A working notebook for a small Meshtastic deployment running the LongFast modem preset. Mostly for my own reference — range data, hardware notes, things that broke, things that didn't.
If you're new: Meshtastic is an open-source mesh networking project built on cheap LoRa radios. Nodes form an ad-hoc mesh and forward each other's text messages and telemetry, no internet or cell service needed. LongFast is the default preset — 250 kHz bandwidth, SF11, ~1.07 kbps over the air. It's the right balance of range and throughput for general-purpose meshes.
This isn't an official site for anything. Just personal logs. If something here is wrong, it's because I haven't fixed it yet.
| Node | Hardware | Power | Mount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOME | Heltec V3 | USB / UPS | Indoor, attic dipole | up |
| TREE-01 | RAK4631 + RAK19007 | 10W solar + 6 Ah LiFePO₄ | Tall conifer, ~38 m AGL | up |
| RIDGE | T-Beam v1.2 | 6W solar + 18650 ×2 | Hilltop, fence-mast | up |
| GARAGE | Heltec V3 | USB | Indoor, eave antenna | intermittent |
This is the one I'm proudest of. A RAK4631 + solar charger board in a custom 3D-printed enclosure that integrates the antenna into the body of the unit, hanging vertically downward from the mount point. The whole thing is slung from a high branch in a tall conifer somewhere in Northern California, well into the canopy.
Deployment was done with a drone and a fishing line. The drone carried a length of 30 lb monofilament over a target branch, the line was used to pull up progressively heavier cordage (paracord, then the actual support line), and finally the node itself was hauled up. Total elevation gain is around 38 m AGL. No climb required, which I'm increasingly fond of as a deployment method — way less hardware on the ground, way less time exposed in someone's eyeline, and way less risk to me.
The integrated-antenna design is the part I keep coming back to. A separate mast and U-bolt would have been more "correct" but every joint and lashing is a failure mode, and the wind loading on a tree-mounted external mast is genuinely scary. With the antenna inside the enclosure body and the whole unit hanging gravity-aligned, the antenna stays vertical as long as the suspension line stays attached. One part instead of five. Still need to do a real radiation pattern check next time it's down for service, but range numbers are competitive with my fence-mounted RIDGE node so it can't be that bad.
Power is a 10 W panel (oversized on purpose — canopies are dark) feeding a 6 Ah LiFePO₄ pack via a Victron MPPT. Power budget has been comfortably positive even through three weeks of heavy marine layer in May. Battery has not dipped below 78% since deployment.
Not posting GPS or photos. If you're regionally local and want to coordinate mesh coverage, get in touch via the contact below.
Cheaper, simpler, and frankly does most of the heavy lifting on the local mesh. T-Beam in a weatherproof junction box, 6 W panel, two protected 18650s. Fence-mounted at maybe 4 m. Surprising range west toward the coast because the ridge happens to face the right way.
Indoor anchors. HOME runs MQTT-uplinked so I can see the mesh from anywhere; GARAGE is intermittent because it's behind too much stucco and I keep meaning to move the antenna outside.
Contact: mesh [at] longfast [dot] uk. I read it occasionally.