Common Beginner Questions

Do I need an amateur radio license?
Short answer: No Meshtastic and MeshCore operate in the 902-928 MHz ISM band under FCC Part 15.247. No amateur radio license is required for standard operation in the United States. Why many operators are licensed hams The amateur radio community has been an early adopter of LoRa mesh. However the protocols run under Part 15, not Part 97 (amateur rules). Your licensed status does not change what you can do on the ISM mesh. When a license IS relevant APRS gateway: Bridging Meshtastic to APRS-IS requires at least a Technician license because APRS operates on 144.390 MHz under Part 97. Above Part 15 power limits: Operating above 1W conducted / 4W EIRP requires a license. Non-ISM frequencies: Using LoRa hardware on amateur bands requires a license. Canada Similar unlicensed ISM band rules apply under ISED RSS-210/RSS-GEN. No license needed for standard Meshtastic/MeshCore operation.

How far can my node reach?
Range varies enormously by terrain, antenna height, modem preset, and local conditions. Realistic ranges Scenario Typical Range Ground level, dense urban 200 m - 1 km Ground level, suburban 0.5 - 2 km Rooftop or upper floor 2 - 8 km Hilltop to hilltop, clear terrain 10 - 30 km Mountain repeater to valley 15 - 40 km Over water (lake, bay) 30 - 80+ km The dominant factor: antenna height Radio waves travel in straight lines. Elevation beats everything else. Even 3 extra meters of height meaningfully extends the radio horizon. A mediocre antenna on a hilltop outperforms an excellent antenna at ground level. Best approach: test it Deploy the node, walk or drive around with a second device, and observe where packets stop arriving. The Meshtastic Range Test module (Config - Module - Range Test) automates this by logging position and signal data to a CSV file.

MeshCore or Meshtastic - which should I choose?
Both are excellent. Choose based primarily on what your local community already uses - joining an existing active network is almost always more valuable than picking the technically superior option and being alone on it. Choose Meshtastic if: Your local area already has an active Meshtastic network You want the largest app ecosystem and community support You want the most beginner-friendly experience with polished apps You want the widest hardware compatibility Choose MeshCore if: Your local community uses MeshCore You are building dedicated repeater infrastructure You want stronger ECDH encryption for direct messages You are deploying a large network (50+ nodes) where flooding creates congestion Can they interoperate? No. Different packet formats and routing protocols. A MeshCore node and a Meshtastic node cannot communicate even on the same frequency. Many operators run both on separate devices for different purposes. Technical comparison Feature Meshtastic MeshCore Routing Flooding Path-based (path discovery) Community size Larger Smaller, more technical Hardware support Very broad Good (915 MHz boards) Best for Personal use, joining existing mesh Infrastructure, large networks