Join your local mesh (Arizona and beyond)
1. Find your group
Section titled “1. Find your group”Search the regional groups directory. Groups publish the settings their mesh uses and help newcomers.
Arizona:
- Meshtastic: Arizona Meshtastic Community (Discord)
- MeshCore: AZCOREMSH (Discord)
2. Match three things
Section titled “2. Match three things”On Meshtastic, two radios only hear each other when region, preset and primary channel all match. The preset also picks the frequency slot.
- The easiest way is the group’s channel QR code or link, which sets the channel and the radio settings together.
- The Android and Apple apps have Local Mesh Discovery, which scans for active presets. It can’t see meshes with custom channel names or keys.
On MeshCore, match the group’s radio preset (frequency, bandwidth, spreading factor, coding rate).
3. Be a good neighbor
Section titled “3. Be a good neighbor”- Roles: use
CLIENT_MUTEon mobile radios andCLIENTat home. LeaveROUTERto well-placed sites the group agrees on. - Hop limit: leave it at the default unless the group says otherwise.
- MQTT: if you run a gateway, follow the group’s rules. Arizona’s asks for uplink on and downlink off.
- Chatty settings: long broadcast intervals keep the airwaves free. The Arizona group, for example, suggests sending node info every 12 hours.
4. Test properly
Section titled “4. Test properly”Send a direct message to someone in the group and ask for a reply. A channel message can count as “delivered” when just one nearby radio repeats it.
Next: Antennas 101, Plan coverage
Sources
Checked on October 18, 2026.