Having built and tested my Meshtastic radio node, it was time to deploy it to try and establish contact with people on the north side of Brisbane.

Having built my version of the Solar Meshtastic Node, tested it for a few weeks and planned out possible locations, it was time to actually put it out in the world to see if we could connect people in northern Brisbane. (If there were any.)

Finding a home

In the mapping post I had narrowed things down to a couple of spots up on the range using my RF LOS Planner. The challenge was always going to be turning a marker on a map into a real spot with real sun and someone happy to have it there.

After a bit of asking around I got in touch with someone who had a property up on the hill that lined up nicely with the coverage I was after. Even better, it had a clear outlook to the south and west — exactly the direction I needed to reach back over the plains towards Brisbane.

Up the hill

The spot did not disappoint. As soon as I got up there it was obvious why the planner liked it — you can see for miles out over the valley.

I mounted the node on a cheap garden stake from Bunnings to give the little antenna some height and keep it clear of the regrowth. Nothing fancy, but on a hill like this every metre of elevation is doing a lot more work than it would back home in the dip.

The position gets sun for most of the day, which is exactly what the solar node needs to keep itself topped up. After a week of testing on the roof I am fairly confident the panel and battery are right-sized for the job, even through some cloudy stretches.

Coverage

With the node up and running, the next thing was to see what it could actually reach. I dropped its real location into the planner and mapped the coverage.

This is a huge step up from the ~1km I was getting at home. From up on the hill the node is throwing coverage right out across the plains and a good way towards Brisbane, doing exactly what the line-of-sight modelling suggested it would.

Best of all, it is not just theory anymore. I have already been able to talk to a friend over in Wamuran from Bellmere via the node. The coverage is outdoors only at this stage, but it is working — exactly the kind of link I was hoping for when I started this whole project.

Next steps

Now that it is deployed I want to do some real-world testing to see how the modelled coverage compares to what I can actually reach with a portable. Traceroutes from a few spots around the area will tell me a lot more than a map ever could.

I am also keen to see how it holds up over a longer stretch — both the battery through some properly bad weather, and the link quality as the temperature swings through the day, which is something I noticed driving Jackson Road.

For now though, it is up, it is solar powered, and it is talking. A good day’s work.