A repeater that also reports

The MQTT observer build is normal repeater firmware with an uplink. It still repeats on air; it also pushes what it hears to the ScotMesh broker over Wi-Fi.

1. Flash the repeater_observer_mqtt file for your exact board from static.loraproject.ie/mqtt. A _merged.bin is a full image and wipes stored settings; use it for the first move onto observer firmware. The plain .bin updates the app and keeps your settings.
2. After a merged flash, set the radio preset and name again, then the region script above.
3. Run the commands on the right on the serial console. Then reboot.
4. Check with get mqtt.status, and look for the node on CoreScope after a minute.

The broker hostname is deliberately the long-standing one. Every existing observer uses it and it will keep working. Later updates can go over the air: start ota on the console brings up Wi-Fi for the upload.

Already running openHop?

An openHop repeater has a built-in MQTT publisher, so it can report to ScotMesh from its own dashboard with no extra hardware and no plugin.

1. Open the repeater dashboard at http://<repeater-ip>:8000 and sign in as admin.
2. Go to System, then Configuration, then Access, and open Observer (MQTT).
3. Set the site code to the airport code nearest the radio, and add your name as owner.
4. Add a broker with the values on the right. Leave the topic root blank so the default applies, and leave neighbour publication off.
5. Save. The dashboard shows the broker as connected within a minute; the node then appears on CoreScope.

The repeater signs in with its own MeshCore identity, the same way the observer firmware does. Nothing on the mesh side changes: it keeps repeating exactly as before.

mqtt_brokers:
  iata_code: "EDI"
  status_interval: 300
  owner: "Your name or callsign"
  email: ""
  brokers:
    - name: scotmesh
      enabled: true
      host: scotmesh-mqtt.mm7roq.compute.oarc.uk
      port: 443
      transport: websockets
      audience: scotmesh-mqtt.mm7roq.compute.oarc.uk
      use_jwt_auth: true
      format: meshcoretomqtt
      retain_status: true
      neighbors: false
      tls:
        enabled: true
        insecure: false

Report without repeating

A radio on a windowsill with Wi-Fi is a useful observer even where a repeater would not be. Same firmware and broker settings as the first tab, with one extra line so it never relays on air.

1. Flash the observer firmware and set Wi-Fi, site code and broker exactly as in the first tab.
2. Add set repeat off. It keeps listening and reporting but never transmits mesh traffic.
3. Adverts are still sent, so the mesh knows the site exists. Set them to 24 hours like a repeater.

Good for towns with plenty of repeaters already, and for anywhere you want visibility without adding to airtime.

Site codes

The site code is the airport code nearest the radio. It is how CoreScope groups observers, how this site decides what counts as Scotland, and how a repeater gets its area on the analytics page. Any Scottish airport code works, including ones nobody has used yet.

Where it shows up

• CoreScope lists it under Observers within a minute, with everything it hears.
• The live map plots the nodes it reports.
• HopReach turns its received packets into coverage.
• HopReact can claim it and message you on Discord if it goes quiet.
• This page counts it in the Scotland figures once it reports a position inside Scotland.

Set the radio's location 200 to 250 metres off the true spot if you want the site obscured. It still maps correctly, and a walking search of the error circle takes hours.