I am embarrassed to admit that my most popular GitHub repo is an issues-only tracker for something I didn't even create: a popular ham and commercial handheld radio, the AnyTone AT-D868UV/AT-D878UV.
After I bought my radio, I found a few firmware issues and looked for a way to communicate them to the manufacturer. No luck on that. There was an active Facebook group, but it was a weird place run by a radio dealer who would ban you for discussing anything he thought might interfere with his business.
So I made a repo and started adding issues for the things I'd noticed. People found it and it took on a life of its own. The most popular issue is a lengthy collaboration among several hams who worked out a way to load the D878UV firmware onto later versions of the D868UV (the hardware is the same).
This was one of the topics that would get you banned on that Facebook group, as the group owner would rather sell you a new radio. The funny part is that the upgrade involves buying a special programming board and considerable time and effort, plus the risk of ruining your radio. So it was really just a labor of love for a few hams who had a blast working out how to do the upgrade.
Hams may not build our own radios as much as we used to, but we can still hack the firmware!
After I bought my radio, I found a few firmware issues and looked for a way to communicate them to the manufacturer. No luck on that. There was an active Facebook group, but it was a weird place run by a radio dealer who would ban you for discussing anything he thought might interfere with his business.
So I made a repo and started adding issues for the things I'd noticed. People found it and it took on a life of its own. The most popular issue is a lengthy collaboration among several hams who worked out a way to load the D878UV firmware onto later versions of the D868UV (the hardware is the same).
This was one of the topics that would get you banned on that Facebook group, as the group owner would rather sell you a new radio. The funny part is that the upgrade involves buying a special programming board and considerable time and effort, plus the risk of ruining your radio. So it was really just a labor of love for a few hams who had a blast working out how to do the upgrade.
Hams may not build our own radios as much as we used to, but we can still hack the firmware!
https://github.com/geary/AnyTone-D868UV