📡 MeshCore & Salish Mesh

Salish Mesh is a volunteer-run, off-grid mesh radio network covering the Salish Sea region — including Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, and parts of the BC coast. It is built on MeshCore, an open-source firmware designed for low-power LoRa radios.

The network operates in the 910 MHz ISM band, which does not require an amateur radio licence to use — but many participants are licensed hams. Salish Mesh is linked with Puget Mesh to the south, extending coverage into Washington State.

Most repeater nodes are solar-powered, making the network resilient during power outages and emergencies. The focus is on text messaging and small data packets — not voice or streaming — which lets it run reliably on modest hardware and low power budgets.

Learn more at the official site: salishmesh.net

When flashing or configuring your MeshCore device, use these radio settings to ensure compatibility with the Salish Mesh network:

Parameter	Value
Region Preset	USA / Canada (Recommended)
Frequency	910.525 MHz
Bandwidth	62.5 kHz
Spreading Factor	SF7
Coding Rate	CR5 (4/5)

These values are chosen for a good balance of range, speed, and network capacity in the North American ISM band. Do not change them unless you are on a private or experimental channel.

Follow these steps to get your MeshCore node up and running:

1. Flash MeshCore firmware to a compatible LoRa device (such as a LilyGo T-Beam, Heltec LoRa 32, or similar SX1276/SX1262-based board). Visit meshcore.ca for firmware downloads and instructions.
2. Select the USA / Canada preset in the radio configuration. This sets the correct frequency, bandwidth, spreading factor, and coding rate automatically.
3. Set your callsign or device name. Use your amateur radio callsign if you are licensed (e.g., VE7LEE). Licensed operators should identify as required by their licence conditions.
4. Join the local channels listed below. Start with #salishmesh and #vancouver to hear local traffic.
5. Check your RF path. From Vancouver and Richmond, many nodes have line-of-sight to solar repeaters on local peaks. Use the coverage map at salishmesh.net/coverage to find nearby infrastructure.
6. Say hello! Introduce yourself on #vancouver or #salishmesh and ask for a signal report.

Channels in MeshCore work like named chat rooms. Below are the active channels used by the Vancouver and Salish Mesh community. Join the ones relevant to your area and activity.

General & Regional

Bots & Testing

#bot-van carries automated bot traffic and beacons. #testing is for experimenting with your node — please do not clutter operational channels with test traffic.

Emergency

#emergency is reserved for genuine emergency communications. Do not use this channel for routine traffic, testing, or casual conversation.

Region scopes define how widely a message is repeated across the mesh. Choosing the right scope keeps traffic local and reduces unnecessary network load.

bc — covers British Columbia broadly.
swbc — South-West BC, including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and the Sunshine Coast.
salishmesh — the full Salish Mesh region, spanning the Salish Sea including parts of Washington State via the Puget Mesh link.

Use the narrowest scope that covers your intended audience to be a good mesh citizen.