# Growing Your Community

# Finding Volunteers and Repeater Sites

## Finding Volunteers and Repeater Sites

The practical limit on any mesh network's coverage is the number and location of repeaters. Growing a community mesh means finding both people willing to host hardware and locations with good RF exposure.

### Identifying Good Repeater Sites

The best repeater sites share these characteristics:

- **Elevation:** Hilltops, building rooftops, water towers - any location that has line-of-sight to a wide area
- **Permanent power:** AC power or solar with battery backup means no maintenance visits for power
- **Internet connectivity:** Enables MQTT gateway functionality and remote management
- **Willing host:** Someone at the location who can assist with initial install and occasional physical access

### Where to Find Volunteers

- **Amateur radio clubs:** Many hams are already interested in digital modes and emergency communications; LoRa mesh is a natural extension
- **Community preparedness groups:** CERT, neighborhood emergency response teams, and ARES/RACES members often see immediate value in mesh
- **Tech and maker communities:** Hackerspaces, makerspaces, and local tech meetups
- **Existing mesh Discord servers:** [RegionMesh](https://wiki.meshamerica.com/books/north-american-networks/page/regionmesh) and other communities often have "looking for volunteers in \[state\]" channels

### The Repeater Volunteer Pitch

The cost and effort for a volunteer are minimal. Emphasize:

- Hardware cost: ~$20 - $30 for a Heltec V3
- Power draw: under 1 watt continuous (negligible electricity cost)
- Maintenance: essentially zero once installed and configured
- Contribution: one rooftop repeater can cover an entire neighborhood

### RegionMesh Volunteer Process

If you're deploying under RegionMesh, the official 5-step volunteer repeater process is documented in the RegionMesh Discord at [meshcore.gg](https://meshcore.gg). Following this process ensures your repeater is registered and visible to the broader community.

### Tracking Your Network

As you grow, keep a simple inventory of deployed nodes: location, hardware, firmware version, radio settings, and host contact. This becomes critical for maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

# Using RegionMesh Geographic Scoping

## Using [RegionMesh](https://wiki.meshamerica.com/books/north-american-networks/page/regionmesh) Geographic Scoping

As your community grows within the larger RegionMesh national network, geographic scoping helps you manage channel capacity and create region-specific communications without polluting the national mesh.

### The Problem Scoping Solves

On a nationwide mesh, every message without a scope floods all connected repeaters from Maine to California. This works fine for a small network, but as the network scales to thousands of repeaters, cross-country traffic consumes significant channel capacity. A neighborhood alert in Fargo, ND doesn't need to be relayed through repeaters in Miami.

### How to Enable Regional Scoping

On each repeater in your regional network, configure the relevant region codes:

```
region put us
region put us-nd
region save
advert
```

This example configures a North Dakota repeater to serve both national US traffic and North Dakota-scoped messages.

### Creating a Regional Channel

When your users send messages with the `us-nd` (or your region) scope set, those messages are only forwarded by repeaters that have that region configured. This creates an effective regional "channel" over the national infrastructure without requiring separate hardware or frequencies.

### Registering a Metro Code

If your community covers a metro area not served by a state code alone (e.g., Dallas/Fort Worth spans multiple states), you can propose a community metro code. The process:

1. Join the RegionMesh Discord at [meshcore.gg](https://meshcore.gg)
2. Propose the code in the appropriate channel (format: lowercase, max 29 bytes, e.g., `us-dfw`)
3. Achieve community consensus among local mesh operators
4. The code is then registered and documented for others to use

### Existing Metro Codes

- `us-dfw` - Dallas/Fort Worth
- `us-bay` - [San Francisco Bay Area](https://wiki.meshamerica.com/books/north-american-networks/page/san-francisco-bay-area)
- `us-atl` - Greater Atlanta

See the RegionMesh Discord for the current complete list.

# Onboarding New Members Effectively

Your onboarding process determines whether new members stay active or quietly disappear after their first week. A smooth, welcoming, and technically successful first experience converts curious newcomers into committed network participants.

## The Onboarding Journey

1. **Discovery** - They learn the network exists
2. **Acquisition** - They obtain hardware
3. **Configuration** - They get the node on the network
4. **First contact** - They exchange messages with another member
5. **Deeper engagement** - They explore features, attend events, consider contributing infrastructure

## Hardware Recommendations

Standardize on 1-2 recommended hardware options. Current recommended starter kit:

- **Budget option:** Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V3 (~$18) - USB-C, built-in OLED, no GPS. Good for indoor/desktop use.
- **All-in-one option:** LILYGO T-Beam (~$40) - GPS built in, battery connector, excellent for portable use
- **Premium:** RAK WisBlock Starter Kit (~$60-80) - Modular, excellent build quality, best for fixed outdoor installations

## Pre-Configured Firmware Distribution

- Create a saved configuration file with your community channel key, frequency preset, and node naming convention pre-filled
- Host it on your community wiki or website
- Link to meshtastic.org flasher with your settings pre-loaded
- Document: "Flash this firmware, scan this QR code, done." - Three steps maximum.

## First-Week Checklist for New Members

- Node powered on and flashed with community firmware
- Channel key loaded (via QR code scan or manual entry)
- Node name set to community naming convention
- Sent a test message received by at least one other member
- Joined community Discord/Signal channel
- Node visible on meshmap.net or community map

Assign a "buddy" - an experienced member who agrees to be on-call for a new member's first week. A quick DM check-in on day 3 dramatically improves retention.

## Managing Stale and Orphaned Nodes

Every network accumulates abandoned nodes - nodes still visible on the map but owned by someone who has moved on. Management strategies:

- **Annual "node census"** - Message all known node operators, ask for a check-in. Non-responders after 30 days are marked as inactive.
- **Automatic expiry** - Meshtastic shows "last heard" timestamps. Nodes not heard in 30+ days are visually distinguished on your community map.
- **Node decommission policy** - Backbone/shared infrastructure nodes require formal handoff if an operator leaves. Document the process.

# Community Events and Meetups

Regular events keep the community engaged and accelerate network growth. Events serve three purposes: recruitment of new members, skill-sharing among existing members, and public demonstration of the network's value.

## Build Nights

Monthly hands-on sessions where newcomers build their first node with help from experienced members. Format that works:

- **Venue:** Makerspace, library meeting room, or restaurant private room. 2-3 hours.
- **Format:** 15 min intro presentation → 90 min guided build → 15 min test on the live mesh
- **Materials:** Pre-order 4-6 extra kits to sell at cost to walk-ins. Keep spare USB cables, soldering irons, and spare antennas on hand.
- **Cost to participants:** Hardware cost only ($25-50). Experienced helpers volunteer their time.

Document and promote the event on social media. "Before and after" photos of someone building their first node and seeing it appear on the map are highly shareable.

## Annual Range Test

A fun event where participants drive, hike, or bike to test the limits of the network. Structure:

1. Designate a base station at a high-elevation location
2. Participants spread out across the coverage area with mobile nodes
3. Track who can communicate from the farthest point
4. Record SNR/RSSI at each test location
5. Share results in a coverage report - excellent content for your community map

The range test also generates real coverage data that helps you identify gaps for future backbone expansion.

## Tabletop Exercises

Simulate a disaster scenario where the mesh is the primary communications tool. Good exercise scenarios:

- **Extended power outage** - Cell networks are down, no internet. How does the community coordinate?
- **Evacuation coordination** - Simulated wildfire. Use the mesh to coordinate shelter-in-place vs. evacuation by zone.
- **Search and rescue** - Member is "lost" in a park. Use the mesh to coordinate the search team.

Tabletop exercises reveal gaps - in coverage, in procedure, and in member skills - before they matter. Document findings and publish improvements.

## Meetup Frequency Guidelines

<table id="bkmrk-event-typefrequencyt"><thead><tr><th>Event Type</th><th>Frequency</th><th>Time Investment</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Build night / intro session</td><td>Monthly</td><td>3-4 hrs to organize, 2-3 hrs to run</td></tr><tr><td>Infrastructure work party</td><td>Quarterly</td><td>Full day</td></tr><tr><td>Annual range test</td><td>Annually</td><td>Weekend event</td></tr><tr><td>Tabletop exercise</td><td>Annually (before storm season)</td><td>Half day</td></tr><tr><td>Virtual sync call</td><td>Monthly</td><td>1 hr</td></tr></tbody></table>