Building a local Meshtastic network

Several Rusk County Amateur Radio Club members are expanding their capabilities by embracing Meshtastic, an open-source, decentralized communication system. Meshtastic uses LoRa radios to create a mesh network, allowing long-range, off-grid communication for text messaging and data sharing without relying on cellular or internet infrastructure. Best of all, you don't need a ham license to use them although if you have a license, you can use higher power levels.

During a recent club presentation, Keith Ballow (KN5G) explained the key features of Meshtastic. The system runs on ESP32 development boards, among other, which can utilize Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and operates on the LoRa (Long Range) protocol. This robust, low-bandwidth technology has become widely adopted, even being integrated into Amazon’s "Sidewalk" devices. Meshtastic nodes are self-healing and self-developing, making them ideal for building resilient communication networks in areas without reliable infrastructure.

Keith, David and Nathan recently tested a few local nodes, successfully communicating with their homes node from various points around the county, reaching distances of up to 1.88 miles. Keith and David we able to reach closer to 8 miles with higher nodes and larger antennas. The nodes operate at 900 MHz, a band available for unlicensed use. As mentioned earlier, licensed ham operators can unlock higher power levels on this band by disabling encryption.

Meshtastic networks can even connect to the internet, with only one user needing access to extend connectivity across the entire mesh. The technology supports encrypted communication, but for ham operators, the system will automatically turn off encryption to comply with regulations.

For more information about Meshtastic and how to join the local efforts, visit Meshtastic.org or reach out to the Rusk County Amateur Radio Club. You can also learn about the current efforts to keep the 900 MHz band open for amateur use at ARRL.org.