= NOW 13 WPM = TEXT IS FROM JUNE 2023 QST PAGE 76 = TRANSCEIVERS TO CONSTRUCT AN EXPERIMENTAL MESH DATA NETWORK THATS CAPABLE OF PASSING TEXT MESSAGES AROUND THE AREA. FOR ABOUT 50 EACH, THE CLUB BEGAN CREATING KITS TO EXPAND THE NETWORK COVERAGE. THIS MODE CAN HAVE APPLICATIONS IN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAFFIC HANDLING, AS WELL AS GENERATE INTEREST AMONG MEMBERS. THE DESIGN MESH NETWORKS CONNECT NODES TO INCREASE RANGE TO RELAY DATA. OUR NODES ARE BOTH IN HOME UNITS, AS WELL AS REPEATERS INSTALLED IN HOMEMADE BIRDHOUSES. WE ORIGINALLY CHOSE BIRDHOUSE < QST DE W1AW = ENCLOSURES BECAUSE A FEW OF OUR MEMBERS ARE AVID BIRD WATCHERS, BUT WE LATER REALIZED THAT THEYRE AN IDEAL WAY TO DEPLOY RADIO INFRASTRUCTURE IN PUBLIC PLACES WITHOUT ATTRACTING UNDUE EXAMINATION. REPEATER NODES ON THE NETWORK ARE AUTONOMOUS, SOLAR POWERED BIRDHOUSES THAT EACH CONTAIN A 100 MW RADIO SUCH AS A SEMTECH SX1276, A WHIP ANTENNA, A SOLAR PANEL, A BATTERY, AND AN ESP32 MICROCONTROLLER. USB CONNECTED DESKTOP NODES ARE USED TO = END OF 13 WPM TEXT = QST DE W1AW <