Mesh academy · 15 lessons
Choose a learning path or jump to the problem you are solving. Each lesson includes an exercise and a knowledge check. Your progress stays on this device.
Three paths · one practical toolkit
Suggested study times cover reading and planning. Hardware experiments and field exercises may take longer.
Start with the operators you want to reach. A map observation tells you that a node published data; it does not establish an open radio path from your location.
Choose a supported board, suitable enclosure and a matching antenna connector. The complete node includes the screen, GPS, regulator and accessories; a chip datasheet alone cannot predict its battery runtime.
For a US deployment, select the US region and coordinate the modem preset and channel configuration with the local group. Treat channel URLs and QR codes as sensitive if they contain private keys.
Terrain profiles help identify ridges and Fresnel obstructions. They cannot account for every building, tree, antenna loss or changing interference source. Graham County ridge-to-valley paths provide a useful planning example.
Test one direction at a time and record whether delivery was direct or relayed. Count received packets from the same transmission series. Repeat the test and report failed or intermittent results as well as successful ones.
Choose an antenna for your operating band and confirm the exact connector and adapter. A gain claim alone does not establish a better path; installation, direction and feedline loss also matter.
BackCountrySignal starts with the US region and LONG_FAST preset. Check the actual settings on each radio rather than assuming the selected region also guarantees the same modem preset.
The preset you end up on now depends on how the radio was set up. With 2.8 firmware, choosing the US region on the device's own screen starts the radio on LONG_TURBO, while setting the region from a phone app or the command line leaves it on LONG_FAST. Each preset also lands on its own default frequency slot in the US, so two radios that both say "US" can still miss each other completely.
There is an open debate about whether 250 kHz presets such as LONG_FAST meet the FCC's bandwidth rule, and recent firmware starts new US radios on a wider configuration. No FCC action has been reported. Until your community agrees on a change, keep using the preset your local group actually runs, and record the date of any switch so field reports stay comparable.
An update is a controlled change to a working radio. Identify the exact board, preserve the settings you need and verify a nearby message after installation before interpreting a new problem as a range issue.
Read the board name and revision from the hardware and its documentation. Similar product names do not establish that two firmware targets are interchangeable. Open the official flashing instructions for that device family and check the required cable, browser or bootloader procedure. Keep a correctly connected antenna fitted whenever the radio may transmit.
Privately record region, modem preset, channel settings, device role and any optional modules you intentionally enabled. Configuration exports and channel links may include keys; keep them out of screenshots and public troubleshooting posts. Note both the current version and the version you intend to install. Read release notes and choose a time when the group can tolerate a test interruption.
Complete the official installation procedure with a dependable power source. Check the version reported by the radio, then review its settings rather than assuming everything survived. Send and receive a short message with a nearby known-working radio using the agreed settings. If the test fails, record the symptom and consult the device-specific recovery procedure before making further changes.
An antenna can be well matched without delivering a useful signal in your intended direction. Combine connector and band checks, an appropriate match measurement and a controlled radio comparison.
The antenna calculator uses wavelength and an explicit shortening factor to estimate wire-element lengths. At 915 MHz and a 95% factor, a quarter-wave element starts near 77.8 mm. This is an illustrative dimension, not a tested commercial antenna specification. The finished installation, ground plane and materials determine where it resonates.
With the radio powered down and disconnected, follow the antenna analyzer manufacturer’s calibration procedure for your operating band and measurement reference plane. Document adapters, cable length and the antenna’s mounting arrangement. A changed enclosure or nearby metal may change the result. Record the measurement rather than substituting an advertised gain value.
A low reflected-power measurement concerns the match; it does not measure radiation efficiency or prove an RF path. Keep both radios, the preset, endpoint locations and packet series consistent when comparing antennas. Repeat each condition and record received counts, direction and the environment. Separate direct and relayed results when the available evidence allows you to identify them.
Use consistent electrical reference points. A USB-side reading and a battery capacity at a different voltage cannot be combined as though they described the same circuit.
The Node Builder expects average current at the battery terminals and the battery’s voltage. Include regulators, screen, GPS and other loads powered by that battery. A reading measured at a 5 V USB input describes a different reference plane from a 3.7 V cell. Measure at the intended reference or convert through a documented power model before comparing.
For an invented example of 3,000 mAh capacity, 20 mA average battery-side draw and 80% usable capacity, runtime is 3,000 ÷ 20 × 0.8 = 120 hours. At 3.7 V, daily energy is 0.020 × 3.7 × 24 = 1.776 Wh. These figures demonstrate the arithmetic; they are not measured performance for any radio. Voltage and current should represent the operating window you are modeling.
Choose a window that includes the functions your deployment uses: receive activity, transmissions, GPS, screen and accessories. Record the instrument and duration, repeat the reading and note meaningful variation. Cold, battery age and discharge limits can reduce usable energy. Converter losses already included in a battery-terminal measurement should not be subtracted from that same runtime a second time.
An average summer day is a weak basis for a year-round deployment. Plan for the site’s unfavorable sunlight, usable storage, charging constraints and maintenance access.
Define the people and locations you want to reach, obtain site permission and test the proposed path. Measure the complete node’s battery-side load before sizing storage. Assess shade, seasonal sun exposure and access for repairs. Peak-sun hours represent equivalent full-sun energy, not the number of daylight hours.
Daily energy multiplied by the desired autonomy days and divided by the usable fraction gives the model’s required battery energy. Node Builder divides daily load energy by peak-sun hours and charging efficiency, then applies a 50% panel-sizing margin. That margin is a planning assumption; it is not proof that a shaded site can recover after several poor days. Record your winter input source and consider recharge time separately.
Match panel voltage/current, charge controller, protected battery and load to their manufacturers’ limits. Confirm battery chemistry and temperature restrictions, including any required low-temperature charge protection. Test discharge and recovery before mounting. Plan condensation control, cable strain relief, inspections and who can safely replace a failed component. Document a maintenance interval rather than treating solar power as maintenance-free.
Placement and a clear communication goal come before adding radios or increasing automated traffic. Network changes should be coordinated with the people already using the channel.
List intended contacts and general test areas. Separate public MQTT observations, modeled paths and field-tested links. A large number of map markers does not establish a useful route between your endpoints. Choose a candidate site because it addresses a measured gap, not simply because you can install another node.
Read the current device-role guidance for the firmware in use. A solar supply or a high mounting point does not by itself make ROUTER the correct choice. Coordinate infrastructure roles with local operators and start ordinary user radios with the documented client role that fits their purpose. Preserve a before-change record so a role or interval experiment can be evaluated.
Automated position, telemetry, node information and retries consume airtime as well as user messages. Enable what the deployment needs and coordinate transmission intervals and hop limits rather than broadcasting as frequently as possible. Keep an internet-connected MQTT path identified as such in tests. If the requirement is off-grid communication, verify the intended radio path while the internet bridge is unavailable.
A nearby known-working pair is a useful reference. Change one variable at a time so the next test can tell you something about the failure.
Write what succeeded, what failed and when it last worked. A phone that cannot pair is a different problem from two connected radios that cannot exchange a message. Record app and firmware versions and the actual power arrangement. Keep channel keys and private coordinates out of a public issue description.
Check the antenna connection and stable power, then follow the device/client guidance to establish a local connection. Compare region, modem preset and channel settings at both radios. Try a short two-way message at a nearby permitted location before adjusting a difficult long path. If a second known-working radio is unavailable, record that limitation instead of claiming to have isolated the faulty endpoint.
Choose one suspected variable, describe the change and repeat the same test. Distinguish no reception, intermittent delivery and a transport/app failure. Compare a known-working cable, supply or configuration when it is appropriate to the symptom. Revert unsuccessful changes before moving to another hypothesis. Share the sequence and observed result, not just a list of settings changed.
One successful message is an observation. A small repeated campaign can reveal which conditions consistently help or hurt delivery.
Choose a question, such as whether a different mounting height improves a specific path. Specify endpoints, radios, preset, antennas, direction and the conditions you intend to keep fixed. Use safe and permitted test sites. A terrain model can guide that choice but does not replace the test.
Record a series identifier and sequence numbers. Count received packets from the same sent series and report each direction separately. Retries, duplicate receptions and unrelated traffic should not be silently added to the success count. Label whether delivery was direct, relayed or unknown; record that uncertainty if the available logs do not resolve it.
Repeat the comparison and include failed and intermittent results. Describe the date, setup, traffic and environmental conditions rather than generalizing one result into area-wide coverage. Keep exact private locations, contact details and channel keys out of public records. Publication review is not independent replication; a second operator repeating the test provides a separate attributed result.
A useful deployment needs people as well as radios. Establish who can approve the site, coordinate configuration, maintain equipment and review what is published.
Choose one communication need and a small group willing to test it. Record general areas and a practical success criterion, such as a counted two-way series under a named setup. Ask existing local operators about their settings and current activity before assuming compatibility. A source-checked community website is a contact lead, not permission to represent its members.
Document site permission, equipment ownership, maintenance access and an alternate contact if the main maintainer is unavailable. Include battery/panel inspection, configuration records and the process for removing or relocating a failed node. Keep private contact details and exact site records with the maintainers rather than in the public directory.
Send a group organizer the public directory submission link and let the representative review the public name, service area, website and description. A private review email and publication consent are part of the existing submission workflow. An editorial reference and an organizer opt-in listing are different kinds of information. Plan a first field exercise and explain what evidence will be recorded before asking participants to contribute.
Exercise and quiz progress stays on this device. No account is required. Completing this course is a learning milestone, not an equipment certification.
Original exercises · official documentation
Use the linked primary sources for current device behavior. The field procedures and calculation examples are BackCountrySignal learning exercises; they do not establish tested coverage or a radio’s measured battery life.