I have to admit that I was always VERY skepical about the performance of the Gotenna Mesh as a ‘point to point’ device. The fact that it is only 1W and uses UHF frequencies just does not seem to be the stuff that dreams are made of when it comes to wilderness communication. So I purchased the V1 Gotennas last summer despite the fact that the Mesh was already available. They just seemed to be the better choice for me than the Mesh (which seemed like they would be better for situations where there are plenty of other people to relay your signal). I have been using the V1 for the last few months. And they have worked quite well for me on a number of hikes.
But I always wondered about the Mesh. There was certainly a lot of noise made about them on the website, particularly with regards to the idea of a decentralized ‘network of the people’. This certainly seemed appealing, and had me thinking more than once about buying some. But since point to point range was of paramount importance to me and networking with others is unlikely in many wilderness areas at this time, I passed. I just didn’t want to spend the money on something that may ultimately just collect dust. But then came Cyber Monday. 30% off was enough for me to take a chance. After all, Apple always says that there is more to a product than specs. Maybe the same might be true with Gotenna Mesh?
Surprisingly, the answer to this question was actually YES!!! I had previously tested the original V1 Gotenna and now the Mesh on a nine mile hike that I often take at the Auburn State Recreation Area. This hike only takes you a maximum of a little over two miles from the starting point. But there are some points that are actually quite a challenge to any two way radio communications system. For instance, in the first part of the hike, I hike downhill from my parking spot on the west side of the Foresthill Bridge to the confluence of the North and Middle Forks of the American River. Communicating with the top of a hill might seem ideal. But not here. The car is more or less parked on a ‘shelf’, and there is NO line of sight between the car and the trail. A steep and rather heavily forested slope stands between the trail and the car. Admittedly, I had nobody in the car to text me. But I tested the Gotenna to see if I could get a comfirmed delivered message to the car (and I assume delivery confirmation must mean that the receiving Gotenna is sending back a signal telling it has received the message). Both Gotennas could successfully send a message at all tested points on this trail. But unlike the V1, the Mesh was actually able to do it at every try while remaining in the pocket of my hoodie! The V1 had to come out at some of the more difficult spots. This was completely unexpected. I even got a message through at the bathrooms down at the bottom of the hill!
The same was true for the section at the bottom of the canyon. Some of these spots were more difficult than others, as the Gotenna seemed to take more time at some spots to send a message (indicating that multiple attempts wee required). But I still never needed to remove the unit from my pocket (unlike the V1). I did, however, sometimes need to change the pocket the unit was in such that the pocket faced the car (and the signal didn’t have to pass through my body).
The next section was the steep Training Hill. This section actually has pretty good line of sight with the car. So neither device had much of a problem in my hoodie pocket. The only exception was a dip before a steep climb, where the V1 had to be elevated slightly.
Above Training Hill, things once again got interesting. This area is slightly rolling terrain on top of the American River Canyon. It is somewhat wooded, but also rather shrubby in places. Also, since I was no longer winding up and down hills so much, I was starting to put more distance between myself and the car. Once again, I never had to pull the Mesh out of my pocket, but had to do it several times with the V1. Even at the far point around the junction with the Wendell Robie Trail, which brings me back. Admittedly, some of the signal path is straight line of sight between the sides of the canyon. But in order to get there, it must pass through some trees and brush, as well as around some rolling terrain. Quite impressive.
The Wendell Robie Trail winds its was back down the canyon to the confluence. Much of this trail actually has fairly good line of sight with the bridge. But the top part is actually rather heavily wooded and somewhat tucked in. Again, NO problems with the mesh in my Hoodie (but the V1 had to come out a few times).
Back through the canyon, things were much the same as before. And the climb up to the top of the canyon to the opposite side of the Foresthill Bridge was much the same. The V1 DID require elevation at one point, though. Once on the Foresthill Bridge, communication with the car was a cinch.
I still don’t know why the Mesh worked SO much better than the original on this hike. Was there another mesh user out there to act as a relay? Maybe. But I’m guessing it was HIGHLY unlikely. Hikers are generally early morning people and afraid of the dark. Since it was around 9:00-10:00 at night, this is EXTREMELY unlikely. But if any mesh user here was out there at the time, maybe they can post that here. I’m thinking that maybe the Mesh benefits from the fact that the shorter wavelength UHF frequency allows for the use of a more optimal antenna design, which can overcome the disadvantages of lower power and the less ideal propagation characteristics of UHF vs VHF in the wilderness (if you want to refer to ASRA as wilderness, that is). In other words, ERP could be higher despite lower transmitter wattage. In any case, it just seems to work better. And at the end of the day, that’s what REALLY matters.
Like the V1 Gotenna, I would like to try it again on that hike, and with someone to send me messages. And I would like to try the Mesh on some other hikes where I have used the V1 (which might have to wait until next summer after snowmelt). But as for now, it looks like the Gotenna Mesh just might be BETTER than the V1 for point to point wilderness communication. I never would have thought.
