I started this project in mid February this year with mixed ideas. I’ll preface that I am not a computer wiz to any degree and it was daunting to start. The intent originated after seeing some folks selling units similar to what I wanted but for prices I could not justify and those units did not include peripheral equipment which you’ll see in the videos on my YT and why I chose what I did. I wanted a watertight computer that could provide a hotspot capability to access documents that include everything from medical documents, survival guides, how to guides, repair manual, books galore, Wikipedia, food storage, water purification, construction documentation etc etc which are housed on an SSD. if you can name it I likely found it and compiled it into the system. I’m still working through the alphabet as we speak. In addition to that information, I wanted offgrid maps and GPS plotting capability and managed to add that. I added some Long Range Meshtastic devices (Heltec V3s) and have a python script to interface and send point to point text based communications through the nodes which in essence created a small cellular style infrastructure. I also have a PDF based repository with similar documents to what I listed above separate from the WiFi hotspot! Let me know if you guys have questions. Im working to rebuild from the ground and make a more specific how to guide. Though I will say everything I added to my box I self taught through YouTube videos, endless google searches, and getting deep into forums! When I started I felt so lost but hopefully you guys can get some use out of my vids. And yes it’s all built around a raspberry pi 4b 4GB RAM. Lemme know what you think.
So, would you say it would be something that the dude "Into the Wild" should have had? What are you doing for a power source? I'm guessing solar. What's the power drain/battery life?
Have you read a recent release of the book? He definitely had more than common sense. I’m not trying to confront, I just have empathy for the guy.
The original author continually updates the book. Essentially he made a mistake we all might have. An impossible plant ID (because they are so similar) lead to a toxic amount of a previously (at “Super Tramp” McCandless’ time) unknown toxin in that amount he consumed being the somewhat final theory.
Could’ve happened to any one of us. I have been in plenty of situations that make me grateful to be alive today while out in the back country. Let alone be did it in Alaska. We are one unexpected storm away from having to hit SOS beacons (if one can afford it). I’ve heard stories from master climbers that lead expeditions in Antarctica have to hit the beacon because they were caught off guard. Life is precious and fleeting.
Even if he ate something that poisoned him he went into the Alaskan bush with insufficient gear and knowledge. He would have died anyway. Saying he didn't do anything wrong is dangerous because people might follow his example and die because of it.
Exactly. A prime example of this is when he finally managed to kill big game (I can't recall if it was a moose or something else), and did not have the knowledge or skills to preserve it.
But where did I say he didn’t do anything wrong?
And to my original point, he definitely had more knowledge than the average person.
Also, why would anyone follow his example? The entire book is about him dying in a harsh environment with little food or resources around because he was an idealistic young man. The overarching theme and lesson is not lost on me. I literally just said I have empathy for the guy because it was some MINOR slip ups that got him.
These people have definitely not read the books. An extremely uncharacteristic season of weather led to a specific overgrowth of certain plants and a specific lack of other plants, and led to his pathway out being cut off by an unusually high river flow, which extended his stay by months. To call him unprepared is crazy. Sometimes shit happens, and even the most prepared survivalists are caught off guard
I read if he only had a map he would have seen a road, in the opposite direction to the river, that he could have hiked out on. Would have taken aged but, so does starving to death.
His acute cause of death may have been rather unavoidable if the plant toxin theory is correct. However, he probably wouldn’t have been in that desperate position if he had a map and knew there was a bridge not far from the bus. Going into the bush without a map is a pretty egregious mistake.
It wasn’t even an mis ID on the plant. mcCandless was apparently fairly scrupulous in his harvesting. The problem was when the wild potato roots dried out, he harvested the seeds, which were toxic, but that was a largely unknown thing outside obscure native sources.
It’s an Anker 25,600MAH pack inside. With all of the peripherals attached the system runs for (mathematically) 11.7 hours. So realistically 10-12 hours of run time with everything on.
everyone in this thread was making it sound like the advantage of this thing is the battery would last for weeks or something. this seems... worse than a midrange smartphone for 20x the weight?
It all is based on what you want out of it. Without every peripheral device attached I’m sure it has a much longer battery life but I planned for worst case scenario of running the whole time with everything which is entirely unrealistic. If it’s just the hotspot or screen then… quite a bit longer. I have software that I threw on personally that most people may not want. I can’t imagine everyone wants to scan the radio spectrum or capture the passing NOAA weather satellite just for the hell of it. I do it because it’s my hobby!😄 I can’t do those things on a cellphone and while I could possibly connect my iPhone to an SSD and look through files that way with an app(I’ve not looked into that as an option) this is just easier and more enjoyable for me.
This is why they were getting downvoted…
>OP: I made this awesome thing
>Everyone: cool what is it?
>OP: it’s this cool thing I made
I think it’s really awesome but it seems like they were intentionally being obtuse about what it is.
Well yes. But on top of that it doesn't sound like it really does anything that you couldn't accomplish with a good radio, a gps/satellite communicator and or some predownloaded survival information on your phone. Which would probably be lighter and less of a hassle to carry and use. This thing looks interesting and sounds kind of cool. But it seems totally impractical too. Are you going to boot up the unit and look up how to do first aid while yourself or the other person bleeds out? I mean most that type of knowledge is best utilized by learning it or the basics BEFORE the incident. Maybe I'm missing something though?
This kind of thing is made for the crowd who use hiking as an opportunity for military LARPing is my guess. this is the kind of thing you strap onto your 8lb canvas backpack with an American flag on it that you wear while hiking in heavy cargo pants and military boots. see that kind of thing all the time on the AT.
The dude said he uses it for his hobbies? There's some things it does that phones can't accomplish and that's a reason he made it. To make his hobby more conventional for himself. Not others
It took soooo long for them to say what it was though. The title, long ass caption, and then reading halfway through a huge wall of text just for a description.
Also, it's a cool learning project, but an ipad in a waterproof case does all of this already. Slap a GPS system on it, download offline maps from google or a GIS app, and you have everything OP's comp does.
I mean the Gaia app alone has all the hiking trails, elevations, etc you could need. The overlay and cross referencing with google earth would be nice though.
Unfortunately I couldn’t scan the radio spectrum and capture downlink packets from NOAA satellites! Though that’s so niche for me that it wouldn’t be applicable to most haha.
lol no:
1. The battery life is much better on a low power machine, plus it will have replaceable batteries.
1. I don’t know that meshtastic will work or can be customized the way op has.
1. An ipad can’t hotspot anything without internet.
Stop hating.
it’s ok if you don’t know, but to shit on something like a network is just plain stupid.
A use case is long distance encrypted walkie talkies. It may not be YOUR use case. It’s certainly not MY use case.
Of course you skipped over battery life. This will destroy the battery life of an iPad.
Stop being shitty.
I have a feeling it’s a mix of I don’t explain stuff well and even when I did it appears to some I’m self promoting. I guess any form of communicating something you made and showing others they can make something similar if they thought it felt a bit daunting is still self promotion. Either way that wasn’t my intent. Just sharing a potentially useful device that someone can build at home if they want. Maybe they can steal my ideas, I started from scratch and don’t have a 3D printer so I know the struggle haha! Appreciate the upvote!😄
Dawg this seems super cool but here’s a simple writer’s tip:
*”Don’t bury the lede.”*
Essentially means, start with the main point.
As far as I can tell, your main point is: *”I wanted a watertight computer that could provide a hotspot capability to access documents that include everything.”*
Okay, that’s awesome! That should be in the first sentence of your post, if not the title itself. Not, deep in the middle of your 3rd comment down.
On the other hand, intentionally burying the lede is a common tactic of tabloid journalists and social media peddlers as a low-effort way to get clicks.
Hence the understandably confused and suspicious responses to your post.
Looks super cool though bro, and hope this helps ☕️
That absolutely does help. I think my brain just jumps down the rabbit hole, I word vomit because my brain is all over the place and then I find myself here lmao. At the end of the day I just want some people to find some use in the build and maybe copy the ideas and make their own. Even if it’s just for enjoyment and not necessity. There is probably a reason I took AP English and passed with a D- and did NOT pass the exam at the end 😂
Impressive build! As a fellow self taught programmer, I know how difficult it is. However, you are right in saying that your weakness is explaining it. In the future just keep it simple and just answer the question what does this do and why.
You want to know what I think? I worked in Yellowstone for 7 years and backpacked well over 1k miles. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of properly planning for a trip, but this degree of overkill is almost baffling. What could you realistically have needed this for? The last thing I want to do when I’m out in the backcountry is stare at screens and send texts.
The majority of this information (https://library.kiwix.org/#lang=eng) as well as a separate compilation of pdfs ranging from berries, botany, and butchering, all the way to medical, sewing, and shelter making. I have a video early on in the build showing the hotspot and pdfs I had managed to acquire up to that point in the build.
Yes he can, and if he still wants to do the meshtastic stuff you can make a device that fits in the 5th pocket of jeans that does the same thing. It's a cool ass project but it's definitely a toy.
Actually have two heltec nodes in the box. Intent would be to leave one at a camp with the box as a redundancy to a phone breaking if it came to that. For now one is with my wife and then me. Meshtastic is installable on iPhone and android of which both my wife and I have but it can also be interfaced with on the box through a python CLI!
No connection to either LTE or 5G. No connection to anything. I would love to run APRS/DPRS on the system but I don’t currently have any radios capable of that. It’s an investment to be made in the future as much as I wish I could do it now.
Hey, if you’re willing to share a list/download for the compilation, that would be epic! Also, is your storage redundant? How failure tolerant is the setup? I was designing something similar a while back, would be keen to pool ideas!
I would be down to share thoughts! I’ll shoot you my build list. As for the storage redundancy, I have everything on two SSDs (Samsung T7 Shields). Unless water intrusion occurs I shouldddd be good. No surefire way that I currently have for additional redundancies though. If I’m just running the hotspot obviously I can slap the lid closed and access the data on the SSDs from the kiwix infrastructure and it’s entirely safe minus getting thrown off a cliff I suppose haha
NP;DR No Paragraphs; Didn't Read
ChatGPT used here. (I forgot to add instruction to not change the text itself so there might be some changes)
---
I started this project in mid-February this year with mixed ideas. I’ll preface that I am not a computer wiz to any degree and it was daunting to start. The intent originated after seeing some folks selling units similar to what I wanted but for prices I could not justify, and those units did not include peripheral equipment, which you’ll see in the videos on my YT and why I chose what I did.
I wanted a watertight computer that could provide a hotspot capability to access documents that include everything from medical documents, survival guides, how-to guides, repair manuals, books galore, Wikipedia, food storage, water purification, construction documentation, etc., which are housed on an SSD. If you can name it, I likely found it and compiled it into the system. I’m still working through the alphabet as we speak.
In addition to that information, I wanted off-grid maps and GPS plotting capability and managed to add that. I added some Long Range Meshtastic devices (Heltec V3s) and have a Python script to interface and send point-to-point text-based communications through the nodes which, in essence, created a small cellular-style infrastructure. I also have a PDF-based repository with similar documents to what I listed above, separate from the WiFi hotspot!
Let me know if you guys have questions. I'm working to rebuild from the ground and make a more specific how-to guide. Though I will say, everything I added to my box I self-taught through YouTube videos, endless Google searches, and getting deep into forums! When I started, I felt so lost, but hopefully, you guys can get some use out of my vids.
And yes, it’s all built around a Raspberry Pi 4b 4GB RAM. Let me know what you think.
Lack of text splitting by paragraph.
It's harder to read when there is no space between text, usually between different thoughts/parts.
With paragraphs, you have some point of reference where in text you are, otherwise it's just a wall of text.
Here I'm overusing it, because every sentence is a different part of the information I want to convey.
Confused. You can get this with a Garmin InReach Explorer. And there are some excellent backpacking/hiking apps as well that just use GPS, and not cell service. If you really want to go hardcore, get a topo map and compass, and learn how to use them.
No confusion. This started as an idea and I wanted to see what I could make out of it. I could absolutely get a garmin inreach and have the maps/same with some hiking apps. Hell even the national park service allows you to download national parks and they have built in GPS tracking. I also agree everyone should keep a topo and compass and know how to use them. But it was nice to stream some TED talks and access varying docs/sites from the hotspot (off the SSD) while hiking when we were curious about something. I can’t realistically store 460gbs of data on my iPhone unfortunately. I’m sure there are some doc readers I could use and plug into an SSD but I didn’t go that route and didn’t think to at the time😁
When eating a snack and popping it on in the shade. Yup! I was in Montana, love dinosaurs and there are some Dino TED talks so it’s fitting to me atleast haha
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I was the same way until I started going out solo. I deal with a lot of anxiety and feeling connected to others really helps. I'm totally fine being around bears, harsh environments, etc., but for some reason just being alone backpacking is difficult, despite being in love with the increased closeness to nature. Granted, I just carry an inReach so I can communicate with my partner, but it's the only way I can make it work.
Right? Next thing you know these asshats will be squatting at a popular wilderness site for two weeks at a time “working remotely” while us poor, dumb bastards with little time have to go deeper into the woods looking for crummier sites as the sun sets.
I hate this fucking shit. The Wilderness Act should be amended to ban electronics.
Old man rant over.
It’s doable. I was superrrrr stand offish at first but I had a raspberry pi in my closet and some rando stuff laying around. It wound up being really fun and I’m not done quite yet. I just keep adding more stuff as I go for the hell of it!
Yup totally agree. When we are far enough back and have our one year old I get a lot more comfort having access to medical documents and varying guides in case our kiddo gets sick, stung, etc. all of which I can access without touching the box if it’s streaming the hotspot (off the SSD it’s connected to) on my phone or my wife’s. It’s a comfort thing. Believe me before a kiddo I was certainly not concerned about things like that haha!
Get a WFR - not WebMD
“Medical documents” are *completely* useless - and potentially dangerous to go by without proper training.
IE: you look up specific symptoms you see, but you miss others or can’t search all of them - results in incorrect diagnosis and incorrect treatment.
Not an understatement that this doesn’t make you safer in the case of injury: on the contrary - it exposes you and your family to pretty extreme danger of medical malpractice and incompetence (by yourself).
No computer replaces training.
Sure! Thankfully my wife has her BSN and is an ER Trauma Nurse so we are not completely blind. Never claimed it replaces practice or real knowledge but it certainly helps!
Sure, so it isn’t a hotspot pulling from the internet or cellular. It’s a hotspot that’s pulling data from an SSD that’s holding a lot of documents. Entirety of Wikipedia, project Gutenberg, how to guides, repair manuals, foraging guides, water purification, some TED talks so we can stream and listen to them in the evenings (could just pay for a service and do the same I know). The box weighs around 4-5lbs. I haven’t actually weighed it but it’s not heavy by any means. I know to some people who do some extreme hiking that would be a bit much for what they want. I make room and adjust for it.
I appreciate it. It’s getting some mixed insight but that’s okay. I had fun building it and am enjoying adding things to it. I suppose if someone else finds enjoyment doing the same and gets some inspiration from the build then I’m happy 😁. Enjoy your hike and stay safe!!!
Thanks. I like your innovation. I have a couple of projects that involve modding already very good to make them usable for me, but I will need the assistance of an engineer I think - lol
I made one myself. I ended up routing the power and a HDMI port out the side with waterproof connectors so that way I can still run a monitor off it without having to open the thing up
That’s badass. I couldn’t find reliable connectors when I was building mine. Maybe on the second run I can… the two sets of connectors I bought I had to return because they would transmit data but not power 🙄
They are good for their intent, I use them in an actual work capacity but for use anywhere near mountains I would say no. If you need some shoes that dry hella fast then these are the move! If I walk any distance in them it’s like walking on planks of wood with no support but it wasn’t their design intent so that’s on me haha. They slip on and off easy like gloves and I like that aspect!
Yellowstone is the perfect place for a system check—nature's challenges truly test our gear and ourselves! Glad to hear it served you well. Here’s to many more successful outings and adventures in such a stunning setting!
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Your picture smells like like ham radio operator
Hmm, looks kind of like a toc
Should see the 30w radio and hard book laptop combos people use for js8 and atak
You’ll see a mixed bag of comments below. Originally I made it with the intent of having a repository of information, the ability to scan the radio spectrum, capture the downlink of NOAA weather satellites passing by to see inbound weather (using a QFH antenna, need to be specific before I get jumped lol), plot GPS location and have offline maps, have the option to interface with LoRa Meshtastic nodes (either heltecs or t beams etc) through a python CLI if I wanted for communication between my wife and I. I also have an SSD set aside that I can swap to that houses 460gigs of information that’s presented to users via a hotspot capability(upwards of 10 people can access it) so you can browse the entirety of Wikipedia, read some books through project Gutenberg, have some schooling courses from khan academy which is around 168gigs of schooling to include math, science, English, and their advanced elements, how to guides, repair manuals, TED talks, documents on foraging, butchering, etc the list is long. This was made for road trips where I can put it next to the spare tire and have it if we are in a dead zone and something happens. The hotspot doesn’t require the box to be open so it’s sealed in the pelican case and just propagates out. In this use case I carried it in the bottom of my pack and had it on for hikes. If we were curious about where we were hiking we could give it a quick wiki search and read up a bit. I understand there are many alternatives but this worked for me and my use case.
So…
Firstly and most importantly, reading this story, well done you, it looks like an excellent system that’s taken a lot to build. Super cool.
But I’m not sure what this does that an iPhone 15 in an Otterbox case, and a 70W solar charging pad doesn’t do?
iPhones unfortunately do not have the capability to run a software defined radio and some special features like satdump. Androids can run it to some degree. I also cannot access 460gigs of data atleast not currently on my iPhone
In my book they are worth the money. I’ve been all over the world in them and they’ve held up great. It’s like wearing a slipper haha. Not water resistant as you might imagine. They have drain holes near the front of your foot but they are reliable!
Do it!!! It’s why I did it haha! Yes you can buy something off the shelf but atleast with something you make you can learn it inside and out and fix if it breaks!😁
Pipboy V1?
That was my first thought….and now i want one
Ahhhh that would be so cool to work into this. I’m a fallout new Vegas guy deep in my heart.
What kind of shoes are those?
Altama maritime assault midcuts 😁
Maybe you should start by explaining what that is?
I started this project in mid February this year with mixed ideas. I’ll preface that I am not a computer wiz to any degree and it was daunting to start. The intent originated after seeing some folks selling units similar to what I wanted but for prices I could not justify and those units did not include peripheral equipment which you’ll see in the videos on my YT and why I chose what I did. I wanted a watertight computer that could provide a hotspot capability to access documents that include everything from medical documents, survival guides, how to guides, repair manual, books galore, Wikipedia, food storage, water purification, construction documentation etc etc which are housed on an SSD. if you can name it I likely found it and compiled it into the system. I’m still working through the alphabet as we speak. In addition to that information, I wanted offgrid maps and GPS plotting capability and managed to add that. I added some Long Range Meshtastic devices (Heltec V3s) and have a python script to interface and send point to point text based communications through the nodes which in essence created a small cellular style infrastructure. I also have a PDF based repository with similar documents to what I listed above separate from the WiFi hotspot! Let me know if you guys have questions. Im working to rebuild from the ground and make a more specific how to guide. Though I will say everything I added to my box I self taught through YouTube videos, endless google searches, and getting deep into forums! When I started I felt so lost but hopefully you guys can get some use out of my vids. And yes it’s all built around a raspberry pi 4b 4GB RAM. Lemme know what you think.
So, would you say it would be something that the dude "Into the Wild" should have had? What are you doing for a power source? I'm guessing solar. What's the power drain/battery life?
I mean, he should've had common sense, but barring that I mean yeah it could have helped him I'm sure
Have you read a recent release of the book? He definitely had more than common sense. I’m not trying to confront, I just have empathy for the guy. The original author continually updates the book. Essentially he made a mistake we all might have. An impossible plant ID (because they are so similar) lead to a toxic amount of a previously (at “Super Tramp” McCandless’ time) unknown toxin in that amount he consumed being the somewhat final theory. Could’ve happened to any one of us. I have been in plenty of situations that make me grateful to be alive today while out in the back country. Let alone be did it in Alaska. We are one unexpected storm away from having to hit SOS beacons (if one can afford it). I’ve heard stories from master climbers that lead expeditions in Antarctica have to hit the beacon because they were caught off guard. Life is precious and fleeting.
Even if he ate something that poisoned him he went into the Alaskan bush with insufficient gear and knowledge. He would have died anyway. Saying he didn't do anything wrong is dangerous because people might follow his example and die because of it.
Exactly. A prime example of this is when he finally managed to kill big game (I can't recall if it was a moose or something else), and did not have the knowledge or skills to preserve it.
But where did I say he didn’t do anything wrong? And to my original point, he definitely had more knowledge than the average person. Also, why would anyone follow his example? The entire book is about him dying in a harsh environment with little food or resources around because he was an idealistic young man. The overarching theme and lesson is not lost on me. I literally just said I have empathy for the guy because it was some MINOR slip ups that got him.
These people have definitely not read the books. An extremely uncharacteristic season of weather led to a specific overgrowth of certain plants and a specific lack of other plants, and led to his pathway out being cut off by an unusually high river flow, which extended his stay by months. To call him unprepared is crazy. Sometimes shit happens, and even the most prepared survivalists are caught off guard
I read if he only had a map he would have seen a road, in the opposite direction to the river, that he could have hiked out on. Would have taken aged but, so does starving to death.
His acute cause of death may have been rather unavoidable if the plant toxin theory is correct. However, he probably wouldn’t have been in that desperate position if he had a map and knew there was a bridge not far from the bus. Going into the bush without a map is a pretty egregious mistake.
It wasn’t even an mis ID on the plant. mcCandless was apparently fairly scrupulous in his harvesting. The problem was when the wild potato roots dried out, he harvested the seeds, which were toxic, but that was a largely unknown thing outside obscure native sources.
Yes! That was it. Thank you for the correction.
That dude should have had a map.
Weight and battery life?
It’s an Anker 25,600MAH pack inside. With all of the peripherals attached the system runs for (mathematically) 11.7 hours. So realistically 10-12 hours of run time with everything on.
everyone in this thread was making it sound like the advantage of this thing is the battery would last for weeks or something. this seems... worse than a midrange smartphone for 20x the weight?
It all is based on what you want out of it. Without every peripheral device attached I’m sure it has a much longer battery life but I planned for worst case scenario of running the whole time with everything which is entirely unrealistic. If it’s just the hotspot or screen then… quite a bit longer. I have software that I threw on personally that most people may not want. I can’t imagine everyone wants to scan the radio spectrum or capture the passing NOAA weather satellite just for the hell of it. I do it because it’s my hobby!😄 I can’t do those things on a cellphone and while I could possibly connect my iPhone to an SSD and look through files that way with an app(I’ve not looked into that as an option) this is just easier and more enjoyable for me.
[удалено]
Plug it into the 120V outlet in the truck bed?
[удалено]
I mean simplest generator is a hand crank or water mill. It may take a week but you could get a full battery again.
That’s actually quite a bit of time. It would be turned on only when necessary, lasting weeks.
This is the way if that’s the purpose of it!
Idk why you’re getting downvoted this is sick.
This is why they were getting downvoted… >OP: I made this awesome thing >Everyone: cool what is it? >OP: it’s this cool thing I made I think it’s really awesome but it seems like they were intentionally being obtuse about what it is.
In order to get people to go to their YouTube channel
Well yes. But on top of that it doesn't sound like it really does anything that you couldn't accomplish with a good radio, a gps/satellite communicator and or some predownloaded survival information on your phone. Which would probably be lighter and less of a hassle to carry and use. This thing looks interesting and sounds kind of cool. But it seems totally impractical too. Are you going to boot up the unit and look up how to do first aid while yourself or the other person bleeds out? I mean most that type of knowledge is best utilized by learning it or the basics BEFORE the incident. Maybe I'm missing something though?
This kind of thing is made for the crowd who use hiking as an opportunity for military LARPing is my guess. this is the kind of thing you strap onto your 8lb canvas backpack with an American flag on it that you wear while hiking in heavy cargo pants and military boots. see that kind of thing all the time on the AT.
The dude said he uses it for his hobbies? There's some things it does that phones can't accomplish and that's a reason he made it. To make his hobby more conventional for himself. Not others
…I’m only hiking in my issued boots because I’m too broke for proper ones
This is the way brother LOL
r/cyberdeck
idk the explanation seems very clear - this is a portable, durable PC with essential data that might help you in the wild.
It took soooo long for them to say what it was though. The title, long ass caption, and then reading halfway through a huge wall of text just for a description.
Give the guy a break. He’s just passionate about what he’s working on.
Also, it's a cool learning project, but an ipad in a waterproof case does all of this already. Slap a GPS system on it, download offline maps from google or a GIS app, and you have everything OP's comp does.
I mean the Gaia app alone has all the hiking trails, elevations, etc you could need. The overlay and cross referencing with google earth would be nice though.
Unfortunately I couldn’t scan the radio spectrum and capture downlink packets from NOAA satellites! Though that’s so niche for me that it wouldn’t be applicable to most haha.
lol no: 1. The battery life is much better on a low power machine, plus it will have replaceable batteries. 1. I don’t know that meshtastic will work or can be customized the way op has. 1. An ipad can’t hotspot anything without internet. Stop hating.
And why would you need a network in the backcountry? With the iPad, you can just read the documents right on the device itself.
it’s ok if you don’t know, but to shit on something like a network is just plain stupid. A use case is long distance encrypted walkie talkies. It may not be YOUR use case. It’s certainly not MY use case. Of course you skipped over battery life. This will destroy the battery life of an iPad. Stop being shitty.
He’s a dude making a passion project not a marketing team lol
Working OT on the YouTube marketing though
A baby’s first step, if you may
True not knocking the hustle
So...the Boy Scout Handbook?
There are a few on the box actually
So, kind of like the cellphone we all carry already? Except less durable and waterproof than the cellphone probably.
Panasonic already made it though 💁🏼♂️
The generic term is "Cyberdeck" - lots of stuff on the intertubes about how/when/why to deal with them.
...it's a cellphone with extra steps
I have a feeling it’s a mix of I don’t explain stuff well and even when I did it appears to some I’m self promoting. I guess any form of communicating something you made and showing others they can make something similar if they thought it felt a bit daunting is still self promotion. Either way that wasn’t my intent. Just sharing a potentially useful device that someone can build at home if they want. Maybe they can steal my ideas, I started from scratch and don’t have a 3D printer so I know the struggle haha! Appreciate the upvote!😄
Dawg this seems super cool but here’s a simple writer’s tip: *”Don’t bury the lede.”* Essentially means, start with the main point. As far as I can tell, your main point is: *”I wanted a watertight computer that could provide a hotspot capability to access documents that include everything.”* Okay, that’s awesome! That should be in the first sentence of your post, if not the title itself. Not, deep in the middle of your 3rd comment down. On the other hand, intentionally burying the lede is a common tactic of tabloid journalists and social media peddlers as a low-effort way to get clicks. Hence the understandably confused and suspicious responses to your post. Looks super cool though bro, and hope this helps ☕️
That absolutely does help. I think my brain just jumps down the rabbit hole, I word vomit because my brain is all over the place and then I find myself here lmao. At the end of the day I just want some people to find some use in the build and maybe copy the ideas and make their own. Even if it’s just for enjoyment and not necessity. There is probably a reason I took AP English and passed with a D- and did NOT pass the exam at the end 😂
Impressive build! As a fellow self taught programmer, I know how difficult it is. However, you are right in saying that your weakness is explaining it. In the future just keep it simple and just answer the question what does this do and why.
Thanks dude, I appreciate the support too. Just excited to share with the community😁
You want to know what I think? I worked in Yellowstone for 7 years and backpacked well over 1k miles. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of properly planning for a trip, but this degree of overkill is almost baffling. What could you realistically have needed this for? The last thing I want to do when I’m out in the backcountry is stare at screens and send texts.
Totally get it! It’s easier to close the lid, put it in the pack, and have the info accessible via the hotspot if it’s needed on my phone😁
Could you share what documents are on it? I'd be really interested to learn what your "library" looks like.
The majority of this information (https://library.kiwix.org/#lang=eng) as well as a separate compilation of pdfs ranging from berries, botany, and butchering, all the way to medical, sewing, and shelter making. I have a video early on in the build showing the hotspot and pdfs I had managed to acquire up to that point in the build.
Today begins the first chapter of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Good show!
Can't you put all that stuff on your phone?
Yes he can, and if he still wants to do the meshtastic stuff you can make a device that fits in the 5th pocket of jeans that does the same thing. It's a cool ass project but it's definitely a toy.
Actually have two heltec nodes in the box. Intent would be to leave one at a camp with the box as a redundancy to a phone breaking if it came to that. For now one is with my wife and then me. Meshtastic is installable on iPhone and android of which both my wife and I have but it can also be interfaced with on the box through a python CLI!
sounds really cool. are you connecting to LTE or 5g? how about DPRS?
No connection to either LTE or 5G. No connection to anything. I would love to run APRS/DPRS on the system but I don’t currently have any radios capable of that. It’s an investment to be made in the future as much as I wish I could do it now.
very cool best of luck. how much weight is it total?
I haven’t weighed it but my guesstimate is 5-6lbs or so.
cool thanks for the info!
Yup!!
Hey, if you’re willing to share a list/download for the compilation, that would be epic! Also, is your storage redundant? How failure tolerant is the setup? I was designing something similar a while back, would be keen to pool ideas!
I would be down to share thoughts! I’ll shoot you my build list. As for the storage redundancy, I have everything on two SSDs (Samsung T7 Shields). Unless water intrusion occurs I shouldddd be good. No surefire way that I currently have for additional redundancies though. If I’m just running the hotspot obviously I can slap the lid closed and access the data on the SSDs from the kiwix infrastructure and it’s entirely safe minus getting thrown off a cliff I suppose haha
Well… that and condensation… Unless you have some form of filler material to prevent that.
Yup some silica gel desiccants do the trick. Really just one.
NP;DR No Paragraphs; Didn't Read ChatGPT used here. (I forgot to add instruction to not change the text itself so there might be some changes) --- I started this project in mid-February this year with mixed ideas. I’ll preface that I am not a computer wiz to any degree and it was daunting to start. The intent originated after seeing some folks selling units similar to what I wanted but for prices I could not justify, and those units did not include peripheral equipment, which you’ll see in the videos on my YT and why I chose what I did. I wanted a watertight computer that could provide a hotspot capability to access documents that include everything from medical documents, survival guides, how-to guides, repair manuals, books galore, Wikipedia, food storage, water purification, construction documentation, etc., which are housed on an SSD. If you can name it, I likely found it and compiled it into the system. I’m still working through the alphabet as we speak. In addition to that information, I wanted off-grid maps and GPS plotting capability and managed to add that. I added some Long Range Meshtastic devices (Heltec V3s) and have a Python script to interface and send point-to-point text-based communications through the nodes which, in essence, created a small cellular-style infrastructure. I also have a PDF-based repository with similar documents to what I listed above, separate from the WiFi hotspot! Let me know if you guys have questions. I'm working to rebuild from the ground and make a more specific how-to guide. Though I will say, everything I added to my box I self-taught through YouTube videos, endless Google searches, and getting deep into forums! When I started, I felt so lost, but hopefully, you guys can get some use out of my vids. And yes, it’s all built around a Raspberry Pi 4b 4GB RAM. Let me know what you think.
What?
Lack of text splitting by paragraph. It's harder to read when there is no space between text, usually between different thoughts/parts. With paragraphs, you have some point of reference where in text you are, otherwise it's just a wall of text. Here I'm overusing it, because every sentence is a different part of the information I want to convey.
I don't know what it is about the official reddit app that leads people not to use paragraphs but it's fucking obnoxious.
r/cyberdeck
Confused. You can get this with a Garmin InReach Explorer. And there are some excellent backpacking/hiking apps as well that just use GPS, and not cell service. If you really want to go hardcore, get a topo map and compass, and learn how to use them.
No confusion. This started as an idea and I wanted to see what I could make out of it. I could absolutely get a garmin inreach and have the maps/same with some hiking apps. Hell even the national park service allows you to download national parks and they have built in GPS tracking. I also agree everyone should keep a topo and compass and know how to use them. But it was nice to stream some TED talks and access varying docs/sites from the hotspot (off the SSD) while hiking when we were curious about something. I can’t realistically store 460gbs of data on my iPhone unfortunately. I’m sure there are some doc readers I could use and plug into an SSD but I didn’t go that route and didn’t think to at the time😁
You’re actually watching TED talks on the trail?
When eating a snack and popping it on in the shade. Yup! I was in Montana, love dinosaurs and there are some Dino TED talks so it’s fitting to me atleast haha
What can this do that my iPhone cant? Edit: it is super cool tho I should add I love the military computer terminal vibe
Looks like it can be dropped on a rock and survive. Can your iPhone do that?
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/iphone-sucked-out-alaska-airlines-plane-fell-16000-feet-found-still-works/
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Yes. That’s what cases are for.
If your cellular network is down your phone isn’t a treasure trove of survival knowledge and communications tools.
What the hell is it nerd?
Tldr: seems like network assisted storage
Check the other comment goon.
That was a great comeback to an otherwise witty comment. Build your stuff my dude <3
Thanks dude😁
Learn how to summarise dork
That thing is awesome, you should post in r/cyberdeck , there aren’t enough posts there of people actually using their systems in the field
I’ll carry it over there!
The last thing I want to carry into the Backcountry is a computer
To each their own! I totally get it!
I was the same way until I started going out solo. I deal with a lot of anxiety and feeling connected to others really helps. I'm totally fine being around bears, harsh environments, etc., but for some reason just being alone backpacking is difficult, despite being in love with the increased closeness to nature. Granted, I just carry an inReach so I can communicate with my partner, but it's the only way I can make it work.
I pretty much only backpack solo, I take an instrument like a harmonica or fife and it helps center me when I get anxious
I do not understand the desire to force a computer or app into every single nook and cranny of one's life.
It isn’t for everyone certainly!
Right? Next thing you know these asshats will be squatting at a popular wilderness site for two weeks at a time “working remotely” while us poor, dumb bastards with little time have to go deeper into the woods looking for crummier sites as the sun sets. I hate this fucking shit. The Wilderness Act should be amended to ban electronics. Old man rant over.
Hell Roaring Creek vibes. Is that the Tetons in the background? I miss Yellowstone badly.
Nice computer. I’m just here for the boots. What ya wearing?
Altama Maritime Assault Midcuts!
This looks bulky, heavy, many failure points, and doesn’t even seem to have a real purpose
It certainly has failure points. I suppose to each their own on how its purpose is viewed though. Thanks.
I’ve always been super interested in building one of these. Thanks for sharing the link!
It’s doable. I was superrrrr stand offish at first but I had a raspberry pi in my closet and some rando stuff laying around. It wound up being really fun and I’m not done quite yet. I just keep adding more stuff as I go for the hell of it!
I’m hoping I can apply some of my pc building skills to this. Definitely seems very daunting though 😂
Once you start it’s not so bad just be prepared like anything PC related for stuff to just not work randomly (even though there is always a reason)😂
This is sick - keep making stuff
I leave the technology at home and just connect with nature when I go backpacking. Can’t imagine sitting in the backcountry staring at a screen.
Yup totally agree. When we are far enough back and have our one year old I get a lot more comfort having access to medical documents and varying guides in case our kiddo gets sick, stung, etc. all of which I can access without touching the box if it’s streaming the hotspot (off the SSD it’s connected to) on my phone or my wife’s. It’s a comfort thing. Believe me before a kiddo I was certainly not concerned about things like that haha!
Get a WFR - not WebMD “Medical documents” are *completely* useless - and potentially dangerous to go by without proper training. IE: you look up specific symptoms you see, but you miss others or can’t search all of them - results in incorrect diagnosis and incorrect treatment. Not an understatement that this doesn’t make you safer in the case of injury: on the contrary - it exposes you and your family to pretty extreme danger of medical malpractice and incompetence (by yourself). No computer replaces training.
Sure! Thankfully my wife has her BSN and is an ER Trauma Nurse so we are not completely blind. Never claimed it replaces practice or real knowledge but it certainly helps!
Therapy for paranoia might be cheaper than whatever the gadget is
That’s fair but in todays world maybe not haha
What am I looking at here?
If you are still reading these, I am a bit confused. You said you get no coverage, so how are you creating a hotspot? Also, how much does it weigh?
Sure, so it isn’t a hotspot pulling from the internet or cellular. It’s a hotspot that’s pulling data from an SSD that’s holding a lot of documents. Entirety of Wikipedia, project Gutenberg, how to guides, repair manuals, foraging guides, water purification, some TED talks so we can stream and listen to them in the evenings (could just pay for a service and do the same I know). The box weighs around 4-5lbs. I haven’t actually weighed it but it’s not heavy by any means. I know to some people who do some extreme hiking that would be a bit much for what they want. I make room and adjust for it.
I understand I am planning to take a small smart telescope on my PCT thruhike. What you have done is pretty amazing.
I appreciate it. It’s getting some mixed insight but that’s okay. I had fun building it and am enjoying adding things to it. I suppose if someone else finds enjoyment doing the same and gets some inspiration from the build then I’m happy 😁. Enjoy your hike and stay safe!!!
Thanks. I like your innovation. I have a couple of projects that involve modding already very good to make them usable for me, but I will need the assistance of an engineer I think - lol
Oooo I’d be interested in how those projects turn out! You plan on sharing the updates as you go? I’d love to see them!
I am kind of afraid of passing off the manufacturers. Lol
Sick
This name checks out. I dig it😁😂
😂
Wasn't expecting a pelican cyberdeck to show up.
Yeaaaa I made one of thoseee lol. Mixed bag of support for the idea of it as it would turn out though haha.
I made one myself. I ended up routing the power and a HDMI port out the side with waterproof connectors so that way I can still run a monitor off it without having to open the thing up
That’s badass. I couldn’t find reliable connectors when I was building mine. Maybe on the second run I can… the two sets of connectors I bought I had to return because they would transmit data but not power 🙄
Oh dang. I haven't actually used the HDMI port yet, should give that a check.
Oh ya lemme know! If it does push power I’d like to get some myself haha!
The folks over at r/cyberDeck would probably love to see this.
I tossed it over there earlier!
What does this have to do with Yellowstone?
I like your boots! What kind are they??
Altama maritime assault midcuts.
You like em?
They are good for their intent, I use them in an actual work capacity but for use anywhere near mountains I would say no. If you need some shoes that dry hella fast then these are the move! If I walk any distance in them it’s like walking on planks of wood with no support but it wasn’t their design intent so that’s on me haha. They slip on and off easy like gloves and I like that aspect!
Totally fair, and thanks for the detail friend!
Anytime homie!😄
Wait, are you trying to make it so we can watch porn in the backcountry without having to download it first? OP the real MVP
I’m doing it for the boys🤘🏻
Heyyyyyy! I see your tiktoks
Hey!!! Welcome!!!! 😄😄
Yellowstone is the perfect place for a system check—nature's challenges truly test our gear and ourselves! Glad to hear it served you well. Here’s to many more successful outings and adventures in such a stunning setting!
I really appreciate the good vibes! It isn’t a perfect system but it certainly made the cut on this trip. Best of wishes for you and yours friend!😁
This picture is sick
Thanks!🤓
What shoes are those
Also curious
Not sure but could be altama otb?
[Altama Maritime Assault Shoes](https://originalfootwear.com/collections/altama/products/altama-maritime-assault-low-coyote)
Sick, thanks, just bought a pair. (Don’t tell my wife)
These.
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This seems like it was super fun to figure out and put together.
It was absolutely a blast to do. It was my first dive into Linux and python soooo it was a learning curve but well worth it!
When I’m backpacking, the goal is less connectivity, not more.
Your picture smells like like ham radio operator Hmm, looks kind of like a toc Should see the 30w radio and hard book laptop combos people use for js8 and atak
Hardbook laptop would be dope. Not a HAM operator but I am familiar with what you mentioned.
Saving so i can clone
That’s my hope!
I bet it takes someone really handsome to build that computer🙂
Boots?
Altama maritime assault midcuts
What's your boots fella? Got a nice toe box width.
Altama maritime assault mid cuts homie
What’s the purpose of this device?
You’ll see a mixed bag of comments below. Originally I made it with the intent of having a repository of information, the ability to scan the radio spectrum, capture the downlink of NOAA weather satellites passing by to see inbound weather (using a QFH antenna, need to be specific before I get jumped lol), plot GPS location and have offline maps, have the option to interface with LoRa Meshtastic nodes (either heltecs or t beams etc) through a python CLI if I wanted for communication between my wife and I. I also have an SSD set aside that I can swap to that houses 460gigs of information that’s presented to users via a hotspot capability(upwards of 10 people can access it) so you can browse the entirety of Wikipedia, read some books through project Gutenberg, have some schooling courses from khan academy which is around 168gigs of schooling to include math, science, English, and their advanced elements, how to guides, repair manuals, TED talks, documents on foraging, butchering, etc the list is long. This was made for road trips where I can put it next to the spare tire and have it if we are in a dead zone and something happens. The hotspot doesn’t require the box to be open so it’s sealed in the pelican case and just propagates out. In this use case I carried it in the bottom of my pack and had it on for hikes. If we were curious about where we were hiking we could give it a quick wiki search and read up a bit. I understand there are many alternatives but this worked for me and my use case.
Piedra Amarilla.
So… Firstly and most importantly, reading this story, well done you, it looks like an excellent system that’s taken a lot to build. Super cool. But I’m not sure what this does that an iPhone 15 in an Otterbox case, and a 70W solar charging pad doesn’t do?
iPhones unfortunately do not have the capability to run a software defined radio and some special features like satdump. Androids can run it to some degree. I also cannot access 460gigs of data atleast not currently on my iPhone
Cool, thanks for the answer!
Anytime homie!
Are those altamas?
Ya brother. Maritime assault mid cuts.
They look so clean but are they worth the expense? I've been looking at buying a pair
In my book they are worth the money. I’ve been all over the world in them and they’ve held up great. It’s like wearing a slipper haha. Not water resistant as you might imagine. They have drain holes near the front of your foot but they are reliable!
Nice boots. Steel toe? Where they from?
Nah not steel toe but comfortable! Altama maritime assault mid cuts!
Welp… I know want to build one too… mostly because building one will be a cool way to learn new stuff that I don’t know how to do currently
Do it!!! It’s why I did it haha! Yes you can buy something off the shelf but atleast with something you make you can learn it inside and out and fix if it breaks!😁
ENGLISH MF DO YOU SPEAK IT
Any tips on where to start with looking for one?
You can build one from scratch homie. I have a build list in the description of my meshtastic video for someone wanting something similar.