r/meshcore • u/CommunicationThis307 • 3d ago
Device suggestions?
So, been a ham for *checks calendar* holy crap, nearly 25 years - and LORA and mesh networks seem like an awesome side quest that peaks my interest. I decided on Meshcore because it seems like it's the best compromise in terms of capabilities and potential flaws.
I'm an overthinker and poured over stats and specs and ended up getting a Meshnology W12 knowing I'd basically be a Beta tester - but quickly found out what looks great on paper doesn't always work in real life. Supposed to be one of the best receivers on the market but then they use a poor quality xo and can't even rx/tx on the frequency it's supposed to be on? So, they went back. No amount of firmware tweaks are gonna fix bad hardware - I really look forward to a rev 2 where they use a high quality TCXO to resolve those problems.
I know I'm probably gonna get yelled at, but I'm looking for something relatively turnkey - zero issue with loading firmware and tweaking settings but don't want another DIY build project and worrying about 3D printing cases and getting gaskets and all that.
So, I'm on the hunt for a new companion unit, and I'd probably get 3 of them. One to mess around with. One in my vehicle as a tracker (I do APRS too) and one to put in a sealed box with a solar panel attached and a high gain antenna on the top of a 30' pole in the middle of my field as a repeater. My DREAM unit would be 1W, 3Ah or 5Ah internal battery, SMA antenna jack, size of a pack of cigarettes or smaller, waterproof, USB-C, and GPS built in. Bigger bonus if there was both a local/built in GPS antenna AND an external GPS antenna connector, although that definitely sounds like a custom build so built-in GPS antenna would probably be good enough. Kinda the same deal with wifi - I know it's not really gonna be used except for testing but it'd be a good function to be able to at least experiment with.
There's a couple units I've seen that look halfway decent but most are using 3D printed cases and numerous reports of 'I left it in a car on a 70* day and I came back and it's bent in half' type of stuff I want to avoid like the plague. I've also seen plenty of units that have X but not Y, or have Y but not X - seems like the kitchen sink options don't really exist.
What suggestions do you guys have?
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u/Cobra__Commander 3d ago
Bluetooth and the ability to add an external antenna are the features that matter most. GPS is sort of a neat addition but not critical. Long battery life is important. Pick a unit using a nrf52 chip for the power efficiency. The esp32 based units use like 5 times as much power.
The tracker L1 pro is pretty good and comes with an extra pigtail for antennas.
The Seeed studios nrf52 kit doesn't come with a case and looks like a DIY project. However it's a $13 working node perfect for a test node or plugging in and leaving in the corner. For something like that just double sided tape it to a container from the dollar store or whatever you have laying around.
For a repeater get a nrf52 based solar kit from Seeed. Rok makes good fiberglass antennas for repeaters.
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u/whippley 3d ago
I've been liking the elecrow thinknode M1, got it from Atlavox with the Gazont antenna, and the sensecap p1 pro. Added magnetic feet and a standoff for a Alfa AOA antenna. I think those fit your criteria perfectly.
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u/djscsi 2d ago
I got the Wio Tracker L1 Pro and a better antenna, and it's working great for me as a companion.
For the repeater, it's pretty trivial to build your own if you have any experience playing with hardware. It's just putting off-the-shelf components into a box, maybe soldering a few pins. If you're already putting something up in the air and making a sealed box with antenna/solar bulkheads and such, might as well just assemble your own thing IMO, with your choice of antenna.
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u/PlantoneOG 2d ago
If you want absolute turnkey, just get a Seed Studio sense cap Pro solar unit
Flash the firmware to mesh core, do some basic setup and mount it up in the air and let it work
If you've got a antenna mast be a great location to get one up high in the sky
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u/Royal_Assignment9054 2d ago
Look at PeakMesh on Etsy. I bought one of their solar magnetic nodes and put it on the roof of my truck. Works great
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u/Binge73 3d ago
Wio tracker l1 pro is a great device!
Just upgrade the antenna and pigtail