connecting…
Tune in. Build. Transmit.
A community for radio. GMRS, Amateur Radio, MeshCore, Meshtastic, Reticulum — and everyone building with them. Licensed or just curious, Wisconsin or worldwide, there’s a frequency for you here.
// live tools, running right now
Latest updates
Recently added or refreshed — more topic sections are on the way.
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Updated
Node guide: which board should you get?
A new hardware section — ESP32 vs nRF52840, a comparison of the common companion boards (Heltec V3, T-Deck, T1000-E, RAK, T114, T-Echo), and clear quick-picks.
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Updated
Repeater guide: power saving (firmware 1.16)
New section on MeshCore 1.16’s ESP32 repeater sleep mode — the
powersavingcommand, the defaults, and the battery/solar numbers. -
New
Guide: RF passband filters
The in-depth one — cavity, SAW and ceramic filters, front-end overload and desense, filter placement, and why a 915 MHz node at a tower almost always needs one.
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New
Guide: What to do with a Technician license
Past the repeater — weak-signal and the magic band, simplex, FM satellites, APRS, packet radio, and your real slice of HF including 10-meter voice.
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New
Guide: SSB, explained
Single sideband, in depth — what it is, when to use LSB vs USB, how wide it is, and how to tune and run it cleanly.
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Updated
Observer guide: pyMC & fault alerts
Setting up an observer now covers a Python (pyMC) path on a Pi, plus over-the-mesh fault alerts for when WiFi or MQTT drops out.
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New
Guide: A field guide to coax
Sizes, real loss numbers from HF to UHF, impedance match, the common connectors, and how to weatherproof an outdoor joint.
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New
Guide: Working amateur radio satellites
Orbits, modes and the active birds — talk through space with a handheld, or chase DX with an IC-9700 and an SDR.
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New
Guide: Reticulum for beginners
The crypto-first networking stack that runs over LoRa, the internet and packet radio — what it is and how to get started.
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New
Guide: Set up an observer node
Flash the observer firmware and point it at RF Lab — feed CoreScope and the analyzers with every packet you hear.
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New
Guides: Meshtastic setup & security
Two new Meshtastic guides — set up your first node, and back up your keys before a reflash bites you.
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New
Guide: Getting around CoreScope
A tour of the CoreScope UI — the live map, packet feed, node analytics, channels and observers.
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New
New section: Tools
A home for tool how-tos — starting with a full reference for CoreScope’s packet filter language.
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New
Guide: The MeshCore Sensor firmware
Run an off-grid weather node — which sensors plug in over I2C, how to read the data, and what people build with it.
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New
Guide: OTA updates for repeaters
Push new MeshCore firmware over Bluetooth or WiFi — no cable, no ladder (OTAFIX required first).
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New
Guide: Flash the OTAFIX bootloader
Reliable over-the-air MeshCore updates on nRF52 boards — update a roof-mounted repeater without climbing to it.
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Updated
MeshCore IDs & avoiding collisions
Added byte-setting compatibility tables — what talks to what across 1-, 2- and 3-byte path hashes.
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Tools
CoreScope, MeshMapper & Echo
Live MeshCore map, coverage maps and node telemetry — embedded right here on the site.
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New
Guides library
GMRS licensing, MeshCore node & repeater setup, key backup & security, and Antennas 101.
Wisconsin-born. Globally open.
Started by operators in Wisconsin, open to anyone with an antenna and a question. Here’s the vibe.
No gatekeeping
Unlicensed and asking “dumb” questions? Perfect. Everyone keyed up for the first time once.
Hands-on
We’d rather build a node than argue about it. Show your work, break things, learn loud.
Signal over noise
Real help, real builds, real coverage maps — plus weather, tower sightings, and the occasional chicken.