CorteXforge: Scenario-Based RF Dataset Generation on Real Testbeds

Abstract

Deep learning for radio frequency (RF) signal analysis relies on large annotated datasets, yet synthetic datasets trade physical realism for controllability, while uncontrolled over-theair measurements offer realism but limited reproducibility. We present CorteXforge, a scenario-based framework for generating realistic and reproducible RF datasets on programmable software defined radio (SDR) testbeds. High-level RF scenarios are automatically translated into synchronized experiments executed on the SLICES-RI/CorteXlab platform, producing fully annotated Signal Metadata Format (SIGMF) datasets that capture hardware impairments and propagation effects. We validate CorteXforge through automatic modulation classification using ModForge, an over-the-air (OTA) dataset generated with the framework. Cross-domain experiments reveal a synthetic-to-real performance gap and show that synthetic pretraining remains beneficial for adaptation to OTA data. CorteXforge provides a practical foundation for reproducible RF dataset generation and future research on domain generalization.