Now that they've added the radiomaster bandit nano as a compatible device, there's now a 1w device for $50

Interesting. I like the potential for more range...and yes, I am a licensed ham. Just not sure the station G2 increase would necessarily benefit. Said increase also increases your "footprint" ; ) Even better would be an easy way to be able to move/change output power up/down as needed.

@itpotatofarm

11 күн бұрын

Yes! you are correct. After 1 Wattage the HAM rules apply meaning you must send non-encrypted messages and use your callsign. You can change (Limit) your output with the commands mentioned in the video I believe it was "Meshtastic --set lora.tx_power XX"

Yes, as a ham, I'm not interested in going above 1w for meshtastic as if you do so, then of course, ham rules apply. meaning no encryption, and station identification with callsign. Also a rule of thumb we use as hams, and at least via phone (haven't tested the concept on digital with something like ft8 to see what the exact reports change would be) is doubling your power is 1 s-unit, or 6db of improvement in rx signal for the receiving station. So, say .15w > .3w would improve the rx signal by 6db, and could take a station that's just barely able to receive your signal (on the edge), then you doubled your power, they would be able to receive, however it's not as huge of a difference as it sounds 'doubling your power'. When we're talking such low wattage, sure, .15w to 1w is still at least 15db better, which is substantial. As a ham we can even use up to 10w (well, 1500w, 10w is common, 1w is typical max for device licensed) on 2.4Ghz and 5.8GHz, but that doesn't mean we want to boost our wifi to those levels as then amateur rules apply, as well as RF Exposure, which we have to calculate and of course want (legally have) to stay below. Also, just remember that the higher dbi then antenna, the more 'focused' the signal. So for example, both omidirectional antennas, 3dbi vs 8dbi from the top of a house, maybe on a bit of a hill. The 3dbi antenna might be able to tx/rx to stations in the valley, where as 8dbi antenna may not. The improved performance doesn't magically make signals stronger from nothing, it has to compromise. It's all about radiation pattern to determine what the best antenna for a given situation is. It's something to consider when we put up repeaters, or even via HF if we're trying to hit a specific country/region for that rare/long distance dx contact. Another thing to remember is SWR - all these 915mhz antennas I've received that are 'designed for 915mhz' you would think have a good match to the frequency, but just about all have been greater than 2:1 at 915mhz. That means a lot of the rf power gets reflected back to the transmitter, thus reducing your effective radiated power (ERP) and potentially damaging the transmitter if the transmitter is not designed to handle that much reflected RF. Finally, a good tip to remember too, feedline loss. I don't think this is huge issue as many people are connecting to the antenna to the transmitter with a very small amount of coax, especially for repeater nodes as these can be easily powered off of solar, but using bad coax / or lengths of coax can significantly reduce the amount of rf power reaching the antenna. There are great calculates for that. I use 5/8" hardline for even 420-470mhz, and 1.2ghz to minimize line loss, so the losses are even more substantial with 900mhz, as I know first hand with 1.2ghz. RF Is black magic, and the thing I love about amateur radio is experimenting and the learning never stops; plus the bonus of playing on many MHz of available frequencies, from VLF to EHF with power up to 1500w* (US, not all bands). Keep it up! Meshtastic has encouraged a lot of people to play with rf, and that's the goal of ham radio too.

@itpotatofarm

11 күн бұрын

Thank you so much for your insight! I agree with everything you stated. I tried to fit as much as I could in a timely fashion. I really like how you explained how the different antennas work and how Bigger is not always better. I probably should have spent more time on the various antennas and how they operate. Maybe that could be the next video. Again, thank you!