Devs; If the dedicated unit drains all the way down to power off (say during a weekend of heavy storms)… How should it recover? Should it power back up once charge is applied or will it stay off until manually powered on?
The NE had a bout of HEAVY storms this friday. My dedicated unit dropped to 5% before the sun broke Saturday AM.
If they dont power back gracefully then we will need to rethink dedicated systems… perhaps requiring battery backup.
@Advocate it will stay off unitl manually powered ON.
You may have to consider a battery back up, in case a similar scenario, repeats itself.
This feedback is really valuable. Will keep this in mind when we plan future product improvements.
We have setup 2 goTenna Mesh always powered ON stationary relays at goTenna HQ in downtown Brooklyn, NY!
https://www.imeshyou.com/
Just about at one week of 24/7 on status using solar power only.
One day she got down to 5% when we had 3 inches of rain in 12 hours… but other than that it seems to dip to around70% overnight and then charges back to 100% quickly during the day.
If anyone know of a solar panel that has a battery built in that allows simultaneous discharge and charge it may be the ticket to avoid down time in low solar days.
@Advocate Here is a low cost one you can consider
https://www.amazon.com/X-DRAGON-10000mAh-Foldable-Shockproof-More-Green/dp/B01MYMJP6M/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1501768393&sr=8-7&keywords=solar+charger+with+battery
What is the max power during transmission? What is the sequence of transmission power when a Mesh unit is searching for another mesh? When it finds another mesh does it try to lower power?
How often does a mesh check QOS [ quality of signal]
If no other Mesh is found how long does it take to go into standby mode?
@kb1eea the max power during transmission is 1W.
We currently do not lower power. As you may be aware, range performance is highly dependent on the environment. Your environment changes constantly. To give each transmission the highest chance of success in a constantly changing environment, we default to the highest permissible transmit power i.e. 1W.
goTenna Mesh has been designed to provide up to 24hrs battery life when always transmitting at 1W.
The wake-up/sleep cycles for goTenna Mesh are optimized to ensure that 100% of messages are received while maximizing battery life.
How long does it take for the mesh to go into standby?
The Mesh goes active when it confirms a signal I assume.
Just to confirm: 200 ma X 5 v = 1 w
The time it takes for Mesh to enter standby, depends on factors such as how many people are transmitting/receiving in your area etc. The RF chip, periodically wakes up to listen for transmissions. If a packet is received, it then alerts the rest of the system to process it.
Mesh uses a 3.7 V battery. So ideally, this means:
290 mA X 3.7 V = 1W
The charge circuitry uses 5v I assume [micro usb]. What is the max charge
rate ?
Yes, the charging circuitry uses 5V.
Max current draw is 250 mA at 5V.
I’m also interested in getting an external antenna connected.
Has anyone done this yet?
I have a GMRS repeater with a decent elevation and want to store the goTenna mesh in the repeater room and then add an 800Mhz ISM antenna to my mast.
I think reverse SMA makes the most amount of sense and then some LMR 400 out to the antenna to minimize loss.
The big issue is still the connection to the antenna cable.
I’ve tested a beta unit in my repeater room and the walls eat the signal so I definately need to get the external antenna connection wired up.
Watching this thread as although ive not got my mesh units yet this is exactly what I wanted to do but being slightly less bright than most folk was a bit confused as to how I’d do it. This has given me a lot of answers 
@LAFD_CERT_Battalion2
Would it be easier for you to mount goTenna Mesh directly to your mast and leave it outside your repeater room?
@gua742 have you completed your relay repeater setup? Any additional pictures your can share here for other who would like to do the same but that aren’t savy enough to build one due to lack of knowledge? That would be me.
Depends on how risky that usb connection is for power. I assume it won’t be weather sealed at that point?
Behold MOAN: Mother of All Nodes.
In production: Project MOAN: (Mother of All Nodes) for serious NFA (Not F***ing Around) long range GoTenna Mesh hops is now if full effect!
Oh and for an antenna: An Antenex FG902 (should be be here in a few days). Yeah, I went there. 3 dBd, ultra short runs of high quality coax (LMR400) and a micro SMA connector replacing the stock antenna = Oh hell yes!
Still waiting on the antenna (duh), solar panel, panel mount connectors, and wire (electrical wiring, I got tons of feed-line). This is going online ASAP! Parts list is below. Any questions please let me know!
The antenna that I’ll be using: 
-A B&W case (Type 2000)
-12V 7Ah SLA Battery
-CMP12 Charge Controller
-12v Dual Receptacle
-HY-503 USB 12v USB Charger (goes in one of the 12v dual receptacles)
-Antenex FG902 902-928 MHz 3dB Fiberglass Omni Base Station Antenna
-GoTenna Mesh Unit (duh)
-12v Solar Panel Charger (8Ah)
-RG316 High Frequency Wire Jumper 10cm Coaxial Cable Connector FPV Antenna Extender Cable SMA Male to SMA Female Adapter
-Straight N Male to UHF Female Coax Adapter Connector
-UHF Female Jack Solder SO-239 4-Hole Chassis Mount Coax RF Connector
-LMR-400 (from outer PL-259 port to antenna, short run <3 feet)
-Various other parts I have not figured out BUT I will 
And YES you will have to take apart a Mesh unit to solder into the antenna and I still have not figured out where the ground plane for the antenna is BUT I will soon! This is NOT a project for everyone, however I can not not do it!
Much more to come 
-George
Wow @gua742 love what I just saw and on standby to see end result. Does all that come with a tutorial for us to follow? 
Hey gotenna, can you speed up my 3 units :)
Oh heck yeah I am going to give easy instructions on how to make this! Gotta get it done first! @Mark, thanks for the comment BTW!
@LAFD_CERT_Battalion2 you are correct. A custom case may be required if your mounting location could be subjected to direct water exposure.
