USB-A to USB-B cables

Future Hardware:

• Other Yaesu radios with compatible CAT
• Windows/macOS support
• CI-V interface (Icom)

Screenshots

[Screenshots placeholder - will be added after web deployment]

Related Projects

• Hamlib: Cross-platform radio control library
• flrig: Rig control GUI by W1HKJ
• WSJT-X: Weak signal digital modes
• fldigi: Multi-mode digital modem

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73! 📡 Happy hamming with AI-controlled FT-991A