Discover how we're leveraging technology to enhance pilot safety and improve pilots tracking.
Background: A group of volunteers have set up LoRa base stations that cover the mountains of Himachal flown by paragliders. Using these base stations, which are currently using Meshtastic and GXAircom, pilots using Meshtastic are tracked on our Live Paragliding Tracker developed by Ketan and both FANET and Meshtastic on FlyXC.app and Puretrack.io. However, this network is not limited to Bir, anyone flying anywhere in the world with a Meshtastic device can be tracked through our network. To find out more checkout this presentation and visit Meshtastic in Bir's project website.
Purchase a Meshtastic device that operates on the 868MHz frequency band. We recommend the T-Echo from LilyGo or Seeed Studio Sensecap Card T-1000-e. You can buy it from Hubtronics in India at a discounted community price, or from another vendor of your choice. Although other Meshtastic devices are available, we suggest the these devices because they also supports SoftRF firmware, which enables them to function as a FANET beacon. Both SoftRF and Meshtastic can be used at Bir for live tracking.
Note: Click the top button once to power on the T-Echo or long press the bottom button to power on/off. Buttons are very delicate so take care you use them with care. Keep the device in the case when flying. Your Meshtastic device may need flashing the latest firmware. Double tap the up button after plugging it into a computer and get the latest from https://flasher.meshtastic.org.
123456. For your own safety and security, please
change the pin from the settings section of the Meshtastic app.
At the moment GXAirCom ground station at Bir covers this area. Your devices will automatically show up on Puretrack and Glideandseek. Add your device to your FlyXC account as an OGN device. You can also install SoftRF firmware on your T-Echo or T-1000-e Card. Skysignals or PGpilot apps can be used for live tracking other pilots in air and messaging among lot of other features those apps provide.
If you have a brand new card, check out this Getting Started with T1000-E guide.
See this guide for detailed setup and how to use with pgpilot or skysignals apps.
This is a legally allowed tracking solution in India that does not depend on cellular or satellite communition. We default to high precision 3 minutes tracking for Meshtastic and about 3 seconds for FANET. There is also no activation or subscription fees. There is messaging, but no SOS or emergency coordination center beind this project.
For detailed comparision between SoftRF, Meshtastic and Satellite based devices see the table below.
These devices are license free, and legally allowed for tracking in India and most of the world. The same applies to all FANET instruments using 865-868 mhz frequencies.Show this document if you run into any uninformed airport security. Remove battery to carry in cabin, unscrew antenna and put the device in check in.
Both systems have different strengths, so the choice depends on what you want from your device.
Choose SoftRF if your priority is aviation traffic awareness, short interval tracking and integration with the wider aviation tracking network. SoftRF can make your device visible to other aircraft and aviation instruments using supported protocols such as FANET, FLARM, OGNTP, P3I and ADS-L, depending on the configuration. FANET provides direct device-to-device communication. Ground station acting as internet gateway make tracking available through OGN and other live-tracking platforms. Messaging can also flow between the FANET network and Telegram. FANET messaging itself is direct, with no mesh hops, and requires a compatible app such as SkySignals or PGpilot to both receive and send messages.
Choose Meshtastic if your priority is messaging. Meshtastic provides multi-hop messaging: other nodes can relay messages and extend coverage, and the mesh can be connected to the internet through gateways.
In simple terms:
SoftRF connects you to the aviation world; Meshtastic connects you to the pilot and ground network.
If your main concern is seeing and being seen by aircraft, choose SoftRF. If your main concern is messaging, choose Meshtastic. On supported hardware such as the T-Echo and T1000-E, you can use either system depending on the firmware you install.
The following comparison is intended to help pilots understand the practical differences between SoftRF/FANET, Meshtastic and satellite communicators such as SPOT and Garmin inReach.
| Feature | SoftRF / FANET | Meshtastic | SPOT / Garmin inReach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Aircraft-to-aircraft electronic conspicuity and live tracking | Off-grid tracking, messaging and community mesh networking | Satellite tracking, messaging and emergency communication |
| Network | FANET radio for direct aircraft-to-aircraft communication, with internet connectivity available for OGN and other live-tracking services and messaging bridges | LoRa mesh network; messages can hop between nodes | Satellite network |
| Works without cellular network | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works without internet | Yes, for direct FANET traffic | Yes, within the local mesh | Yes, via satellite |
| Messaging reliability | Good when in the line of sight. No messaging(even incoming) without pairing with an app and out of line of sight | Mostly good. Incoming messages are stored in the device. Does multiple hops to reach the target that is out of line of sight | Excellent, via satellite |
| Telegram bridge | Yes | Yes | No |
| Tracking interval | Less than 10 seconds. Enough to see 360 in a thermal. | 3 minutes. | 5-10 minutes in basic plan, higher cost plans to get less than 5 minutes. |
| See nearby aircraft directly | Yes — FANET-capable aviation instruments can see FANET aircraft | Only through compatible Meshtastic devices/apps and the available mesh | Not primarily designed for local aircraft detection |
| Compatible aviation instruments | Broad FANET compatibility — including FANET-capable instruments such as Flymaster, AIR³, Oudie, Skytraxx, XCTracer etc. | Requires a Meshtastic-compatible device/app; it is not a native FANET signal | Requires the manufacturer's satellite device/app |
| Mobile flight apps | Can be used with compatible apps such as XCGuide, XCSoar, XCTrack, Skysignals, pgpilot and FlySkyHy | Can be used with Meshtastic, XC Guide and PGpilot | Compatible with satellite tracking/messaging apps and services |
| XCSoar / XCTrack / FlySkyHy | Yes, where the device/app supports FANET/SoftRF data | Not as a native Meshtastic tracking source | No |
| SoftRF-specific apps | Yes — for example SkySignals, pgpilot and other FANET-compatible applications | — | — |
| Pilot-to-pilot messaging | FANET supports aviation messaging features on compatible equipment | Yes — messaging is a core Meshtastic feature | Yes, via satellite |
| Multi-hop mesh | Not the same type of community mesh as Meshtastic | Yes | No local mesh |
| Community infrastructure | Ground stations can relay FANET traffic to online services | Community nodes can extend coverage and internet connectivity | Not required |
| Typical paragliding use | See other aircraft and be seen by aviation instruments | Tracking, messaging and community networking | Emergency communication and satellite tracking |
| SOS / status information | Yes — SoftRF/FANET devices can transmit SOS and other pilot/ground status information, depending on device/firmware and receiving system | No built-in dedicated ground status settings. | Provides satellite SOS service with compatible plans/devices; Garmin inReach connects to Garmin Response |
| Subscription | No subscription for FANET radio itself | No subscription for the Meshtastic mesh itself | Satellite service subscription required |
| Best suited to | Seeing and being seen by a wide range of aviation instruments | Low-cost community mesh, tracking and messaging without cellular coverage | Independent long-range satellite communication and emergency assistance |
Note: FANET/SoftRF provides status information such as SOS; this should not be confused with a dedicated satellite emergency-response service such as Garmin inReach.
