How To & Tips

Practical tips for getting the most out of Dixie Mesh once you’re on the air. This page grows over time — if there’s something you’d like to see covered, let us know.

Hashtag channels

Hashtag channels are shared public channels named with a hashtag (like #weather). They’re how the community organizes conversation by topic. A channel’s key is derived from its name, so anyone who adds a channel with the same name is in the same channel — no invites or key-swapping needed. Like the default public channel, treat these as open: assume anyone on the mesh can read them.

To join one in the MeshCore app:

Open the three-dot menu and tap Add Channel.
Choose Join a Hashtag Channel.
Enter the channel name including the # (for example, #weather).

That’s it — you’ll start seeing traffic on that channel and can post to it.

Dixie Mesh channels

These are the common hashtag channels on Dixie Mesh. This isn’t an exhaustive list, and you’re welcome to spin up your own for a topic or area.

Channel	What it’s for
`#alerts`	Community-wide announcements and heads-up notices: mesh news, planned outages, events, and other things worth broadcasting. Not for emergencies — see `#emergency`.
`#dixiemesh`	General discussion about Dixie Mesh itself: the network, the dixiemesh.com website, the live map, and other community tools.
`#emergency`	Real-time emergency and life-safety communications only. Keep this channel clear so urgent traffic gets through; take non-urgent chatter elsewhere.
`#hamradio`	Amateur radio talk: licensing, nets, gear, repeaters, and general ham discussion.
`#repeater-ops`	For folks running mesh infrastructure — coordinate repeater placement and config, announce maintenance or outages, and compare notes on keeping nodes healthy.
`#test`	The “can anyone hear me?” channel. Send test messages here to check your signal and confirm a new node is getting out. See Verifying your node.
`#weather`	Local weather updates and conditions around Southern Utah.
`#weekly-net`	Check-ins for the Wednesday night weekly net. See net.dixiemesh.com for details.

Channel etiquette: post on the channel that fits your topic, keep #emergency reserved for real emergencies, and remember everything on a public channel is readable by anyone on the mesh. For anything sensitive, use a direct message or a private channel.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a license to use Dixie Mesh? No. LoRa here operates on the license-free 915 MHz ISM band, so anyone can join. (If you are a licensed ham, #hamradio is the place for licensed-radio topics.)

Are my messages private? Direct messages are end-to-end encrypted. Channels — including hashtag channels and the default public channel — are encrypted with a shared key, but anyone who has that key (which, for public channels, is everyone) can read them. Use a direct message or a private channel for anything sensitive.

People can’t hear me / I can’t hear anyone. What do I do? Start with the Troubleshooting guide. Most issues come down to antenna placement and line of sight — getting your antenna higher and outdoors fixes the majority of them.

How do I know if my signal is actually getting out? Send a message on #test and watch for it being repeated, or run the Health Check to see exactly which nodes hear you.

How can I help the network grow? Put up a repeater. A well-placed, always-on node — especially somewhere high with a clear view of the valley — extends range for everyone. See Ways to participate.