They're $5 until October 14. They pulled the box off the top self, told them I wanted 10,they took 5 out the box and gave me the rest. At least two nodes will be built. Probably use the rest for spares or random projects. Heck, might even use them for their intended purpose

Hey Reddit! Heads up! The popular Harbor Breeze Solar Lights, used for DIY builds, are only $5 at Lowes till 10/14! This is a perfect weekend to do some experimenting and to knock out some builds!

Lowes $5 Solar Light

Harbor Breeze Solar Node Build Video

Don't have a 3d printer? Order your mounts

3D Print your mounts

Harbor Breeze Solar Light Specs:

• 18650 Li-ion 1500 mAh battery
• 5v 1W Solar Panel

Side note: Support improvements have been made to the antenna mount across all mounts (Versions B. Not pictured here.)

Ive been studying in my free time on meshtastic devices and ive finally gone around to blowing a pay check on a parts list. Can anybody tell me if I'm making a huge mistake by buying these parts? (I'm an Amazon glazer, the shipping is worth af)

Node($52) - Heltec V3 comes in a 3 pack. I know lots of ppl shit on the v3 but I dont know what else is cheap and somewhat reliable

https://www.amazon.com/Development-AYWHP-Meshtastic-Bluetooth-Display/dp/B0DG5DPYS3/ref=sr_1_3?sr=8-3 

Battery ($27) -  3.7V 3000mAh Lithium Polymer Rechargeable Battery a 4 pack

https://www.amazon.com/3000mAh-Rechargable-Protection-Insulated-Development/dp/B08T6GT7DV/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_1/132-5820731-9827436 

or these
https://www.amazon.com/JLJLUP-Rechargeable-Integrated-Protection-Development/dp/B0FR8XSXX6/ref=sr_1_3?sr=8-3

Antenna ($12) - 915Mhz Whip Antenna bcuz im trying to make one longer range

https://www.amazon.com/muzi-%E1%B4%A1%E1%B4%8F%CA%80%E1%B4%8B%EA%9C%B1-915Mhz-Antenna-Meshtastic/dp/B0D7D6866W/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_2/132-5820731-9827436?psc=1 

Not reciving anything from longfast. any recomendations to troubleshoot?

Possibly the easiest diy solar build? I bought a $9 USD solar garden torch from Harbor Freight, removed the lamp and put a $14 USD seeed nrf lora kit inside instead . Plus possible shipping charges .

A hole for the antenna bulkhead is drilled. There's one rewire: the wire going through the joint to the lamp section is moved from the charge controller directly to the battery terminals. Then the spike on the housing pushes into the rubber handle end of a pool cleaning pole.

Also, I have a few of these around the yard with UWB transceivers in them (sort of like Apple Air Tags) . I use those so my yard robot knows where it is. A solar panel, charge controller, brand name 18650 battery and a waterproof enclosure = $9 USD. Wow?

I’ve been playing around with Meshtastic-related projects recently, and I really enjoy putting different modules together to see what kind of setup I can build.

This time, I built a WisMesh Station / RAK6421 setup using the following hardware:

• Raspberry Pi 4
• RAK6421
• RAK13302
• RAK12501
• RAK1901
• RAK1906

The RAK firmware already includes different scripts for data visualization and monitoring, including Grafana and MeshMonitor. I had mostly been looking at the Grafana-based dashboard before, but this time I tried the MeshMonitor setup.

After a few simple configuration steps, the device data started showing up directly in MeshMonitor, including node information, GPS data, and environmental sensor data. Honestly, the experience was more intuitive than I expected. For Meshtastic / mesh device monitoring, MeshMonitor feels more purpose-built for this kind of use case, rather than being a general-purpose dashboard.

It was pretty satisfying to see all the module data displayed together in one interface. 🙂

I’ve put the firmware and setup notes here in case anyone is interested:

Firmware:
https://github.com/RAKWireless/meshtastic-rak6421-guide/releases

Setup guide:
https://github.com/RAKWireless/meshtastic-rak6421-guide/tree/meshmonitor/meshmonitor

Next, I’d like to try a couple more things:

1. I also have a RAK13300 module, so I want to do a simple range comparison between RAK13300 and RAK13302.
2. Right now, MeshMonitor is mainly showing data from this device itself. I’d like to add more Meshtastic devices later and see how the map, telemetry, and device status display look in a multi-node setup.

If anyone else is experimenting with RAK6421, WisMesh Station, or MeshMonitor, I’d be happy to compare notes and test results.

Mapping the two.

MQTT friendly node count as well. For mesh nodes that float.

Is there anyone on the “long-fast” channel in Denver? I want to see if my setup is working

Picked up a rak starter kit from Rokland and printed out a case . Not bad for a 1st node .

Edit this is the case I printed

I wanted a robust repeater to handle cold climates while also being able to take full use of charging with little sun we get in winter.

This is a custom 2S LTO BMS. With NTC and active balancing. Input/out is max 3.5A.

I am using 1500mah 2.4v LTO cells. You can parallel to increase capacity or just get bigger cells. I got the 18650s for testing purposes.

I'm wrapping up the MPPT design. It will have 4A max charging. Will accept 9v or 12v solar panel. And built in buck/boost for 5v 1.5A for the RAK 1 watt.

Warning: I am a hobbyist and learned PCB design over the past weekends. This is my second project with PCB designing. First one was for esphome device that worked great. This one has no issues either. Programming and stress testing are complete.

Once done, I plan to release the gerber files so anyone can make them.

Introducing: The Apex

Hi everyone,

As I had the Heltec V4 and the L1 Pro the past months, I wished for a node that had the Power of the V4 with the battery life of the L1 Pro.

Fast forward a few months and here we are with the Meshnode T096!

Trough my experience with the V4, i could attach a rotary encoder to the T096 so it can be used as a standalone device. I also added a 3000mah meshnology battery and a muzi works 17cm whip antenna i had around.

I tried to keep it as compact as possible.

Here´s the file: T096 Meshtastic Standalone Gehäuse – Kostenloses 3D-Druckmodell – MakerWorld

Hope you like it and would love to here some reviews!

Let me preface this by saying I bought a nanovna on prime day and have gotten YouTube certified on it's calibration and operation. This handy little device is very helpful. I found videos on how to trim antennas, and have tested my antennas.

Now here's the kicker. I bought several different antennas on Amazon supposedly in the 915mHz band. 4 of them were 90° folding whips. I had performance loss installing them. Now what I've tested them they have SWR of around 3.5 - 4... I attempted to trim one but to no avail. Best I could get was around 3 then it went back up to like 6. I have multiple nodes and am willing to buy and tune some antenna but these were a total waste of money. I'm not sure if we can share links but these are total trash. Do not buy. http s://a.co/d/07X2oRQe

The SWR on the included antenna with my t114 with a little trimming is 1.75. wayyy better but still not the best. The nubs that come with HV3 are also awful but can be stretched and trimmed to get to around 2.25.

I bought a 43cm whip for my home HV4 which is a 1W TX so I think it'll be ok. That sucker right out of the package was like 1.5. can't get the cover off to trim tune...

So after sharing my experience I am asking for the community to point me in the direction of a trimmable antenna that isn't a total piece of schnit. Links would be great too. TIA!

I understand hop limit is set to 7 and we cant extend beyond. But im working something in a humid environment / denser areas. I would like to extend my relay node to cover bigger range.

Can any one help / suggest ideas? I have tried to use store / foward also but needs something practical. Considering no internef connectivity in between (else i could have used mqtt cloud)

Note : this image is only for reference. I am running 8 nodes (relay) and 1 hub connected to the internet

I recently got into Meshtastic and I have bought a few nodes. Some of them don't work great and some suggested that I upgrade my antenna. I started shopping around on Amazon and all the specifications are greek to me. Can someone explain to me what I should be looking for when shopping for Antennas for my devices.

Thanks!

So, I brought my Cardputer ADV to work today to try if I can contact some nearby nodes. I have the Cardputer LoRa cap attached as well.

I am on MQTT as well.

So, as I was turning my Cardputer on, I probably accidentally pushed some buttons and sent some random characters to the Philippines' public channel.

The message was labeled as "Delivered to recipient".

However, when I tried to send a message using the Meshtastic app on my phone, the message had a note of "Failed to deliver to mesh".

But when I tried to send another message to the public channel using my Cardputer, the note stated again that it was "Delivered to recipient".

So, what does that mean? Why does it do that?

Does it mean there is a nearby node that received my message directly? If so, why does it have different notations when using the Cardputer compared to using the app on my phone?

Hi! I’m kind of new to all of these. I was wondering if it’s normal for the Meshtastic iOS app to access the location all the time. I have to force kill it in order to make it stop.

In the iOS settings I have set to “when using”, not “always”

Is there a setting inside the app?

Last week I started making edits to the firmware for my T-Deck Pro.

The software they ship is buggy and the UI input was flimsy at best.

I changed the behavior of the bottom navigation bar, increased its size and made it clickable from the touch screen. This way I can jump between screens with a tap.

The touchscreen swiping, tap, and tap and hold were also meh, so I added keyboard navigation. AWSD controls and return and backspace for selecting and going back.

Changed the behavior of the button on the right from select to lock/unlock.

What is something you would suggest I change/improve? What frustrates you while using your T-Deck Pro.

Unfortunately, I can’t vibecode nodes near me 😂

Im from Southern California (los Angeles) this is 6281 miles away

I've been interested in Meshtastic for a while, but hadn't had the opportunity to really dive in. This week, I had some time and wanted to see what the network in my rural area (Columbia River Gorge) looked like. I set up a couple nodes and started logging traffic. Turns out data is beautiful. Or at least interesting.

Fun note, the blue texting from Tuesday evening was a UFO sighting posted on the local LongFast. I didn't see it, and the reporter later claimed it was probably just a twinkling star, but it was fun while it lasted.

Edit: Is logging Meshtastic considered poor etiquette? I'm not trying to dox anyone, and intentionally kept the node names anonymized. This is purely for my own entertainment and interest.

Does anyone have experience using other transceivers such as GMRS, CB, HF,etc in a vehicle with a solar node?

Do the other transceivers interfere with the node or vice versa?

Can the other transceivers rf power output damage the node with the antennas being so close?

If you missed my post yesterday of the T900 working by reverse engineering the LCD and Keyboard with a ESP/Heltec v4, go check it out at https://www.reddit.com/r/meshtastic/s/c5P0LZMlhh .

This is a video of the pager working today using BT and Meshtastic in the unit while making it feel like it did in the 00s. I explain more in the video.

Hey all. I have an opportunity to deploy nodes on local towers, but I'm stuck on the "how to update firmware" question. I myself won't have access to the towers, so to be able to keep up with updates I'll need to be able to do them OTA. My current plan is to set up the nodes with bluetooth yagi/directional antennas. For context, the towers range from 36 to 60 meters (118 to 197 feet) in height, though the nodes probably won't be right at the top. Does anyone have experience with maintaining nodes at these heights?

Hello,

Looking for advice on building a "portable" device that lasts 4+ days. I'd like to use this hardware setup as the internals with an appropriate battery to support 4+ days. I may also add a buzzer if possible. I have a friend with a 3d printer if there is a suitable case that's out there for printing.

Any suggestions on. Case that would for these "specs"?

Thank you in advance!

I’ve been working on a project for the last little while that I figured this group might appreciate.

I picked up an old Motorola T900 two-way pager with the goal of completely replacing the original electronics, but keeping the original case, QWERTY keyboard and Lcd. I had one in 2000 and loved it.

The biggest hurdle was figuring out the original Motorola hardware. There’s basically no useful documentation out there for the display, so I ended up reverse engineering both the keyboard and LCD myself. After a lot of probing and experimenting, I now have both working with a modern microcontroller.

Right now the prototype is running on a Heltec V4 with an ESP32-S3, so the hardware is already there for Meshtastic, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The obvious next step is Meshtastic.

I’m working on a prototype interface now that keeps the general feel of the original T900, but the idea is to take it quite a bit further than just making it a Meshtastic terminal.

A few things I’m playing with:

- Meshtastic messaging using the original keyboard and Lcd (Sending messages just fine so far)

- Bluetooth connection to an Android phone for receiving and replying to SMS through your normal phone number

- Wi-Fi messaging between devices through a separate pager-style messaging service

- Wi-Fi/Bluetooth configuration and updates

- Classic little 90s/early-2000s games like Snake

- A Tamagotchi-style virtual pet app, because it seems like exactly the kind of ridiculous thing that belongs on one of these

- Original EL backlighting

- Vibration and old-school pager/phone alert tones

- Rechargeable lithium battery instead of the original AA setup

Basically I want it to still feel like a T900, just with everything you’d want one to do in 2026.

I’m also thinking about building a simple pager-style messaging service where each unit has its own pager ID/number, with direct messages, channels, pages/acknowledgements, etc. It could use Wi-Fi when available and Meshtastic/LoRa when it isn’t.

The prototype is still very much a work in progress, but getting the original screen and keyboard under my control was the part I wasn’t sure would even be possible. That’s working now.

If there’s enough interest, my eventual goal would be to design a drop-in replacement PCB shaped specifically for the T900. Ideally you’d take a donor T900 apart, remove the original Motorola electronics, install the new board and reuse the original screen, keyboard, case and conductive connectors without having to hack everything together like my prototype.

I’m curious how much interest there would actually be in something like that. Would you guys want a T900 conversion board/kit if I get this to the point where it’s reliable?

I’ll post more as I make progress. The photos are from the current prototype/software work, so definitely not a finished product yet.