Diy mini mesh node I built. Pv and antenna are adjustable for different angles. Case is waterproof. Single 18650 cell has lasted 4 days of rain and clouds just fine. Going to try and fit two 18650s in the same case and stress test some more but after that I'm open to building these for others if interested. Open to ideas or improvements as well.

Hey everyone!
I wanted to share a project I’ve been working on called MeshMatsu, a custom Meshtastic-compatible application for the Tanmatsu Cyberdeck.
Here’s the interesting part: I have very little programming experience, and I’ve been building this entire project with the help of ChatGPT!
I started with a Tanmatsu running firmware v0.2.5 and wanted a standalone application that could communicate with its built-in Meshtastic radio while keeping the existing Tanmatsu launcher intact.
What started as an experiment has turned into a surprisingly functional application.
What I’ve got working so far
● Custom interface: A dedicated MeshMatsu dashboard with keyboard navigation.
● Radio connection: Communicating with the onboard Meshtastic radio and displaying connection status.
● Channel messaging: Viewing channels, message history, and sending messages. The interface reports successful delivery to the mesh.
● Direct messages: Viewing conversations with individual nodes.
● Node discovery: Displaying nearby and previously discovered nodes, including last-seen times, hop counts, and signal information.
● Radio diagnostics: Firmware version, hardware model, node ID, connection status, and activity counters.
● Settings: Menus for radio configuration, channel management, node identity, and display options.
● Offline maps: A map interface with pan/zoom controls and support for displaying node positions.
● Launcher integration: MeshMatsu runs as a separate application without replacing the existing Tanmatsu launcher.
Current development status
The screenshots are from my actual Tanmatsu running MeshMatsu.
The interface is getting close to where I want it visually, but I’m still working through bugs, settings, and functionality.
I’m currently on build/version 31, and the application is still very much a work in progress.
Why ChatGPT?
I’m not a software developer. I wanted to see whether someone with limited coding knowledge could build something useful by working with AI.
ChatGPT has been helping write the code, troubleshoot build errors, and work through the development process.
I’ve been testing the application on the actual hardware and deciding what features and changes to work on next.
It’s been a pretty interesting learning experience!
What’s next?
My goal is to eventually release MeshMatsu as a free, open-source project for other Tanmatsu owners.
Before that happens, I want to finish testing, fix bugs, improve the settings, and review the source code and licensing.
For now, I just wanted to share the progress and see what everyone thinks.
I’d especially love feedback from anyone familiar with the Tanmatsu, Meshtastic, or embedded application development.
What features would you want to see in an app like this?
MeshMatsu is an independent hobby project and is not officially affiliated with Meshtastic or the Tanmatsu manufacturer.

I took my family on a cruise and needed a way for us to communicate on and off the ship. I didn't want to pay for the ridiculously expensive Wi-Fi.

I read some of the other posts about this and noted that Meshtastic isn't guaranteed to work 100% of the time. That said, it worked well enough for our needs.

Setup: One RAK WisBlock as a base station, three Heltec V4s, and one V3.

Security: No issues taking the radios through airport or ship security. I had everyone pack their radio in their own bag so we didn't look weird with a pile of radios in one bag.

Performance: Our cabin was mid-ship on deck 11 with an exterior balcony. I think the RAK node helped a bit with relaying messages. I also pinged it a lot from my node to test range. I was able to get a message from the dock to my room that was on the other side of th ship.

How we used it: My wife and I messaged a lot to find each other around the ship, and my younger kid thought it was "cool" to run off and explore while sending us updates on where they were. My older kid, on the other hand, refused to carry one because it was very "uncool" once they made friends on board. I mean, what could be cooler than Meshtastic? Kids these days...

Diy mini mesh node I built. Pv and antenna are adjustable for different angles. Case is waterproof. Single 18650 cell has lasted 4 days of rain and clouds just fine. Going to try and fit two 18650s in the same case and stress test some more but after that I'm open to building these for others if interested. Open to ideas or improvements as well.

Diy mini mesh node I built. Pv and antenna are adjustable for different angles. Case is waterproof. Single 18650 cell has lasted 4 days of rain and clouds just fine. Going to try and fit two 18650s in the same case and stress test some more but after that I'm open to building these for others if interested. Open to ideas or improvements as well.

I just built this heltec v3 I accidentally order the wrong battery it was a 3.7 v but the with one of those jst connectors but it was too wide so I cut that of and used the one that the heltec came with and it works except it’s not holding its charge very well

Hey everyone!
I wanted to share a project I’ve been working on called MeshMatsu, a custom Meshtastic-compatible application for the Tanmatsu Cyberdeck.
Here’s the interesting part: I have very little programming experience, and I’ve been building this entire project with the help of ChatGPT!
I started with a Tanmatsu running firmware v0.2.5 and wanted a standalone application that could communicate with its built-in Meshtastic radio while keeping the existing Tanmatsu launcher intact.
What started as an experiment has turned into a surprisingly functional application.
What I’ve got working so far
● Custom interface: A dedicated MeshMatsu dashboard with keyboard navigation.
● Radio connection: Communicating with the onboard Meshtastic radio and displaying connection status.
● Channel messaging: Viewing channels, message history, and sending messages. The interface reports successful delivery to the mesh.
● Direct messages: Viewing conversations with individual nodes.
● Node discovery: Displaying nearby and previously discovered nodes, including last-seen times, hop counts, and signal information.
● Radio diagnostics: Firmware version, hardware model, node ID, connection status, and activity counters.
● Settings: Menus for radio configuration, channel management, node identity, and display options.
● Offline maps: A map interface with pan/zoom controls and support for displaying node positions.
● Launcher integration: MeshMatsu runs as a separate application without replacing the existing Tanmatsu launcher.
Current development status
The screenshots are from my actual Tanmatsu running MeshMatsu.
The interface is getting close to where I want it visually, but I’m still working through bugs, settings, and functionality.
I’m currently on build/version 31, and the application is still very much a work in progress.
Why ChatGPT?
I’m not a software developer. I wanted to see whether someone with limited coding knowledge could build something useful by working with AI.
ChatGPT has been helping write the code, troubleshoot build errors, and work through the development process.
I’ve been testing the application on the actual hardware and deciding what features and changes to work on next.
It’s been a pretty interesting learning experience!
What’s next?
My goal is to eventually release MeshMatsu as a free, open-source project for other Tanmatsu owners.
Before that happens, I want to finish testing, fix bugs, improve the settings, and review the source code and licensing.
For now, I just wanted to share the progress and see what everyone thinks.
I’d especially love feedback from anyone familiar with the Tanmatsu, Meshtastic, or embedded application development.
What features would you want to see in an app like this?
MeshMatsu is an independent hobby project and is not officially affiliated with Meshtastic or the Tanmatsu manufacturer.

I was walking around the Walmart and I saw these lights with a detached solar panel and it got me wondering if anyone has tried using one for a solar node.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/5119026753?s=4115&veh=st_qr_db&adid=1500000000000040439209&t=0H-25NH7B

New to meshtastic, I tried to convince my friends it be something fun and affordable to learn. No success, I drive a semi and was wondering with the hardware I have heltecv3. Should I just leave it turned on while driving to discover nodes or is there a config I need to do? Thanks not my best post apologize.

I bought myself a T-beam and connected successfully to the network, however when writing in fast chat there's no one to deliver it to. It's connected alright and has good reception. If I buy one for my mom and dad who lives far away in the same country, will they still be able to get my messages, or is it only people who are nearby? Why are there no other people on the network?

Hey everyone!

I've been working on Node Toolkit, a free, browser-based collection of tools for Meshtastic.

The main feature is a Vanity Identity Generator that lets you generate custom public keys and, with firmware 2.8+, vanity Node IDs matching patterns you choose.

It also includes a Channel Configurator & Decoder, Contact Generator & Decoder, and support for shareable links and QR codes.

Everything runs locally in your browser.

Check it out: https://meshnode.tools/

Feedback, suggestions, and bug reports are welcome!

My base station is ready

Rak Wismesh 1W motherboard

H1000A coaxial cable

It's 12 meters high, 868 MHz, 5 dBi

868MHz Cavity Bandpass Filter High Rejection RF Cavity Filter for LoRa

It has its own battery charged by a solar panel Show less

Did I miss an update or something that removed the ability to set GPS GPIO pins in the Meshtastic app? Pic attached for what the position menu used to look like vs now.

I’ve been really enjoying using MeshMapper with the other firmware and wanted to see if I could map my area with Meshtastic coverage too, but it doesn’t support Meshtastic.

What are the best recourses for a beginner? Assume I know nothing about telecommunications and electronics. I know, theoretically, how meshtastic works but not how to make it function if that makes sense.

I got recently 2 Wio Tracker L1 Pro to have some fun, coming from PMR radios.

I had quite poor range (max `300m) with the factory antenna in the flat, low density area, so I upgraded to amazon 10eur antenna. I'm having now ca 1,2km.

On the map numbers are showing attempt of a direct message from device 2 to device 1.

• what do you think about my results?
• why on the map in the webapp (device1) the location of device 2 (out2) is unrelated?

My next plan is to setup a permanent online node (solar).

The age old question that I’m sure is asked regularly on this sub but I couldn’t see any recently. What to buy to start out? I’m branching out from amateur radio my side doing mainly HF in POTA, portable and digital communications so I have a little bit of experience as I step into the meshtastic world. Just looking for something to tinker with. Do I go with meshtastic? Core? T1000e? L1 Pro (leaning towards this)? I have researched and have a couple nodes in my area, watched a couple beginner videos, but this is about as far as I’ve gotten. Any information is greatly appreciated! Hope you are having an amazing day!

I am looking for someone, who could set up a MQTT bridge for me in Spain. I am going to sail from Mallorca to Tenerife in November and got the crazy idea of receiving the weather forecast sent upon my request so Meshtastic LoRa will cover the last "mile" once we lose GSM.

Idea is, that I will set up a public MQTT server, my node and the Spanish will be set up as bidirectional bridge for private channel and the rest may work as designed by MT.

If you are into crazy adventures, please let me know.

I have a RAK 4631 mounted on top of a 25' flagpole. Does Noise Floor: No reading indicate a poor install? Similarly, does the Bad 4101 mean anything? There are 3 other of these in history, 2 are 4101 but one is 4099. Appreciate any help, advice, and/or assistance!

Just an update on the Singapore Mesh scene.

Central Singapore is pretty well served by two strategic Routers, b37d and 3PT5, providing good coverage westward and eastward respectively. b37d's position on this map is estimated by MeshMonitor, but true position is known to be further south. The position of 3PT5 is accurate. (I deployed it)

Connection to the far west is spotty, as is connection to up north and far east. We proabably need well placed nodes in the Jurong area to reach the far west, and the Bedok area to reach the far east. And one in the Ang Mo Kio area to reach up north.

If you live in one of those areas and have access to a high rooftop and would like to help build the mesh in SG, I'd like to help! Reach out to me at PPAM. I can offer a self-built solar node.

Network Statistics

Total Nodes: 182

Packets TX: 21,079

Packets RX: 99,041

Nodes by hardware model (Top 5)

HELTEC_V4: 14.8% (27)

HELTEC_V3: 12.1% (22)

HELTEC_MESH_NODE_T114: 8.2% (15)

SEEED_WIO_TRACKER_L1: 7.7% (14)

HELTEC_MESH_POCKET: 7.1% (13)

Stay safe in the haze!

PPAM

The first working bench version of my button-controlled Meshtastic handheld is up and running on a Heltec Vision Master T190.
The buttons now navigate the menus, and I can compose and send messages from the device. The screen shows the node world, inbox, channel, and signal info. I’m going for a colourful, pixel-art, NES-inspired look.
It’s still a bench prototype. I’m fixing some font spacing, text collisions, and emoji rendering before moving on to the finished enclosure.

I have played with Meshtastic for quite a long time -- just messing about while mobile (in the car). The main issue is being in village in a valley (hills, not mountains!) - I have friends but not on high points!

As there isn't a convenient place to put a repeater on one of the hills, or at the end of the valley to go around them I was considering options...

One was just a kite... When needed just get a kite up with a repeater hanging from it - a tiny board with a tiny battery.... send it up to relay and collect and send any store/forwards messages, shouldn't take 20 mins.

What do people think?

The other day all mobile signals disappeared for a 20 mins -- when it dropped my main 5G went, so I tried a hotspot my phone (a different provider) and that was down too... It just made me think that I probably should have a fall back plan(!).

Hey all.

I built a couple 1 watt radios this week. One is a solar node built from a Harbor Breeze garden light. The other is a companion unit that is comprised of an 8k mAh battery a power switch and a printed enclosure.

The solar node is running fine, but the companion unit keeps requiring a reset. The switch is in the on position but the unit is off. At first I figured it was the battery, so I swapped it out. Still happening. Any ideas? Is there something about the bigger battery and less reliable current? The solar unit has a 4k battery.