Hello All,

     I am a relatively new HAM, and even newer to HSMM-MESH.  I have been reading the forums and like what I have seen.  File sharing, instant messaging, voice communications, etc are all neat applications to run, but I haven't seen much on telemetry for mobile nodes.  Has anyone experimented with gps, speed, and altitude tracking to name a few?  I was thinking it would be handy to have that capability installed on nodes that are on vehicles, kind of like the military's Blue Force Tracker.  I especially like the idea of having these capabilities during emergency situations where hams may be aiding in search and rescue.

Thanks,

KJ7KJU

Once you try toying with this mobile - you figure out what a real challenge mobile microwaves are...

Omni antennas usually aren't all that good for this application and the power levels are so low (600 mw) that "punching through the pine trees" becomes an act of futility.

I know, i have a FIVE WATT mobile setup...  And it's pretty dicey around town.  Most fixed stations use directional antennas to link to someplace that is up and on the air. 

So unless you have a compact area blanketed with multiple mesh nodes that all talk to each other, you are going to find that working mobile is a whole different experience than VHF.

I am not trying to rain on your parade, but I am sharing my experience with working mobile with the mesh so far...

Good luck!

Bill - N5MBM

Thanks for the input.  My knowledge of linux, arduino and pi are very limited, so building a kit using that kind of hardware/software is in the distant future for now.  I was hoping to find a resource on how to possibly set up a system similar to the many commercial fleet tracking systems out there that utilize IEEE 802 to plot and track fleet assets.

As far as microwaves being hard to connect to on the move, I disagree. We have been using mobile microwave in the military for some time now.  The key is how you network it together, which is the very heart of this system.  Obviously with one or two access points in town, you are going to be very limited in maintaining a connection on the move, but once a MESH is established, movement within the MESH shouldn't suffer a great deal.

   -KG7KJU

I'm new to HSMM-Mesh myself.  But I would  imagine now that Ubiquiti M9 devices are now supported, that might be a better match for a mobile application such as what you are thinking of.  The 900Mhz band would be a little less crowded in most areas and also it is a little more suitable for an omni directional antenna set up than the higher 2.4Ghz and 5.8Ghz frequencies.  But like I said, I'm no expert and I may be completely wrong in my assumption.

N4TNA

Chris