Live Network Stats:
Nodes: 344 | Devices: 1011 | RF Miles: 900+
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Willamette Valley Mesh Network

Objectives:

  • Provide our community high speed emergency communications using a wireless local area network based on the AREDN amateur radio mesh protocol.
  • Combine Mobile Ad Hoc Networking with home and tower based stations to achieve connections among amateur radio operators, served emergency response agencies and community partners.
  • Provide rapid transfer of forms, email and imaging to improve situational awareness and resource allocation.

Resources:

  • Willamette Valley Mesh Groups.io has 276 members interested in the Willamette Valley Mesh Network and is our primary forum for mesh related discussions
  • Currently there are 126 unique ham radio callsigns that make up our network!
  • Weekly amateur radio discussion net Thursday 7pm on 145.29 repeater (reaches 11 counties in OR and WA).
  • Amateur Radio Operators offer us a variety of skill sets including Repeater building and Tower operations, IT and networking skills, emergency training (ARES and CERT members), radio electronics, antenna design, engineering, analytical research and mapping.
  • Amateur Radio Part 97 operation is non-commercial, licensed by FCC; allocated separate channels and bandwidth operations and separate power limits for WiFi.

Methodology:

  • Use established AREDN protocols and recommended equipment to insure interoperable communications with Southern California AREDN group (over 1058 nodes in use). See https://www.arednmesh.org/ and https://www.pvarc.club/mesh/
  • Testing Ubiquiti Commercial OpenWRT based radios to test long range connectivity on 5.885 GHz (Ch 177,180) at 10 MHz bandwidth. Typically Ubiquity Rocket M5 with 120 degree sector or 13 dBi Omni antennas for tower or business roof mount.
  • NanoStation NSM5, PowerBeam M5-400, and Mikrotik LDF used for home mast or mobile operation
  • Mikrotik hAP ac Lite devices provide wireless access point, tunnel services, secondary device power and WAN access.
  • Mobile stations use NanoStation NSM5 radios on hitch mounts for field signal survey work.
  • Connected stations will offer advertised services such as web-based file transfer, meshchat messaging, security camera access, and PBX VoIP telephony.
  • Our goal is to have as many RF connected radios on the mesh to support objectives. Tunnels may be used for training and to link regions blocked by terrain.
  • Internet connectivity requires WAN VLAN managed switch to update firmware and upload station information to AREDN live map. We don’t provide live internet access to mesh connected stations.
  • Individual amateur operators are purchasing their own equipment and offering them for testing to the group.
  • Current goal is to find good LOS access sites around the higher elevation areas and towers around Salem. Trees block most home-based amateur to amateur (rooftop to rooftop) connections especially on the 5.8 GHz frequency.
  • We use computer mapping and site modeling provided by Radio Mobile Online, Ubiquiti, and Google Earth Pro to identify coverage, signal strength and viewshed for individual operator stations and potential strategic operation areas.

N7ZWS, KC7RJK, AI7NC Blanton > Corvallis Airport | 33.7 mi Survey