goTenna MESH Review -Off Grid Communication

[@CoachHelder]

Full Blog Post: coachhelder.com/gotenna-mesh-review-off-grid-communication/

[@jeffm1635]

It's pretty funny how so many people do reviews about the concept while holding them yet nobody actually turns them on and uses them.. Show them actually working in the woods at a mile and you would sell a lot of them. I would buy at least 8 of them.

[@darnellsbabygirl]

How is this better than a walkie-talkie that can go a lot farther than 1-3 miles?

[@wilcoxtactical3716]

​@@darnellsbabygirlin theory it could allow you to text cross country if enough people would use the system, but they likely won't happen.

[@aaronraufman8092]

I feel like people don't actually know what it is to "review" something. Your video does an alright job describing the product but you only guessed on real world performance and usage.

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for the feedback, Aaron. -Hg

[@WickdPerfekT]

I'll have to wait til I'm in a spot where I can watch this, but I'm glad to see you doing comms too

[@CoachHelder]

Excellent, I hope that you find it useful! -Hg

[@OutdoorSurThrival]

Thanks for the review. I’ve seen this advertised and was wondering how it actually worked.

[@CoachHelder]

Glad that you found it useful! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. -Hg

[@kevplayer5410]

Love the review! Thanks for the info about the gotenna!

[@CoachHelder]

Thank you for taking the time to share you feedback; It's appreciated! I'm glad that you found my review useful. -Hg

[@DocGadget11]

Is the service free or does it come with a fee?

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Doctor, from what I recall there is a basic free plan and a subscription plus plan for relayed text messaging. I have a link in the description and pinned in comments field where you can get more updated info. -Hg

[@Whiskey6Radio]

I just stumbled on these. I thought they were a good idea until I really started researching them. I’m disappointed with the short distance of communication. I also found out they run off the MURS frequencies. Im a Ham also and would rely on APRS messaging over this any day. Kn6mat

[@urbnctrl]

You researched the wrong product then. This is the GoTenna Mesh. You've researched the first gen Gotenna that ran on MURS.

[@BushCraftBums]

Nice review! Thanks for sharing and stay blessed

[@CoachHelder]

Much appreciated; Have an excellent day! -Hg

[@jared8589]

I've been searching for a way to communicate with my father when we go skiing snowshoe wv do you think they'd be good as far a connection between us 2 or should I do what everyone else does and grab 2 way radios

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Jared, if you are focused on voice communication, I would look into getting Amateur radio licensed or stick with the FMRS radios. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@Bruceworkouts3184]

Do both brotha, even the military uses radios in conjunction w/ Sat com and GPS tracking (Blue Force Tracker). Commo wins wars, and saves lives! The more the merrier.

[@solarsynapse]

Can you talk through them or is it sms and gps? Would there be a way to hop internet through them?

[@CoachHelder]

Hello solarsynapse, they do not have voice capability nor internet capabilities. It is basically its own network. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@OH8STN]

No! If you need a bunch of people around you, all with the gotenna MESH, you wouldn't need a gotenna mesh network because you have all those people around you. It would have been nice to have seen you actually using them.

[@paxwebb]

A bunch of people using the gotennas ARE the mesh

[@ApocGuy]

does it work with older versions of android? and what about sending data over MURS to phone that doesnt have same receiver? Also, if you're using one "mesh" for repeater, why not going full HAM and use APRS instead? i'd use this one in VERY localized environment, because its simply lack the power and range for any real usefulness. Also MURS isnt legal in europe as far as i know...

[@CoachHelder]

Hello ApocGuy and thanks for the well thought out comment. I'm with you on the "full Ham" integration. Unfortunately, having to get licensed turns off a lot of folks. As easy as the exams have become, even the Tech requirements seem to much for most. That is why I wanted to see what these had to offer. It's difficult to get a group to communicate at an outing when only a couple of us are licensed. By deploying the mesh network, we are able to get a viable form of communication. The added encryption feature is also something that peaked my curiosity and would bode well in an emergency scenario. Hopefully the Mesh network will continue to grow. Let's see what the future holds. 73, -Hg

[@ApocGuy]

@@CoachHelder yeah, this is good way to stop gap between cheap talkies (although i id get solid connection on tlkr t80 with line of sight at 15miles) and at least hand held hams. Correct me if im wrong, but this is text only, right? why not voice too? If they manage to boost up the range (if nothing else, line of sight to 1.5 or 2 miles) and offer more frequencies (MURS for non HAM users, other frequencies for ham users) they'll hit the jackpot. i've spent maybe 100€ for 4 cheap UV-5 and made simple simplex repeater("parrot") for PMR range around my farm.albeit its "illegal" (broadcasting at 4 or 5w instead of .5w),I can get response from anyone inside and outside the perimeter. i can reuse same repeater for any other frequency that radio supports. sure its not encrypted, but range wise its absolutely superior to mesh. Still, I'll buy pair or two, just to have backup in case if "home made" repeater ever goes dark :) .

[@CoachHelder]

Great info in here, ApocGuy. I'm with you on this and thanks for sharing! -Hg

[@mountainghost556]

I have a question can you run the civtak app using this to communicate and send and receive information?

[@CoachHelder]

I'm not familiar with that app so I couldn't be of much assistance. I did find this thread that may point you in the right direction: meshcommunity.gotenna.com/t/gotenna-with-civtak-atak/3708/4 -Hg

[@DanielWiley]

Thanks. Gona have to pick a few up. de N9BAV

[@CoachHelder]

73, Daniel. -Hg

[@richardsamaniego3789]

So if I'm off the grid and want to text someone they need one of those devices too?

[@CoachHelder]

That is correct Richard. You would communicate via the mesh network, via the gotenna units. -Hg

[@FranklinBryan]

Great! Thanks

[@CoachHelder]

Glad that you found it helpful, Franklin. I appreciate your feedback. Have a great weekend! -Hg

[@richgroh8167]

How about an update how are these performing for you?

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Rich, so far so good. To be honest, when I am out in the field or trail, I mainly use my mobile Ham radio. But the few times that I did use Mesh network in a camping scenario, with other non-Hams, they did the job. I have one setup as a repeater and it gets a descent amount of increasing traffic. So, the network is growing. Let's hope it continues to do so. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@aussiesandtrails]

Picked a pair up. 👍🏼

[@CoachHelder]

Sweet! Let me know what you think once you get to play around with them, Acousticstrings. -Hg

[@aussiesandtrails]

@@CoachHelder very easy setup. Paired 2 cell phones and then tested in airplane mode. Great for emergencies.

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for sharing your experience; It's appreciated! 👍 -Hg

[@ACoustaDC]

Does the app use your phone number, or do you choose a "screen name"?

[@CoachHelder]

You just need to pair the devices via the App using BT. There are no services required, no phone numbers. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@ACoustaDC]

@@CoachHelder well how do you send a text to a specific person rather than the mesh Network

[@CoachHelder]

It will allow you to pick a call sign/ ID once you configure the App. -Hg

[@ACoustaDC]

@@CoachHelder thank you!

[@CoachHelder]

Happy to help! -Hg

[@jaredwhite489]

They take a lot of power consumption from my experience, had it plugged in by usb in my car two mins, killed my battery.

[@CoachHelder]

I haven't experienced that at all, Jared. I haven't used them much since Covid took over, but used them quite a bit beforehand. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. -Hg

[@jdmac44]

Any product that uses a smartphone app, I go to the app store and read the reviews. As of this writing, this one isn't great on the Google Play Store.

[@CoachHelder]

Hello jdmac44, I don't have any issues with the App. It has always worked well for me. I use a Droid phone. -Hg

[@MikeandLisasExcellentAdventure]

Walkie Talkies for me.

[@CoachHelder]

Not a bad option at all, Minivan Mike. -Hg

[@wilcoxtactical3716]

Looks like this is no longer supported. Their customer service number is dead and i think the mesh is dead. Too bad. Guess its not the future.

[@CoachHelder]

They were pretty cool while they lasted.

[@magspecialmissions9204]

Paranoid Floyd AF SERE

[@michaels5691]

Oh great, yet another review that doesn't show what everyone wants to know. Real world distances. Geesh!