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Source note

Migrated from the SA:MUG Wiki.js page. Content has been lightly cleaned for Docusaurus and public readability; advanced operational settings should still be field-tested before being treated as hard defaults.

MeshCore troubleshooting

This page gives first-line troubleshooting checks for SA:MUG MeshCore users and repeater operators.

Start with simple physical and settings checks before changing advanced options.

Useful links:

Quick first checks​

  1. Confirm the device is running MeshCore, not Meshtastic.
  2. Confirm the firmware role is correct: companion, repeater, room server, or standalone.
  3. Confirm the local radio settings.
  4. Check the antenna is connected and suitable for the band.
  5. Test outdoors or near a window.
  6. Reboot the radio and app.
  7. Send an advert or ask a nearby user to send one.
  8. Record what changed before asking for help.

Local radio settings​

For South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland:

SettingValue
Frequency923.125 MHz
Bandwidth62.5 kHz
Spreading factor8
Coding rate8

If these do not match the local mesh, the app may still connect to the device but the radio may hear nothing useful.

The app connects, but I cannot hear anyone​

Likely causes:

  • wrong radio settings
  • wrong firmware role
  • no MeshCore nodes in range
  • antenna missing, damaged, or wrong band
  • indoor testing location
  • noisy USB power or nearby electronics
  • no recent adverts or stale contacts

Try:

  1. Move outdoors or near a window.
  2. Check antenna and connector.
  3. Confirm frequency, bandwidth, spreading factor, and coding rate.
  4. Ask a nearby known-good node to send an advert.
  5. Test with another known-good device if available.

I can hear others, but they cannot hear me​

Likely causes:

  • poor antenna or feedline
  • low transmit power or board-specific RF issue
  • poor location or obstruction
  • you can hear a repeater but cannot reach it
  • wrong regional settings
  • power supply sag while transmitting

Try a short-range line-of-sight test with another node before changing advanced settings.

Others can hear me, but I cannot hear them​

Likely causes:

  • local receive noise near your device
  • poor antenna receive performance
  • nearby electronics desensing the receiver
  • you are lower or more obstructed than the other station
  • stale route/contact information

Try moving the device away from chargers, computers, solar controllers, and other RF-noisy equipment.

Bluetooth or BLE companion does not appear​

Check:

  • firmware is BLE companion, not USB serial companion or repeater
  • Bluetooth is enabled on the phone/tablet
  • another phone is not already connected
  • old pairings are forgotten if needed
  • device is close during setup
  • device is powered reliably

If still stuck, reboot both the radio and phone before reflashing.

Web flasher or serial access fails​

Check:

  • use Chrome or another browser with WebSerial support
  • use a data-capable USB cable
  • close serial monitors and other flasher tabs
  • try another USB port
  • check OS serial permissions
  • put the device into the correct bootloader/DFU mode if required

Charge-only cables are a common cause.

Repeater does not appear to help coverage​

Check:

  • repeater firmware is installed
  • repeat is on
  • radio settings match the local mesh
  • antenna is suitable and placed well
  • the site actually has a useful path to users or other repeaters
  • settings profile matches the site role
  • flood/adverts are not disabled unexpectedly

Useful commands:

get repeat
get flood.max
get flood.max.unscoped
get flood.max.advert
get advert.interval
get flood.advert.interval
stats-core
stats-radio

Repeater seems noisy or harmful​

Symptoms may include excessive duplicate traffic, poor message reliability, or many users hearing confusing repeated adverts.

Check:

  • wrong profile for the site role
  • flood limits too high
  • flood adverts too frequent
  • loop detection too loose
  • too many nearby repeaters hearing the same traffic
  • high site hearing too many marginal paths

Start by comparing the configuration against Repeater settings profiles.

rxdelay or txdelay problems​

Do not use rxdelay values between 0 and 1.

Reminder:

  • rxdelay 0 disables rxdelay.
  • rxdelay 1 is a no-op.
  • rxdelay > 1 is the intended weak-packet delay behaviour.
  • 0 < rxdelay < 1 inverts the behaviour.

See rxdelay and txdelay calculations before tuning.

Noisy site or interference suspicion​

Use:

stats-radio

Look for values such as:

  • noise_floor
  • last_rssi
  • last_snr

A strong RSSI with poor SNR can still be a bad link. Nearby electronics, chargers, solar gear, computers, and other transmitters can raise the noise floor.

Be careful with int.thresh. If it is too low on a noisy site, the repeater may keep treating the channel as busy.

Stale contacts or routes​

If messages behave strangely after nodes move or repeaters change:

  1. Send a fresh advert.
  2. Ask the other node to send a fresh advert.
  3. Test with a known nearby node.
  4. Check whether the old path depended on a repeater that changed or disappeared.

See How MeshCore routing works.

What to include when asking for help​

Include:

  • device model
  • firmware role and version if known
  • companion app or web app used
  • radio settings
  • antenna type and location
  • indoor/outdoor test location
  • whether another known-good node was used
  • exact symptom
  • what changed recently
  • relevant get, stats-core, or stats-radio output

This avoids guesswork and makes support much faster.

Safe recovery approach​

If changes made things worse:

  1. Stop changing settings.
  2. Write down what changed.
  3. Return to known-good local settings.
  4. Test one device at short range.
  5. Add repeaters or advanced settings back one at a time.

Where to go next​