// guides

Guides

Straight-talking, field-tested guides — no gatekeeping. Get on the air, then go deep.

MeshCore

MeshCore IDs & avoiding collisions

What 1-, 2-, and 3-byte Public IDs mean, why collisions happen, and how to pick a clean ID with MeshMapper.

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GMRS

Get your GMRS license

$35, no test, covers your whole family — every FCC step, start to finish.

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Amateur Radio

Working amateur radio satellites

Orbits, modes and the active birds — talk through space with a handheld, or chase DX off a dish.

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MeshCore

Set up your first MeshCore node

Flash the firmware, pair the app, set your region, and get on the mesh.

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MeshCore

Set up a MeshCore repeater

Flash the Repeater role, lock it down, set 3-byte IDs, and mount it high.

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MeshCore

MeshCore backup & key security

Back up your node and keep your private key safe — before a reflash bites you.

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MeshCore

Flash the OTAFIX bootloader

Make over-the-air updates actually work — push firmware to a roof-mounted repeater over Bluetooth.

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MeshCore

OTA updates for repeaters

Push new firmware over Bluetooth (or WiFi) — no cable, no ladder. OTAFIX required first.

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MeshCore

The Sensor firmware: weather over the mesh

Turn a cheap LoRa board into an off-grid weather station — which sensors plug in, and how to read the data.

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MeshCore

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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Meshtastic

Set up your first Meshtastic node

Flash the firmware, pair the app, set your region, and send your first message.

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Meshtastic

Meshtastic backup & security

Your private key is your identity — back it up, go private, and lock a node down.

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Reticulum

Reticulum for beginners

The crypto-first networking stack that runs over LoRa, the internet and packet radio — what it is and how to start.

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Hardware

Antennas 101

SWR, coax, and where to mount — the fundamentals that actually move the needle.

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Want a guide written (or want to write one)? Suggest it in #resources on Discord.

Stuck on something?

The fastest guide is often just asking — the operators in Discord have been there.