PortaPack MAYHEM firmware

What you’re building

MAYHEM is open-source firmware for the PortaPack add-on used with HackRF, extending the earlier Havoc and PortaPack projects with a portable on-device interface, receiver and transmitter applications, spectrum tools, capture and playback workflows, utilities, and external apps. It requires a compatible HackRF-plus-PortaPack model; the project warns that H3 and other divergent clones may need vendor firmware and may not track current releases. Installing the stable release and matching SD-card content yields a handheld radio experimentation platform that can run without a tethered computer for many tasks. Firmware and SD assets must stay in sync or external apps and data-backed features can fail. Transmission, replay, jamming, and similar functions are legally sensitive and must only be used where authorized and permitted.

Key steps

1. Compare the exact PortaPack model with the project’s compatibility documentation before downloading firmware.
2. Download the current stable release and update the microSD content supplied for that same release.
3. With working MAYHEM firmware, copy the .ppfw.tar package to microSD and run the on-device Flash Utility; use a .bin recovery method when required.
4. Alternatively enter HackRF mode and write the matching binary with hackrf_spiflash, then reboot.
5. Verify external apps and SD-backed data load, and restrict all RF transmissions to lawful, authorized frequencies and scenarios.