Channels — Acadiana Mesh Communication Groups

Core Channels

Public

General chat for all mesh users. Uses a well-known or built in shared key.

Key Type

Built In

Region Scope

No Region Scope

Scan to add channel

#test

Connection testing. Send test, ping, or path.

Key Type

Hashtag derived

Region Scope

No Region Scope

Scan to add channel

#acadiana

Acadiana Region general chat for all mesh users across South Louisiana.

Key Type

Hashtag derived

Region Scope

gc-la-lft

Scan to add channel

#lafayette

Lafayette area local chat for nodes in the greater Lafayette area.

Key Type

Hashtag derived

Region Scope

gc-la-lft

Scan to add channel

#wx

Severe weather updates and weather-related reports across the Acadiana Region. Use this channel to share alerts, storm reports, radar observations, and other weather information that may impact users on the network. Keeping weather discussions here helps ensure important alerts are easier for everyone to find.

Key Type

Hashtag derived

Region Scope

gc-la-lft

Example Reports

Storm report: Heavy rain + gusty winds, Youngsville, 4:30pm

Road flooding on Ambassador at Johnston

NWS Tornado Watch issued for Lafayette Parish

Rotation on radar near Broussard, stay safe

AcadianaWX Bot Commands

wx	Current conditions and forecast for the Rayne/Lafayette area
wx 70578	Forecast for a specific zip code
wx Lafayette	Forecast for a named city
aqi	Air quality index for the local area
sun	Sunrise and sunset times

moon	Moon phase, rise and set times
solar	Current solar conditions
solarforecast	Solar energy forecast
aurora	Aurora borealis activity level

satpass 25544	Next ISS pass overhead. Use NORAD ID — ISS is 25544, SO-50 is 27607
ping	Check if the bot is online
help	List available commands

⏱ Rate limited — wait for a response before sending another command. Daily forecast posts automatically at 7:00 AM. As the mesh grows this bot will stop monitoring the channel and respond only to DMs.

Scan to add channel

#bot

Interact with AcadianaBot — fun commands, jokes, sports scores, and network info. Messages are rate limited — wait for a response before sending another command.

Key Type

Hashtag derived

Region Scope

gc-la-lft

AcadianaBot Commands

ping	Check if the bot is online
test	Signal report — returns SNR, RSSI, and path info for your message. SNR higher is better; RSSI closer to 0 is stronger.
help	List available commands
channels	List active network channels
hfcond	HF radio propagation conditions — solar flux, A-index, and K-index for amateur radio operators planning HF communications

cmd	Show detailed command reference
joke	Get a random joke
dadjoke	Get a dad joke
momjoke	Get a mom joke
funfact	Get a fun fact

sports inter miami	MLS scores — works for all MLS teams. Try sports dynamo, sports crew, sports timbers, etc.
sports liverpool	Premier League scores — try sports arsenal, sports chelsea, sports man city, sports man united
prefix XX	Look up the repeater with that 2-character path prefix — e.g. prefix b1

⏱ Rate limited — wait 5 seconds after receiving a response before sending another command. As the mesh grows this bot will stop monitoring the channel and respond only to DMs.

Scan to add channel

How Channels Work

Public Channel

The Public channel uses a well-known key shared across all MeshCore networks worldwide. Anyone running MeshCore can read and send messages on the Public channel.

Hashtag Channels

Channels starting with # use a key automatically derived from the channel name. Anyone who knows the channel name can join — no manual key exchange needed.

Private Channels

Private channels use a custom key that you set manually. Only people you share the key with can join. Use these for group communications where privacy matters.

Direct Messages

Direct messages are encrypted end-to-end between two nodes. Only the intended recipient can read them.

Channel Regions & Scopes

Regions control which repeaters will forward a channel’s messages. When you send a message on a scoped channel, repeaters check if they have that region configured — if not, the message stops there.

Why this matters: Without region scoping, every message floods the entire mesh network. With regions, messages stay in their intended geographic area.

How to read the scope: gc-la-lft breaks down as:

• gc — Gulf Coast (broad regional scope)
• gc-la — Louisiana (state scope)
• gc-la-lft — Lafayette (local scope)

Choosing the right scope:

• Use a wider scope (gc-la) to reach more people across Louisiana
• Use a narrower scope (gc-la-lft) to keep traffic local to Lafayette
• Channels with no scope flood the entire mesh — use sparingly

Discovering local regions: In the MeshCore app tap Discover → Discover Regions to see what region scopes are active on nearby repeaters.

Adding a Channel

1. Open the MeshCore app
2. Tap ⋮ → Add Channel → Join a Hashtag Channel
3. Enter the channel name (e.g. acadiana)
4. Press Join Channel

Or scan the QR code on any channel card above — the app will add it automatically.

Privacy

All channel messages are encrypted using AES-256-CTR. With secured keys and trustworthy recipients, your data is cryptographically protected.