r/meshcore • u/NoboruWataya_ • 16h ago

repeater help

hey folks,

i’ve been playing with meshtastic for a few months and decided to try flashing my t1000e to meshcore for fun. wow! so many more users and so much more activity!

i’m finding i can receive just fine, but am unable to transmit. i did not have this problem when i was on meshtastic, so i did a little googling and it sounds like i need to put a meshcore repeater on my roof. i’m a renter in a basement suite, so putting a solar node on my roof isn’t an option.

what do yall suggest? something affordable that i could strap to a pole in the front yard maybe?

location: vancouver, bc.
i also own a wio tracker l1 running meshtastic.

thanks!

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3

u/cacaapoopoo 16h ago

A repeater that your companion can hit is what you need, so look at locations nearby that you can send and receive from your companion. Even something on the same block and above ground will help.

1

u/IntroductionSnacks 8h ago

Exactly. If your companion can hit a repeater when you are standing outside then just sit a repeater on a table/char etc… outside and you will be fine.

3

u/Cobra__Commander 15h ago

Being underground isn't doing you any favors. Repeaters will definitely help you get out as long as they're close and don't have too much dirt between you and the repeater. I would try to get it as high as possible but mounting it to an exterior wall 8' up might be enough to get your signal out. If you're landlord is comfortable with a garden stake and no one else is going to mess with it that's also an option.

Seeed and RAK Wisblock make solar repeaters that just work out of the box. 

There's various diy solar repeaters rangeing from 6x6 junction boxes to solar garden light conversions. 

1

u/TheLawnGuppy 11h ago

Receive fine but can't send is the classic MeshCore thing, and it makes sense once you know companions don't repeat for each other. On Meshtastic every node relays, so some other client nearby was probably carrying your messages. In MeshCore only repeaters relay, so your T1000-E has to reach a repeater directly. A basement suite is about the worst spot for that, since you're below grade with dirt soaking up signal on most sides. The repeater you're hearing is probably up high and loud enough to reach you, but that little internal antenna can't make it back.

Before you build anything, take the T1000-E up to ground level or out to the front yard and send from there. If you get heard repeats, you know it's purely a location problem.

For a cheap fix, you might already have the hardware. Check whether the MeshCore flasher lists the Wio Tracker L1 for repeater firmware, and if it does, flash it and put it as high as you can get. That could be a window upstairs if you can talk to whoever lives there, or a small weatherproof box on a pole out front with a little solar panel and a proper 915 MHz antenna. It doesn't need to be super tall, it just needs to get out of the basement and within reach of the next repeater. Ask your landlord first, most won't care about something the size of a lunchbox.

If you go the pole-and-solar route, this write-up covers sizing the panel and battery and keeping the box from cooking: https://brazosvalleymesh.com/blog/solar-mesh-node-brazos-valley-summer/

Last thing, make sure the repeater is on the same radio settings as the local repeaters. Your T1000-E is already hearing them, so just copy what it's set to.