3 chapters across the catalog
Adam Curry explores the use of the POCSAG protocol by the amateur radio community to build independent pager networks. He suggests that licensed hams could create a two-way messaging mesh network using high-wattage transmitters to bypass commercial infrastructure. The hosts joke about the potential to monetize such a network through subscriptions.
Privacy Paranoia, Iridium Satellite Systems, and Hipster Utility Belts
The hosts continue discussing the difficulty of maintaining privacy in an era where Google and Apple track nearly all movement. They explore alternative communication methods such as Iridium satellite phones and APRS radio systems, though they find them bulky or impractical for daily use. The segment concludes with a humorous suggestion for a "hipster utility belt" to hold pagers, vapes, and legacy iPod devices.
Recent solar flare activity caused geomagnetic interference, resulting in error messages on Dish Network satellite systems. Historical solar events from the mid-1990s are recalled, specifically a major outage that knocked out Motorola pagers and analog cellular communications for several days. These flares represent the most significant solar activity observed in approximately nine months.
