Man you're lucky to see that many nodes. Maybe I need to try that. Even with a 15 dbi omni antenna 40 ft up on a tower, I'm only getting a couple miles range and not picking anyone else up.
😱 What antenna do you have?! Also, possible it has such a narrow virtical beamwidth that it's missing closer nodes? Maybe add 2nd node on tower with wider beamwidth antenna? The Rockland low profile 8dbi antenna has a 25° virtical beamwidth that may compliment it nicely! Set one node to router and other to Repeater?
Before everything reset there was one in Cancun. What's your general 20? I bet you can track stuff really well. I tell you most of the contacts pop up when someone flys over with a node up to the airplane window. Maybe you aren't around any flight paths.
@@SmokingGouda It is some no-name antenna from Amazon but it checks out ok on the gain and SWR. It could be overshoot as you suggest. I need to do some more testing. Another solution I am going to attempt is putting a repeater with an amplifier in the vehicle, that way it will pick up the weak signal from the Nibbler that has an internal antenna and re-broadcast it at higher power with a better antenna. The only other explanation is that I am the only one for 50 miles with a node. It wouldn't surprise me, but hey someone has to go first right?
@@kenneth6731 nice! Have part number?? How wide is it's beamwidth? I've picked up one of those shark fin antenna covers to put node in on top of my car with antenna sticking out, and will just run long USB power cable out to it... Haha it's on the project list!
That's awesome! I'm just below Charlotte, and will eventually get a higher gain Yagi to see more of y'all with. This one is connected to Double Clutch if you can see it.
Hahaha also if you want to massively want to explode your range you could send a node up on a balloon! The Austin Texas guys did recently and hit one of our guys at Lake Texoma Oklahoma from 50,000ft!!
The tall antenna is a 10dbi Rokland sells. I've got it on a 4631 with solar. That antenna is awesome! I had the G2 on it before the Yagi. I plan to switch it back like that and put an Alfa 4dbi (I think) back on the 4631. I want to use the Yagi with one of those amps I like for a handheld deal. I'm having a hard time deciding how to lay all the components out for designing a print though. I've got a friend with a drone I was talking to this morning about putting one up. He's one of those cats I mentioned.
@@masondawson4061 maybe end to end with flat 3000mah battery under Amp and node? Like an old walkie talkie?? Haha I have a drone that I've been meaning to send a node up on to try and hit the closest city 50mi away too!
@@masondawson4061 oh! And I've been eyeing that antenna for a little bit! For now though, I'm just using Rockland's low profile 8dbi antenna on my base node... Planning to move that to router node on top of tall building in town soon and may pick up that 10dbi one for my base!
Nice! What kind of line of sight to you have? Does your state have a mqtt root extension and discord channel also? Enabling mqtt helped a lot before the node count exploded in my area in the last few weeks!
I haven't tried MQTT. I have a friend living in Montenegro I am trying to get on the bandwagon to do that with. I know there is a Facebook group in Rock Hill SC which is the next town over, but I'm not on FB. I'm not on Discord either. I kind of prefer to walk around in the dark bumping into things rather participate in groups. I know there's someone in Columbia SC who has made some videos but I'll need a bigger stick to make that trip. Line of site is not good but I can usually reach homebase within a two mile radius except for behind two hills I never knew were there. I'm actually slowly building the network here. Progress is very slow because it's like herding cats trying to get my guys involved.
Man you're lucky to see that many nodes. Maybe I need to try that. Even with a 15 dbi omni antenna 40 ft up on a tower, I'm only getting a couple miles range and not picking anyone else up.
😱 What antenna do you have?! Also, possible it has such a narrow virtical beamwidth that it's missing closer nodes? Maybe add 2nd node on tower with wider beamwidth antenna? The Rockland low profile 8dbi antenna has a 25° virtical beamwidth that may compliment it nicely! Set one node to router and other to Repeater?
Before everything reset there was one in Cancun. What's your general 20? I bet you can track stuff really well. I tell you most of the contacts pop up when someone flys over with a node up to the airplane window. Maybe you aren't around any flight paths.
@@SmokingGouda It is some no-name antenna from Amazon but it checks out ok on the gain and SWR. It could be overshoot as you suggest. I need to do some more testing. Another solution I am going to attempt is putting a repeater with an amplifier in the vehicle, that way it will pick up the weak signal from the Nibbler that has an internal antenna and re-broadcast it at higher power with a better antenna. The only other explanation is that I am the only one for 50 miles with a node. It wouldn't surprise me, but hey someone has to go first right?
@@kenneth6731 nice! Have part number?? How wide is it's beamwidth? I've picked up one of those shark fin antenna covers to put node in on top of my car with antenna sticking out, and will just run long USB power cable out to it... Haha it's on the project list!
I live in Knoxville. We have a huge mesh over here.
That's awesome! I'm just below Charlotte, and will eventually get a higher gain Yagi to see more of y'all with. This one is connected to Double Clutch if you can see it.
Hahaha also if you want to massively want to explode your range you could send a node up on a balloon! The Austin Texas guys did recently and hit one of our guys at Lake Texoma Oklahoma from 50,000ft!!
The tall antenna is a 10dbi Rokland sells. I've got it on a 4631 with solar. That antenna is awesome! I had the G2 on it before the Yagi. I plan to switch it back like that and put an Alfa 4dbi (I think) back on the 4631. I want to use the Yagi with one of those amps I like for a handheld deal. I'm having a hard time deciding how to lay all the components out for designing a print though. I've got a friend with a drone I was talking to this morning about putting one up. He's one of those cats I mentioned.
@@masondawson4061 maybe end to end with flat 3000mah battery under Amp and node? Like an old walkie talkie?? Haha I have a drone that I've been meaning to send a node up on to try and hit the closest city 50mi away too!
@@masondawson4061 oh! And I've been eyeing that antenna for a little bit! For now though, I'm just using Rockland's low profile 8dbi antenna on my base node... Planning to move that to router node on top of tall building in town soon and may pick up that 10dbi one for my base!
Nice! What kind of line of sight to you have? Does your state have a mqtt root extension and discord channel also? Enabling mqtt helped a lot before the node count exploded in my area in the last few weeks!
I haven't tried MQTT. I have a friend living in Montenegro I am trying to get on the bandwagon to do that with. I know there is a Facebook group in Rock Hill SC which is the next town over, but I'm not on FB. I'm not on Discord either. I kind of prefer to walk around in the dark bumping into things rather participate in groups. I know there's someone in Columbia SC who has made some videos but I'll need a bigger stick to make that trip. Line of site is not good but I can usually reach homebase within a two mile radius except for behind two hills I never knew were there. I'm actually slowly building the network here. Progress is very slow because it's like herding cats trying to get my guys involved.