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Build a Mesh Network Beacon for Your Music Festival Totem for Around $50

A totem is practically necessary With a large group of family and friend at EDC, Burning Man, and other music festival; not to mention it a great way to show off your clan pride. With your totem high up in the air, it's much easier for your loved ones to find your clan. But even a totem is minuscule in the sea of half-million people at EDC Las Vegas. With virtually no coverage and practically no WiFi coverage, you are basically looking for a needle at the bottom of the ocean. This is where a totem with a mesh network beacon is extremely useful. The beacon is like a shining star in the ocean of space.

The mesh network beacon that we are talking about in this guide is a Meshtastic radio. But it is not just any Meshtastic radio. It's a Meshtastic radio with a built-in GPS. The reason that the totem should have a Meshtastic GPS radio versus a basic Meshtastic radio is that the totem could be passed to anyone in the clan; the basic Meshtastic radio needs to be within 30 feet of a SmartPhone, whereas the GPS version does not. Everyone else in your clan can use a basic Meshtastic radio to find the beacon. This guide will show you how to build a mesh network beacon--Meshtastic GPS radio--for around $50.

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Benefits

Using a DIY digital compass built with Meshtastic core offers several advantages, especially in the dynamic environment of music festivals. Here are some key benefits:

• No Cell or WiFi Services Needed: Meshtastic devices communicate directly with each other, eliminating the need for cellphone and WiFi services.
• Real-Time Updates: The Meshtastic app provides real-time updates on the location of your friends, making it easy to find them.
• Text Messaging Capability: Text your your group privately via encrypted messages via the Meshtastic app. Or join the world and celebrate with everyone on the mesh network.
• Cost-Effective: Building this digital compass is affordable, with the total cost around $50.

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What You'll Need

To get started on building your own Meshtastic GPS radio, the following is a list of everything you'll need.

• SmartPhone: You'll need a SmartPhone to pair with the Meshtastic radio and run the Meshtastic app. It needs to have Bluetooth capability to pair. Either an Google Android phone or an Apple iPhone will work. This phone will be used to configure the Meshtastic GPS radio. After it's configured, the SmartPhone is no longer necessary for the radio's operation.
• Meshtastic App: The app is available for free on Android Play Store and Apple App Store.
• Computer: You'll need a computer to flash the Meshtastic firmware onto the board.
• USB Type-C Data Cable: You'll need a USB cable to connect the board to your computer. Not all USB Type-C cable has data capability. See our "How to Determine If You have the Proper USB Type-C Data Cable for the Heltec V3 LoRa IoT Development Board?" article to help you find the right cable.

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Putting It Together

Installing the Device Driver on Your Computer

Flashing the Meshtastic Firmware

Installing the Meshtastic App on Your SmartPhone

Pairing the Meshtastic Radio to Your SmartPhone

Before you can use the Meshtastic app with the radio, you must pair the radio to your Android smartphone or your Apple iPhone. We have the "Pairing the Meshtastic Radio with Your Bluetooth SmartPhone" article to help you with Bluetooth pairing.

Configuring the Meshtastic Radio

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