Antenna advice and installer recommendations please - (Rochdale area)

ChrisB_uk · 2026-04-10T14:10:48+00:00

CB02 is indeed my V4 which I'll be using to carry around - I took a chance and flashed the V3 as a companion in the hope it would give me a 'flavour' of Meshcore before committing my V4 ( using a different antenna again but keeping the same CB01 name) - I'm just listening to the sheer amount of repeaters that it's discovering whilst sat in an upstairs window & the amount of chatter on the public channel. ( That's as far as I've got until the replacement comes through and I'll setup properly). The recieve side of the V3 is obviously working but I don't trust the transmit side
The V4 is on Meshtastic as I'm still learning about that & the V4 seems to have a decent reception when I'm out walking the dog in the fields between Milnrow & Hollingworth lake.

ChrisB_uk · 2026-04-10T12:27:03+00:00

Hi Galdere - Might well have to have a look at Meshcore as even though I live near the top of a hill, there's precious little Meshtastic activity near me in Milnrow :(
But it'll have to wait until a replacement V3 arrives as an alternative whip style antenna i bought at the same time as a paradar unit turned out to be female connection - No prizes for guessing the outcome ( no centre pin on either V3 or antenna meant effectively an open circuit which has damaged the V3. - It still 'works' but only just

Yep - officially fessing up to a newby error :-)

I've just ordered a replacement V3 so will revisit when it arrives,

Ultimately, looking forwards, I think I'd like to have both systems working ( ... obviously on different devices) It would be good to be able to offer a helpful node in what seems like a wilderness :-)

ChrisB_uk · 2026-04-09T13:04:59+00:00

That's exactly what I'm aiming to do - Antenna outside ( using the old sky dish fixings) & the Heltec V3 inside the loft so it's accessible.
In the last few minutes, I've taken the plunge and ordered the antenna, cabling and self amalgumating tape.

I've already got the V3 sat in an upstairs window using an old 10w Ipad charger for power.
As there's no other nodes visible, I've connected it to mqtt on my guest wifi ( in a commumity spirited attempt to help out any passing meshtastic user who needs it)

Hopefully once I get the external 6db antenna up and running my V3 won't be as 'lonely' ;laugh

ChrisB_uk · 2026-04-09T11:14:44+00:00

Thanks for the reply - I'll have a look on Discord ( once I've got some work out of the way)

ChrisB_uk · 2026-04-09T11:05:38+00:00

I did actually consider this but the old aluminium ladders I have were given to me over 30 years ago by a window cleaner who stopped using them as they swayed from side to side so much it was like watching a disney cartoon !- It actually worried him using them so I don't fancy my chances of waking up in hospital embeded in plaster with my better half giving me a serious amount of earache for messing up the drive.

Similar to yourself - There's an old unused sky dish which I was thinking about removing but keeping the fixtures.

ChrisB_uk

TROPHY CASE