So help me out here. I've heard of meshtastic, I've seen a few videos on radios, not too much more than that.
I tinker. I'm a "has to many hobbies" hobby collector.
Please, piss off my significant other, and tell me why I should get into this?
13
mmmac @lemmy.zip - 1mon
Lol, I'm the same way. Meshtastic is the hobby of the month and it's been fun so far.
Here a few reasons I'm liking it:
Learn more about radio frequencies
Off-grid communication, while hiking, camping, hunting etc
Communication and location updates in areas with poor cell service (concerts, music festivals, travel, boating, etc)
Emergency preparedness
In my area the broadcast channel is pretty active, so a community of like minded people to chat with
Fun little devices you get to burn money on (I have 4 pre-made and parts for 4 more I'll make myself on the way)
9
aubeynarf @lemmynsfw.com - 1mon
if everyone uses giant high gain antennas mounted high, how long do you think it will be before all the channels are completely congested and rendered useless?
this happened to packet radio in the 80s/90s
6
mmmac @lemmy.zip - 1mon
Baymesh has stepped down from long fast to med slow and now we're at MF with ~30% utilization. With 2.7.13 disabling telemetry this should come down a bit further.
Hopefully thos buys us enough time until we have better forwarding algos.
This is a 5.8 dBi antenna though so it's reasonable. The real problem are 8-12 dBis
4
aubeynarf @lemmynsfw.com - 1mon
you need a power control algorithm too, though, not just forwarding algorithm
2
Dagamant @lemmy.world - 1mon
Thats the thing, most people are doing to have a little pocket node to carry around and a much smaller percentage of people will go for rooftop nodes. I do think that Meshtastic could do a better job of letting people know what settings to use for their area and type of node. In busy areas with lots of rooftop nodes, having more people on client-mute helps keep congestion low.
4
Avid Amoeba - 1mon
Make sure you try a low dBi antenna. Some of us have found worse results with 5dBi+ antennas compared to 2dBi.
5
MystikIncarnate @lemmy.ca - 1mon
What antenna are you using?
I'm a ham radio nerd and antennas are fascinating to me
4
mmmac @lemmy.zip - 1mon
Its a RAK 5.8dBi Fiberglass Antenna I got from Rokland. I'm just getting into all of this recently so I've got a lot to learn, but it's a fun process!
mmmac in meshtastic
Chimney solar node will be going up tomorrow
https://lemmy.zip/pictrs/image/1620dfed-457d-4603-9470-53c2f89ccb7b.webp
https://lemmy.zip/pictrs/image/b9e179d1-50b3-456a-8296-840ca55cad7f.webp
So help me out here. I've heard of meshtastic, I've seen a few videos on radios, not too much more than that.
I tinker. I'm a "has to many hobbies" hobby collector.
Please, piss off my significant other, and tell me why I should get into this?
Lol, I'm the same way. Meshtastic is the hobby of the month and it's been fun so far.
Here a few reasons I'm liking it:
if everyone uses giant high gain antennas mounted high, how long do you think it will be before all the channels are completely congested and rendered useless?
this happened to packet radio in the 80s/90s
Baymesh has stepped down from long fast to med slow and now we're at MF with ~30% utilization. With 2.7.13 disabling telemetry this should come down a bit further.
Hopefully thos buys us enough time until we have better forwarding algos.
This is a 5.8 dBi antenna though so it's reasonable. The real problem are 8-12 dBis
you need a power control algorithm too, though, not just forwarding algorithm
Thats the thing, most people are doing to have a little pocket node to carry around and a much smaller percentage of people will go for rooftop nodes. I do think that Meshtastic could do a better job of letting people know what settings to use for their area and type of node. In busy areas with lots of rooftop nodes, having more people on client-mute helps keep congestion low.
Make sure you try a low dBi antenna. Some of us have found worse results with 5dBi+ antennas compared to 2dBi.
What antenna are you using?
I'm a ham radio nerd and antennas are fascinating to me
Its a RAK 5.8dBi Fiberglass Antenna I got from Rokland. I'm just getting into all of this recently so I've got a lot to learn, but it's a fun process!