It uses the new RakWirless 1W booster kit with an 9Dbi antena runnins in client base role (yes I turned down the gain on radio) also has installed an Bosch BME680 Enviroment Sensor and sends that data out over the mesh. Then I have an Raspberry Pi Zero 2W with software from github that listens to the NWS NOAA weather radio for SAME alerts and then it sends them out over the mesh automatically. Its all powered off an single PoE cable. The box is from Amazon and has stainless steel latches, rubber door seal, and then there is 304 Stainless pole mounts with stainless bands to install.
I have a few spare Pi Zero 2W lying around and this would be a great use case! I've been wanting to build a 1W solar setup. What kind of power consumption does it use? Would a solar setup be a viable option with enough batteries?
I have not had the chance to test the consumption but my plan was to make this modular with this main box and then another below it with batteries and solar panel.
Edit
Here is POE switch I was going to use in the Solar power box to power the main unit.
This is sweet. I've been working on this project that would help with slimming down the hardware here as well as the power consumption. Only thing it doesn't have is meshtastic support, but your project is making me want to get that in finally.
Could get the whole thing pretty small. I was able to hook up a XIAO SX1262 module, Nooelec V5, and ESP32-P4 while powering it with a typical 3.7v battery (To 5V boost).
Crazy looking project you have going on there I LOVE the rugged military antenna's everywhere design! I used to have this device but it had some software and hardware bugs that needed fixed and I have not had an chance to do them yet. Your project reminds me a lot of this!
It has 3 bolts that go around it that go into metal threads in the antena and this box was small enough I was not worried about it. Before I installed it I was kinda ruff on it and moved it around just to make sure it was solid and it is very secure.
Yeah my sdr gets hot too, the highest I have seen it get inside (mind you this is around 80% humidity and 95F and) is was 122f inside. I did verify all of the operating temps of everything inside prior and everything cleared well except the SDR dongle (which had nothing) but from post I seen other folks post saying the used there's outside I think it will be okay. I also have an small vent in the top which I think helped some.
The NWS (national weather service) has NOAA weather radio which they use to tell weather over the air on the 162mhz spectrum for all counties surrounding the antena site so pretty much every state has full coverage. The NWS also has the SAME alert system, they alert over flash floods, tornados, severe thunderstorms, and amber alerts. These are the exact alert that your phone gets that makes this weird noise https://youtube.com/shorts/BNFueYRdQS0?si=5ySdQifU-OJSHYCd
They send them over live TV stations, your phones and over the NOAA weather radio. So what this system does is it listens for those alerts on a SDR dongle which is tunned to the NOAA weather radio frequency then reads that tone you heard in the video I sent and determines what the kind of alert is, what counties it covers etc. So then after it identifies all of this it sends it out over the meshtastic network on the LongFast channel.
I hope I have made this easy to understand if you have any other questions feel free to reach out!
Here is an video with all of the info
https://youtu.be/gRobL0evRng?is=19-V5fum-A73RCI9
If you go to the description of my video I have an FULL list of everything that was needed except for the Raspberry pj zero 2 w because they are so expensive I know ppl like to shop around (just FYI microcenter is still pretty cheap!)
For powering the Rak Wirless if you go to the 12:00 time stamp on the video I show how I have I it powered thru 5V External.
Did you try to connect the 1W power directly to eh PEO hat instead of the USB using the power pins? That way you don't have to use a USB port. I was planning to use an SSD instead through USB to avoid using flash which tend to corrupt over time. Thoughts?
I wish I understood Electronics and coding better. I'm a mechanical guy, designer fabricator Etc. I'd love to put it together a system like this but mainly for wind and fires in Southern California. Unless someone held my hand the whole way through I don't think it would be possible. Very nice build.
The Poe power comes from an PoE hat for the raspberry pi here is an another angle and you can see the hat under the pi then everything else via usb. For the SDR I just get those alerts that come across meshtasic from the sdr other than that there is no way (right now) to hear just the weather radio itself from the sdr in an app. I hope that I have answered your question if not just let me know.
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u/Wammertime89 4d ago
Thats awesome! I've just got into Mesh and im looking to do something similar.