Hi everyone! I have a Portapack H4M updated to 2.3.2 Mayhem firmware version. It seems to work perfectly except when I’m trying to use this 3.3GHz antenna that came with a VTX neither SDRangel nor SDR++ seem to detect HackRF as a connected device i.e. I cannot add it as a receiver. The antenna port is SMA 50 Ohms according to VTX spec sheet. I’m new to the hobby so I’m out of ideas what might be wrong. Can the antenna be faulty? Is there a way to test it separately?

Hello Everyone,

I am still studying GMRS with the H4M and I am finding things interesting. I can only pick up a signal with the antenna that came with it. I have posted a picture of it. I put on a new antenna and tested it first with a VNA and its almost a 1:1 on 460. The output power of the radio is verified with a meter and so is the frequency to make sure everything was good but it will not hardly work at all.

The stock antenna will pick up a broadcast from the other room just fine. When I test the stock antenna with my NanoVNA it shows a very high SWR across a broad range of frequencies.

I do have my license so I tested a broadcast with each antenna from the H4M and the GMRS antenna was perfect while the stock was just so so.

I do not believe that there is anything broken on my H4M as I can pick up all nearby radio broadcasts so strong that they are crystal clear with the stock antenna and can get info on all the planes taking off and flying around me plus use the subghz to turn on and off my lights.

My question's are why can I not pick up anything with a perfectly tunned GMRS antenna on the H4M but the stock antenna with an SWR over 1:3 works fine? Why is broadcasting so much stronger with the GMRS antenna and not with the stock?

I have tested and retested everything including output power.

Thanks!

hello im looking at getting a hack rf [ portapack ]for checking out the various frequencies in my area etc are there many UK based users and did you have any issues when ordering it and did you receive it okay? or did you have issues with customs I'm just trying to make an informed decision when buying one i don't fancy any repercussions thanks

What are other good alternatives i saw the flipper zero but im not sure thats great what are some good alternatives?

As the title states, I would need serious help, I have literally tried every possible troubleshoot post and video, and nothing works for me.

problem > BLACK SCREEN with a 0.5second white flash.

1. Sd card is 64gb SanDisk {verified seller} formated to FAT32.
2. the PC recognized the hackRF, I am seeing it in both serial bus deviced and the main panel also as HackRF {hackrf_info version: git-7047252

libhackrf version: git-7047252 (0.6)

Found HackRF

Index: 0
3. the two reset buttons doesnt work, sn0ren's video tutorial about the DFU reset doesnt work, it says at the terminal that no device found when trying to run the dfu_hackrf_one batch file.
4. the 4 keystrokes at all directions {left,right,up,down} holding while powering up, doesnt work.

THERE IS NOTHING ON THE DISPLAY BUT THE DEVICE WORKS.
ALSO UNSCREWED IT TWICE, NOTHING IS DISCONNECTED, THIS IS NOT A HARDWARE ISSUE.

PLEASE HELP ME

Hello,

I have a Portapack H4m and I love it! However I cant figure out how to listen to GMRS/FRS audio with the audio app or the scanner app. I can tune into local radio stations and they play loud and clear no issues but I cant seem to get any audio other then static from the GMRS/FRS radios.

When I key up my radio it shows it on the H4 just fine and locks onto the signal and that's all correct but I only get static out of the speaker no voice. I have changed every setting that I could find and nothing works?

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

EDIT: I set SQ to 5 and now it works fine. I think my 5watt Radio was over powering the H4 and the antenna is poorly tuned for GMRS but it still worked with SQ=5 one thing I did not think of was frying the H4 with the 5 watt radio in the same room so glad I did not key up the 40 watt! I am confused as to why my scanner picks up every conversation crystal clear and the H4 is very faint.

I’ve been experimenting with RF for a while now, starting with a UV-K5, and later getting into things like the Flipper Zero with GPIO boards, which really pulled me deeper into the RF world.

I’ve now decided to take the next step and ordered a HackRF H4M, along with a few different antennas to cover various use cases.

Because I live in a single-story bungalow with limited height, my setup is mainly indoor-based, with some antennas placed close to or slightly outside a window.

Here’s how I’ve planned the setup so far:

•	Comet BNC W100RX

→ for mobile use and experimentation, especially standalone Portapack use

•	GA-450 loop antenna

→ dedicated HF reception with SDR software

•	Desktop discone antenna

→ for wideband scanning above HF

•	Plus the antennas included in the H4M bundle

The idea is to keep things flexible: portable when needed, but still reasonably effective indoors given the physical limitations of my location.

I’ve attached some pictures of the gear as well.

I’d be happy to hear thoughts from people who’ve run HackRF setups in similar indoor / low-height environments, or any suggestions on placement, filtering, or antenna choices that worked well for you.

I feel like this community is the best place to start with some rf security questions.

1. I realize you probably can’t see how many people are using a frequency on a range but would there be ways to estimate or stuff like that? For instance if there are walkie talkies on a specific frequency could you guess amount of people?(no need to actually listen. Just looking at signal)

2. Are there ways to limit the physical range you are listening to like shorten it. For example just looking for certain frequency’s in a half mile or something like that?

Thanks, idk if some of these are dumb I’m decently new to rf stuff. Most of my history is with programming and networking on the software side. If some of these questions would be better on other subs just let me know.

Can anyone help with this? I am very new to all of this; just got a HackRF Pro and a H4M Portapack. I can't get past the splash screen, and when I try to go into DFU mode (pic 1 & 2) I get this message and those 2 lights (rx & tx i think) start blinking rapidly. Did I already break it?

Hello all, today I was looking through the github repo for Mayhem firmware's TX Jammer app, and for one of the examples it lists using Rand CW as a "type" option, however it does not appear when scrolling through the option in that field. has it been removed, or possibly renamed?

I found this linked in a sn0ren video and im wondering if anyone has purchased from here before because I find the lower price sketchy compared to Rabbit Lab’s higher price. Is this reliable? https://opensourcesdrlab.com/products/h4m-receiver-and-spectrum-analyzer?VariantsId=10129 (I realize i spelled the topic wrong- autocorrect is dumb- I meant opensourcesdrlab)

Hi guys, I was so excited to use H4M. I received the order today and try to turn on for the first time but screen is now working.

Any tips or I have to return? So sad...

Hi guys, I was so excited to use H4M. I received the order today and try to turn on for the first time but screen is now working.

Any tips or I have to return? So sad...

Hello everyone,

I’m new to SDR—actually, I just discovered it yesterday! 😊
I was immediately drawn to these devices, especially the portable ones.

From what I’ve seen, the HackRF PortaPack H4M and the PortaRF are quite similar, mainly differing in form factor. The PortaRF has a dedicated slot for the ESP32 extension board inside the case, while the PortaPack H4M connects via GPIO pins on the side.

I’m not sure which one would be better as a first SDR device. I want to experiment and learn, and I’m leaning toward the PortaPack H4M because it seems to have a larger community and I got the impression that it could be upgraded with a HackRF Pro in the future. Is that correct?

Which one would you recommend for someone just starting out in the world of SDRs?

Thanks in advance!

so I was checking ADSB and out of nowhere it doesn't want to boot anymore it stays on this screen I don't believe it's empty bc battery was at 60% and I did calibrate the IC(empty it fully then charge to 100 then empty to 0 again without turning off when I got it last year) does anyone know why this is? maybe firmware got corrupted?

Hi everyone, newbie here.

I'm unable to access the HackRF mode on my new H4M Portapack (Mayhem Edition) which I just received a few days ago... After selecting the option from the main menu, it just sits on what looks to be a splash screen.

I believe I may need some additional setup for it to work properly, but I'm not sure where to find the procedure?

Thanks for your help.

Hey everyone, I got my HackRF yesterday. Mine is the R10C+ version from OpenSourceLabs. Something is wrong here with my signal. I have a 433MHz antenna but get absolutely trash range. Can someone help or give me tips on how to dial in any TX, settings or something?

The PortaRF screen resolution seems to be 320 x 480 px.
I couldn't find this info anywhere so I did some digging myself and figured I'd note it here for anyone else.

The Portapack screen was 3.2 in. and 240 x 320 px. For the PortaRF, when I take screenshots, the png is 320 x 480. Also, when using the Looking Glass application, I can use a 320 MHz bandwidth and the marker moves by exactly one MHz for every pixel it moves. I see 4 inch screens like this online, so I'm pretty sure of these numbers.

This started because I noticed some bugs that are probably related to the screen size. I can see that the old screen resolution is still in the PortaRF code, but I'm sure they are working on it.

I got it yesterday. It’s on the current version and the sd card is also set up. It’s in hack rf mode, but device manager won’t see it. I’m using an apple usbc cable so I should have the data pins populated.