Ham radio club electronics workbench featuring solar-powered radio projects, circuit boards, soldering tools, a multimeter, and amateur radio equipment.

ACURA Project Nights

ACURA’s ham radio project nights are hands-on build nights for the whole club. First, members bring their tools and open up the kits. Then we build real radio gear side by side. You do not need to be an expert, because somebody at the table will always show you the next step.

In addition, this page keeps a record of each Project Night. As a result, you can look back at the photos and see what we built and why.

MeshCore Repeater Build Night: November 10, 2026

On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, club members got together at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon to build solar-powered MeshCore repeaters. Soon, enclosures, solar panels, antennas and soldering irons covered the tables. By the end of the night, however, we had the first repeaters built, flashed and ready to go outside.

Photos From the Build

ACURA club member holding a finished solar-powered MeshCore repeater with a solar panel and tall white antenna.
ACURA member N2XYY shows off his finished MeshCore repeater.
ACURA club member at a table with two weatherproof MeshCore repeater enclosures fitted with solar panels and antennas.
ACURA member W4WAG looks like he knows what he’s doing. He has them fooled!
Two ACURA club members soldering wiring beside an open repeater enclosure showing the Heltec V4 board and battery.
ACURA members W4WAG (seated), soldering the Heltec V4 board to the batteries, and KS2D, who is hoping his fingers don’t get soldered.
Two ACURA club members working with a soldering iron on an open MeshCore repeater enclosure.
W4WAG (seated) solders wires to the battery case as KS2D prays that he doesn’t get burnt!
ACURA club members at a work table with a multimeter, tool kit, handheld radio and a MeshCore repeater enclosure.
ACURA member N2XYY checks the instructions on his phone. A true ham only reads the manual after the magic smoke comes out.
ACURA Ham Radio Club members gathered around tables during the MeshCore Repeater Build Night on November 10, 2026.
ACURA member N2XYY (center) holds court while the rest of the club pretends to follow along.
Wide view of ACURA Ham Radio Club members building MeshCore repeaters at round tables during Project Night.
“Look at my solar panel!” says ACURA member W4WAG (seated to the right). Nobody has the heart to tell him the sun went down hours ago.
Table covered with repeater kit boxes and parts while ACURA club members work in the background.
ACURA members (L-R) N2XYY, N2YOC, WB2JJO and KS2D. It takes four hams to build one repeater, and a fifth to take the picture.
ACURA club member showing a MeshCore repeater with its solar panel to other members seated at a table.
ACURA members (L-R) N2XYY, N2YOC, WB2JJO and KS2D. N2XYY is on his third lap of show-and-tell, and the table is running out of ways to say “nice.”
ACURA Ham Radio Club members building MeshCore repeaters at Project Night.
ACURA member WE2D says, “I’m helping!” He was not helping. That is his repeater being built behind him by members who never volunteered.

What We Built

Each repeater is a small, self-contained radio station that runs on sunshine. In other words, it listens for MeshCore messages and passes them along. Therefore, a message can hop from one repeater to the next across the county.

  • Radio board: a Heltec V4 LoRa board running MeshCore repeater firmware on 915 MHz.
  • Power: a small solar panel that charges rechargeable lithium cells, so the repeater keeps running overnight.
  • Enclosure: a weatherproof box with the solar panel mounted on the outside.
  • Antenna: an outdoor 915 MHz antenna on a weather-sealed connector.
  • Setup: we flashed each board with the MeshCore web flasher, then gave it a name and a location.

The Plan: MeshCore Coverage for Atlantic County

ACURA is building a MeshCore network to cover Atlantic County. Therefore, we are going to deploy these repeaters at sites from Egg Harbor City to Atlantic City. For example, the Atlantic City repeater will go at our UHF repeater location, 300 feet above the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Because of that height, it should have great coverage.

Once the repeaters are up, anyone in range with a low-cost MeshCore radio and a phone will be able to send text messages across the area without cell service or the internet. Also, you do not need a ham license to use MeshCore on the default settings. As a result, it is a great way to bring makers and new hams into the hobby.

Meanwhile, you can watch the network grow on our South Jersey Mesh Map.

Join Us at Ham Radio Project Nights

Our ham radio project nights are open to club members and to anyone who wants to learn. In addition, ACURA meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM at Holy Spirit High School, 500 S. New Road, Absecon, NJ. Finally, come to a meeting, check the club calendar, or contact us to find out what we are building next.