Getting the Most Range Out of Meshtastic with Altitude

Published at : 23 Dec 2025

The purpose of this experiment to see if I could get around the line-of-sight limitation of low-power LoRa radios by sending it up on a tethered balloon. According to the math, I should be able to reach 65 miles in a single hop using Meshtastic. Could keeping a bottle of helium and some balloons on hand in case of a grid down emergency be a reliable way to get messages out to your group?

Disclaimer:
These videos are for education and are meant to inspire and motivate. I will never promote commercial content, and if a product appears in any video it has been purchased by me and should be in no way construed as endorsement of the product. Also, some of the topics may be sensitive (e.g. militias.) Don't do anything illegal. Check with your local laws.

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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:50 - The Plan
5:03 - The Regulations
7:06 - Background
8:45 - The Plan Changes
10:37 - The Plan Changes Again
12:18 - Filling the balloons
14:08 - The Plan Changes Back Again
15:30 - Pre-launch Procedures
17:35 - The Launch
19:15 - Spool Malfunction
20:23 - Losing Altitude Prematurely
20:46 - After Action Review

#radio #2ndamendment #militia #meshtastic #mesh #LoRa #experiment #science #balloon #helium #prepper #meshcore