v0.1.0-alpha

First alpha release. Expect rough edges — this is early software.

Install

Download the zip, extract anywhere, and run MeshChat.exe. No installer,
no Python required. Windows x64 only.

What works

Chat — channel messaging, direct messages to any reachable node, and local
message history that survives restarts.

Network Monitor — live KPI dashboard, sortable rankings (last heard, most
packets, nearby/farthest, signal, messages sent), packet log, distribution
panels for packet type / channel / role / hardware, and a Leaflet map with
light and dark basemaps.

Nodes — full sortable node table with search, a node inspector showing
identity/activity/signal/hops/telemetry, and right-click actions: message,
show on map, request position, request telemetry, traceroute, favorite, and
remove from the radio's node database.

Spectrum (optional) — RTL-SDR waterfall showing raw RF energy in the LoRa
ISM bands. Requires an RTL-SDR dongle plus the pyrtlsdr package and native
librtlsdr driver. It shows that activity is happening and where in the band;
it does not decode LoRa packets. The app runs normally without any SDR.

Connecting

Transport	Notes
USB / Serial	Most reliable — pick the COM port and connect.
Bluetooth	Pair the radio in Windows Settings first. Meshtastic radios require OS-level pairing before any app can reach them.
Wi-Fi / TCP	Enter the radio's hostname or IP.

Known limitations

• Windows x64 only
• Connects to one radio at a time
• Spectrum view needs SDR hardware that has not been verified against this build
• MeshCore networks are not supported yet

License

GPL-3.0-only — MeshChat links the official Meshtastic Python package, which is
GPL-3.0 copyleft.