Mesh Pirkanmaa

Welcome to Mesh Pirkanmaa!

We're a group of Meshtastic enthusiasts covering the Tampere region, including Nokia, Pirkkala, and Ylöjärvi.

Meshtastic - what?

Meshtastic is a open source mesh network protocol and software for small low power radio devices that is not depend on internet, mobile network or any other infrastructure. You can use it to send text messages, position updates, telemetry (temperature, humidity, etc.). It's a fun hobby to learn about radios, antennas, networks, and find other same minded people. As the name "mesh" indicates, the radios create meshing network where each radio can communicate with each other. This way the network can grow large and messages can be sent to longer distances than in radio-to-radio communication.

Pirkanmaa Meshtastic Settings

Meshtastic uses the LongFast preset mode as default for EU868. However, this works poorly in Pirkanmaa due to other traffic at 869.525 MHz (the "Long Fast" middle frequency). Therefore, we have collectively switche to EdgeFastLow to improve mesh network performance. The switch happened in November 2025.

To connect to our mesh network, you'll need to configure your Meshtastic device manually with non-preset "EdgeFastLow" settings. Here are the settings you'll need:

Channel Configuration

Channel Name	EdgeFastLow (exactly like this)
PSK	Leave AQ== (default)

LoRa Configuration

Use Modem Preset	Disabled
Bandwidth (kHz)	62
Spread Factor	8
Coding Rate	8 (* iOS look below)
Frequency Offset (MHz)	0
Frequency Slot	1

(*) iOS app has bug with the coding rate. Use coding rate 7 until fixed.

Our network operates on frequency 869.4313 MHz - you don't need to configure this anywhere, it's just good to know!

Detailed setup instructions

Detailed setup instructions for Android and iOS devices are available in our setup instructions:

Finnish instructions (PDF)
Coming soon: English instructions

Other suggestions

Overall the mesh has grown to size where we togther must take care of the network to keep it performing. We have to cut down the unnecessary radio transmissions when we can. This doesn't mean that we cannot communicate and use the mesh - but please be aware that your messages are repeated quite well and this causes traffic on the radio spectrum.

Here are some tips and suggestions how to configure your node to reduce the radio transmissions:

Hop-limit: We have found out that using larger hop-limit than 4 degrades the possibility for message to go through. Even the meshtastic standard hop-limit 3 works surprisingly well. It sounds little but increasing hop-limit also increases the change for message collisions. Currently the local mesh consists of 90 (!) nodes and half of them might be eventually repeating your message if you set the hop-limit larger than 4. The message starts "cirulating" around and bumping to other transmissions.

In short - use hop-limit 3 if you live close to decently meshing node. Use 4 if you need extra hop to reach a well meshing node. Avoid going over this limit as it will cause unnecessary radio transmissions and degrade the network performance. And eventually: your messages might not reach the destination with increased hop-limit.

Nodeinfo and position broadcast settings: we suggest setting broadcast interval to 6 hours at minimum for fixed nodes. There is no need to broadcast fixed location position often as it is not changing. Especially if your device has GPS enabled, check that the smart position settings are enabled and the minimum update rate is set to 6 hours - so it isn't transmitting position information unnecessarily if your node is actually moving.

Prefer "Client Mute" - role if your node isn't outside / on for example atbalcony. Client mute - mode works perfectly and it the only difference to Client is that it doesn't rebroadcast others messages. Use Client only if you think your node can support the mesh. Never use "Router" or "Repeater" without good reason and discussing about this with the community. Read more about this at https://meshtastic.org/blog/choosing-the-right-device-role/.

All these tips are suggestions and the aim is to make everyones communication better and more reliable. And eventually this will help your message to reach the destination. Let's take care of the mesh together!

Useful links

Maps for T-Deck Meshtastic UI

Brilliant tutorial how to use T-Deck with multiple firmwares

CLI commands to set EdgeFastLow settings to node with Python CLI

Map of the EdgeFastLow / LongFast usage in Finland

Getting started?

Here are some recommendations what to buy to get you started:

SenseCAP Card Tracker T1000-E - Battery, case, antenna, GPS, bluetooth. Good all rounder. Roughly 50$ shipped. Remember to buy the charging cable!
LILYGO T3 S3 Meshtastic - Battery not included, no GPS, decent antenna included (notice: RP-SMA connector). No enclosure. Around $18.
XIAO ESP32S3 & Wio-SX1262 Kit - 9.9$ for fully working node! Very barebones but works great for fixed nodes. Buy one of these on your balcony or next to your window. Wifi, Bluetooth.
XIAO nRF52840 & Wio-SX1262 Kit - energy efficient node. Suggested for battery powered nodes. Average current is about 10mA in relaxed network traffic. Buy suitable u.fl -> SMA adapter and for example Gizont antenna.

Join the Conversation

Have questions about setting up your device? Want to share your latest mesh experiments? Or just want to chat with fellow radio enthusiasts? Join us on:

• IRCNet: #mesh-pirkanmaa
• Matrix: #meshtastic-pirkanmaa:hacklab.fi