Meshtastic-GOSHkathmandu

Getting started

To get two Meshtastic boards talking in Nepal: flash the same firmware on both, set the region to NP_865, leave the preset and channel at their defaults, and send a message. This page shows each step, with the command-line equivalents.

1. Flash the firmware

  1. Plug the board into your computer with a data USB-C cable (some cables only carry power).
  2. Open the Meshtastic Web Flasher in Chrome or Edge, because it needs Web Serial.
  3. Pick your exact board and a firmware version. Use the same version on every board.
  4. Tick Full erase when changing between major versions, then Flash.

Official guide: Flashing firmware.

2. Install the command-line tool

pip3 install --upgrade "meshtastic[cli]"   # Linux / Windows
pipx install "meshtastic[cli]"             # macOS

See the CLI installation guide. Only one program can use the USB port at a time, so close the web client, the panel and any serial monitor before running CLI commands.

3. Set the region (required)

After flashing, the region is unset and the radio will not transmit until you set it.

meshtastic --set lora.region NP_865

The board reboots; wait about 20 seconds before the next command.

4. Match the radio settings

These are the defaults, so a fresh board already has them. Run this if a board was changed before:

meshtastic --set lora.modem_preset LONG_FAST --set lora.use_preset true \
  --set lora.channel_num 0 --set lora.override_frequency 0 --set lora.frequency_offset 0 \
  --set lora.tx_enabled true --set lora.sx126x_rx_boosted_gain true
meshtastic --ch-index 0 --ch-set psk default

5. Name the node and set the time zone (optional)

meshtastic --set-owner "Kathmandu desk node" --set-owner-short KTM1
meshtastic --set device.tzdef "<+0545>-5:45"

6. Send a message and listen

meshtastic --sendtext "namaste from Kathmandu"
meshtastic --listen          # shows packets as they arrive (Ctrl+C to stop)

Or connect in a browser with the Meshtastic web client, or the phone app over Bluetooth.

7. Confirm two boards hear each other

Use tools/radio_check.py on each board. It prints the radio settings, listens for a few minutes and compares the two boards side by side.

Careful when sharing output: meshtastic --info prints the node’s private key and your WiFi password if one is set. Don’t paste it publicly. radio_check.py and the control panel hide these.

Using the control panel instead

Once the region is set, the control panel can switch a board between the modes used in this project with one click.

Next: Nepal: NP_865 →

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