Sending Memes Using Radio

2025-01-14T00:00:00+00:00

The internet has fallen, billions can’t use social media. How are you supposed to send your horrendous memes to your bro now?

Using radio of course!

Well, kinda. There are many limitations to this which I’ll elaborate on later, but it does make for a fun side-project. Furthermore, I can also see a number of alternative use-cases for this which may be helpful. Even if you have none, at least you have a cheap wireless speaker now!

Yo, What? But How?</h2>
That was my exact reaction when I saw this post by adminispwd</a> on Instagram. Thankfully, he was nice enough to even share a tutorial</a> on how to do this! So, how does this work?
This uses a method called slow-scan television (SSTV), which is used by amateur radio operators to send images to each other. SSTV systems operate on voice frequencies, and in this post I will show you how this can work over FM radio, which is part of the Very High Frequency (VHF) range.
SSTV also has multiple modes of operation that affects the resolution of the image and the time it takes to transmit. The most popular modes (according to my basic research) seems to be Martin M1 in Europe and Scottie S1 in the US. In this guide, we will instead be using Robot36 as it is fast and can transmit in color too!
What’s the Next Step of the Operation? 👽</h2>
You’ll need a few things to get started. Thankfully, all of them can be bought for cheap or even free!

Things you need. You don't need a laptop, you can use two phones instead.</figcaption> </figure>

2 devices (one to transmit and one to receive. Ask a friend if you lack an extra device.)</li>
SSTV encoder and decoder software for both devices
For Linux: QSSTV</a> (Flatpak Version</a>)</li>
For Android: SSTV Encoder</a> and Robot36</a></li> </ul> </li>
FM transmitter</li>
Radio</li>
Optional: A USB-C to headphone jack adapter (if you get an FM transmitter that only uses a headphone jack)</li> </ul>
The majority of basic FM transmitters in the market are mainly for use in car cigarette lighters to provide cheap wireless speaker functionality for old cars. Make sure you don’t buy a Bluetooth transmitter either. The one shown in the image uses a headphone jack rather than a USB connection, because I don’t want to connect a random USB I bought online into my phone or computer. It cost me about RM17 (~4 USD) at the time of writing.
Funnily enough, just ask around for a radio. Someone probably has some dusty old radio lying around. Anything that can receive FM signals will work. You can even use your car radio! Also, ensure that your FM transmitter is not too far from the receiving device, it has a relatively short range.
This post will exclusively focus on Linux and Android. However, there are SSTV decoders for iOS and SSTV encoders/decoders for Windows but I haven’t tested those so explore on your own.
It’s Tuning Time.</h2>
Enough with the static, it’s time to tune in.

Connect your FM transmitter to your transmitting device and turn it on.</li>
Tune your radio to the same frequency displayed by the FM transmitter. If the radio is tuned correctly, you’ll hear silence instead of static.</li>
If there’s interference, search for a frequency with no or little interference on the radio. Once found, adjust your FM transmitter to that frequency. For reference, my FM transmitter is set to 107.2MHz.</li> </ol>

From Left-Right: QSSTV, SSTV Encoder, Robot36 (all are set to their correct modes)</figcaption> </figure>
After that, you should start up your SSTV encoders and decoders.

On your transmitting device:

Open QSSTV (Linux) or SSTV Encoder (Android)</li> </ul> </li>
On your receiving device:

Open QSSTV (Linux) or Robot36 (Android)</li> </ul> </li>
Ensure both devices have their decoders/encoders set to Robot36</code> mode (or Robot36 Color</code>).</li> </ul> On your transmitting device, pick a meme to transmit. Since the resolution is lowered to 256 x 240, simple memes are best. However, you can just send whatever you want. Ensure that your receiving device is placed close to the radio/speaker. Noise will cause interference in the signal, but a little bit of noise may add some charm to the final image if you’re into that (I certainly do). Finally, start the transmission! You can do so by clicking the Play</kbd> button on your encoder. Original input (left) vs SSTV output (right)</figcaption> </figure> Beep boop. Slowly but surely, an image should start to form line by line as your receiving device decodes the raw output of your radio. Congratulations, you’ve just sent a meme over FM radio! You are now a certified radio shitposter 🎉 ! NOTE TO SELF: Find an actual certification 😅 That’s Sick, but What’s the Catch?</h2> Cheap FM transmitters generally have a short range due to legal restrictions. Technically, you can’t host your own amateur/ham radio station (which is essentially what you’re doing) without a license. However, that mainly applies to larger-scale operations that are meant to cover entire towns, and it’s also subject to your local laws. There’s also the interference factor: another radio station can interfere with your radio transmission easily. If the default frequency doesn’t work, it will take some time for you to find a functioning frequency. I can think of multiple use-cases for this beyond sending memes: If you’ve bought one, you can use your new/old radio as a wireless speaker, since you’ve essentially created your own little radio station. My radio has become my primary wireless speaker because of this.</li> Embed an image into an coded radio transmission in your horror game or alternate-reality games (ARGs). It would probably increase the depth and creepiness of your game.</li> Use a screen recording of the output or the image output itself in an analogue-horror series. The potential from the grainy/noisy nature of the image can’t be understated.</li> </ul> Once again, I want to thank Muhammad Isa @ adminispwd</a> (his website</a>) for the original idea! I had a lot of fun doing this and seeing the reactions of others when I demonstrate this is incredibly funny. Dumb yet interesting experiments like this add spice to your life, and I look forward to see what you would end up using this knowledge for. This post marks Day 2 of #100DaysToOffload</a>

How to Unfubbernuck Your Android Phone: Part 1 (Easy)

2024-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

The Search</h2>
I needed a new phone. My 5-year-old iPhone XS had a broken FaceID module (plus no fingerprint sensor to fall back on) and was plagued by constant boot loops and failures, which made me question its long-term viability. The iPhone was a hand-me-down, which I accepted because the Android phone I used before was practically unusable for my workflow. However, after using Linux and becoming enamoured by FOSS, I really wanted to get back into the Android ecosystem. After a few weeks of research, I finally settled on a device: The POCO X6 Pro.
The POCO X6 Pro seemed like a steal. For around $300 (RM 1300), you get 512GB UFS 4.0 storage, 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, a beautiful 120Hz AMOLED screen with HDR support and a CPU/GPU that is significantly more powerful than rivals at its price range! It was basically a no-brainer. Or at least I thought it was.

The Catch</h2>
With such amazing hardware, it surely came at a cost right? Yeah… massive ones…
POCO is a subsidiary of Xiaomi, and it mostly sells rebranded Redmi phones outside China. Chinese phones generally have a mixed reputation: they provide good value for money, but are horrendous for privacy</a> and security</a>. They even have ads and trackers embedded within so many parts of the operating system, including the system apps! Despite the fact that my POCO runs Android 14, it actually runs Xiaomi’s heavily modified spin of Android called HyperOS. It lacks optimization, contains plenty of bloat and with HyperOS 2.0 showing Xiaomi slowly moving away from the Android kernel</a>, I am not hopeful for its future.
I’ve spent the past few months optimizing my phone so that not only is it more private and secure, but it is also a joy to use. The knowledge I’ve gained will now be imparted to you in a 3-part series on “How to Unfubbernuck Your Android Phone”, sorted from easy to hard.
Enough with the waffle, lettuce begin.

Step 1: Block Ads/Trackers using Private DNS</h2>
Some organizations and schools block DNS-over-TLS as part of their firewall. If you can’t access the internet after using Private DNS, enable Airplane Mode and then disable it.
If this does not fix your problem, switch back to the default Private DNS setting and skip this step (or enable it everytime you are not using the organization’s WiFi). </blockquote>
Since Android 9 Pie (2018), encrypted DNS has been supported in Android in the form DNS-over-TLS. In essence, the Domain Name System (DNS) is the ‘phonebook of the Internet’. It translates the `youtube.com</code> that you type into the search bar into an IP address like 142.250.188.14</code> so that your browser and other services can load the website through a decentralized network of servers.`
`By switching to a filtered encrypted DNS server, you can use this ‘phonebook’ to not only block trackers, but also ads and malicious websites! This can boost your device’s security and increase your digital quality of life.`
`Every manufacturer lays out their settings differently, so it’s best to look up on how to access Private DNS for your specific device. For my POCO X6 Pro, which is running HyperOS 1.0.13.0.UNLMIXM</code> at time of writing, you can change it by going to Settings > More connectivity options > Private DNS > Private DNS provider hostname</code>. Input the DNS-over-TLS address of the DNS server you want to use in there (e.g., p2.freedns.controld.com</code>).`
`Personally, I am paying $20/year for Control D’s ‘Some Control’ plan because of how good it is (I can see statistics, customize my blocklists and even manage multiple devices!). Besides this, there are free filtered encrypted DNS providers out there. For the sake of longevity, I would point you to` `PrivacyGuides’ Recommended Providers</a>. If you were to ask me, I would recommend Control D’s Free DNS</a> or Mullvad DNS</a> due to their many options . However, it is up to you to make the final choice.`
Step 2: Delete Apps You Don’t Need</h2> Image above (mobile) or to the side (desktop) shows an app with as many restrictions as possible</figcaption> </figure> All phones come with their own set of preinstalled apps. A lot of these, especially if you bought a cheap phone, are sponsored apps. This is one of the reasons why cheap phones are priced as they are. Manufacturers often preinstall their own versions of standard Android apps as well which are more often than not inferior to the apps they were made to replace (e.g., Chrome/Firefox and YouTube Music). All of these apps (aka bloat) take up precious resources on your device and can reduce your device’s security. You’re better off disabling/uninstalling them or restricting them to ensure that they don’t run in the background or permissions. This can be easily be done by simply entering the Apps</code> page in your settings. Go through each app, think about whether you need it, and delete/disable you don’t. If the app can’t be deleted, or shows only the option to Uninstall Updates</code> (e.g., Mi Browser), you’re better off disabling every permission, notification, connection method and battery that app could utilize. Step 3: Speed Up/Remove Animations Altogether</h2> It is important for you to not touch any other setting within Developer Options</code> unless you know what you are doing. Some critical apps - such as banking apps - can detect whether you have it enabled and temporarily block or warn you from accessing the app for security reasons. If this occurs, you can disable Developer Options</code> and skip this step. </blockquote> A lot of cheap Android phones can barely maintain a consistent 60fps during normal use. One way that immediately makes your phone feel faster is to speed up or remove animations altogether. However, you will need to enter Developer Options</code>, which is hidden by default. Once again, different manufacturers have different ways to enable and access it, so it’s best to look it up. Generally, it can be revealed by pressing your device’s Build Number</code> multiple times until it says “You are now a developer!” — normally found in your device’s About Device</code> section. On HyperOS devices, you will need to press OS Version</code> instead. Once you have it enabled, enter Developer Options</code> and scroll down until you find Window animation scale</code>, Transition animation scale</code> and Animator duration scale</code>. Play around with either .5x</code> or off</code> and see what you prefer. Conclusion</h2> Originally, there were four steps, but once I realized the post was getting long, I decided to defer the other step to future parts. I also removed a sizeable amount of waffle, in hopes of making it shorter. All of the steps involved were what I did to optimize my device and may differ from what others on the internet recommend. This is also my first post for #100DaysToOffload</a>. Thus begins my journey to publish 100 posts in a year. I have a number of interesting posts in the oven, and while they aren’t Part 2 and 3 of this series (they will come later as they take time), look forward to them as well!</del>

Muelsyse - Guide

Sending Memes Using Radio

How to Unfubbernuck Your Android Phone: Part 1 (Easy)

The Catch</h2> With such amazing hardware, it surely came at a cost right? Yeah… massive ones…</strong></p>