Dr. Hax on Nostr: OK, great news: the antenna was unplugged. So that explains everything. Also, the lid ...
OK, great news: the antenna was unplugged. So that explains everything.
Also, the lid warped in the sun & cold and the caulk was insufficient to hold the seal as a result. Seems like there was no water damage though. My notch & grove design seems to have saved me.
What I learned:
- put tabs on the box & lid so they can bolt together (which I already did and will be on the next print)
- don't use caulk for strain relief because it may have already popped off before you get that far
- assemble & and caulk them inside, not on the roof at installation time
- test them fully assembled & sealed on the ground first
- check back frequently after the initial installation to see if there is warping, if the caulk is holding, etc.
As for the range problems, I just did an actual range test using the built-in #meshtastic module. I get intermittant coverage on my property (~1/10 acre) and spotty coverage about 30 feet beyond that. Everywhere else is a dead zone.
It's as if the antenna isn't even connected. So when it stops raining and the roof dries off, I'm going to swap out the antenna and do some re-testing to see if I can determine where the problem lies.
Published at
2025-04-07 22:38:15Event JSON
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