This page collects the current SA:MUG MeshCore starting settings in one place.
Use these as local starting points, not as permanent universal rules. Field testing still matters.
Useful links:
South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland use:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 923.125 MHz |
| Bandwidth | 62.5 kHz |
| Spreading factor | 8 |
| Coding rate | 8 |
All nodes in the same local mesh need compatible radio settings. If one of these is wrong, the device may appear to work in the app but hear no local MeshCore traffic.
For most users:
Do not start with repeater firmware unless the device is being deployed for a known coverage role.
For a normal user/client node:
Examples of good names:
VK5ABC
Alice
Alice-VK5ABC
Avoid names that look like repeaters unless the device is actually a repeater.
Recommended repeater name format:
SA-<Location>-<Role>##
Common roles:
| Role | Use for |
|---|---|
CORE |
high-value wide-area or backbone site |
DIST |
distribution, valley fill, coverage shaping, secondary ridge |
EDGE |
local infill, house roof, suburb edge, local shadow pocket |
RPT |
generic repeater when the role is not clear |
Examples:
SA-MtBonython-CORE01
SA-Lobethal-DIST01
SA-Blackwood-EDGE01
SA-Example-RPT01
Use the detailed profile page for copy-paste command blocks:
Short guidance:
| Site type | Starting profile |
|---|---|
| high, wide-area, backbone-style | Core |
| valley-facing or coverage-shaping | Distribution |
| house roof, low site, local fill | Edge / infill |
| unknown | conservative generic settings |
Repeaters should be deployed for a real coverage need. A poor repeater can add duplicate traffic or noise without improving coverage.
For nRF52-based repeaters, flash the Oltaco DFU Bootloader before any format/erase step, then format/erase if needed, then flash MeshCore repeater firmware:
https://github.com/oltaco/Adafruit_nRF52_Bootloader_OTAFIX
This is useful future-proofing for over-the-air updates, especially before installing a repeater somewhere hard to access.
Use the profile page first. Do not tune delay settings blindly.
Important rxdelay warning:
rxdelay 0 disables rxdelay.rxdelay 1 is a no-op.rxdelay > 1 gives the intended weak-packet delay behaviour.0 < rxdelay < 1 inverts behaviour and should be avoided.For technical details, see rxdelay and txdelay calculations.
On noisy or high sites, be careful with int.thresh.
stats-radio can show values such as:
noise_floorlast_rssilast_snrIf int.thresh is non-zero, the radio may treat the channel as active when current RSSI rises above the measured noise floor by that threshold. If set too low, the repeater may keep seeing the channel as busy.
For any field recommendation, record:
Recommendations should come from observed behaviour, not just guesses.