You always say you're not a how to channel, but your experience with the tinkering that you do is how the rest of us do it as well. It's so nice and refreshing to have someone that shows the entire process in the raw. You never sugar coating it or pretending to be an expert. Hands down the best how to channel on TH-cam .😅😂
Bring your Meshtastic nodes to Open Sauce! I will be helping run the Meshtastic booth there. Will be fun to see how big the mesh grows during Open Sauce. Also Meshtastic does work great on raspi, I will have a raspi cyberdeck Meshtastic demo running during the event at the booth.
Yes, I was about to say the same thing. We are the Coilgun booth and potentially the direct neighbor to the Meshtastic booth. I have one of my T-Beam mesh radios connected to the Coilgun so you can literally fire it over mesh using your own radio. Muahahaha.
Oh dang, that sounds amazing! I have a big box of big capacitors set aside for a coilgun but just haven't had time to build one! I think we are also a Meshtastic neighbor :-)
Meshtastic uses 868MHz in the EU and something between 902 and 928MHz in the US. That is almost line of sight communication. In the right conditions it has a range of over a hundred kilometers (there have been low earth orbit satellites using LoRa). But on the ground it is limited by trees, buildings, weather, curvature of the earth and such things. The real range in these conditions are just a few hundred meters (from living room to living room in the city) up to a few kilometers (from rooftop to rooftop). To get usable range, it needs help by repeaters! Put a tiny one with just bluetooth/wlan on your roof and use it with the phone. Then you can establish connections with the people around you (if there are any). But if you see some hills from your rooftop, then put a tiny one with a battery and a small solar panel up there. Such an repeater has a range around 50 to 100 km and because it is a mesh network, it connects every node it can reach (all the rooftop nodes). And suddenly it works really good, that is when you put it in the drawer of completed projects and start something new. ;)
The Lilygo T Deck is a pretty finicky device overall - I prefer using the bluetooth modules with my phone's keyboard. I use these for when I go camping or hiking with friends. I also enjoy trying to set up a cell-style network - its just tinkering on a city-wide scale. Here in South Africa I know of a few farmers that use it for their families on their farms, as its more reliable than cell signal in some places. Particularly in South Africa with frequent power outages, cell service can be dodgy - so just having Meshtastic as a backup gives some peace of mind.
Try installing a small solar-powered repeater (Heltec v3-based) on your roof, with a good antenna. One interesting use case could be in the tunnels at Sandland - put up a few repeaters and see how deep you could get text-based comms. And the GPS unit is necessary for standalone units as a time source is needed for the encryption to work propery.
Go with a rak wisblock for solar node instead. Heltec v3 is esp32 based which will pull about 10x the current of the ram wireless ones. My rak wisblock can last weeks on a single 18650 cell vs my heltec v3 which gets a day or two.
Don't use the HeltecV3s for solar setups, they draw 200-300mA consistently, versus something like a RAK Wisblock that draws around 5-10mA. You can get away with a nice small solar panel for a wisblock, or a Pico lora board, etc, but won't get away with it with a power hungry Heltec (ESP32 based). The Heltecs are great if power isn't a problem though, like running on a handheld battery for the day out and about, they've got a screen and wifi and bluetooth, but yeah, of all the Mesh nodes, they're the worst pick for a solar setup.
@@Heimbasteln The default channel when using the LongFast radio mode is called LongFast (if you were set to MediumSlow the channel would be called MediumSlow), it is technically encrypted, but with a default encryption key of AQ== which is public knowledge and built into the firmware, if it weren't, people wouldn't be able to access it without entering it first. Any secondary channels that you set up yourself (or are given the name and key for by someone else) are also encrypted and actually secure, as they're only readable by the people who have that specific encryption key. So, for example, don't share that private key over LongFast, as anyone out there could read it and gain access to your private channel.
i have no idea what’s going on in any of your videos, but you’re such a genuine and down to earth guy who enjoys sharing his hobby with the internet, so awesome watching you share this stuff :)
One doesn't simply buy one node. I already have six and they have been really interesting to play around with Once I get some proper cases printed I should be able to put one in each vehicle for a family holiday convoy. You don't need GPS, but you can add extra sensor modules and use them like a mesh connected weather station. It's not like amateur radio where people seek contacts, its people making their own community communication networks.
That tiny connector at 2:55 is called U.FL. It's strange that they used it here, since it's designed for weight-critical applications like FPV antennas on RC airplanes and drones. U.FL is very fragile and has a limited number of mating cycles, owing to the extreme weight reduction. MMCX is a step up in durability from U.FL. I always *feel* like I'm going to break those, but I haven't actually managed to yet.
Love your content, my man! I'm always super pumped when I see a new upload. I've learned so much from your channel, and it seems to never get old! Thanks again!
At my old job I repaired Chromebooks and those antenna connectors are the worst thing ever. After you get the muscle memory they're easier but still a pain in the ass. Cheers from the Twin Cities!
Hey man, I've been playing with Meshtastic for a few weeks now. I'm in the process of building a RAK repeater with a nice high gain BIG antenna. I've built four small portable units now, two for my best friend and two for myself. I will be building more and giving them to other friends and family because they're so cheap and functional. I think you're going to have fun with it! Also, those tiny little IPEX/u.FL connectors are a LOT easier to snap into place if you have a hard plastic tool and just line it up to the little nipple. Just give it a firm push and they snap into place. As a drone enthusiast, I learned quickly that they're not QUITE as fragile as they appear as long as you use firm, direct pressure and don't give them a way to move laterally. They are useful in areas that has bad/no cell phone coverage or grid-down scenarios. They're also useful for TRULY private (encrypted, requires further setup) messaging. I am setting them up so that if the cell network goes down here (AGAIN), that we will have a backup communication system. I've also deployed GMRS radios to close family members that need alternate communications to get in touch with me, as I am now a caretaker to more than one person and they NEED a way to contact me no matter what the grid does. Also, the battery... It takes the device some time to "learn" the battery characteristics. It gets more accurate the longer it's turned on and functioning, at least that's been my experience so far... but you can't REALLY rely on it that much. It's not RNG, but it's not the most accurate. It's something they seem to be working on! Like everything else with Meshtastic. It's not perfect, it's an emerging technology and most certainly NOT a "mature" project. It's very much a work in progress. Treat it as such and you'll get far more enjoyment out of it! :) Also, if you REALLY want to open up your ability to talk to others, you should look into private MQTT servers that have been set up for your area. I would STRONGLY advice you to NOT set up the "Public MQTT" Meshtastic server for general availability. You will absolutely SWAMP your device *AND* all other devices on the same "LongFast" channel! Use a targeted MQTT server for "public" channel use if you want your device to remain... Not on fire. :) Have fun with it! And welcome to the club!
The trick with the antenna jack (on the board) is to hook the (opposite to the cable) lip first, then push down on the wire end. Then they become a breeze. Also, yes. The washers go on the nut side. Regular washer, grover, then nut. If you have an extra washer, then the manufacturer intended for it to be on the other side, but in this case, clearly, there's no room for that, so you double up the existing washer or chuck it in the parts bin for the next lucky dip. :)
I checked out the mesh map website and at this time, it does have people spread through the US using them, but many of the people show up on the east and west coasts. There werent that many people in the midwest.
Finally! I am in your neighborhood and I haven't picked up any nodes...yet... but I don't use the standard LongFast channel on my nodes, so you wouldn't see me just yet. I have several nodes plastered all around the east and north metro, and about a dozen pocket nodes to hand out to friends. There is at least a new UI coming for the T-Deck that makes it seem a lot more "app-like" but there's no definite timetable on it.
Even though I don't use the standard public channel (LongFast) all of my nodes do repeat all traffic that they receive, so if there are meshers around you will at least get a pretty big "signal boost" from the network of nodes I've set up around town. It can be a little overwhelming to learn about all this stuff, and even more overwhelming to make it actually work in a dense urban environment like the one we're in. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help (and I live about a mile away)
also I should add - the T-Deck is about the hardest device to actually use, out of all the various devices. It's also one of maybe two or three at most "standalone" devices that doesn't need any sort of other device tethered to it for you to send messages. Most of the portable nodes use the iOS or Android app to take advantage of the OS's keyboard and screen, as well as notifications, sounds, etc etc etc. I have 3 T-Decks that I'm basically waiting to give to people once the new UI finally gets released so they're not so cryptic to try and use.
@@saveitforparts Unfortunately it's "date unknown" but it will eventually happen. Meshtastic is an open source project so the more help they get the more likely cool stuff like that will progress.
Make sure in your LORA settings on your device the Frequency Slot is set to 20, that’s the default so you can see all the nodes, if you have it set to 0 it will set your frequency based on your primary channel vs using the frequency slot for 20, I changed mine and I can pick up over 30 nodes in my area now
Best use case for me is local emergency communication if the phone networks go down, it's also nice being in control of your own network plus you can encrypt it, and theres not a bunch of rules or licences like going the ham route. I believe you can also do things with Atak/Civtak with the gps modules
You're not alone, Gabe - BUT, I'm on the other side of town and only occasionally see a node come and go. I have two Heltecs with stock antennas, so I'm sure they don't reach very far but I can't do outdoor antennas... hopefully more people around here will get their nodes up and running. Thanks for the video!
I've been (way, way, way too) into MT since last December and I've built dozens of nodes, and I've never seen another one pop up in the twin cities that I didn't build myself (aka build it and give it to a friend). I know I miss public traffic by not using the default LongFast channel on my devices, but I've got solar powered nodes up all over St Paul, Roseville, NE Mpls, and some of the eastern and NE burbs, but not necessarily to chat with random people. I'll have to start driving with a node on the default channel and see if anything ever pops up.
@@innercityprepper Good luck - maybe I picked you up at one point. I think I'm hamstrung by the stock antennas. I still have yet to get a message to anyone even using Long Fast. Again - I think it has a lot to do with the crap stock antennas. Wish I could get something outside but it's not possible in my current apartment situation.
@@Buzzygirl63 You'd be surprised what you can do that's not technically in your home or apartment. For several friends I've put a small solar node magnetically onto a streetlight pole near their apartment, and then you can use a heltec from inside your home and it will slingshot off the better-placed (and better antenna'd) solar node to greatly extend your mesh (and provide mesh resources for others that are using the same frequency and LoRa settings). For others, I've done similar things with their cars, putting a powerful node in their car that acts as a repeater for their smaller pocket nodes like heltecs or t-echo's, and run on batteries while the car isn't running. One of the big advantages of some meshtastic nodes (the ones that use the NRF chipset instead of the ESP32 one) is that they can run for a very long time on a pretty small battery. Easily a week between charges from a single 18650 cell!
@@innercityprepper I’ve got two Heltecs so they’re the ESP32 chipsets and yes they are power hogs. When I first got into this, there were not very many units of any kind of available. I am more curious about this technology than anything else. I am not too invested in it at this point, maybe in the future.
Even though it's not a hardware review, it's still a decent example of the user experience. I imagine like was said, someone really in to hacking and tinkering who could write firmware for it could probably make it do some neat stuff, but out of the box yeah it's pretty limited, and pretty janky with what it can do. I'm guessing most users just learn all the interface quirks and live with it and they just never get fixed. :/
if you have one single unit you can enable mqtt and use your phone’s connectivity with a phone app to reach nodes outside your physical range. think of it similar to d-star or other internet gateway for ham radio. similar concept where you can make use of it before getting other meshtastic nodes for testing.
What a pleasant hot dish like meshtastic review. It brightened my day. Stay the course. Surprised you didn't see utility company noise around 900mhz. My neck of the woods it's -50Db from a rubber ducky every little while.
i've got a few meshtastic radios up near maple grove, with really bad antennas so my range record is 1.2km so far. not very popular here yet, no. i've picked up some scattered mesh near downtown st paul and made contact with someone from the roof of a parking ramp next to the minneapolis convention center if you're "wardriving" for nodes i suggest making sure your radio is on range test mode, so that its actively putting out packets. being a low power tech it doesn't normally advertise itself very much like wifi does spamming the mesh is hardly a worry if you're not even picking up any mesh 🙃
Nice sister..... I've considered picking one up. I am undecided because I am in a very remote location. Plus once they catch on the number of users ends up slowing down speed of the network thus communication can be iffy.
Welcome to the fun. Only hits I really get in my part of Florida are people passing by on the highway. Otherwise, all the nodes in my area are me. Excited to see you get into it.
Try connecting it to your wifi, using the Network configuration in Settings. Then you could turn on MQTT and pick a topic that is regional to you (picking the root topic will just overflow the device's ability to keep up with the traffic). That will let you see nodes that are around your area using the web connection. Then you could drive near those spots and see if you pick them up on RF.
I think maybe printing up some flyers announcing it. I think you can get people "off grid" with messaging and communications with how popular the backlash is to Big Tech. I want to launch the infrastructure and wait for the users/usage to come later like emergencies or area events. You know "build it and they will come"
I'm convinced there are some use cases where meshtastic would be an ideal tool to have. Its also weirdly appealing to have a sorta 'off the grid' text messaging system... even if not many people use it. Keen to see what you do with it next.
The main uses I can imagine for them that beat normal cell texting is at conventions where the cell towers are choking on users, off-grid quiet radio coms like hunters spread over an area checking on each other without a radio squacking, and for folks trying to discretely communicate during protests using the encryption functions.
I use meshtastic during camping trips to popular spots that bog down whichever cell tower is closest i bring a few glued to the back of phones to handout to people from the group when they go off on their own. But i also struggle to really find a use for them outside of those trips
That's one of the main (and IMO best) use cases for meshtastic - private license-free text comms for small groups over 1-5 mile(ish) area. It's already pretty well-known that meshtastic doesn't function all that well once you reach a certain node amount on a mesh (it's around 100-150 nodes) - and that won't be fixed for at least a year when they re-work the mesh logic in a breaking-change sort of way for the device firmware (Aka when Meshtastic 3.0 is released... current version is 2.3.10)
As someone that recently got some meshtastic nodes to play with, with a hope that it will work well at a busy festival when the mobile networks fail (which happens quite often due to the number of people concentrated in a very small area) I've got one of the tiny ones with a tiny antenna. When I've stayed in tower hotels overnight in london and recently dusseldorf I leave it overnight by the window and usually manage to pick up a couple of nearby nodes but alas my messages to channel 0 seem to get delivered but no one ever responds. Ideally it would be nice to have a proper permanent node at home with a large antenna on the roof as I can see from others testing that you can get a very decent range with a good antenna. They're fun little devices to play with!
Use tweezers to install the tiny antennas. Align it with the tweezers and maybe a small jewel screwdriver to apply a small amount of force to snap it into place.
"really inconvenient text messages" seems to be meshtastic's modus operandi. The software interface is still really in development. Cool tech looking for a use case. I have two and should turn one on and keep broadcasting something.
The T-Deck is definitely a challenge. I started with two T-Decks which helped quite a bit in understanding them, since I could talk to myself. The keyboard and screen seem like they would be nice but I've found it much simpler to connect a phone through Bluetooth or a PC through USB and use the web app. I've had similar experiences with the keyboard and device itself being unresponsive but I've found that the unresponsiveness correlated to my lack of knowledge and the more I got in tune with using the T-Deck, the fewer problems I had. The T-Deck firmware is beta, so we can hope there is a lot more development to come and that the T-Deck will become a useful standalone device. I too have yet to connect to any other Metastatic device, other than my own. I take one device with me when traveling around the area and send random messages on the public channel but I've yet to see another device.
I have a Heltec inside the loft, NW UK. It gets like 7 km to a couple of nodes then picks up group messages, populates others on the map and shows now "37 of 111 online". ChUtil 22%, AirUtil 10% (Router client mode). I tried my other in a backpack and they probably worked intermittently to a 500m radius due to obstructions. But I didn't walk further. On holiday I got 4 miles with the other in a window. Surprisingly the BT works even downstairs and is way better than via wifi. I guess I can only DM those I'm direct to and sometimes can traceroute others only a few hops away - but maybe group chat everyone? Also the mesh can get too overloaded to traceroute... Because a video advised us to crank up all those NodeInfo and neighbourhood position settings and it got too busy. It was awkward to understand who you have a good signal to. My second device would route through the one in the loft and everyone suddenly had -55 signal instead of ~125. So all the various node strengths I see now, are they due to it going through someone else? Try the Liam Cottle meshmap, you can click a node to plot who hears who.
I wonder if you could put t-beam nodes in the tunnels to bounce messages around the different caverns down there, and with enough, maybe get a signal outside!
Dang. I was hoping there was more activity here in the Cities. I’ve thought of getting one of those after seeing Ringway Manchester using them in the UK.
Great video. I'm excited for you that you now have a HackRf to play with, I have had one for 7 years now. I am hoping for your sanity that you are not plagued with the dreadful static discharge into the antenna, the tiny IC used for the receive amp (a duplicate IC is also used for the PA) is a horrid thing to replace when they stop working.
have some nodes for 2 weeks now and its neat to fiddle with it. . there is getting more and more activity in the southern parts of the netherlands also.. anyway loved the video ...
I agree 100% with your sentiments about use case, I like innovation, I like radios, etc, but I just don't know what I would do with something like this. It's like a weird inconvenient cell phone.
I honestly love MMCX connectors for my headphones. Only problem I've encountered tho is that on cheap Chinese ones, QC and fitment isn't amazing. Some are too loose and love to disconnect/fall loose, and other's are a bit too shallow resulting in the same, but when they come without defects, they're good.
Yes, if you don't install the antenna first, you will fry the unit. Also, PLEASE RTFM or lookup the directions on YT to assist you in the install. And have a reasonable expectation of the device and what it can or cannot do.
Normally that is sage advice with RF stuff, but having built more than 40 meshtastic nodes (and run a couple of them extensively without antenna accidentally) the super low wattage that is being used to transmit on these things (~0.25W) doesn't fry the circuitry. I drove around for a whole day with the ipex connector on my car-based node disconnected without me knowing, and it would have sent hundreds of pings, AND I was trying to range test with it...and it never showed any ill effects, and continues to work fine to this day.
@@andynull8869 The only way I've seen any meshtastic device get fried (and this happens a lot if you aren't careful when buying parts, etc) is if you use the reverse polarity on the battery connector and plug in the battery. That'll fry anything though, not just these things.
Lucky! I never got a nice meshtastic kit from my sister. Well, I don't have a sister, but still. 😂 I've been so tempted for quite some time to get into this, but I'm pretty remote. Might not get interesting unless I pretend to be someone else's sister and surprise them with a kit.
That sounds like an adventurous device, I'm curious to see how it develops. That was quite interesting. Google has also built something similar with Alexa, as new devices are equipped with a LoRA chip.
In theory your mini comp 10:49 you could run meshtastic as web client and if you have enough resources you run Wintak as well can do stuff in festival settings or hiking camping places with poor cell reception or for encrypted chat but you are visible
A lot of these problems can be fixed playing the meshtastic code, or by adding some hardware. For example, the battery indicator is voltage based, by measuring the current you can get way closer to reality (but it may require hardware mods). So yeah, really cool but not for the average consumer.
The LTE antenna is something that will work, but that external antena is a better fit. I like 'The Alley Cat"'s t-deck case a bit more than the one you received. Yes the board antenna connecter pretty much sucks. GPS is handy if you want Mestastic to track where you are, and get the time from something useful. There is no internal RTC clock within the system. But not, it's not required. And yes that internal map is related to having the GPS as well. I'm working on setting up a couple of repeaters, one on the roof here in Robbinsdale, and another up at my not really an edition of SandLand) I bought the land to retire on, I'm retired now, but can't really move up there at the moment. Need to get back out of retirement for a few years. What some are doing with LoRA but not necessarily Meshtastic, is part of home automation. for sensor traffic carrying. As the ESP32 doesn't really have a multi-tasking OS, (it has firmware that provides something like that, but it's not a full OS that can launch more than one user app.) So unless it's integrated into Mestastic itself, it's probably not going to happen while Meshtastic is on the device. That might change, who knows. My own preference would be to be able to take notes that get synced up to my server at home w/o having to rely on Google or someone else to not be reading them over whatever comms channel I use. Shopping lists, etc. There were about a hundred or so users at Hamvention this year, and they ran into issues with the configuration of channel 0, as some of the things that the default configuration does is send fairly short messages over long transmit times. This is good for range, not so good for high volume traffic. When properly configured, with properly tuned antennas, these things have demonstrated phenominal range for something working just under a Gigahz. As part of my relay setup, I'm considering pairing two devices, one for local high speed coms, and another for distant but slow traffic, and see if I can reach others. Have fun!
meshtastic is cool for remote controller projects with arduino - you can send and receive data via serial port. I can reach a weatherstation 50KM away with 3 Hops. It is essential to get two boards/nodes if you start with meshtastic.
That interface is okay for what it is but the real purpose of meshtastic is to act as a Gateway between your phone and an entirely different network. This way when commercial cell phones go down people still have a means of communicating. Like CB radio but with data
You've inspired me to get a few of the devices and I'm learning about this before installing them. Are there any updates from your side? I've been looking on TH-cam for weeks now. Meshtastic needs an influencer to grow and reach the audience.
Can relate to tiny crap and ape fingers. My fingers would be more at home picking boogers out of a lowland gorilla's nose, or busting open termite mounds. When I was tearing apart computers and occasionally reassembling them right, I struggled. These days, damned "keys" on a smart phone are a challenge. When you can push 8 keys at once with your finger tip, and you are old and getting near sighted anyhow, they make you invoke the old gods and fill the swear jar quickly.
I heard about these last year and have been keeping an ear on the default frequency with my communication received but never heard anything yet. Weird that there’s a bunch of videos of these all of a sudden lately.
By the time these are popular enough to rely on, Starlink will be allowing texts directly from cellphones on mass basis. They already do so on some test sats and expanding fast.
the military satellite network won't be for us civilians especially with Elon's love of government money. Starlink phones are gonna be the new "Obama phones" prepaid phones provided by the government in exchange for billions of free dollars going in that company's pockets
Gabe - great channel, I learn a lot here! But what channel do you use for meshtastic? Usage is still low overall and they don't tell you what channel to use. Thanks for the content!
Very smilar experence for me! I am in a rural environment so maybe that is my problem, Will be interested to hear how things go with some extra units. Hopefully a further video?
i have no idea what is going on in half your videos, but your enthusiasm is enough to sustain me as a viewer.
haha! I was thinking the same thing. I love this stuff but I have no clue why.
Same here
Ditto...😊
"The battery indicator is just a random number generator, as far as I can tell." 😂😂😂
"Meshtastasize" and "Mesh-heads" are glorious.
You always say you're not a how to channel, but your experience with the tinkering that you do is how the rest of us do it as well. It's so nice and refreshing to have someone that shows the entire process in the raw. You never sugar coating it or pretending to be an expert. Hands down the best how to channel on TH-cam .😅😂
"I really can't figure out what these things are good for, so, I bought a couple more..." Epic.
Bring your Meshtastic nodes to Open Sauce! I will be helping run the Meshtastic booth there. Will be fun to see how big the mesh grows during Open Sauce. Also Meshtastic does work great on raspi, I will have a raspi cyberdeck Meshtastic demo running during the event at the booth.
Sounds good!
Yes, I was about to say the same thing. We are the Coilgun booth and potentially the direct neighbor to the Meshtastic booth. I have one of my T-Beam mesh radios connected to the Coilgun so you can literally fire it over mesh using your own radio. Muahahaha.
Yea do it! I like the way you think. Also maybe thats because there's a chance I'm literally the same person but a cat.
Oh dang, that sounds amazing! I have a big box of big capacitors set aside for a coilgun but just haven't had time to build one! I think we are also a Meshtastic neighbor :-)
I feel like we broke some meshtastic nodes during the Dayton Hamvention this year lol.
Meshtastic uses 868MHz in the EU and something between 902 and 928MHz in the US. That is almost line of sight communication. In the right conditions it has a range of over a hundred kilometers (there have been low earth orbit satellites using LoRa). But on the ground it is limited by trees, buildings, weather, curvature of the earth and such things. The real range in these conditions are just a few hundred meters (from living room to living room in the city) up to a few kilometers (from rooftop to rooftop).
To get usable range, it needs help by repeaters!
Put a tiny one with just bluetooth/wlan on your roof and use it with the phone. Then you can establish connections with the people around you (if there are any). But if you see some hills from your rooftop, then put a tiny one with a battery and a small solar panel up there. Such an repeater has a range around 50 to 100 km and because it is a mesh network, it connects every node it can reach (all the rooftop nodes). And suddenly it works really good, that is when you put it in the drawer of completed projects and start something new. ;)
The Lilygo T Deck is a pretty finicky device overall - I prefer using the bluetooth modules with my phone's keyboard. I use these for when I go camping or hiking with friends. I also enjoy trying to set up a cell-style network - its just tinkering on a city-wide scale. Here in South Africa I know of a few farmers that use it for their families on their farms, as its more reliable than cell signal in some places. Particularly in South Africa with frequent power outages, cell service can be dodgy - so just having Meshtastic as a backup gives some peace of mind.
Try installing a small solar-powered repeater (Heltec v3-based) on your roof, with a good antenna. One interesting use case could be in the tunnels at Sandland - put up a few repeaters and see how deep you could get text-based comms. And the GPS unit is necessary for standalone units as a time source is needed for the encryption to work propery.
Sandland setup would be fun!
Go with a rak wisblock for solar node instead. Heltec v3 is esp32 based which will pull about 10x the current of the ram wireless ones. My rak wisblock can last weeks on a single 18650 cell vs my heltec v3 which gets a day or two.
Do channels like long fast have encryption?
Mine seems to work without GPS, but I have never tried encrypted channels, so that might be why.
Don't use the HeltecV3s for solar setups, they draw 200-300mA consistently, versus something like a RAK Wisblock that draws around 5-10mA. You can get away with a nice small solar panel for a wisblock, or a Pico lora board, etc, but won't get away with it with a power hungry Heltec (ESP32 based).
The Heltecs are great if power isn't a problem though, like running on a handheld battery for the day out and about, they've got a screen and wifi and bluetooth, but yeah, of all the Mesh nodes, they're the worst pick for a solar setup.
@@Heimbasteln The default channel when using the LongFast radio mode is called LongFast (if you were set to MediumSlow the channel would be called MediumSlow), it is technically encrypted, but with a default encryption key of AQ== which is public knowledge and built into the firmware, if it weren't, people wouldn't be able to access it without entering it first.
Any secondary channels that you set up yourself (or are given the name and key for by someone else) are also encrypted and actually secure, as they're only readable by the people who have that specific encryption key. So, for example, don't share that private key over LongFast, as anyone out there could read it and gain access to your private channel.
well it was nice that your sister thought of you and sent the unit to you.
My sister only asks for money 😂😂
maybe his sister sent it to him as some sort of punishment game
i have no idea what’s going on in any of your videos, but you’re such a genuine and down to earth guy who enjoys sharing his hobby with the internet, so awesome watching you share this stuff :)
"... picking up a broken boat, all the usual Save it for Parts stuff."
I love this channel 😁
One doesn't simply buy one node. I already have six and they have been really interesting to play around with
Once I get some proper cases printed I should be able to put one in each vehicle for a family holiday convoy.
You don't need GPS, but you can add extra sensor modules and use them like a mesh connected weather station.
It's not like amateur radio where people seek contacts, its people making their own community communication networks.
That tiny connector at 2:55 is called U.FL. It's strange that they used it here, since it's designed for weight-critical applications like FPV antennas on RC airplanes and drones. U.FL is very fragile and has a limited number of mating cycles, owing to the extreme weight reduction.
MMCX is a step up in durability from U.FL. I always *feel* like I'm going to break those, but I haven't actually managed to yet.
I have a plane that flies over my area with a node. I have contacts over 200 miles away.
No you don’t. Liar.
Love your content, my man! I'm always super pumped when I see a new upload. I've learned so much from your channel, and it seems to never get old! Thanks again!
I miss my Treo 650, loved that thing.
At my old job I repaired Chromebooks and those antenna connectors are the worst thing ever. After you get the muscle memory they're easier but still a pain in the ass. Cheers from the Twin Cities!
Hey man, I've been playing with Meshtastic for a few weeks now. I'm in the process of building a RAK repeater with a nice high gain BIG antenna. I've built four small portable units now, two for my best friend and two for myself. I will be building more and giving them to other friends and family because they're so cheap and functional. I think you're going to have fun with it! Also, those tiny little IPEX/u.FL connectors are a LOT easier to snap into place if you have a hard plastic tool and just line it up to the little nipple. Just give it a firm push and they snap into place. As a drone enthusiast, I learned quickly that they're not QUITE as fragile as they appear as long as you use firm, direct pressure and don't give them a way to move laterally. They are useful in areas that has bad/no cell phone coverage or grid-down scenarios. They're also useful for TRULY private (encrypted, requires further setup) messaging. I am setting them up so that if the cell network goes down here (AGAIN), that we will have a backup communication system. I've also deployed GMRS radios to close family members that need alternate communications to get in touch with me, as I am now a caretaker to more than one person and they NEED a way to contact me no matter what the grid does. Also, the battery... It takes the device some time to "learn" the battery characteristics. It gets more accurate the longer it's turned on and functioning, at least that's been my experience so far... but you can't REALLY rely on it that much. It's not RNG, but it's not the most accurate. It's something they seem to be working on! Like everything else with Meshtastic. It's not perfect, it's an emerging technology and most certainly NOT a "mature" project. It's very much a work in progress. Treat it as such and you'll get far more enjoyment out of it! :) Also, if you REALLY want to open up your ability to talk to others, you should look into private MQTT servers that have been set up for your area. I would STRONGLY advice you to NOT set up the "Public MQTT" Meshtastic server for general availability. You will absolutely SWAMP your device *AND* all other devices on the same "LongFast" channel! Use a targeted MQTT server for "public" channel use if you want your device to remain... Not on fire. :) Have fun with it! And welcome to the club!
I’m glad you got into it. It’s the coolest technology right now. Hope to see you do new projects on it.
Perfect timing! Thank you! Just tried this myself with Heltec V3s,
The trick with the antenna jack (on the board) is to hook the (opposite to the cable) lip first, then push down on the wire end. Then they become a breeze. Also, yes. The washers go on the nut side. Regular washer, grover, then nut. If you have an extra washer, then the manufacturer intended for it to be on the other side, but in this case, clearly, there's no room for that, so you double up the existing washer or chuck it in the parts bin for the next lucky dip. :)
I checked out the mesh map website and at this time, it does have people spread through the US using them, but many of the people show up on the east and west coasts. There werent that many people in the midwest.
BRO you're going to love it
Finally! I am in your neighborhood and I haven't picked up any nodes...yet... but I don't use the standard LongFast channel on my nodes, so you wouldn't see me just yet. I have several nodes plastered all around the east and north metro, and about a dozen pocket nodes to hand out to friends.
There is at least a new UI coming for the T-Deck that makes it seem a lot more "app-like" but there's no definite timetable on it.
Even though I don't use the standard public channel (LongFast) all of my nodes do repeat all traffic that they receive, so if there are meshers around you will at least get a pretty big "signal boost" from the network of nodes I've set up around town. It can be a little overwhelming to learn about all this stuff, and even more overwhelming to make it actually work in a dense urban environment like the one we're in. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help (and I live about a mile away)
also I should add - the T-Deck is about the hardest device to actually use, out of all the various devices. It's also one of maybe two or three at most "standalone" devices that doesn't need any sort of other device tethered to it for you to send messages. Most of the portable nodes use the iOS or Android app to take advantage of the OS's keyboard and screen, as well as notifications, sounds, etc etc etc. I have 3 T-Decks that I'm basically waiting to give to people once the new UI finally gets released so they're not so cryptic to try and use.
Interesting! I'll have to check on that new UI.
@@saveitforparts Unfortunately it's "date unknown" but it will eventually happen. Meshtastic is an open source project so the more help they get the more likely cool stuff like that will progress.
Make sure in your LORA settings on your device the Frequency Slot is set to 20, that’s the default so you can see all the nodes, if you have it set to 0 it will set your frequency based on your primary channel vs using the frequency slot for 20, I changed mine and I can pick up over 30 nodes in my area now
On the other hand, my neighborhood is FULL of meshheads.. except the ones in my neighborhood are all about collecting copper for some reason
8:20 Dear neighbor, i find you on this fine day to be quite displeasing. The smell of elderberries is wafts over here. Ta ta.
Best use case for me is local emergency communication if the phone networks go down, it's also nice being in control of your own network plus you can encrypt it, and theres not a bunch of rules or licences like going the ham route.
I believe you can also do things with Atak/Civtak with the gps modules
You're not alone, Gabe - BUT, I'm on the other side of town and only occasionally see a node come and go. I have two Heltecs with stock antennas, so I'm sure they don't reach very far but I can't do outdoor antennas... hopefully more people around here will get their nodes up and running. Thanks for the video!
I've been (way, way, way too) into MT since last December and I've built dozens of nodes, and I've never seen another one pop up in the twin cities that I didn't build myself (aka build it and give it to a friend). I know I miss public traffic by not using the default LongFast channel on my devices, but I've got solar powered nodes up all over St Paul, Roseville, NE Mpls, and some of the eastern and NE burbs, but not necessarily to chat with random people. I'll have to start driving with a node on the default channel and see if anything ever pops up.
@@innercityprepper Good luck - maybe I picked you up at one point. I think I'm hamstrung by the stock antennas. I still have yet to get a message to anyone even using Long Fast. Again - I think it has a lot to do with the crap stock antennas. Wish I could get something outside but it's not possible in my current apartment situation.
@@Buzzygirl63 You'd be surprised what you can do that's not technically in your home or apartment. For several friends I've put a small solar node magnetically onto a streetlight pole near their apartment, and then you can use a heltec from inside your home and it will slingshot off the better-placed (and better antenna'd) solar node to greatly extend your mesh (and provide mesh resources for others that are using the same frequency and LoRa settings).
For others, I've done similar things with their cars, putting a powerful node in their car that acts as a repeater for their smaller pocket nodes like heltecs or t-echo's, and run on batteries while the car isn't running. One of the big advantages of some meshtastic nodes (the ones that use the NRF chipset instead of the ESP32 one) is that they can run for a very long time on a pretty small battery. Easily a week between charges from a single 18650 cell!
@@innercityprepper I’ve got two Heltecs so they’re the ESP32 chipsets and yes they are power hogs. When I first got into this, there were not very many units of any kind of available. I am more curious about this technology than anything else. I am not too invested in it at this point, maybe in the future.
Always interesting AND entertaining
I recently ordered me one of those, it will arrive in a couple of days. This video makes me even more anxious to get it a.s.a.p :)
Thanks for not being afraid to show your failures
even-a-blind-squirrel-finds-a-nut
Even though it's not a hardware review, it's still a decent example of the user experience. I imagine like was said, someone really in to hacking and tinkering who could write firmware for it could probably make it do some neat stuff, but out of the box yeah it's pretty limited, and pretty janky with what it can do. I'm guessing most users just learn all the interface quirks and live with it and they just never get fixed. :/
if you have one single unit you can enable mqtt and use your phone’s connectivity with a phone app to reach nodes outside your physical range. think of it similar to d-star or other internet gateway for ham radio. similar concept where you can make use of it before getting other meshtastic nodes for testing.
Ridgway manchester did a couple videos on these lots of fun :)
What a pleasant hot dish like meshtastic review. It brightened my day. Stay the course. Surprised you didn't see utility company noise around 900mhz. My neck of the woods it's -50Db from a rubber ducky every little while.
Meshtastic has a Python CLI, you can interface with serial devices or IP based.
i've got a few meshtastic radios up near maple grove, with really bad antennas so my range record is 1.2km so far. not very popular here yet, no. i've picked up some scattered mesh near downtown st paul and made contact with someone from the roof of a parking ramp next to the minneapolis convention center
if you're "wardriving" for nodes i suggest making sure your radio is on range test mode, so that its actively putting out packets. being a low power tech it doesn't normally advertise itself very much like wifi does
spamming the mesh is hardly a worry if you're not even picking up any mesh 🙃
Nice sister.....
I've considered picking one up. I am undecided because I am in a very remote location. Plus once they catch on the number of users ends up slowing down speed of the network thus communication can be iffy.
Useful for highly rural communities with no internet, but would require organising to be implemented effectively
Welcome to the fun.
Only hits I really get in my part of Florida are people passing by on the highway. Otherwise, all the nodes in my area are me.
Excited to see you get into it.
Try connecting it to your wifi, using the Network configuration in Settings. Then you could turn on MQTT and pick a topic that is regional to you (picking the root topic will just overflow the device's ability to keep up with the traffic). That will let you see nodes that are around your area using the web connection. Then you could drive near those spots and see if you pick them up on RF.
Sis hooked you up!
Time for a repeater on the tower.
Coming up in next video, we install a 100 foot tower.
Yeah, what is the biggest compatible antenna you can get your hands on, and how high can you mount it? 🥳
I think maybe printing up some flyers announcing it. I think you can get people "off grid" with messaging and communications with how popular the backlash is to Big Tech. I want to launch the infrastructure and wait for the users/usage to come later like emergencies or area events. You know "build it and they will come"
I'm convinced there are some use cases where meshtastic would be an ideal tool to have. Its also weirdly appealing to have a sorta 'off the grid' text messaging system... even if not many people use it. Keen to see what you do with it next.
The main uses I can imagine for them that beat normal cell texting is at conventions where the cell towers are choking on users, off-grid quiet radio coms like hunters spread over an area checking on each other without a radio squacking, and for folks trying to discretely communicate during protests using the encryption functions.
I use meshtastic during camping trips to popular spots that bog down whichever cell tower is closest i bring a few glued to the back of phones to handout to people from the group when they go off on their own. But i also struggle to really find a use for them outside of those trips
That's one of the main (and IMO best) use cases for meshtastic - private license-free text comms for small groups over 1-5 mile(ish) area. It's already pretty well-known that meshtastic doesn't function all that well once you reach a certain node amount on a mesh (it's around 100-150 nodes) - and that won't be fixed for at least a year when they re-work the mesh logic in a breaking-change sort of way for the device firmware (Aka when Meshtastic 3.0 is released... current version is 2.3.10)
Why not just use licence free handhelds much better and you can use voice
As someone that recently got some meshtastic nodes to play with, with a hope that it will work well at a busy festival when the mobile networks fail (which happens quite often due to the number of people concentrated in a very small area) I've got one of the tiny ones with a tiny antenna. When I've stayed in tower hotels overnight in london and recently dusseldorf I leave it overnight by the window and usually manage to pick up a couple of nearby nodes but alas my messages to channel 0 seem to get delivered but no one ever responds. Ideally it would be nice to have a proper permanent node at home with a large antenna on the roof as I can see from others testing that you can get a very decent range with a good antenna. They're fun little devices to play with!
but pointless
@@londo776 it’s not pointless if it works and does the job
Use tweezers to install the tiny antennas. Align it with the tweezers and maybe a small jewel screwdriver to apply a small amount of force to snap it into place.
That's the nicest digital paperweight I have ever seen!
Now you need to set up a bunch of nodes out at SandLand throughout the caves. You could have connectivity in the sandbar!
"really inconvenient text messages" seems to be meshtastic's modus operandi. The software interface is still really in development. Cool tech looking for a use case. I have two and should turn one on and keep broadcasting something.
Thanks
Treo 650 fan here!
One of us! One of us!
We are trying to get a big network going over here in PA and u may need a GPS to show on the map
Reminds me of a toy i had back in the 2000's. It would set up a mesh network and you could play games and text others that had it and were in range.
Cybiko?
@@edbersan Yes that is the one i had.
Like the DMR craze of a few years ago, its the new landfill
It's big in UK England
It certainly is. It's all Andy Kirby's fault🙃Over 1200 nodes now here
Check that u.fl antenna connector. You should see some nodes in any reasonably populated area
Welcome to meshtastic. The waterfall should look similar to the logo //\ as it is sweeping across frequencies.
The T-Deck is definitely a challenge. I started with two T-Decks which helped quite a bit in understanding them, since I could talk to myself. The keyboard and screen seem like they would be nice but I've found it much simpler to connect a phone through Bluetooth or a PC through USB and use the web app. I've had similar experiences with the keyboard and device itself being unresponsive but I've found that the unresponsiveness correlated to my lack of knowledge and the more I got in tune with using the T-Deck, the fewer problems I had. The T-Deck firmware is beta, so we can hope there is a lot more development to come and that the T-Deck will become a useful standalone device. I too have yet to connect to any other Metastatic device, other than my own. I take one device with me when traveling around the area and send random messages on the public channel but I've yet to see another device.
I use it for mesh networking connectivity on ATAK for mountainous search and rescue
Provides real time GPS position sharing with a team and overcomes terrain with people acting as nodes
I had the Palm Treo as well back in the day! It was a cool phone for it's time.
I have a Heltec inside the loft, NW UK. It gets like 7 km to a couple of nodes then picks up group messages, populates others on the map and shows now "37 of 111 online". ChUtil 22%, AirUtil 10% (Router client mode).
I tried my other in a backpack and they probably worked intermittently to a 500m radius due to obstructions. But I didn't walk further. On holiday I got 4 miles with the other in a window.
Surprisingly the BT works even downstairs and is way better than via wifi.
I guess I can only DM those I'm direct to and sometimes can traceroute others only a few hops away - but maybe group chat everyone? Also the mesh can get too overloaded to traceroute...
Because a video advised us to crank up all those NodeInfo and neighbourhood position settings and it got too busy.
It was awkward to understand who you have a good signal to. My second device would route through the one in the loft and everyone suddenly had -55 signal instead of ~125.
So all the various node strengths I see now, are they due to it going through someone else?
Try the Liam Cottle meshmap, you can click a node to plot who hears who.
I wonder if you could put t-beam nodes in the tunnels to bounce messages around the different caverns down there, and with enough, maybe get a signal outside!
is sending/receiving LoRa messages via satellite still a thing? If so, I would like to see that setup
I'm not really sure, I have that on my to-do list to look into when I have time.
I just learned a new word - 'Meshtastic'.
Thank you.
☮
Dang. I was hoping there was more activity here in the Cities. I’ve thought of getting one of those after seeing Ringway Manchester using them in the UK.
There is some activity, and it's still growing. Keep at it!
Great video.
I'm excited for you that you now have a HackRf to play with, I have had one for 7 years now. I am hoping for your sanity that you are not plagued with the dreadful static discharge into the antenna, the tiny IC used for the receive amp (a duplicate IC is also used for the PA) is a horrid thing to replace when they stop working.
You need to get the Clifford heath version it solves that problem
@@londo776 Thanks, I'll look into it.
have some nodes for 2 weeks now and its neat to fiddle with it. . there is getting more and more activity in the southern parts of the netherlands also.. anyway loved the video ...
I agree 100% with your sentiments about use case, I like innovation, I like radios, etc, but I just don't know what I would do with something like this. It's like a weird inconvenient cell phone.
Pretty much the entire point of it is to be a texts-only "cell phone" when there is no cell signal.
I've bought a few different 'Liligo' products, without exception, they all seem best described as 'flaky'.
I think it would be cool to connect it to something else like a weather station or some sensor in your physical mailbox that can notify you.
I honestly love MMCX connectors for my headphones.
Only problem I've encountered tho is that on cheap Chinese ones, QC and fitment isn't amazing.
Some are too loose and love to disconnect/fall loose, and other's are a bit too shallow resulting in the same, but when they come without defects, they're good.
Been waiting for this video!!!
A reminder for those that don't know. I'll always hook up the antennas before you power it up
Yes, if you don't install the antenna first, you will fry the unit.
Also, PLEASE RTFM or lookup the directions on YT to assist you in the install.
And have a reasonable expectation of the device and what it can or cannot do.
Normally that is sage advice with RF stuff, but having built more than 40 meshtastic nodes (and run a couple of them extensively without antenna accidentally) the super low wattage that is being used to transmit on these things (~0.25W) doesn't fry the circuitry. I drove around for a whole day with the ipex connector on my car-based node disconnected without me knowing, and it would have sent hundreds of pings, AND I was trying to range test with it...and it never showed any ill effects, and continues to work fine to this day.
but it is low powered but ok good practice.... I am curious if this is true
edit: it seems the comment above answered my curosity
Didn't come with a manual, I did check out a couple TH-cam videos on the thing before I assembled it though.
@@andynull8869 The only way I've seen any meshtastic device get fried (and this happens a lot if you aren't careful when buying parts, etc) is if you use the reverse polarity on the battery connector and plug in the battery. That'll fry anything though, not just these things.
ChUti is the Channel Utilisation, so how much is going on or how much noise is there.
Where can i find one of those keyboards? x) 10:09
I think it's this one: amzn.to/4dyOhRT
I just got a few of the Pico+Waveshare modules, and it is so much better using it via that hardware serial.
Lucky! I never got a nice meshtastic kit from my sister. Well, I don't have a sister, but still. 😂 I've been so tempted for quite some time to get into this, but I'm pretty remote. Might not get interesting unless I pretend to be someone else's sister and surprise them with a kit.
Where you get the case for t-deck
I am looking around but i not find please help to get
That sounds like an adventurous device, I'm curious to see how it develops. That was quite interesting. Google has also built something similar with Alexa, as new devices are equipped with a LoRA chip.
In theory your mini comp 10:49 you could run meshtastic as web client and if you have enough resources you run Wintak as well can do stuff in festival settings or hiking camping places with poor cell reception or for encrypted chat but you are visible
Love the videos keep it up
51.8" square loop fir 915 works fantastic
A lot of these problems can be fixed playing the meshtastic code, or by adding some hardware. For example, the battery indicator is voltage based, by measuring the current you can get way closer to reality (but it may require hardware mods). So yeah, really cool but not for the average consumer.
Good cells have repeatable characteristics
I'm in Minneapolis and been thinking of getting into Mesh. Maybe soon there will be more nodes here!
The LTE antenna is something that will work, but that external antena is a better fit.
I like 'The Alley Cat"'s t-deck case a bit more than the one you received. Yes the board antenna connecter pretty much sucks.
GPS is handy if you want Mestastic to track where you are, and get the time from something useful. There is no internal RTC clock within the system. But not, it's not required. And yes that internal map is related to having the GPS as well.
I'm working on setting up a couple of repeaters, one on the roof here in Robbinsdale, and another up at my not really an edition of SandLand) I bought the land to retire on, I'm retired now, but can't really move up there at the moment. Need to get back out of retirement for a few years.
What some are doing with LoRA but not necessarily Meshtastic, is part of home automation. for sensor traffic carrying.
As the ESP32 doesn't really have a multi-tasking OS, (it has firmware that provides something like that, but it's not a full OS that can launch more than one user app.) So unless it's integrated into Mestastic itself, it's probably not going to happen while Meshtastic is on the device. That might change, who knows.
My own preference would be to be able to take notes that get synced up to my server at home w/o having to rely on Google or someone else to not be reading them over whatever comms channel I use. Shopping lists, etc.
There were about a hundred or so users at Hamvention this year, and they ran into issues with the configuration of channel 0, as some of the things that the default configuration does is send fairly short messages over long transmit times. This is good for range, not so good for high volume traffic.
When properly configured, with properly tuned antennas, these things have demonstrated phenominal range for something working just under a Gigahz. As part of my relay setup, I'm considering pairing two devices, one for local high speed coms, and another for distant but slow traffic, and see if I can reach others.
Have fun!
This time on save it for parts my sister sent me a random thing!
This is what i love about YT a platform for random science stuff
do they have a bulletin board system? yeah, not quite sure of the applications, might need it if these corpos keep sizing the internet 😆👍
in oklahoma we only have Meth-tastic!!!
God blesss you from central MN, just blocks from a major HAM Shack in Waite Park :)
Wait. What?!
meshtastic is cool for remote controller projects with arduino - you can send and receive data via serial port. I can reach a weatherstation 50KM away with 3 Hops. It is essential to get two boards/nodes if you start with meshtastic.
That interface is okay for what it is but the real purpose of meshtastic is to act as a Gateway between your phone and an entirely different network.
This way when commercial cell phones go down people still have a means of communicating.
Like CB radio but with data
I was wondering when you would get to this. Thank you.
You've inspired me to get a few of the devices and I'm learning about this before installing them. Are there any updates from your side? I've been looking on TH-cam for weeks now. Meshtastic needs an influencer to grow and reach the audience.
I do have an update where I tried it from a small plane. I'm still learning about it myself!
Can relate to tiny crap and ape fingers. My fingers would be more at home picking boogers out of a lowland gorilla's nose, or busting open termite mounds. When I was tearing apart computers and occasionally reassembling them right, I struggled. These days, damned "keys" on a smart phone are a challenge. When you can push 8 keys at once with your finger tip, and you are old and getting near sighted anyhow, they make you invoke the old gods and fill the swear jar quickly.
I heard about these last year and have been keeping an ear on the default frequency with my communication received but never heard anything yet. Weird that there’s a bunch of videos of these all of a sudden lately.
By the time these are popular enough to rely on, Starlink will be allowing texts directly from cellphones on mass basis. They already do so on some test sats and expanding fast.
the military satellite network won't be for us civilians especially with Elon's love of government money. Starlink phones are gonna be the new "Obama phones" prepaid phones provided by the government in exchange for billions of free dollars going in that company's pockets
Gabe - great channel, I learn a lot here! But what channel do you use for meshtastic? Usage is still low overall and they don't tell you what channel to use. Thanks for the content!
LongFast is the standard one that most people seem to be on
Very smilar experence for me! I am in a rural environment so maybe that is my problem, Will be interested to hear how things go with some extra units. Hopefully a further video?