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PhillyMesh.net

@phillymesh.net

29 followers 53 following 14 posts

Building a Philly/SEPA Meshtastic network, promoting amateur radio, and connecting communities. Driven by volunteers. Learn more here: https://phillymesh.net/ Contact us here to get involved: https://phillymesh.net/contact/

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Meshtastic @meshtastic.org · Jul 26

Meshtastic @ DEF CON 33: Event Firmware Now Live

Meshtastic collaborated with DEF CON, Darknet-NG, the Lonely Hackers Club, and other prominent groups heavily involved in the event to ensure this year's firmware is even more successful than last year's. 🛰️

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#meshtastic #defcon #defcon33

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PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jul 1

Currently in our Discord: an INTENSE discussion on the semantics and correctness of the term 'halal cart'.

Come for the #meshtastic, stay for the food discourse?

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 28

This may be a Meshtastic-focused account but
Solidarity forever, never cross a picket line, and always stand against the bosses.

Bikemamadelphia @denadriscoll.bsky.social · Jun 27

So word is out there that Mayor Parker is making non-union city employees be scabs if DC33 strikes, all vacations with the exception of international travel tickets are suppose to be canceled…

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 28

One of our great folks put together a write-up of their Harbor Breeze #solar #meshtastic node!
phillymesh.net/2025/06/21/h...

Low Priced Solar Node (Harbor Breeze)

After building my Medium Priced Solar Node, I wanted to explore cheaper options. I wanted to be able to build nodes to give to friends or community members to place in advantageous locations, and not ...

phillymesh.net

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 24

When @wired.com does a story about #meshtastic with the title ‘The Texting Network for the End Of The World’ it’s a good thing, right?

www.wired.com/story/youre-...

The Texting Network for the End of the World

Everyone knows what it’s like to lose cell service. A burgeoning open source project called Meshtastic is filling the gap for when you’re in the middle of nowhere—or when disaster strikes.

www.wired.com

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PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 23

Cripes, 15 past noon and it’s 95f. Stay inside if you can, stay hydrated, and check in on your neighbors if they’re high-risk.

Stay cool #philly!

A screenshot of a weather app showing a temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 22

Curious about #Meshtastic in #philly but don’t know how to get started? Have a node but aren’t hearing anything? Check out our ‘Getting Started With Meshtastic in Philly’ article!

phillymesh.net/2025/06/16/g...

Getting Started with Meshtastic in Philly

So you’re interested in getting started with Meshtastic and you live in or around Philly. There are plenty of resources online to help you get started, but this article will walk you through some thin...

phillymesh.net

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 20

RADIO POPE

DodgerFanLA @dodgerfanla.bsky.social · Jun 20

The pope posted this this morning and I’m thinking a lot about it

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 18

@alexwermercolan.bsky.social hey bud thanks for the follow!

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 18

An important message from Iffy Books for the #philly #hacker scene. If you have some cash to spare, please consider tossing some their way!

In 2021 we were pushing anti-blockchain arguments.
In 2022 we were pushing solar-powered music and encrypted mesh chat.
We've been against LLMs since before ChatGPT came along, and we hope we're around to dance on its grave.
Iffy Books is the kind of place that feels like it shouldn't exist in the center of a big city like Philly. How have we kept it going for so long?
• With lots of help from a community of volunteers, donors, and book-buying folks.
• By skating on very thin ice money-wise.
We've grown the shop slowly, avoiding big expenses and mostly relying on donated furniture and equipment. We've tried to stick to our DIY, anticapitalist ideals even when it doesn't make business sense. The hope has been that people will be into what we're doing and support us in the long term.
Iffy Books has been open for four years, now, and helping make it happen has been very fun and satisfying. I'm proud that we've grown to serve as many people as we do, and folks really seem to appreciate that we're here.
We're still breaking even financially, however. We make enough from books and kits to pay for rent and expenses at the shop, but that's it. Nobody's getting paid.
The ice has been thin for a long time, and for me it's finally broken through. I've been living on former retirement money for the past year and a half, and I'm pretty much completely out of resources. I don't know if I'll have enough to cover rent for July at the apartment I share with my 6-year-old. It's painful to say it, but that's where I'm at.
Also, our lease at Iffy Books ends in November. Which means we have until the end of August to decide whether or not to renew.

If you appreciate what we're doing at Iffy Books and you want us to stick around, now is your moment to help. If you have the money to spare, you can make a recurring donation through Patreon (https://patreon.com/iffybooks). If you're already a Patreon supporter, consider jumping to the next tier. You can also make a one-time donation through Venmo (@iffybooks).
If enough people are willing to chip in, it may be possible for the shop to continue in its current form. This is plan A. In this scenario, we'd use money from Patreon to pay me, Mattie, and other helpers an hourly wage so we can cover our personal bills.
We'd need 200-300 Patreon supporters to make it work, which may or may not be possible.
The next option is for me to take a part-time job to pay my own bills, and do my best to keep the shop running. We'd end up with shorter hours and fewer events, which may make it tough to cover rent at the shop. But volunteers can keep running their events, and we'll make the best of it.
The third option is to close the shop when our lease ends in November. On the plus side, we can all remember Iffy Books as a beautiful thing that never got corrupted.
And I can get a day job with benefits (which I really don't want to do, but stability has its appeal). The party would be over though.
What do y'all want to do?
Steve McLaughlin
Iffy Books
404 S. 20th St., PHL
https://iffybooks.net

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PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 16

For the #bike minded folks, one of our amazing folks made an awesome #meshtastic node that fits in a water bottle!
phillymesh.net/2025/05/16/w...

Stealthy Water Bottle Node

For most of the day, I can be found carrying a T-1000e in my pocket. My home has (or will have ) a node on the roof with a longer range antenna, and my T-1000e works perfectly to keep myself connected...

phillymesh.net

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 15

Curious what the PhillyMesh currently looks like? Here’s a screenshot of #meshtastic #nodes active in #philly over the past 3 days!

A map of Philadelphia overlaid with brightly colored nodes

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PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 15

Thanks! Looking forward to a nice experience :)

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 15

#amateurradio #hamradio #mesh #meshnetworks #philly #sepa #emcomm

PhillyMesh.net @phillymesh.net · Jun 15

Hello BlueSky! We are PhillyMesh, a group of volunteer radio nerds building and expanding #Meshtastic and amateur #radio in #Philadelphia and SE Pennsylvania.
Check us out at PhillyMesh.net and join our Discord!

Philly Mesh

Playing with mesh networks and decentralized technology

PhillyMesh.net

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