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Using the public map

FreqMapper keeps evidence, activity, and map controls separate so an interesting-looking layer never gets mistaken for a coverage claim. A map that sometimes says “we do not know yet” is a lot more useful than one that acts certain everywhere.

Coverage colors

The exact thresholds can evolve by region, but the public legend follows this meaning:

Map item Meaning
Green / strong cell A tagged mapping test was independently heard with strong evidence, usually by several watchers.
Yellow / fair cell The test has usable but more limited evidence.
Red / weak cell A verified test was heard weakly or has limited independent confirmation.
Neutral grid Not yet measured. It is not a failed-coverage claim.
Blue reported-position cell or dot A recent node Position Packet from MQTT. Blue cells group nearby reports into a 500 m reference hex; blue dots are individual nodes. This optional layer is activity only, never verified coverage.

Use the top-right map settings gear to show or hide the blue reference layer and map status box. Those choices are remembered in your browser after refresh. The Legend explains what you are seeing; it does not change the map.

What you can do on the map

  • Move, zoom, and return later. The site remembers your last map position and zoom in that browser, so refresh does not have to send you back to the regional overview.
  • Use the map controls. The right-side controls change the base map theme, refresh the shared coverage snapshot, or return the map to north-up. The top-right Map settings button controls optional reference layers and the small status box.
  • Select a coverage cell. Click or tap a green, yellow, or red coverage hex to open its evidence. The panel identifies the mapping test(s) represented by that cell and lists the approved Watcher receipts behind them.
  • Follow positioned Watchers. When a selected test was heard by a Watcher with a known map position, the details can draw an evidence line to that Watcher. Watchers without a reported position still count as evidence; they simply cannot be placed or linked on the map.

The map is a shared regional snapshot. The mobile app also shows its own temporary session dots and verified cells; those are separate from everyone else's live app sessions.

Nodes and watchers

Node icons mark devices that have reported a current public position. They do not say that a device is a feeder, a repeater, or a promise that you can reach it from where you are standing.

The special eye icon marks a node that FreqMapper has evidence is uploading mesh receipts to the MQTT service. It may appear in a regional watcher list only after its own Position Packet resolves it to the region. Watchers without a known position remain unassigned and are not placed on the public map, but they can still independently verify a wardrive test.

Regional boundaries

At a regional view, the selected area is fully visible while surrounding areas are dimmed. Zoom out to see other IATA regions and select one from its marker or the Regions menu.

Boundaries may start from county shapes and can later be replaced with an approved custom GeoJSON boundary. They show where regional policy and local administration apply; radio signals can, of course, travel straight across a line.

Details and "who heard it"

Selecting a verified result will show the recorded mapping test and every approved feeder receipt used as evidence. This is the answer to "who heard it?"

  • RSSI/SNR describe the received signal reported by that feeder.
  • Receipt time shows when that feeder observed the packet.
  • Hop information is useful diagnostic context when available.
  • Evidence lines connect the selected test to Watchers whose public position is known. They are a visual aid, not a claimed radio route.

Those facts still do not prove that the signal travelled directly between two pins. Meshtastic can route through one or more nodes.

Last updated: 2026-08-26