Thanks a lot to all members that managed to join the WebEx on Tuesday (30th January 2024). I promised on the night, I\u2019d summarise what I presented (in a hurry).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main technology we were talking about I called LoRa. This is a proprietary chirp spread spectrum digital mode that has lots of useful applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This video is from the manufacturer and should give you an overview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LoRa: How It Works<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a quick video on how the technology actually works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LoRa CHIRP<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n So Lora technology has lots of applications in the amateur world. I initially started experimenting with LoRa APRS on 70cm which can even be applied to weather stations. Another aspect is in a tinyGS ground station for cubesats, however this presentation was about an off grid messaging system called Meshtastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Josh from Ham Radio Crash Course gives a good overview here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n License Free Off-Grid Comms (LoRa Meshtastic)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Josh\u2019s video is two years old and Meshtastic has had significant development since then. Here is a video from Andy Kirby (another amateur) that shows how easy it is to setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JOIN THIS EXCITING OFF GRID NETWORK!!!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n After this video we had a discussion about what kind of Meshtastic system we were interested in and we overwhelmingly decided to use the 433MHz amateur zone, mostly as we could repurpose a spare 70cm antenna relatively simply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last video which we didn\u2019t show on the night, but does explain the frequencies and types of Lora boards that can be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting Started with Meshtastic – Devices<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The LoRa boards aren\u2019t expensive, and you can pick them up right now (2nd Feb 2024) for \u00a319 on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n