[DARARepeater] TNG June 25: MeshCore presentation follow-up...

Sun Jun 28 21:37:30 EDT 2026

Part 3 in the dramatic serial adventures in mesh!

Flashing (not the rude kind) for the halibut...

MeshCore, Meshtastic, & other mesh-related projects we'll skip over for now, all have web-based "flashing" sites that allow you to take one of the pieces of hardware you selected from the prior entry & put that project's specific software on it so you can then communicate with others on that specific mesh.

** PLEASE NOTE #1: the various meshes ALL use their OWN, specific protocols and are, at the time of this writing, incompatible. There are some outside projects working to make them (some what?) interoperable, but that's beyond the scope of this piece.

As we've been talking MeshCore and companions, let us stick to those for now & set aside repeaters, room servers, etc. for a later series. I'll point you to <https://meshcore.io/flasher> to begin our work in this section.

** PLEASE NOTE #2: while Firefox has within the past month or so release a version which can use the "WebAPIs" system (that includes "WebUSB" for accessing hardware connected to your computer), it is still advisable to use a (Google) Chrome-based browser (e.g. Chrome, Chromium, MS Edge, etc.) for the following steps.

** PLEASE NOTE #3: I am a Linux user for the past 27+ years and have done my best to minimize my exposure to Windows. I will do my best to keep things general, but there may be specific Windows issues I am simply unaware of, so I will defer to others for those cases.

The process is as follows:

1. From the list on the page above, select your chosen hardware (we'll use a Heltec v3 for the following example)
2. Select the role you would like this hardware to play in the MeshCore ecosystem
a. For this we're doing a "Companion", however, there are (2) options here: USB & Bluetooth
b. I have not previously tried a USB version, as I have an iOS device & they do not currently allow for that option, so I always go with Bluetooth; however, I am to understand USB may be an option if you have an Android phone...YMMV
c. Worth a shot if you have one; otherwise, should it not work, you can just restart this process & opt for Bluetooth
3. Plug your device into your computer via USB -- this is the only way it can be flashed, the prior option for Bluetooth is for how you would communicate with the device via the application -- and you should see an indication that a device has been detected
a. If you do NOT see something like that OR the process fails for some reason, you may want to retry after doing the following:
i. On your ESP32 device, press & hold the "USER" (sometimes also called the "BOOT" or "PROGRAM" button), then press and release the "RESET" button, and finally release the "USER" button
ii. This should put your device into "DFU mode", which allows the device's existing firmware to be replaced
iii. This may also change how the name of the device is presented: for example, on my Linux machine a device NOT in DFU mode may show up as "Heltec v3", but one in DFU mode may show up as "Semtech UART bridge"
iv. For nRF52*-based devices, see #4c below
4. The current page should show you the firmware version to be applied, an "erase device" checkbox, and "FLASH!" button (and there may be other options depending on your chosen hardware; see below)
a. The flasher defaults to whatever the latest stable version of the firmware is (currently v1.16.0)
b. I recommend checking the "Erase device" box so that nothing which may still be on the device interferes
c. SIDE NOTE: if you were using an nRF52*-based device there may also be an option to "Set DFU mode", which prevents you from needing to do that during the next step (see #3a above)
6. When you click "Flash!" a pop-up box will ask you to select your device from the list of detected ports/devices on the computer
a. If not, see #3a above
7. If the stars are aligned properly, the page will indicate that it is prepping, then flashing your device, with a progress indication; this will take a minute or two to complete
8. SUCCESS! (or failure.)
a. If successful: great, you now have a shiny new MeshCore Bluetooth companion which you can link to your phone/tablet/computer & join the local mesh (or create your own, etc.)
b. If unsuccessful: review the specific error(s) given & see if you can correct them, then try again; it's not hard, but sometimes the hardware is not always as reliable as we would like and it's not unheard of for some to take a couple of tries

Let's take a moment & a breath, assume you were successful, and take a drink of your preferred beverage.

Now you're ready for Part 4: A New Beginning...

Obediently yours,
Andrew KR4FIA
73

On Sunday, June 28th, 2026 at 8:39 PM, ahermetz <ahermetz at protonmail.com> wrote:

> Part 2 in the series...
>
> Continuing on to the question of MeshCore hardware and why it's all about the fit that's right for you.
>
> To wit, I would direct you to <okimesh.org> as the best starting place. For specific help w/ builds you can check <docs.okimesh.org>, but be aware that this area is still being assembled.
>
> Let us start w/ companions (the thing you use via phone/computer to access the mesh’s repeater network): the selection is pretty wide, but this list of options might be a good place to start:
>
> <https://nodakmesh.org/meshcore/devices>
>
> I had been using a Heltec v3 (in this config)
>
> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F6712Q52>
>
> then upgrades to a Heltec v4 (in this config)
>
> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FS1QBJFJ>
>
> with the intention of moving the v3 to a repeater. I experimented with it some, but success was limited, so I upgraded the v4 companion with a 915 MHz-specific Muzi antenna
>
> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7D6866W>
>
> While it greatly improved reception, the issue with the ESP32-based systems (which the v3 & v4 are) tends to be around them being powerhogs. So I picked up an Elecrow ThinkNode M1, an nRF52*-based (* meaning there are many sub-models of the chip series) unit, as they have a reputation for being very power efficient, with an e-ink display (which is also supposed to be super energy saving)
>
> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPLWYB8R>
>
> While it seems to do good on battery -- 2-3 days vs. barely 1 day from an ESP32 unit with a full battery -- I had issues with the display not updating, got side-tracked, and never got back to it. Next on the to-do list...
>
> Around that time several manufactures came out with antenna-less "card companions" which looked perfect: built-in battery, no external display to mash or suck battery, & no bigger than 3-4 stacked credit cards. I had questions about their range & battery life -- at least one person reportedly started using a "mobile repeater" (so now two devices, instead of one) in order to reach the wider mesh -- but then people I knew were reportedly very happy with the performance (it looks like that one person had some other issue). I held off on buying yet another device until the one that has recently gotten the most solid performance reviews got slightly cheaper on Amazon
>
> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FYHPTPZD>
>
> Other than the unexpected fact that the "buzzer" actually beeps (& I've not found an explanation for the various noises, nor how to turn it off -- until a Meshtastic site mentioned "4 button presses to mute device"!) and the need for a specialty connector (a magnetic four pin config which gives it an IP66 rating, also you can buy spare adapters) I've been very happy with the performance -- battery life, range, durability, etc. -- so far.
>
> Long, long story very short: I'd start with the RAKwireless WisMesh Tag as an entry point. No assembly required, flash & go!
>
> Next up: flashing for fun and profit!
>
> Obediently yours,
> Andrew KR4FIA
> 73
> On Sunday, June 28th, 2026 at 7:51 PM, ahermetz via DARARepeater <dararepeater at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
>> Some responses to pick from our Field Day in-person conversation & your previous emails (which, hopefully is useful to the wider audience; if not, we can move it off the list-serv.)
>>
>> I'll break it down into digestible chunks for the list-serv & steal some bits that may not have been covered in the original presentation.
>>
>> Let me start off by saying that I personally am an introvert, so "social media" has never been my thing. I was on some Usenet groups & IRC servers back in the day, but never had an account for Facebook, Instagram, etc. However, as other people tend to like to talk to each other, it seems only natural they gather, and eventually it becomes the main way they communicate. Hence I'm not a fan of it being the __only__ way to communicate with users, but I understand there are only so many hours in the day, etc. Also, for me, Discord in particular is "IRC w/ fancy formatting & animated GIFs"; so less of a cognitive load, but still sometimes annoying based on how others use it.
>>
>> To the particular point regarding DaytonMesh: there are conversations that happen regarding that site & its info. My understanding is the person who originally organized it prefers MeshTASTIC & was not interested in the work being done on MeshCORE. That is what lead to the various off-shoots that eventually came around Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Mesh. Those of us involved in local MeshCore work have largely moved there.
>>
>> Keep in mind: like any good mouse trap, this one has all kinds of ways to draw you in. I'm currently in (9) of them, including the "DARA TNG" one (which I notice does not get much use, sadly). To ease the way here are Discord links (as they're not my systems I've set them to never expire, but 100 uses, so that it doesn't get too abused by anyone outside this list-serv) which you can use to access it via a web browser or native app:
>>
>> * DaytonMesh.org <https://discord.gg/nVNyemzphm>
>> * CincyMesh.org <https://discord.gg/352eM8DRqZ>
>> * OKIMesh.org <https://discord.gg/TpP9Pn7J8J>
>> * DARA TNG <https://discord.gg/ctHYBR7k>
>>
>> Okay, that gets us online with other interested parties. Next up: hardware options...of which there are many.
>>
>> Obediently yours,
>> Andrew KR4FIA
>> 73
>> On Sunday, June 28th, 2026 at 1:35 AM, Ken via DARARepeater <dararepeater at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Chuck,
>>>
>>> There is a lot to learn, but I'm confident it will all come together quickly for you.
>>>
>>> I've found this resource very helpful, clear to understand, and well presented.
>>>
>>> https://m.youtube.com/@The_Comms_Channel
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Ken
>>> W4KGR
>>> 73
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