PAMPA is a family of broadcast algorithms for adhoc and wireless networks that are both lightweight and robust. PAMPA variants have shown promising performance results in simulations. Simulations can however be misleading, as they often poorly reflect reality. This paper seeks to further our understanding of PAMPA beyond simulations, and reports on the first ever characterisation of the PAMPA family on a real deployment. We use this opportunity to reflect on our findings and lessons learnt when moving from simulations to actual experiments.