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MeshCore Repeater Name and Identity

Every MeshCore repeater broadcasts an identity advertisement that makes it visible to the network. Setting a meaningful name and position makes your repeater useful to the wider community.

Setting a Repeater Name

The repeater name appears in client apps when users are selecting which repeaters to contact or route through. Use a consistent naming convention for community repeaters:

  • Geographic convention - Name by location: W5ABC-Mt-Wilson, K6XYZ-Oakland-Hills, WA7QRS-Snoqualmie
  • Grid square convention - Used by some communities: DM04-Repeater-1
  • Descriptive - Simple but clear: Downtown-SF-Roof, I-5-Corridor-N

Note: Call signs in these examples are just a human naming convention. MeshCore devices operate under FCC Part 15 (license-free) on 902-928 MHz, not Part 97 amateur rules - no station ID is required, and a call sign in the name does not make the device an amateur-radio station.

Configure via the MeshCore app or serial console:

set name MyRepeaterName

KeepThe node name maximum length is 24 bytes if a location is set, 32 bytes otherwise (the limit is measured in bytes, and emoji or accented characters use more than one byte each). Plain ASCII names underof 20roughly 24 characters foror bestfewer are safe. As a separate style suggestion, keeping names short also improves display compatibilityreadability across client apps.

Setting Geographic Position

Position data is included in flood advertisements, making your repeater visible on network maps and helping operators understand coverage. Configure with decimal degrees:

set lat 37.7749
set lon -122.4194
set alt 52

AltitudeMeshCore position advertisements use latitude and longitude only; there is no altitude setting in metersthe above sea level. Accurate position data helps network planners understand repeater height and expected coverage radius.CLI. Use your deployment coordinates, not your home address - the position is broadcast to the entire network.

Advertisement Configuration

Control how and how often your repeater announcessends itself:its flood advertisement:

set advert_intervalflood.advert.interval 72012

ValueThe flood advert interval is specified in minutes. Default 720hours (12range hours)3-168), with a repeater default of 12. The 12-hour default is appropriate for stable, permanent deployments. ReduceTo toverify 60 minutes during initial deployment to confirm thea repeater is appearing in client apps;apps during initial deployment, temporarily lower the flood interval (for example to 3 hours) and then return it to 720 minutes12 for steady-state operation to minimize network load. A separate zero-hop advert interval, set advert.interval <minutes> (60-240 minutes), controls only the local zero-hop advert.

Flood vs Local Advertisement

MeshCore adverts are sent as one of two types - there is no per-advert hop-count setting. To send a flood (multi-hop) advert that other repeaters propagate across the network, run:

set advert_hops 3advert

advert_hops 0advert.zerohop - advertisementsends isa zero-hop advert visible only visible to nodes in direct radio range (local-only repeater)only). advert_hops 3advert - advertisementsends a flood advert that propagates 3 hops through the mesh, making the repeater discoverable to distant nodes.nodes; its propagation depth is limited by flood.max (range 0-64, default 64), not by a per-advert hop count. Use flood advertisementsadverts (advert) for public community repeaters; use local-onlyzero-hop adverts (advert.zerohop) for private or testing nodes.

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