If you’ve spent any time in UK amateur radio Facebook groups or forums lately, you’ve probably noticed a word appearing over and over again: Meshtastic. And more recently, MeshCore. These two pieces of open-source firmware are powering a quiet revolution in off-grid communications, and for Foundation licence holders, there’s a lot here worth understanding.

Let me explain what’s going on, why amateur radio operators are excited about it, and what you can actually do with it yourself.

What Is Meshtastic?

Meshtastic is open-source firmware that runs on small, affordable LoRa (Long Range) radio modules. The most popular hardware is based around the Heltec or LILYGO T-Beam boards, which you can pick up for somewhere between £20 and £50. Once flashed with Meshtastic, they form a decentralised mesh network — meaning every device acts as both a receiver and a repeater, passing messages across a chain of nodes even when there’s no mobile signal, no internet, and no infrastructure at all.

It’s essentially a text messaging system that runs on radio waves, needs no SIM card, and keeps working when everything else goes down.

Where Does It Operate in the UK?

Here’s where it gets interesting for anyone thinking about the regulatory side. In the UK, Meshtastic operates on 868 MHz — part of the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band, which is licence-free. The default long-range channel sits at 869.525 MHz, with a maximum of 27 dBm ERP and a 10% duty cycle. That duty cycle restriction means devices can only transmit for around six minutes in every hour — a limitation worth understanding before you rely on a Meshtastic network in a time-critical situation.

No licence is required to use Meshtastic on 868 MHz. You don’t need your Foundation licence, your Intermediate, or your Full — anyone can buy one of these modules and start experimenting.

So Why Are Amateur Radio Operators So Interested?

The overlap with amateur radio comes from a few directions. First, there’s the emergency communications angle. RAYNET — the UK’s Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network — has been watching mesh networking with interest precisely because a Meshtastic network can be deployed rapidly without relying on any fixed infrastructure. Power cut, mobile mast down, internet gone: your Meshtastic nodes keep talking.

Second, there’s the pure experimentation factor. Working out how far a signal carries, how many hops a message takes across a chain of nodes, how a mesh self-heals when one node drops — this is exactly the kind of practical radio experimentation that the amateur licence exists to encourage.

And third, some operators are exploring whether LoRa mesh networking has a future on licensed amateur allocations rather than the ISM band. Running higher power, building dedicated gateways, and experimenting with different frequencies would all require a licence — and would open up a different set of possibilities entirely.

The Essex Ham Switch: Meshtastic Out, MeshCore In

One significant development in the UK community this year has been Essex Ham’s move from Meshtastic to MeshCore. Essex Ham had been running Meshtastic nodes since March 2024, but in 2026 they completed the switch — same hardware, different firmware.

MeshCore takes a different architectural approach to Meshtastic. Rather than a fully decentralised flood-routing model, MeshCore uses a more controlled packet routing system that its proponents argue is more efficient and scales better across large networks. It’s a more recent project and still evolving quickly, but the fact that a well-established UK amateur radio group has committed to it is worth paying attention to.

If you’re thinking of buying your first LoRa board and wondering which firmware to go for, the Essex Ham comparison page lays out the tradeoffs very clearly — it’s an excellent starting point before you spend any money.

What Can You Do as a Foundation Holder?

Whether or not you have a licence, you can get started right away:

• Buy a LoRa module — the Heltec V3 or LILYGO T-Beam are the most popular choices in the UK right now, typically £20–50
• Flash it with Meshtastic or MeshCore — both projects have step-by-step guides and active forums
• Connect the Meshtastic app on your phone via Bluetooth and start sending messages over radio
• Find your local mesh — there’s a growing UK network, and the app will show you nearby nodes

With your Foundation licence, the door opens further. You can experiment on amateur radio allocations, operate at higher power, and build infrastructure on bands that aren’t subject to ISM duty cycle restrictions. The licence gives you options the ISM band simply doesn’t.

For now, though, the barrier to entry on the licence-free side is refreshingly low. This is practical radio experimentation you can start for under £30 and a weekend afternoon — which, if you’re still working towards your Foundation licence, makes it a great way to get hands-on experience with radio propagation before your first HF contact.

The mesh revolution is just getting started. Get involved.

73 de M0LGI