# Ep 391: Tuned in to ESP32 SDR, New Old Pagers, and Bugs on Mars

- Show: [Hackaday Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast)
- Published: 2026-10-16
- Length: 1h 08m
- Episode: 391
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars
- Listen: https://hackaday.com/2026/10/16/hackaday-podcast-episode-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars/

## Summary

Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi discuss the ESP32 SDR community, highlighting projects like Marvel's ESPDR that enable transmission on the 2.4 GHz band, and a Meshtastic pager built from a Motorola T900. They analyze the DARPA Lift Challenge, noting that a simple helicopter won over complex designs, and review a retro computing project using C64 SID chips on a Raspberry Pi Pico. The episode concludes with a deep dive into modern computer memory abstractions, including CRAM, and the retirement of the Little Fuse EZ80 microcontroller.

## Chapters

- [0:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=2) Introduction: Supercon Badge and EZ80 Retirement
- [5:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=327) Mailbag: Aviation Headset Comfort and Design
- [8:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=501) ESP32 SDR Community: Marvel's ESPDR and Transmission
- [20:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=1217) Meshtastic Pager: Motorola T900 Conversion
- [25:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=1548) Mars Pathfinder: RTOS Priority Inversion Bug
- [30:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=1809) DARPA Lift Challenge: Helicopter Victory
- [38:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=2291) Retro Computing: C64 SID on Raspberry Pi Pico
- [42:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=2545) Plastic Bottle Filament and Quick Hacks
- [53:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-16-ep-391-tuned-in-to-esp32-sdr-new-old-pagers-and-bugs-on-mars#t=3225) Computer Memory Abstractions and CRAM

## Topics

- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- ESP32 (chip)
- Marvel's ESPDR (product)
- Meshtastic (other)
- Motorola T900 (product)
- Mars Pathfinder (product)
- DARPA Lift Challenge (other)
- C64 SID (chip)
- Raspberry Pi Pico (chip)
- Little Fuse EZ80 (chip)
- RTL SDR (product)
- HackRF (product)

## Citing this page

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