The nonlinear vibration of shallow cables, equipped with a semiactive control device is considered in this paper. The control device is represented by a tuned mass damper with a variable out-of-plane inclination. A suitable control algorithm is designed in order to regulate the inclination of the device and to dampen the spatial cable vibrations. Numerical simulations are conducted under free spatial oscillations through a nonlinear finite element model, solved in two different computational environments. A harmonic analysis, in the region of the primary resonance, is also performed through a control-oriented nonlinear Galerkin model, including detuning effects due to the cable slackening.