2026-02-26 MeshCore region scope function
_ Introduction of MeshCore region scope function.
_ Good to watch these videos below.
“MeshCore Regions Overview” YouTube video is the best one for me.
_ https://youtu.be/2LPwjfuCr3Y?si=tRsVzdN8JnT_n6g8
_ “Testing New Message Scope Features in MeshCore” YouTube video is a very detailed, command line based demonstration.
_ https://youtu.be/VlaebfwWUBA?si=GViSZtsMEjHnNCc_
_ Now your repeaters probably have a settings menu called “Manage Regions”, so it is much easier than using the command line.
_ A region can have only one parent. However, I feel like you don’t necessarily have to use the parent function.
_ There are pros and cons to using the region parent function. Overall, not using the parent function may have more advantages.
_ The region system still has a lot of bugs. Some parts of the system do not handle double spaces or trailing spaces very well.
_ Uppercase character handling is also not very good at the moment.
_ The “region load” command might freeze part of your repeater, causing the “restart repeater” function to stop working.
_ That means you might need to go up to your attic to press the reset button.
_ Not only is the “region put” command useful, but the “region remove” command is also useful for me.
_ The command line may allow region names longer than 30 characters, but the system will automatically truncate them.
_ Only lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and the hyphen (-) are allowed.
_ A repeater can be configured with up to 32 regions.
_ "region" command shows you about 6-7 of your regions :-).
_ Even if you run “region save” twice, after you restart the repeater, it may forget some of your region updates…
_ For more details, you can ask your own Artificial Intelligence service to read the MeshCore GitHub source code, and ask other AI services to check for hallucinations, knowing that your actions may deplete historically oppressed communities' water resources and spike the electric bill.
2026-02-24 MeshCore Region Hierarchy
MeshCore Region Hierarchy: Pacific Northwest Watersheds
MeshCore mesh network regions organized by Salmon Nation bioregion and USGS watershed boundaries (HUC codes). Watersheds are usually similar to natural radio propagation areas. When you consider the shape of the land, you need fewer repeaters to cover the area.
Region Structure
salmon-nation F # Pacific salmon watersheds
cascadia F # Urban corridor (Vancouver-Seattle-Portland)
columbia-river-basin F # HUC Region 17
lower-columbia F # HUC 1708
willamette-basin F # HUC 1709
lower-willamette F # HUC 170900
columbia-slough F # HUC 17090012
johnson-creek F # HUC 17090011
tualatin-basin F # HUC 17090010
fanno-creek F. # Tigard Beaverton
middle-willamette F
upper-willamette F
Naming Rules
- Large watersheds: Include "
river"
Example:columbia-river-basin
Example: willamette-basin
Examples: johnson-creek, fanno-creek
Example:
puget-soundGeographic Scope
- Columbia River Basin: 259,000 sq mi
Covers Portland Metro, Willamette Valley, Eastern OR/WA
Potential Deployment Plan
- Phase 1: Portland area
columbia-river-basin → willamette-basin → lower-willamette
Notes
The F flag enables flood/broadcast capability for each region.
2026-02-09 MeshCore
_ I posted to Portland dance community about MeshCore. I basically copy and paste to here so that easy to see the whole. I also edited some amount.
Hello dance people 🌲🕊️
_ I wanted to share something I’ve been enjoying for about a year as a tool for community connection and resilience: mesh networks.
_ Over the past few months, there’s been a noticeable shift among technical folks toward MeshCore, as it’s quickly become practical—at least across Portland, from downtown to the Mt. Tabor area as of today, and expanding pretty fast.
_ MeshCore is a local, off-grid communication network that allows devices to connect directly with one another — no internet, no cell service, no intermediaries.
It’s designed to support communities on their own terms.
_ This can be especially valuable for:
_ large dance events and retreats
_ outdoor or remote venues
_ moments when digital infrastructure lets us down
_ emergencies, power outages, or disruptions
_ 🌱 Why MeshCore matters to me
_ decentralized by nature — no single point of control
_ privacy as a foundation, not an afterthought
_ built on trust between people, not dependence on platforms
_ invisible until needed, reliable when called upon
_ You might think of it as:
_ “quiet infrastructure that holds space for community care.”
_ This isn’t about adopting new technology for its own sake.
It’s about offering an option that reflects values many of us already live by.
_ If you’re drawn to:
_ community care and collective safety
_ event coordination or support structures
_ resilience thinking and preparedness
_ exploring how technology can serve consent-based culture
_ I’d love to connect — whether that’s a conversation, a small demo, or simply sharing resources.
Feel free to comment or reach out directly 🌿
How MeshCore works?
_ It’s similar to how many people set up Wi-Fi hotspots, but using LoRa instead.
_ LoRa devices can communicate over much longer distances while using very little power, which means they can often run on small, inexpensive solar panels or a battery.
_ Traditional Wi-Fi hotspots usually don’t talk to each other.
_ MeshCore LoRa repeaters (or Meshtastic devices), on the other hand, pass messages between nodes, creating a true mesh network.
_ That makes them practical for outdoor events, remote locations, or situations where power and internet aren’t reliable.
Cover distance
_ As of today, folks in Portland are receiving messages from Vancouver, BC; Medford, Oregon; and Newport, Oregon.
_ Compared to the Portland downtown ↔ Mt. Tabor connection, these longer-distance links aren’t as stable yet, but it’s still exciting to see them coming through.
_ In typical Portland residential areas, LoRa devices usually reach about 0.5 to 1 mile, depending on antenna height and local conditions.
Basics
_ The mesh network community is moving to MeshCore quickly, so there isn’t yet a single place with all the best and up-to-date information.
_ Most Meshtastic devices work well with MeshCore, which makes getting started easier. This is a good reference list of commonly used Meshtastic hardware. Because you are living in U.S., please choose 915MHz version:
_ Rockland
_ That said, it’s important to confirm compatibility using the MeshCore Installer (WebFlasher), since a few Meshtastic devices are not yet ready for MeshCore:
_ MeshCore firmware web flasher
_ Documentation and explanations for MeshCore are still a bit hard to find, but so far this video is probably the best overview available:
_ The Comms Channel Youtube (There's a newcomer to the Mesh world)
_ If you are so into MeshCore and feels like joining developing the software, this is the developers web.
_ The MeshCore Web
Starting MeshCore near Portland Oregon
_ You’ll need one LoRa device for MeshCore (or Meshtastic) near downtown Portland.
If you’re comfortable with a bit of technical setup, you can start with devices around $27 (like T-Echo Lite).
_ For a simpler, more plug-and-play experience devices in the $40–$115 range work well.
_ Rockland
_ If you’re in the greater Portland Metro area, you may also want an additional device (repeater) placed near a window or in an attic to improve coverage.
MeshCore vs Meshtastic
_ If your focus is sensor networks, short-range coverage (under ~3 miles), or moving small groups, Meshtastic is usually the better choice.
For static setups, long-range communication, human-to-human messaging, or larger groups, MeshCore tends to be more practical.
Low cost but technical way to start MeshCore.
_ Below are two budget-friendly options, though note that connecting an external battery , an internal battery and solar panel is not always straightforward. Many low-power devices draw so little current that typical “auto-off” external batteries assume no one is using them and shut off automatically. Also you need to hold a very very small button by your finger nail for the firmware update. Still these are great for learning device.
_ High power consumption cost-effective option – $9.90 + $6.75 shipping:
_ Low-power consumption cost-effective option – ~8× more efficient – $13.49 + $6.75 shipping:
_ The T-Echo Lite (without shell, 915 MHz) option is $14.29 + $12 shipping. It’s also a low-power consumption device.
One advantage is that it’s easy to connect an internal battery or a solar panel. ⚡
Important: Be very careful with the internal battery connection — the + (red) and – (black) lines are often reversed on many batteries, so double-check before connecting.
2025-08-05 Rank Audio media
2024-10-31 Meshtastic and Portland Neighborhood Emergency Teams City Wide Deployment exercise [my old days]
_ Portland had Neighborhood Emergency Teams City Wide Deployment exercise as a part of IronOR 24 statewide exercise last night.
_ I joined Irvington neighborhood team as known as 🦺 meshtastic nodes.
_ I was a bit surprised because the private channels were more useful than I was imagining.
_ We also used FRS radio and GMRS radio.
_ seeing history of communications visually is very complimentary to real time radio audio communication.
_ My learning was:
_ putting message numbers like #1 #2 #3 manually.
_ ask receivers if they get message #1 to #3.
_ the sender get some level of idea if receivers got the messages.
2024-10-19 Meshtastic BBS medium fast East direction test [my old days]
2024-10-18 Meshtastic BBS practicality [my old days]
_ I have compared Meshtastic BBS (TC²-BBS) practicality using LongFast, MediumSlow and MediumFast at SE Portland residential area.
I thought LongFast had advantages because of reach and other nodes hop.
Actually LS was about 0.5 miles practical distance and MS was about 0.9 -1.0 miles practical distance.
The antenna was original and hight was first floor.
That means typical one neighborhood in SE can be covered by one or two BBS nodes.
I also noticed when I used my BBS, the channel utilization went to 30-32% using LF. 15-17% using MS.
MF was about 0.8-0.9 miles practical distance. I also noticed when I used my BBS, the channel utilization went to 3.3% using MF.
LF 0.5-0.8 miles-30-32% util
MS 0.9-1.0 miles -15-17% util
MF 0.8-0.9 miles - 3.3-3.4 % util
_ LF is about 55 active nodes in two hours means about 15-20 % ch util usually. MS and MF both are pretty empty here.
_ All testing points are very few. So this results are just rough impressions base.
_ I noticed LF sometimes need long waiting time to see responses from BBS.
2022-12-01 Mass casualty triage guidelines revised [my old days]
_ I took part in Wildness First Aid continual education training today.
_ I believe I was trained START triage when I became a volunteer for Oregon Portland city Neighborhood Emergency Team. I was aware that the triage was moved to a bit different one. I got to know more details about SALT triage today.
_ Please find more details about SALT triage with web site below.
2022-11-29 updated back ends
_ I updated back ends of my web server. My web host OS was FreeBSD. I moved to Ubuntu.
2021-10-13 Asian Asia Group Work [my old days]
_ This is group work focusing on Asia and Asian. All people with and without race and regional identities are welcome. I had dream with short experimental meeting with diverse couples and people including Korean and Chinese people. I worked on the dream and decided to create a group.
10/10/2021 - 8:45 am - 9:45 am japan time 10/9/2021 - 4:45 pm - 5:45 pm Portland, Oregon time (PST)
Please express your interest. You will receive the zoom link.
more detail please see facebook event page below: