Chaos Communication Camp 2015 · Germany · 2015

rad1o

CCCamp 2015 SDR badge

A HackRF-inspired software-defined radio badge that let campers receive, transmit, inspect spectrum, flash evolving firmware, solder RF add-ons, and keep hacking long after camp.

SDR HackRF GNU Radio RF CCC Cortex-M4

EventChaos Communication Camp 2015

SeriesChaos Communication Camp

LocationZiegeleipark Mildenberg

CountryGermany

Image Provenance

Asset: optimized WebP from transparent cutout
Status: licensed original photo
Source: Rad1o.jpg
License: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
Attribution: ubahnverleih, Wikimedia Commons
Notes: Original 4037x2960 Wikimedia Commons photo downloaded from File:Rad1o.jpg, conservatively flood-fill masked from the white tabletop, cropped, scaled to the site badge canvas, and preserved as a transparent source cutout before WebP delivery conversion. The published badge.gallery delivery file is an optimized WebP generated from the rights-cleared local derivative/source with metadata stripped, WebP quality 82, and a maximum side cap of 1600 pixels when the source is larger; upstream source URL, license, and attribution remain unchanged.

People

Authors & Credits

Camp 2015 Rad1o project person

Andz

Listed by the Camp 2015 Projects:Rad1o page as a person working on the project.

Source

Camp 2015 Rad1o project person

Dave

Listed by the Camp 2015 Projects:Rad1o page as a person working on the project.

Source

Camp 2015 Rad1o project person

Iggy

Listed by the Camp 2015 Projects:Rad1o page as a person working on the project.

Source

Camp 2015 Rad1o project person

Typ o

Listed by the Camp 2015 Projects:Rad1o page as a person working on the project.

Source

Munich CCC rad1o badge team member

Ray

Michael Ossmann's first-look post says Ray was one of the Munich CCC group members responsible for the rad1o badge.

Source

The rad1o talk speaker

RFguy

media.ccc.de lists RFguy as a speaker for the Camp 2015 rad1o talk.

Source

The rad1o talk speaker

Sec

media.ccc.de lists Sec as a speaker for the Camp 2015 rad1o talk.

Source

The rad1o talk speaker

schneider

media.ccc.de lists schneider as a speaker for the Camp 2015 rad1o talk.

Source

rad1o firmware release wiki maintainer

schneider

The firmware releases page lists schneider as the last modifying wiki user for the 2022 REV 05 update.

Source

rad1o hardware and antenna wiki maintainer

liooo

The hardware overview and antenna pages list liooo as the last modifying wiki user in late 2015.

Source

rad1o laser-case kit collaborator

chris007

The rad1o case page says andz and chris007 provided limited simple laser-cut case kits at the rad1o assembly.

Source

Why It Mattered

rad1o made the official camp badge into a serious RF instrument. It connected badge culture with SDR culture, GNU Radio workflows, HackRF compatibility, and on-device experiments.

Hardware

ARM Cortex-M4 class controller, Wimax transceiver path, mixer-extended RF path, 2.5 GHz PCB antenna, optional edge-launch SMA antenna pads, Nokia 6100 130x130 LCD, joystick, 4-pin 3.5 mm audio headset connector, LiPo power, and two Micro-USB ports. Public writeups describe roughly 50/100 MHz to 4 GHz transmit/receive capability depending on configuration.

Software & Apps

Firmware derived from HackRF work but badge-specific. The bootloader exposed camp firmware, HACKRF, HKRF-OLD, and test-app paths; existing HackRF-compatible software could talk to it over USB, while the wiki documented GNU Radio, Gqrx, SDR#, RF Analyzer, binary firmware releases, and l0dables.

Lore

The CCC announcement framed rad1o as the successor to r0ket's long post-camp life. Camp wiki pages preserve MuCCC project ownership, antenna and GnuRad1o workshops, firmware-update stations, case kits, RF add-ons, and the practical soldering/USB caveats that turned the badge into a continuing SDR community object.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

RF hardware add-on documented solder option

External antenna and SMA mod

The antenna guide documented temporary human/copper-wire reception tricks and the proper SMA modification, including rotating or bridging the 0-ohm resistor in the RF path.

Compatibility: rad1o RF path and edge-launch SMA connector

Source

case ecosystem historical

Laser-cut and 3D printed cases

The case page linked DXF outlines, simple laser-cut enclosures, SMA-compatible variants, 3D-printable cases, and a limited 32C3 screw-and-spacer kit.

Compatibility: rad1o PCB, with optional SMA and battery clearance considerations

Source

desktop SDR workflow historical

GNU Radio and Gqrx workflow

The SDR guide documented GNU Radio, gnuradio-companion, osmocom_fft, Gqrx, SDR#, udev rules, kernel-module workarounds, and cross-platform setup for using rad1o as an SDR peripheral.

Compatibility: rad1o in HackRF/HKRF-OLD mode on Linux, Mac, Windows

Source

firmware and l0dable bundle historical with 2022 update

binary-cccamp2015 firmware package

The binary repository preserved flashable camp firmware, HackRF images, games, animations, fonts, images, l0dables, and a REV 05 release aligned with HackRF v2022.09.1.

Compatibility: rad1o firmware update workflow

Source

firmware mode historical

HackRF and HKRF-OLD modes

The bootloader exposed HACKRF and HKRF-OLD modes, with different USB product IDs for newer and older HackRF software compatibility.

Compatibility: rad1o bootloader and HackRF-compatible SDR tools

Source

hardware/software upgrade path historical

SMA antenna and PortaPack-inspired paths

Public writeups and later community experiments connected rad1o to HackRF/PortaPack-style standalone SDR usage beyond the official camp firmware and documented SMA mod path.

Compatibility: rad1o / HackRF-adjacent SDR tooling

Source

mobile SDR app historical

Patched RF Analyzer for Android

The wiki pointed Android users to a patched RF Analyzer APK/source path because upstream RF Analyzer did not yet work with rad1o.

Compatibility: rad1o with OTG-capable Android device, usually HKRF-OLD mode

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

SMA soldering risk moderate

The antenna guide warned that incorrect SMA soldering could short nearby pads and cause blue smoke; troubleshooting also linked failed power/backlight behavior to possible SMA-pad shorts.

RF expansion was intentionally hackable but not risk-free; the compendium records it as a hardware-modification caveat rather than a plug-and-play feature.

Confidence: primary wiki
Status: documented caveat
Timeframe: hardware modification
Source note: rad1o antennas and troubleshooting wiki pages.

USB autosuspend moderate

The troubleshooting page records a failure mode where hackrf_info alternated between errors and success because USB autosuspend disconnected the badge every few seconds.

Laptop power-management defaults could make a working badge look broken until autosuspend was disabled for the rad1o USB IDs.

Confidence: primary wiki
Status: documented workaround
Timeframe: during and after camp
Source note: rad1o troubleshooting wiki page.

USB/HackRF compatibility moderate

The troubleshooting page distinguished HACKRF mode with USB ID 1d50:cc15 from HKRF-OLD mode with USB ID 1d50:6089, because older HackRF software might not recognize the newer badge ID.

Using rad1o as an SDR depended on choosing the correct firmware mode and sometimes adding udev rules or updated SDR packages.

Confidence: primary wiki
Status: documented workaround
Timeframe: during and after camp
Source note: rad1o troubleshooting and SDR software wiki pages.

RF antenna limitations note

The internal antenna was tuned around 2.5 GHz, so the wiki warned that reception in bands such as broadcast FM would be poor without a frequency-appropriate external antenna.

The badge was a real SDR, but practical RF work still required antenna knowledge and sometimes soldered hardware changes.

Confidence: primary wiki
Status: documented caveat
Timeframe: badge hacking workflow
Source note: rad1o antennas and troubleshooting wiki pages.

community debate note

Public discussion questioned whether expensive, complex electronic badges were a good use of event resources.

A recurring European badge-culture debate: prestige and hack value versus cost, accessibility, and usefulness for the average attendee.

Confidence: public comments
Status: historical
Timeframe: pre-event
Source note: Hackaday comment thread on the rad1o announcement.

connector and solder repair note

Troubleshooting noted that USB, audio, battery connector joints, and rarely IC402 could need inspection, and warned to unplug the battery before soldering.

Camp operation included a practical repair and flash-station workflow, not just software experimentation.

Confidence: primary wiki
Status: historical
Timeframe: during camp repair workflow
Source note: rad1o troubleshooting wiki page.

firmware lifecycle note

Firmware releases progressed from REV 01 flashed on camp badges to REV 05 in 2022, with current firmware described as a way to fix bugs and add functions.

rad1o belongs in the continuing-platform part of badge.gallery: its record should track firmware and HackRF compatibility well after the camp weekend.

Confidence: primary wiki and field note
Status: post-event maintained
Timeframe: 2015-2022
Source note: rad1o firmware releases wiki and BitBastelei firmware-upgrade note.

Resources

BitBastelei rad1o firmware upgrade field note · Short field note showing firmware updates as post-camp maintenance via MSC mode. CCC announcement official blog · Original camp announcement and project framing. Camp 2015 Rad1o project camp wiki project · Camp wiki record with MuCCC location, project people, tags, and self-organized rad1o sessions. The rad1o talk talk · Hardware, software, and creation-history talk. binary-cccamp2015 firmware binaries · Binary package for flashing rad1o without the full dependency stack, including camp, HackRF, l0dable, font, image, and game assets. rad1o GitHub source · Project source organization. rad1o SDR software guide software docs · GNU Radio, Gqrx, SDR#, Android RF Analyzer, udev, kernel-module, and HKRF-OLD workflow notes. rad1o antennas hardware add-on docs · Internal antenna, temporary human/copper antenna, SMA modification, and soldering warning notes. rad1o badge wiki official wiki · Main wiki with hardware, software, firmware, antenna, case, media, and troubleshooting entry points. rad1o firmware releases firmware history · Firmware revision table from REV 01 camp images through REV 05 HackRF v2022.09.1 update. rad1o hardware overview hardware docs · Hardware overview covering RF path, LCD, joystick, audio, Micro-USB, antenna, and HackRF compatibility. rad1o laser case case add-on docs · Laser-cut and 3D-printed case paths, DXF outline files, SMA-compatible case notes, and 32C3 kit context. rad1o troubleshooting repair notes · Troubleshooting page covering flash station, HackRF modes, USB IDs, autosuspend, antenna, and soldering caveats.

Sources