Minot Mesh —
Resilient Off-Grid Comms Across the Magic City.
A decentralized, solar-powered LoRa mesh network spanning Minot, Ward County, and North Central North Dakota. Send text messages, telemetry, and room bulletins peer-to-peer over radio waves—with zero cell towers, Wi-Fi, or internet backhaul required.
Elevated solar repeaters, persistent Room Servers, and live MQTT telemetry observers.
BW: 62.5 kHz • SF: 7 • CR: 5
Minot Metro, Souris River Valley, South Hill, North Hill & surrounding corridors.
North Dakota & Official MeshCore Resources
Minot Mesh takes inspiration from the broader North Dakota mesh community (No Affiliation). NoDakMesh.org is our recommended portal for statewide onboarding information.
Radio & Repeater Configuration
To communicate with the Minot MeshCore backbone, your companion radio or repeater must match the North American LoRa modem parameters below. Use the one-click copy buttons for serial console / CLI setup.
USA / Canada Standard Modem Preset
In the MeshCore mobile app, select the USA/Canada (Recommended) radio preset. If configuring a repeater over USB Serial CLI, apply the exact four-parameter string below:
910.525), Bandwidth (62.5), and Spreading Factor (7) must match identically across every node to demodulate packets. Coding Rate 5 provides fast on-air packet delivery while keeping shared channel airtime clear during busy regional traffic.
set radio 910.525,62.5,7,5
set path.hash.mode 1
Standard Minot Repeater Setup
Flash the Repeater firmware via the official WebUSB flasher, connect over serial at 115200 baud, and apply these standard RF parameters to bring a new Minot repeater online:
set freq 910.525 set bw 62.5 set sf 7 set cr 5 set path.hash.mode 1 advert save
NoDakMesh.org — North Dakota's Mesh Network
The main hub for mesh networking across North Dakota. Connect with operators statewide, browse regional setup guides, review North Dakota repeater coordination, and stay updated on inter-city links connecting Minot, Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Williston.
MeshCore - Official Site
The authoritative home for the MeshCore protocol. Download official iOS, Android, and Web companion apps, access the browser-based WebUSB firmware flasher, review CLI reference commands, and read full protocol specifications.
CoreScope Live (Minot)
Real-time Minot packet visualizer and topology monitor showing live hops between North & South Minot repeaters, room servers, and local observers.
MOT MeshMapper
Local Minot regional RF coverage heatmap, wardriving signal logs, and repeater telemetry tracker across Minot and surrounding Ward County roads.
MeshCore Node Roles Explained
Companion Client
Pairs via Bluetooth LE or USB with the MeshCore iOS/Android/Web app. Used by individuals to send direct messages, join public channels (#bot), and view contacts. Does not drain battery repeating others' traffic.
Dedicated Repeater
Headless, solar- or AC-powered infrastructure nodes mounted on rooftops, towers, or hills in North & South Minot. Stores routing tables and forwards multi-hop packets across the Magic City.
Room Server (BBS)
Acts as an asynchronous store-and-forward bulletin board on the RF mesh. Clients connect to a Minot Room Server to post announcements and retrieve missed messages even if recipients were offline when sent.
MQTT Observer
Receive-only network listeners bridged to the internet that feed real-time packet telemetry, SNR/RSSI metrics, and node adverts into CoreScope and MOT MeshMapper.
Live Minot Mesh Tools & Diagnostics
Inspect live RF packet paths across North and South Minot, review wardriving coverage maps, flash firmware directly from your browser, or test your antenna on-air.
CoreScope Live Visualizer
Watch live MeshCore packets hop between Minot repeaters in real time. Inspect hop counts, RF link paths, node adverts, and observer reception telemetry.
MOT MeshMapper Coverage
Explore GPS-tagged wardriving signal logs, repeater footprints, SNR/RSSI heatmaps, and dead-zone testing across Minot and Ward County.
MeshCore - Official Site & Flasher
Access the official MeshCore WebUSB flasher, download companion mobile apps, and configure your node directly from your browser.
Minot Multi-Hop Packet Trace Simulator
Using the #bot Channel
Join the public #bot channel in your MeshCore app to verify whether your radio can reach the Minot repeater backbone without bothering general chat channels.
Hardware & Cold-Weather Build Guide
North Dakota winters regularly plunge to -30°F. Choosing the right MCU architecture and battery chemistry makes the difference between a 2-day battery life and a multi-year rooftop solar repeater.
Seeed Xiao nRF52840 & Wio-SX1262 / SenseCAP Solar
The gold standard for unattended Minot rooftop and tower repeaters. Ultra-low deep sleep draw (~15 µA) lets a modest 5W–10W solar panel survive overcast North Dakota weeks effortlessly.
- ~10x lower idle power than ESP32 boards
- Deployed in North & South Minot backbone nodes
- Native USB-C serial CLI & OTA support
Heltec Mesh Node T114
Combines the ultra-efficient Nordic nRF52840 radio chipset with a crisp color TFT screen and GPS option. Delivers multi-day battery life on a single small LiPo cell for pocket or vehicle carry.
- Multi-day battery runtime for EDC & wardriving
- Optional GPS module for MOT MeshMapper logging
- Compact 3D-printable pocket enclosures
Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V3 / V4
Widely available, inexpensive starter board with built-in OLED screen and Wi-Fi/BLE. Great for desk companions, home base stations, or MQTT observer bridges plugged into USB power.
- Lowest entry cost (~$20) for getting on the air
- Supports Wi-Fi MQTT Observer firmware
- Higher idle draw (~15–20 mA); avoid for small solar
Building Outdoor Solar Nodes That Survive Minot Winters
Standard lithium-ion batteries suffer permanent plating damage if charged below 32°F (0°C). For permanent outdoor repeaters in Ward County, follow these four field-tested rules:
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about joining and operating on the Minot MeshCore network.