About This Guide
There are common mistakes that waste time, money, or create legal problems. This page collects the gotchas that trip people up most often.
We've organized these by technology and severity. The most critical mistakes can damage equipment or create legal issues. The common frustrations just waste your time.
Meshtastic Gotchas
Most Critical: Powering on without antenna damages radio permanently.
Most Common: Firmware version mismatches prevent communication.
More Meshtastic Gotchas →GMRS Gotchas
Most Critical: Using non-type-certified radios is not legal even with license.
Most Common: Forgetting to pay the $35 FCC fee after license approval.
More GMRS Gotchas →Ham Radio Gotchas
Most Critical: Transmitting before license appears in FCC database is not legal.
Most Common: Studying wrong question pool version for test date.
More Amateur Radio Gotchas →ATAK Gotchas
Most Critical: Offline maps can consume 50GB+ of storage space.
Most Common: Meshtastic plugin unavailable on iOS/iTAK.
More ATAK Gotchas →There is more useful information on our FAQ page or Contact us for more help.
Once you work through all the common pitfalls, you may wish to use our Advanced Guides.