Thanks for watching! Takes a while but I think you'll love it once you get yours! I sort of forgot I even ordered it so it was a pleasant surprise when it shipped haha 😆
Keeps getting better! Keep up the great work! I am going to be using this on a RPI 5 /w AI board and LORA Hat. When I build my Home Assistant BBS, I will send an Urgent Bulletin when my alarm goes off or a camera picks something up with AI Vision and populate msges for other sensors aswell.
Got it set up and running with no issues or crashes at my QTH, then took it to our ham club clubhouse to connect to the W2MMD larger node in a higher wifi use environment. There I found instability - it would crash after a few minutes which I attribute either to long LoRa timeouts since that node has a much higher antenna, or to significant wifi traffic. Next step is to try it with a serial connection from the Pi Zero to the Heltec to eliminate wifi as an issue.
I was working on a solar node (Inspired by your previous videos) and came across your new BBS. I am now installing a RPi into my node an adding POE lol. As others have commented please add a weather bulletin with updates to the BBS. That would be amazing!
I was just talking to a friend about BBS over 2m and ipv4 (of course ax.25) as I got a wan IPv4 assignment for myself for 2m ax.25, We were talking about APRS and winmail and how those features would be nice on meshtastic, this was great to see! I think I'm gonna setup an mqtt client on my computer just to mess with it before I bring in some nodes. I'd also love to use one of my 70cm radios (ht or mobile) so of like a fldigi or tnc interface but for meshtastic.
I got started with BBS over Radio using Craig from The KM6LYW Radio DigiPi Project's DigPi setup. It is fantastic. Worth checking out to get an idea of what's possible. 10 minutes sets up the entire system with Igate, digipeater, winlink, linux node BBS, sstv, wsjtx and aprs chat. Not meshtastic but still worth a look . Good luck :)
Hello, let me tell you that I really do love your project ! I did give it a try and... well, IT'S AMAZING ! And since you've asked for suggestions, mine would be to maybe add the ability to encrypt mails, bulletins, etc.. that are stored in the sql file. Since meshtastic use encryption at it's core, and also just in case the TC² BBS server gets between wrong hands, at lease these bad guys can't read all the messages. Please let me know what you think ?
It would be cool to add a SMS or Email gateway to send text messages or Emails from a Meshtastic device that may not have Internet access via a BBS that does have Internet access. Of course you'd probably want to limit this to registered users. There are a number of free SMS gateways that have an API.
Really liking the updates shared here! Great progress toward better usability and quick actions. Arre there recommendations on the minimum specs for raspberry pi this needs? Will Raspberry pi Zero W be enough to support this unattended?
Soo many questions. Ie what terminal are you using? Looks like it supports ansi. Are there plans for telnet to and from support to bpq? You are creating a whole suite off apps have you thought of a discord or forum for support? The least i can say is thank you for your efforts. A true pioneer in the space. Keep pushing.
Quick question - it may be this video or another. Have you tested the IP connectivity with anything other than an esp32 board? I noticed one of the config files references esp32 only for IP comms. Was about to build a Pi Pico W based gateway, but will just buy another Heltech if needed for this to work.
I don't recommend using IP at all really. If you have to use IP, it's better for meshtasticd and localhost, but even that isn't 100% Some work needs to be done with the code to overcome some issues with how the Meshtastic Python Library handles recovery of TCP sessions. The WiFi connections on esp32 boards isn't great so you'll have issues when it disconnects. I highly recommend USB only for now.
Is there possibly of using a HF+Lora bbs to communicate with other BBS units via HF (essentially a repeater) so that one could setup 2 bbs in 2 communities and the members would only need lora nodes to communicate at HF distances while protecting their identity and location by only transmitting via Lora to the bbs that shares it to the bbs board many miles away for members of the other group to view… I’m assuming someone would have to attach their callsign to the bbs to be legal. What would the dangers be with this?
And even if it can’t be done safely legally it would still be awesome to explore for the hypothetical case that a terrible event happens and the laws no longer apply to our Minecraft servers
got my bbs running on a pi with meshtastic running meshtasticd natively. working for my tests but it seems to be ignoring messages from other nodes for some reason though i am not sure why.
I know youre using an NRF based board, but would it not be possible to run your bbs entirely in an esp32 based meshtastic, negating the need for a separate pi?
Interesting. I was under the impression the esp32 would run python natively but I see now that it's micropython and there's apparently a significant difference, lol. Carry on, project looks awesome. I'm sure I speak for the community when I say we all appreciate your contribution and the awareness you've brought to meshtastic.
@@The_Comms_Channel I have been unable to get my Pi Z2 W to recognise my Heltec v3. Pi is powered directly, the Heltec is connected to a powered USB hub, the 2nd port of the Pi is connected to the hub. "sudo dmesg | grep tty" doesn't show a USB connection. :(
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
Going to set this up at defcon this year. What great project. Thank you for bringing it to life!!
The message to Joe should have been, Hey Joe where you going with that gun in your hand. Good work love it.
It drives me nuts seeing your uConsole in the videos! Mine still hasn’t shipped yet, but hopefully soon. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching! Takes a while but I think you'll love it once you get yours! I sort of forgot I even ordered it so it was a pleasant surprise when it shipped haha 😆
Keeps getting better! Keep up the great work! I am going to be using this on a RPI 5 /w AI board and LORA Hat. When I build my Home Assistant BBS, I will send an Urgent Bulletin when my alarm goes off or a camera picks something up with AI Vision and populate msges for other sensors aswell.
Got it set up and running with no issues or crashes at my QTH, then took it to our ham club clubhouse to connect to the W2MMD larger node in a higher wifi use environment. There I found instability - it would crash after a few minutes which I attribute either to long LoRa timeouts since that node has a much higher antenna, or to significant wifi traffic. Next step is to try it with a serial connection from the Pi Zero to the Heltec to eliminate wifi as an issue.
Serial connection has been solid. The TCP side needs some work
I was working on a solar node (Inspired by your previous videos) and came across your new BBS. I am now installing a RPi into my node an adding POE lol. As others have commented please add a weather bulletin with updates to the BBS. That would be amazing!
Sweet! Feel free to reach out with any questions. I'll definitely look into the weather bulletin!
@@The_Comms_Channel thank you!
Just wondering how long it will be before the first LoRa spam email arrives.
I was just talking to a friend about BBS over 2m and ipv4 (of course ax.25) as I got a wan IPv4 assignment for myself for 2m ax.25, We were talking about APRS and winmail and how those features would be nice on meshtastic, this was great to see! I think I'm gonna setup an mqtt client on my computer just to mess with it before I bring in some nodes. I'd also love to use one of my 70cm radios (ht or mobile) so of like a fldigi or tnc interface but for meshtastic.
I got started with BBS over Radio using Craig from The KM6LYW Radio DigiPi Project's DigPi setup. It is fantastic. Worth checking out to get an idea of what's possible. 10 minutes sets up the entire system with Igate, digipeater, winlink, linux node BBS, sstv, wsjtx and aprs chat. Not meshtastic but still worth a look . Good luck :)
Hello, let me tell you that I really do love your project ! I did give it a try and... well, IT'S AMAZING !
And since you've asked for suggestions, mine would be to maybe add the ability to encrypt mails, bulletins, etc.. that are stored in the sql file. Since meshtastic use encryption at it's core, and also just in case the TC² BBS server gets between wrong hands, at lease these bad guys can't read all the messages. Please let me know what you think ?
Something to look into but will be tricky
Great progress! Where do you find the time? Well done.
Thank you! Finding time is the hard part 🙂
Thanks for developing this. Am looking forward to plenty more great features. Keep up the good work !
It keeps getting better.
Thank you.
Great job, thanks for the effort. And all the fast changes!
Very cool updates.. keep them coming.. nice work
Woohoo I'm getting mail! Thanks Bob
😂
It would be cool to add a SMS or Email gateway to send text messages or Emails from a Meshtastic device that may not have Internet access via a BBS that does have Internet access. Of course you'd probably want to limit this to registered users. There are a number of free SMS gateways that have an API.
Maybe add the option for time sensitive posts to auto delete when they expire.
Really liking the updates shared here! Great progress toward better usability and quick actions. Arre there recommendations on the minimum specs for raspberry pi this needs? Will Raspberry pi Zero W be enough to support this unattended?
My testing has been on a Pi Zero W (first version) and has been working well.
I am keen to try this with my Heltec E290, Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and M5Stack Keyboard. Maybe my T190 as well when it arrives. Mini BBS
Soo many questions.
Ie what terminal are you using? Looks like it supports ansi.
Are there plans for telnet to and from support to bpq?
You are creating a whole suite off apps have you thought of a discord or forum for support?
The least i can say is thank you for your efforts. A true pioneer in the space. Keep pushing.
I am looking forward to seeing your build video with pi zero. What Linux OS you used on the zero?
Bookworm lite. Been under the weather the past week but I'll have a video soon
@@The_Comms_ChannelI have no idea if an E290 and Zero would work. Heltec has images of the 2 together so could be done with a tiny keyboard.
Thanks!
Q: how did you have a tutorial how to connect the metastatic device to the uConsole? I'm having issues compiling the driver
No driver is required. What are you trying to compile?
Add PETSCII and Doors support then implement a Trade Wars door and we'll be all set
A Zork-style talker like Monochrome has. Want to go to a different chat room? Walk to a different room!
Now I say it, that might be more like a MUD than Zork...
Quick question - it may be this video or another. Have you tested the IP connectivity with anything other than an esp32 board? I noticed one of the config files references esp32 only for IP comms. Was about to build a Pi Pico W based gateway, but will just buy another Heltech if needed for this to work.
I don't recommend using IP at all really. If you have to use IP, it's better for meshtasticd and localhost, but even that isn't 100% Some work needs to be done with the code to overcome some issues with how the Meshtastic Python Library handles recovery of TCP sessions. The WiFi connections on esp32 boards isn't great so you'll have issues when it disconnects. I highly recommend USB only for now.
any thoughts of supporting smtp?
Need specs on the mini computer in the video. Where can I get it?
www.clockworkpi.com/uconsole
OK, dummy question: presumably this is all over the default channel? What if I want to run this on a different channel?
So if I already have an older version installed how do I update? Go through the whole installation again?
Go to the TC2-BBS-mesh folder and run the following commands
git fetch
git pull origin main
Is there possibly of using a HF+Lora bbs to communicate with other BBS units via HF (essentially a repeater) so that one could setup 2 bbs in 2 communities and the members would only need lora nodes to communicate at HF distances while protecting their identity and location by only transmitting via Lora to the bbs that shares it to the bbs board many miles away for members of the other group to view… I’m assuming someone would have to attach their callsign to the bbs to be legal. What would the dangers be with this?
And even if it can’t be done safely legally it would still be awesome to explore for the hypothetical case that a terrible event happens and the laws no longer apply to our Minecraft servers
Possible but would only be allowed to send bulletins from licensed operators to stay legal.
@@The_Comms_Channel How about using unlicensed 22m?
Watch the FCC sees all of this great work in subGHz and cuts out low 900s for a commercial entity.
got my bbs running on a pi with meshtastic running meshtasticd natively. working for my tests but it seems to be ignoring messages from other nodes for some reason though i am not sure why.
Are the messages from the other nodes showing up in the log?
:)
I know youre using an NRF based board, but would it not be possible to run your bbs entirely in an esp32 based meshtastic, negating the need for a separate pi?
Possibly. I only know Python though
Interesting. I was under the impression the esp32 would run python natively but I see now that it's micropython and there's apparently a significant difference, lol.
Carry on, project looks awesome. I'm sure I speak for the community when I say we all appreciate your contribution and the awareness you've brought to meshtastic.
A lot of stuff being micro python has prevented this. Would love to be able to run it on a Pi Pico
What raspberry pi is required to run this bbs?
Pi Zero and up should work
@@The_Comms_Channel I have been unable to get my Pi Z2 W to recognise my Heltec v3. Pi is powered directly, the Heltec is connected to a powered USB hub, the 2nd port of the Pi is connected to the hub. "sudo dmesg | grep tty" doesn't show a USB connection. :(
Meshtastic should have better message routing and auto node store and forwarding. None of this is required if so.
There's not enough storage on the hardware
User friendly in reverse
I'll wait for your better one to come out