this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2024
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There's way way more nodes around me IRL and I see new nodes every day. Join us! Make sure you buy a good antenna, the ones that come with heltec v3 are only useful for receiving but are no good for transmitting unless to another device that's basically touching it.
So far no nodes other than the two I bought. I got the upgraded longer antenna, and went out on my second story balcony in a suburban area, nothing.
Looks like I'll be the change I want to see in the world haha.
Aw, that's disappointing. I'm a little surprised, but it still a DIY hobbyist niche and must just highly depend on your area. I'd leave your nodes up and see if anyone joins at some point in the future. Also double check the settings to maks sure you're on the public LongFast channel?
EDIT: even with all the nodes that I connect to, there is almost no chatter happening on the public LongFast channel. People are quiet 🤷
Yeah a bummer. But I've still got plans to get some height, and I've got some friends who are gonna join in on the fun, I'm hoping we can mesh our houses 😁
Yep everything is default. US, longfast 🤷♂️
Thanks! You mean I should get some of those sma adapters and some of those little stick antennas? Or something even bigger? Recommendations?
I'm a ham and I've got a nanovna, I could try making a ground plane antenna for 915mhz.
My plan is to put a repeater/router up on my tower 30ft up, as well as on a couple of my friends roofs, hopefully making a stable emergency channel between us. I'm between my buddies, 13 miles between the furthest ends, I'm almost in the middle.
Here are my 2 heltec v3s, one stays at home and the other is for on the go.
Nice!
I think you probably have much more radio experience and knowledge than I have, then. I just bought a highly rated 915mhz antenna on amazon with an SMA adapter, it looks like and is the same size as what you'd screw into a wifi router or wifi adapter, with a 90 degree bending joint, but obviously for 915mhz band instead of 2.4ghz/5ghz wifi. I have heard that bending the 90 degree joint on these antennas will reduce performance, so I keep it straight while transmitting and it fits better with the device in my pocket while bent. I have a custom case that fits a heltec v3, a 3000mah battery, and mounts the antenna SMA adapter to the case (case also found on amazon)
Honestly the Amazon antenna will probably do perfectly fine, I might go that way for simplicity sake.. maybe I'll build an antenna too and do some a/b comparisons.
The 90 degree angle doesn't hurt performance inherently, it only hurts it because it puts the antenna right next to the body of the radio, blocking some of the signal, and detuning the antenna slightly as well. So you're still better off putting it vertical 👍
Also in case you didn't know, those antennas are vertically polarized. That means when the tip is pointing up to the sky, the signal is coming out the sides going off towards the horizon. That's the best way to get a signal out/in. Holding it sideways will create null points from the tip and base of the antenna, and also send half your signal into space and the other half in the ground 😁