Meshtastic Solar Hat Node

RE: Meshtastic Solar Hat Node

javagoza — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:05:18 GMT

Thanks for sharing this project, [mention:dc11ece8204f479e8dce2a47a33b20d3:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] ! I wasn't familiar with Meshtastic before reading your project, so it was great to learn about this type of communication network and see a practical implementation. I always enjoy projects that introduce new technologies and ideas to the community. Thanks for taking the time to document and share your work!

RE: Meshtastic Solar Hat Node

DAB — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 20:52:04 GMT

Very nice post.

It looks like you had a lot of fun putting it all together and running the tests.

RE: Meshtastic Solar Hat Node

beacon_dave — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:00:42 GMT

Nice overview for getting up and running with Meshtastic and nice use of the solar powered hat.

( If we spot you wearing a sombrero, we will know that you are scaling up [emoticon:c4563cd7d5574777a71c318021cbbcc8] )

Interesting that the d5a4 node is showing up as being 22 miles away but isn't showing any hops.

Is that because it just isn't being reported for that client or perhaps it is leveraging 'Zero-Cost Hops' via preferred relays ? Or perhaps on an airborne drone, so actually has line-of-sight.

It would be interesting to know how many nodes were being relied upon in typical deployment scenarios. Do you see the number of hops back to base logged when you are out for a stroll ?

One thing the system will likely be reliant upon in emergencies is for static relays to have back-up power in case of a local power outage.

RE: Meshtastic Solar Hat Node

Qbit — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:01:30 GMT

Very detailed Project! Nice test of the Wio Tracker L1 as well.

RE: Meshtastic Solar Hat Node

embeddedguy — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 05:52:39 GMT

Nice project Ralf.!

I think that Mechtastic is good for urban places where there are other nodes that can relay the traffic. Not for rurals.

RE: Meshtastic Solar Hat Node

kmikemoo — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 03:04:03 GMT

Very nice! Cool application as well.
I have two Meshtastic nodes. One is powered all the time but I never think to look at my phone to see if anyone is chatting.