Follow These 10 Tips To Be A Meshtastic Pro! 

This system an stuff like Cyber-decks are really cool pieces of work

Lora is the way it sends long rang signals using low power Meshtastic uses lora but its not always compatible. You can buy a lora device but it might not be compatible with Meshtastic. Those systems are used for industrial applications.

@@perkunast9680 I got a Heltec V3 and it works. Not much node activity in my area yet

Aliexpress, if you don't mind waiting a bit. I ordered a Heltec V3 last night, just got a notice that expected delivery is March 9. I also ordered a 'RAKwireless Meshtastic Starter Kit Alternative with RAK5005-O Base' from Rokland. It's showing (19) in stock right now. It's the same kit/board as the 'regular' starter kit except that it is has a micro-USB port instead of USB-C. It's already shipped from Florida and will probably be here in 2-3 days.

@@MyTube4Utoo Thank you!

Worth double checking, but several types let you pick frequency - though you might have to get a different antenna, as it might be from 433 or 868. Obviously this is more cost.

I suspect a lot of this is a combination of lots of exposure on youtube + Chinese New Year… I bet availability will improve over the next few weeks

@@leapofshed I will keep looking.

I'm a General Class and I just found out about Meshtastic and LoRa the other day. I'm going to ask the hams on our local repeater chat tonight if any of them are into this hobby. I agree with you on the HT's. My first HT was a Wouxun for about $75. - KB1YRF

General class here as well and I just ordered two Heltec V3s over the weekend... from China. I couldn't find any US suppliers who had them in stock! Not sure if they've become that popular or just not a lot of supply in general. We'll see how well-built they are, especially for interference. I'd love to slap a node up on a radio tower, but not sure it'd like the RFI from the commercial transmitters on the site.

Ross!! Welcome!

Nobody in paris france 433mhz 😭😭

Glad you like them! Have fun!

As far away from anything as possible. Gable ends are usually solid brick so I’d steer clear unless you’re using a beam and beaming away from the brick

Attach the small one to a drone and use BT to connect to your phone?

I printed it

I asked my iPhone.. it listened.. and said "High School Cruising" by Joe Broman

Boards based on the SX1262 chipset have better performance - e.g. Heltec V3 and the Newer Lilygo boards… You can easily get POE to usb power splitters in the usual places for ~ €10-15 Mounting the lora board to the antenna with a very short pigtail is a great idea to reduce loss. You might not need to be able to connect via bluetooth to the board on the roof… you can just have another node inside that will connect to your outside one via LoRA… I think Lewis mentioned he does this in an earlier video…

If the other nodes are also setup on long range slow yes, but if no one else is setup on long range slow you won't get anyone

no…

Well you *can* alter the frequency and you'd have to alter both to the same. You can also create your own encrypted 'channel' too.

@@TrystansWorkbench you cant alter the frequency. the lora board is hard set to a particular frequency for specific regions…

Don't know if it's clear, sorry for my English. The heltech V3 produces a significant higher rssi level compared to the tbeam and the paxcounter, both might have a sx1276, the heltech has the sx1262 where the app provides a "rxboost". The thing is, is it really more sensitive or does it only boost the rssi level and not the snr.

The sx1262 is the newer chip, and if the specifications are to be believed has 11dB more sensitivity than the sx1276… as well as improved power usage… were you able to pick up any weak stations you couldn’t get with the lilygo boards on the heltech?

@@leapofshed No, I didn't receive weaker stations, that's why I ask if it's only a higher rssi without any benefits. I receive 6 stations. 2 directly and the rest via repeater. And the 2 directly show 10 to 20dbm better rssi. But if there is no better snr the higher rssi has no effect. Buts it's interesting anyway if there are hardware boards that could receive significantly better.

@@saxpert comparing RSSI numbers on the rx side between different devices doesn’t necessarily mean anything… RSSI is intended as a relative measure… so you could use it to compare the strength of the signal you are receiving from two different remote stations accurately… but the absolute numbers you will see on different devices may well be different… Without expensive test equipment you could compare the performance of two radios by going portable… setup 1 board on the roof… then take the two boards to compare on a walk/bike… see which one can receive further away…. you should be able to compare tx performance if you log rssi at the base station…

@@leapofshed yeah I'm a more or less experienced operator in HF things. Of course I could try to test the sensitivity with another node walking around hiding it or build a setup with a variable attenuation part and reduce the input step by step to figure out the sensitivity. But that's kind of work. Lewis said that he receives a lot of nodes so by switching the nodes or using an antenna splitter with deactivated tx he probably could compare the different nodes and chips (rak as well) and make a video about it 😉

Lora is the moss, heltec is an equipment brand

It's text based

They stay on there even after you can't see them.

@@TrystansWorkbench thanks for your reply

Lora, it’s a form of spread spectrum

HB9BLA has some good videos focusing on the technical aspects of the modulation you might want to check out

It is

Thank you Lewis @@RingwayManchester

@@RingwayManchesterYou're seen in Padiham Lewis, amongst many others lately !

Where all good things come from. The Internet.

🥱

The UK started moving to the metric system for mapping in 1935, the process was complete in 1965. So yes we have been using kilometres for a bit now 😂.

The absolute ignorance. Good grief 🤦‍♂️

Same underlying radio technology, no Cryptocurrency stuff, No need to use expensive “Miners”, cheep development boards can be had for ~ $20, just people building a LoRa network for fun not profit 😁

@@leapofshed 👍

You don't have to contact people you don't know, it's not required. If you watch Lewis's recent video on how he increased his Meshtastic range you will see how contacting strangers can sometimes end up being a lot of fun. If that isn't for you then don't do it.

Right now the main hobby is building out the network. It’s changing every single day so you speak to new people each time. As the mesh matures it can be seen as “CB radio 2.0” where you can talk about anything and everything. If the worst does happen and theres a power cut or worse, then network will keep going, even when other networks might not. There’s other things which can be done with Meshtastic such as weather information and remotely controlling things / getting the status of things. That’s just me though, other people are in it for different reasons.

I think that's a fair question that has not really been covered in videos. From what I've read in Facebook groups, people are using it as a text based CB radio. Chatting to people fairly local to them, exchanging tips and advice of setups and hardware, as well as general chit-chat. Personally I wonder how long lived the "craze" will be, the hardware is impossible to get at the moment unless you buy direct from China and that takes weeks. I do see it as a stepping stone for some (those interested in electronics and comms) into the wider radio hobby, I used CB back in the 90s and had a lot of fun making contacts and meeting up, some friends from back then are still friends now, it's how techies found each other before the Internet. So with that in mind it's likely to be a good 'place' for techies to make contact with likeminded people in their own area, something the Internet isn't great at doing.

For some people that is the fun, but if you want another angle, I first learned of LoRa (and subsequently Meshtastic) from computer nerd circles. I first saw it used for connecting two or more devices at range without internet, an array of sensors to a computer that aggregates the data, for example.

Whew I thought I was the only one. I see how but no reason why. I mean, it’s like a party room for texters. Why?

I get the independence, licence free, off grid, stick it to the man vibe. And the fun of having a hobby. I had CB's in the 80's with burners and it was exciting being such a such a lawless rebel! Perhaps I'm just getting old. This is quite a niche within an already niche hobby I think. (Although as everything is sold out perhaps not!) But live and let live.

I agree

Probably because it would cost more than the actual board

@@4X4-RADIO nah not in this day and age, even a billet cnc case wouldnt double the price and even if it was, id still buy it!

@@RingwayManchester i know yourself and andy are putting some kind a uk shop together, maybe get in contact with some youtube CAD artists and start shipping them as complete commercial grade products! i think this would give a serious boost to UK LoRa uptake and help to expand our ever growing network! maybe have cases for the pocket, cases that can accomadate extra modules, cases that are designed to be waterproof outdoor setups etc. as they say in sales, exploit the gaps in the industry and prosper!

I’m not putting a shop together? Not sure where you’ve got that from?

Mast mounted with a long power cable is better than the fierce coax signal losses down a length of coax any day 👍🏻

Sounds perfect and peaceful

Err.. probably, like with every other form of communication

@@RingwayManchester 😂

I literally showed you on the screen as I was talking about it brother….

i did say i was an idiot...@@RingwayManchester

The Idiots Guide To Meshtastic - Long Range Comms! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N3FXej9fqIk.html

It very much is.

That’s your setup not Meshtastic…

Minus the crypto

It actually is the same thing excluding crypto

I’m telling you, I made 80km from my attic, directly across relatively flat ground to a lighthouse. End of story, makes me laugh when people comment to argue the toss when I told you the range I got.

This is an example of a mesh network topology, and it's benefits are being robust against damage (or censorship) as you have to lose a lot of nodes before the messages stop getting through. A different topology is a "star" or "hub", which is what your home router is an example of, the benefits are simple routing, but if the central node goes dark then all devices stop being able to communicate with each other. A bit of an academic description, I know, but that's the generalised run down of the technology.

Not many nodes near me but received (only) from about 25 miles away on a crappy wifi style antenna indoors in my back room (opposite side of house to sender 25 miles away) they must have had a yagi). There is one steady in the next town 3.2kms away. Don't have line of site but can reliably communicate despite SNR -10dB / RSSI - 133. I don't think I am scraping the bottom either. This is on 'LongFast' rather than Very Long Range / Slow. I got into it to learn more about RF, and get me out the house as theres been a lull in my hiking!

@RingwayManchester I've occasionally picked up WiFi from a place just under two miles away. It helps that I live on a hill, and I'm sure atmospherics and solar activity play a part, but it's happened at least twice. Unlikely, sure, but still possible if the Tesco's SSID is anything to go by.

@@RingwayManchester I'm not saying you're lying but nobody should expect such a range/distance.. It makes sense the other location was high up, but even then, how much power is that thing producing only up too half a Watt ? I just can't image such a big range on 868 Mhz is normal and u are not the only user, it's a crowded band with all kinds of IoT crap. I would blame it on conditions but on 868 ? And like you have already said, it's not reliable anyways. I understand radio freaks like a new toy to play with, but what is the actual use case? I guess i'm just not seeing it.