Repeater Node Planning

📍 Range & Visual Planning Tools

Free Tools to Estimate Coverage and Line-of-Sight

When planning repeater placement — especially solar-powered backbone nodes — it helps to have tools that estimate line-of-sight, terrain interactions, and range potential. While no tool can guarantee real-world performance, these free options are great starting points that anyone can use.

🛰️ RF Line-of-Sight Tool (SCADACore)

What it Does

This tool lets you visualize whether two points have a line-of-sight (LOS) path between them. Line-of-sight is one of the biggest factors in how well two radios can “see” each other, especially in hilly or coastal terrain — like ours in Nova Scotia.

👉 Use it here:
https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/

How It Helps

  • Shows whether terrain blocks the path between two locations
  • Helps compare hills, towers, or building heights
  • Good for checking if a proposed repeater site might see another site

How to Use It

  1. Open the tool in your browser.
  2. Enter your first location (latitude/longitude or place name).
  3. Enter a second location (another site you’re comparing).
  4. Adjust antenna heights if needed.
  5. The tool draws a profile graph showing terrain between those points.

📌 Useful for:

  • “Is this hilltop visible from the town center?”
  • “Will these two repeater candidates see each other?”
  • Comparing elevation profiles between sites

What It Doesn’t Do

  • It does not estimate radio propagation strength
  • It does not consider atmospheric conditions
  • It is strictly a terrain profile and line-of-sight estimate

For simple repeater planning, that’s often half the battle.

🌐 Meshtastic Site Planner

  • Graphical interface for placing sites on a map
  • Visual estimates of coverage based on simple assumptions
  • Helps you think about node spacing, terrain, and coverage overlaps
  • Works with standard map data (OpenStreetMap)

How It Helps

  • Shows rough potential coverage zones
  • Allows you to visualize proposed repeater locations
  • Great for community planning discussions
  • It’s easier for most people to understand than some RF propagation calculators

How to Use It

  1. Open the planner in your browser
  2. Pan/zoom to your area of interest
  3. Place markers for potential repeater sites
  4. Adjust parameters (height, power, etc.)
  5. Observe how coverage areas change

📌 Good for:

  • Comparing candidate sites
  • Seeing where coverage might overlap or gap
  • Visualizing relationships between multiple nodes

📊 Tips for Effective Use

Here are some practical tips when using these tools:

🧭 Use Both Tools Together

  • SCADACore RF LOS tells you terrain barriers
  • Meshtastic Site Planner helps you visualize coverage patterns

Running both gives you terrain and potential coverage context.

📍 Don’t Expect Perfect Predictions

Real-world performance depends on:

  • Actual antenna patterns
  • Local clutter (trees, buildings)
  • Mounting quality
  • Ground conditions
  • Frequency interference

These tools are useful for planning and comparison, not for guarantees.

🔧 Adjust Antenna Height

One of the biggest levers in coverage planning is antenna height.

  • Adding even a few meters (mast, pole, tower) can dramatically improve line-of-sight.
  • Use the tools above to compare scenarios (e.g., 6 m vs 12 m mast).

🛠 Simple Planning Workflow (Recommended)

  1. Use SCADACore RF LOS
    • Compare candidate sites
    • Look for clear sightlines
  2. Use Meshtastic Site Planner
    • Visualize coverage areas
    • Play with placement to explore overlaps
  3. Discuss with Community
    • Share proposed sites in the group
    • Use screenshots from tools to support suggestions
  4. Test In Field
    • Deploy a temporary node or handheld test
    • Verify coverage predictions with real signals

📝 Reminder

These tools are aid tools — they help estimate and visualize, not guarantee performance. The true test of any repeater location comes from field testing with actual hardware.

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