Thanks very much Spor7biker. I’ve poked around a little more, and I’m kind of concerned about range. I understand some people are getting insane range, but it seems like that requires whip antennas that are elevated, line of sight, and working in open areas. Given that one end of our system would be a tiny module on a kiteboard, with a small antenna (potentially a fractal antenna?), I have to wonder if we can get the range we need.
My office is 3 miles from the bay where boards typically end up. I could put a whip on top of our 2nd story roof, but the board would still be at sea level and use a small antenna. I understand that the mesh architecture is a big part of buying extra range, but I don’t see a lot of opportunities for nodes between the bay and my office.
I would love it if someone can set me straight and say this could easily be done. But otherwise I have to wonder if a cell based system might be required.
Unfortunately whenever dealing with radios it is basically impossible to give simple answers related to range in different environments.
The only way to know for sure is to test. There are some tools that calculate a line of sight map. That could give you a good idea if what is covered by a well built node on your office roof. If you are out on the water you could potentially have really good los and signal propagation.
For finding things if you know where they generally end up you could just head there and as you get within radio range you would start receiving updates. Others have elevated radios using drones.
I had thought about that, but kind of dismissed it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have.
Now that’s a really interesting idea.
Today I looked into the latest stuff from Paritcle.io. I’ve used their modules to make wind sensors that are solar powered and cell connected so you can put them where you really want them. It turns out they now have a free data plan for low data rates. The module will cost more, but that could otherwise be the perfect answer.
Got a semipermanent node out my window near the Oakland zoo with fairly decent LOS, running on the default Long Range /Fast channel using the current T-Beam firmware for app version 1.3.45 and an Omni antenna. I was able to send to it from the top of the bridge on 92 with my mobile node, which is on my car dashboard and uses a moxon antenna. Was not able to get an ack, but confirmed that the static device received. Estimated range of about 12mi/19km.
Not sure if the Oakland area mesh is still alive, but figured I’d note that my station is up in case there’s interest in building up more nodes. I’ll be upgrading the static node with the same moxon as my mobile node at some soon point, to increase range.
I’m a bit late to the party, but here’s a sample of the location pings I was able to gather from home while riding my motorcycle around the hills and Alameda.
RAK base device sitting on bookshelf, ttgo t-beam (the more expensive premium one) roaming around. I’m between two hills so I only have a “clear view” to the northeast and southwest.
I have no idea how the Alameda one happened. RF freak accident?
