8.6 KiB
PortaPack Mayhem
This is a fork of the Havoc firmware, which itself was a fork of the PortaPack firmware, an add-on for the HackRF. A fork is a derivate, in this case one that has extra features and fixes when compared to the older versions.
PortaPack H2+HackRF+battery (clone) with a custom 3d printed case
Quick overview
If you are new to HackRF+PortaPack+Mayhem, there is an awesome introductory video by Tech Minds available:
Frequently Asked Questions
This repository expands upon the previous work by many people and aims to constantly add new features, bugfixes and generate documentation to make further development easier. Collaboration is always welcomed and appreciated.
What to buy?
A recommended one is this PortaPack H2+HackRF+battery+case pack, that includes everything you need. Sadly, the people making the H2 never made the updated schematics available (against the terms of the license). Another popular option is the clone of the PortaPack H1+HackRF+metal case.
Be cautious, ask the seller about compatibility with the latest releases. Look out for the description of the item, if they provide the firmware files for an older version or they have custom setup instructions, this is a sign that something is not compatible:
If it looks too different, this might mean that they are using their own recipe, check the different models in our wiki. For example all the H3 and clones of that version use their own version of the firmware. They do not contribute the changes back and eventually you will be left with a device that nobody maintains:
Where is the latest firmware?
The latest (nightly) release can be found here.
The current stable release is on the 
Is this the newest firmware for my PortaPack?
Most probably: YES. If you find new features somewhere else, please suggest them.
Which one is actually the newest?
There is a lot of confusion of which is the latest version because no old version used any actual "version number". Additionally, since the files were distributed on facebook groups, github issue links and similar temporal sources, then there was no central location for them.
This fork (Mayhem) uses major.minor.release semantic versioning, so you can always compare your current version with the latest from Releases.
What about Havoc/GridRF/jamesshao8/jboone's?
- jboone's PortaPack: the vanilla experience
- Havoc: It was the most popular fork of jboone's PortaPack, currrently, it is not being maintained nor updated
- jamesshao8: He keeps his own version of the fork, while not attached as a fork to anything. Latest functions do not follow the license and are not being published with source code, so keep this in mind
- GridRF: They sell PortaPack clones with their own firmware based on a old version, which has no sourcecode available
How can I collaborate
You can write documentation, fix bugs and answer issues or add new functionality. Please check the following guide with details.
Consider that the hardware and firmware has been created and maintain by a lot of people, so always try colaborating your time and effort first. For coding related questions, if something does not fit as an issue, please join our Discord by clicking the chat badge on top.
To support the people behind the hardware, please buy a genuine HackRF and PortaPack.
As a last option, if you want to send money directly to me for getting more boards, antennas and such:
What if I really want to pay for something?
You can create a bounty and invite people to your own bounty. This will incentivize coders to work on a new feature, solving a bug or even writting documentation. Start a bounty by creating or choosing an existing issue. Then, go to Bountysource and post a bounty using the link to that specific issue.
Promote your bounty over our Discord by clicking the chat badge on top.
What if I need help?
First, check the documentation. If you find a bug or you think the problem is related to the current repository, please open an issue.
You can reach the official community in Facebook, and our Discord by clicking the chat badge on top.
What if I find incongruencies, or grammatical errors in the text?
If is on the Wiki, you can modify it directly. If is on files of the repository, you can send corrections as pull requests. As a last resource, open an issue.