Capetown - GadgeteerZA

First for South Africa as robotic exoskeleton aids Table Mountain rescue

2026-09-282026-09-28 Danie

Rescue team members use headlamps while navigating a rocky, wooded mountain trail at night.

I can really sympathise with this situation as it happened to me as well a few years ago. We hiked up the mountain and planned to come down with the cable car. But many hours […]

MeshCore radio network in Cape Town for off-grid communications

2026-05-172026-05-17 Danie

A visually engaging illustration showing a meshcore network connection across an urban landscape. The image is a composite of a photograph and an architectural model, with light-beam graphics connecting key components. A man in the foreground uses a smartphone, labeled "USER NODE (A)." A small circuit board on a balcony next to him is labeled "ESP32 MESHCORE RADIO NODE." A large, dramatic light beam, representing the radio connection, originates from the man's radio node and projects up a nearby mountain to a large communications repeater, which is labeled "MOUNTAIN REPEATER (B)." Another light beam originates from the same mountain repeater and projects into the distance towards another communication node across a large city, labeled "CITY NODE (C)." An illustrative overlay on a table in front of the user displays a simplified tactical map, with lines and letters showing the connections from "A" to "B" to "C." In an inset in the bottom-right corner, another person, with their back to the camera, is shown using an iPad, labeled "TABLET WITH MESHCORE APP." A small radio node with an antenna is positioned next to them. The text "MESHCORE NETWORK CONNECTION" is prominent at the bottom of the graphic, clearly identifying the subject matter.

Many may be familiar with the Meshtastic network which uses cheap LoRa radios (usually linked to a mobile phone app) to send direct text messages or post text messages to a public or private group. […]

A Fascinating History in Photos of Tram and ‘Bus Transport in Cape Town since the 1800s

2025-10-212025-10-21 Danie

Two men in early 20th-century attire stand beside a vintage bus labeled "Gouden Arrow Bus Service" in 1929.

I was looking for the location of the old Tollgate depot in Cape Town when I came upon this really excellent Museum page on the GAB site showing a really well laid out chronological history […]

HAMNET Emergency Coms at 99ER Cycle Tour 2025 in Cape Town

2025-02-082025-02-08 Danie

A group of cyclists racing down a wide, open road under a partly cloudy sky, with dry grass on either side.

HAMNET assists the 99ER Cycle Tour every year with emergency communications work. All our communications and tracking is done via radio, so no Internet or cellular communications are used. This covers the whole route from […]

Admyt parking app is working well for me in Cape Town, even where free parking is applicable

2024-12-152024-12-15 Danie

I’ve been testing this app out for the last 3 weeks (some lessons learnt) but one of the key reasons why I was initially hesitant to install it, was I get free 90 minutes of […]

Drivers in Cape Town could access official CCTV footage in certain circumstances

2024-09-272024-09-27 Danie

Close view of part of a metal pole. Attached to it are 5 CCTV cameras all pointing in different directions.

Regarding privacy, Nqavashe said that the footage can’t be provided to just any member of the public, although there are ways to access this information. However, he said there are two ways people can apply […]

Three Meshtastic nodes are active in Cape Town for off-grid communications during disasters or just to meet your neighbours

2024-02-272024-02-27 Danie

A green and black plastic box that is a little larger than a thumb. It has a small OLED display on the front saying "meshtastic.org". Protruding from the top is a short stubby black antenna, and on the right is a USB power cable.

Myself and two other ham radio operators have established 3 Meshtastic nodes that will operate 24/7 to help build out more connectivity across Cape Town. We are using license-free 868 MHz radios, so anyone can […]

Google Maps will dodge South Africa’s crime hotspots: Sadly it is needed as tourists have been misdirected

2023-11-152023-11-15 Danie

A car with Google street map green and while colours, with a camera mounted on the roof. Behind it in the distance the sea can be seen.

Google Maps will avoid directing motorists through crime hotspots, Pretoria FM reports. This comes after tourism minister Patricia de Lille and Google country director Alistair Mokoena signed a memorandum of understanding at Parliament on Monday. […]

My web based OpenWebRx receiver has been upgraded to the Plus version with aircraft location data etc

2023-11-052023-11-05 Danie

Browser page showing title at top OpenWebRx with station name ZS1OSS Cape Town, South Africa. On the right side are buttons to toggle Status, Log, Receiver, Map, Files and Settings. The main screen is a waterfall display showing speckled blue and black colours. In the centre is a smaller window overlayed showing a map of Cape Town with an icon for a plane about 32 km North/ On the left side is a small box showing the plane's details with flight number, aircraft number, Squawk number, Distance, Altitude, speed and signal strength.

I featured my OpenWebRx receiver about a year or two back, which allows you to use any desktop or mobile browser, to be able to listen to various radio transmissions that are received at my […]

Cape Town City libraries use technology to draw young patrons to the bookshelves: Read something, before you can use a tablet

2023-09-032023-09-03 Danie

Child holding a tablet, with a game being played on the screen. In the background is a red plastic table with various books on it.

Waiting times have increased due to the tablets’ overwhelming popularity, prompting the library staff to devise a creative solution. Those waiting their turn must read to a staff member before being allowed to use the […]

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