Pocket tracker
SenseCAP T1000-E
$39.90
GPS in a slim, enclosed radio. Internal antenna and magnetic charging cable.
Choose the Meshtastic version.
Product details and price ↗AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community02
What Meshtastic Is
Meshtastic is free, open-source software for LoRa radios. It lets you send messages without cell service or internet.
Long Range
Handheld to handheld runs 1–3 miles in flat desert. A rooftop node with a decent antenna reaches 10–30 miles or more.
Decentralized
No dedicated router required. Every radio can relay traffic for the group, so the mesh has no single point of failure.
Encrypted
Messages are encrypted per channel. Only nodes holding the matching key can read them.
Long Battery Life
LoRa hardware uses very little power. Many nodes run for days or weeks on a charge, and solar nodes run indefinitely.
Optional GPS
Nodes can share position on the mesh so friends and family can see where you are. Position sharing can also be turned off.
No Phone Required
The radio keeps relaying and storing recent messages on its own. Pair a phone whenever you want to read or send.
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How the Mesh Works
Three settings decide whether your node can talk to anyone: the preset, the channel, and the hop limit.
Weather · key
Ww==
azmsh · key
AQ==
MediumFast · key
AQ==
Channels: a name plus an encryption key.
The radio mesh: one shared preset
Frequency · bandwidth · spreading factor
If any one of these does not match, your node cannot hear other nodes. AZMSH publishes one preset and one frequency slot per region so that everyone matches.
Send · 3
Relay · 2
Relay · 1
Relay · 0
Receive
Received with 0 left · no further rebroadcast
Hop limit counts down
Each relay subtracts one before rebroadcasting. A node that receives a message with zero hops left does not repeat it. A hop limit of 3 carries a message across four radio links.
AZMSH suggests starting at 3 and staying at or under 5. Higher settings congest the channel.
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community04
The Arizona Meshtastic Community
AZMSH is Arizona’s Meshtastic community. Phoenix and Tucson operators coordinate shared settings here so their radios can hear each other.
Network one
Phoenix & Tucson Metro
Modified, community-tuned settings chosen for reliable coverage across the metros. You get them from Discord.
Network two
Rural & Outside Metro
Standard Meshtastic defaults still apply out here. Stick with those unless someone local tells you otherwise.
Community-tuned settings live on Discord
Chat, get help, and find events
Live node map at view.azmsh.net
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community05
What You Need
Two things, both one-time purchases. No subscriptions, and you can start for about $30.
1
A Handheld Radio
Carry it with you. It pairs to your phone over Bluetooth, and you message from the Meshtastic app.
2
A Rooftop or Attic Node
Mount it high at home. This is the biggest single improvement to your range, since a handheld on its own struggles indoors.
Next, set up your radio and check for nearby nodes.
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Connecting in Five Steps
Budget about twenty minutes, most of it spent waiting on the firmware flash.
1
Update the firmware
Flash the latest build at flasher.meshtastic.org in Chrome. Back up your config first, because an update can wipe your private key.
2
Download the app
Install the official Meshtastic app from Google Play or the App Store.
3
Pair over Bluetooth
Power the radio on, open the app, tap plus, pick your device. Your node now appears in the list.
4
Get the AZ settings
Join the Discord and open the setup channel for the region's preset and frequency slot.
5
Say hello
Open Messages and post on the primary channel. Give it a few seconds, since mesh delivery is not instant.
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community07
Preset and Frequency by Region
The metros do not run Meshtastic's stock defaults. Which values you use depends on where the node lives.
Phoenix & Tucson Metro
Preset
Medium-Fast
Frequency slot
18
OK to MQTT
ON
Outside the Metros
Preset
Long-Fast
Frequency slot
20
OK to MQTT
ON
MQTT sends diagnostic data only: position, battery, signal metrics and channel use. It never sends your private messages.
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Node Roles
Meshtastic's own guidance, and ours: nearly every node on the mesh should be Client, Client Mute or Client Base.
Anything mobile
Client Mute
Sends and receives, never rebroadcasts anyone else's traffic. Right for backpacks, vehicles and pocket nodes, and the safest role to start with.
Stationary home or roof
Client
The standard role. Rebroadcasts messages and extends coverage for your neighbors. Most stationary home nodes belong here.
Attic or roof base station
Client Base
Behaves like Client, but gives priority to rebroadcasting anything from or to its favorited nodes. Set your strongest high node to this, then favorite your other nodes on it.
Hilltops and towers only
Router / Router Late
Built for permanent, high-elevation, line-of-sight sites. In a house or on a mobile node it causes congestion and routing loops. Ask on Discord before switching.
The three client roles all rebroadcast sensibly and are safe to pick between. Router is the only one that can damage the mesh if it is used in the wrong place.
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community09
TAK Integration
Meshtastic bridges into the Team Awareness Kit used by search-and-rescue and outdoor coordination teams. It runs over the mesh with no cell service or internet.
1
Install the ATAK plugin
The official Meshtastic plugin for Android bridges Cursor on Target events between ATAK and your mesh.
2
Set the device role to TAK
This tunes the node for ATAK traffic and cuts routine broadcasts. Use TAK Tracker instead when the node has GPS but no ATAK device attached.
3
Chat and location flow both ways
Positions, messages and other CoT events move between ATAK and Meshtastic across the mesh.
Role: TAK
Optimized for ATAK. Needs the plugin running to send and receive chat, markers and other CoT events.
Role: TAK Tracker
Broadcasts position automatically and shows up on ATAK maps with no extra setup. Can be used as a standalone tracker.
A standard Client node does not participate in TAK. Only switch roles if you are actually running ATAK or WinTAK.
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community10
Broadcast Intervals
Airtime is shared by every node on the channel. These intervals keep it clear enough for messages to get through.
Setting
Mobile nodes
Stationary nodes
Node info broadcast
12 hours
12 hours
Smart broadcast
On, 100 m / 60 s
Off
Position broadcast
1 hour
12 hours
GPS update interval
5 minutes
6 hours
Device, environment, power metrics
1 hour
1 hour
Map report
1 hour
6 hours
Neighbor info
4 hours
11 hours
Set Neighbor Info in the iOS or Android app, web client or CLI. See Recommended Settings at azmsh.net for details.
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community11
MQTT and Diagnostics
Your node uploads diagnostic data to a shared broker. The community map and the coverage reports are built from it.
Does share
Position
Battery level
Signal metrics
Channel utilization
Never shares
Private messages
Direct messages
Encrypted channel content
Turning it on
01
LoRa settings: switch on "OK to MQTT".
02
MQTT module: enter the broker details from Discord.
03
Channel settings: uplink on, downlink off.
Leave downlink off. Downlinking pushes internet traffic back into the radio mesh.
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community12
Channels to Add
Add these in the app's Channels editor. Names are case-sensitive. Each key below ends with two equals signs (no spaces).
Channel name
Key
Size (iOS)
What it is for
MediumFast
AQ==Default
The default primary channel. The name can also be left blank
azmsh
AQ==Default
The Arizona channel for testing and general chatter
Weather
Ww==1-byte
Rooftop weather stations post hourly, which is a good way to confirm you are receiving
Traffic
TQ==1-byte
Local traffic reports and map waypoints
Trivia
MQ==1-byte
Community trivia. Type !help in the channel to play
These keys are public. Anyone with the channel settings can read messages sent there.
AZMSH · Arizona Meshtastic Community16
Testing Your Connection
Once everything is configured, check whether other nodes can hear you.
Say "test"
Send it on the primary MediumFast channel. Send it as many times as you like.
test
2
3
*
Tapback replies come back as numbers. The number is how many hops away the sender is, and an asterisk means they heard you directly.
Try a better location
Go outside, get higher (roof, balcony, second floor) and try at different times of day. Most problems at this stage are physical rather than technical.
Check your settings
A missing or wrong setting is the most common problem new operators hit. Start a thread in #i-need-help on Discord and someone will look.
Claim your node
Type /node claim in Discord, then react with the pie emoji in #getting-started to opt into diagnostics.
Read your traceroutes
Once opted in, view.azmsh.net/nodelist shows every hop your messages took and who traced you back.