NB - The hackathon is now at capacity! Only those whose registration has been confirmed may attend.

Location

Hat Creek Radio Observatory, Hat Creek, CA 96040

https://goo.gl/maps/ziXEwQ7aHqQPbNgu6

Program

Monday May 13:

• Evening - Arrive at Hat Creek Radio Observatory (any time after 3pm).
• 7pm: Welcome barbecue.

Tuesday May 14:

• 10:00 Andrew: Welcome from SI / BL / SRI, collaboration between radio community and SETI
• 10:05 Ben: Welcome from GR / DeepSig
• 10:10 Billy: signal path, downconversion, signal transport, point antennas, info about plugging SDRs into the array and doing an experiment
• 10:30 Jack: what we've been doing with FPGA boards and new systems
• 10:45 Tour: Split group in two - Jon outside / Billy & Jack SPR
• 11:15 Ben: Logistics, expectations, lead into brainstorming
• 12:00 Hack
• 18:30 Gather in conference room to report out
• 18:45 Pizza, report out

Wednesday May 15

• 10:00 Hands-on hackathon
• 17:30 Report out (Conference Room)
• 18:30 Dinner (Dorm)

Thursday May 16

• 10:00 Hands-on hackathon
• 18:30 Dinner, report out - participants optionally depart

Friday May 17 morning:

• Participants depart.
• Optional (self-organized) hike in nearby Lassen National Park or Pacific Crest Trail

Most participants will be working regular daytime hours during the hackathon; our goal is for you to be able to work whatever hours are most effective for you! Internet and office space will be available 24/7.

Hackathon Planning

• The start of the hackathon will entail some organization efforts to identify working topics and the teams interested in them.
• At the end of each day, a short seminar session will be held where teams can give lightning talks on what they have discussed and/or built.
• Before the hackathon ends, teams should plan for how development will continue once everyone leaves.

Practical notes

Fires / smoking:

• Absolutely NO outdoor fires!
• Please do not dump charcoal briquettes on the ground or in the woods; ask and the HCRO staff to please dispose of these for you.
• BBQ’s are okay if kept away from combustible materials (example: place them on the concrete patio(s) or on pavement.
• If you smoke, please be considerate of other attendees. Smoking is permitted outdoors away from doors or windows. Please do not discard cigarette butts, cigars, etc. on the ground (due to the high risk of fire); use ash trays.

Radio frequency interference / internet:

• Cellphones must be turned off onsite or have all radios (mobile, wifi, bluetooth) disabled. Aside from interfering with the observations, in some cases they could damage equipment. You should plan to rely on internet telephony for any calls / voicemails.
• Similarly, WiFi will not be available, so please make sure you have the correct adapters for wired internet, and ideally bring a nice long Ethernet cable too.
• The fewer transmitters the better; please consider bringing wired headphones, pointing devices, etc., instead of Bluetooth devices.
• You're welcome to bring small switches or hubs.
• There should be plenty of places to plug in to mains power but feel free to bring a power strip too.
• Total bandwidth to the site is 100 Mbps up / down. Please be considerate in terms of large uploads and download. Please plan ahead and arrive with major downloads already complete if you know they are needed.

What else to bring:

• Dress code is casual and comfortable. Bring layers. Daytime highs will probably be high 70s, nighttime lows low 50s. Bring sunscreen and mosquito repellent. Closed-toed shoes are advised for outdoor areas.
• Closed-toe shoes are highly recommended for outdoor areas.
• You're welcome to bring your own SDR hardware, and feel free to pack some SMA connectors, adapters, etc. We'll also make some available.
• We'll provide food (breakfast and lunch fixings, and evening meals) and some snacks, but you're also welcome to bring snacks, beverages, or more substantial food if you prefer. Kitchen facilities are available along with a couple of BBQ grills. If you bring / consume alcohol please do so responsibly.

Code of Conduct

Attendees are required to behave professionally and to follow the code of conduct outlined at https://makingcontact2018.com/code-of-conduct/. Please speak to Steve Croft or Ben Hilburn to address any concerns.