Hackaday Podcast – Elliot gets stepped on by a 1.5 metric ton draft horse—then returns to podcasting with Jenny List, who’s also been trodden by a cow. In Episode 373, they unpack the mystery of numbers stations, reveal how GPS satellites have broadcast secret messages for 20 ye
When Elliot’s foot gets stepped on by a 1.5 metric ton draft horse. the message is simple: the farm doesn’t do subtle. He still makes it back to the microphone. though. and you can feel the relief in the way Episode 373 kicks off—because the very next voice belongs to Jenny List. who’s been trodden by a cow.
It’s one of those starts that makes you sit up. Not because it’s dramatic for drama’s sake, but because it’s lived-in—two people traded time in the barn for time in a podcast studio, grateful for “relative safety.”
From there, the episode slips into its favorite kind of mystery: the numbers station. Elliot and Jenny share their love for the strange, coded broadcasts—and then land on a bombshell about GPS. For the last 20 years, GPS satellites have broadcast “literally millions of secret messages” to anyone on Earth with a receiver.
That’s the thread they keep pulling: signal, secrecy, and what can be built—or verified—once you start looking closer than most people do.
The show then shifts into hands-on electronics and maker culture. There’s an ATtiny85 emulating an 8080. a primer on how to embed magnets in 3D prints. and “definitive proof that more than one cassette mechanism is still being manufactured.” Home automation also gets a turn. with a look at what makes home automation enthusiasts tick.
The episode’s practical side is present too. The hosts invite listeners to follow along through the links below, and they encourage feedback in the comments. They also note the format: the download is available as DRM-free MP3, with the playful promise that it can be played “in space.”
Episode 373’s show notes leave room for the usual rhythm—News. What’s That Sound. Interesting Hacks of the Week. Quick Hacks. Elliot’s Picks. Jenny’s Picks. and Can’t-Miss Articles—alongside a bit of house humor: “No news is good news. ” and. in contrast. “No Mailbag… is no fun. ” with a request for questions to mailbag@hackaday.com.
Even the episode’s title theme feels like a dare: GPS, danger in space, and Robby the Robot—because after getting stepped on by livestock, the next big question isn’t whether anything is risky. It’s what kind of discovery is waiting on the other side of it.
Hackaday Podcast GPS numbers station ATtiny85 8080 emulation 3D printed magnets cassette mechanisms home automation electronics
So GPS is basically secret radio messages?? That can’t be real lol.
I listened for like 5 minutes and they already got stepped on by animals. What is this show even. Also numbers stations… my uncle said those were fake but now I’m like wait what.
If GPS has been sending secret messages for 20 years then isn’t that just… normal GPS data? Like the coordinates are the secret message? Idk why they’re acting like it’s a bombshell.
The part about “playing it in space” is wild, like they’re gonna beam the podcast up there and hear it on a space iPhone. Also numbers stations freak me out but I’m probably thinking about the wrong thing. Didn’t GPS start in the 90s though? 20 years sounds off if you ask me. And the horse story… 1.5 metric ton?? that’s like a whole pickup truck!