{"id":10481,"date":"2014-08-09T08:06:48","date_gmt":"2014-08-09T12:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=10481"},"modified":"2014-08-09T08:06:48","modified_gmt":"2014-08-09T12:06:48","slug":"gotenna-turn-your-smartphone-into-a-text-transceiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/gotenna-turn-your-smartphone-into-a-text-transceiver\/","title":{"rendered":"goTenna: Turn your smartphone into a text transceiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"goTenna\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> reader, Richard Cuff who has apprised me of the goTenna<\/a>: a small device that allows you to use your smartphone to send and receive messages and share your GPS location with others without the need of mobile phone service.<\/p>\n

goTenna<\/a>\u00a0describes their device:<\/p>\n

“goTenna is a small, rugged device designed to make \u201cNo Service\u201d no problem. Just pair your smartphone with a goTenna and communicate off-grid with those near you who also have goTenna, anywhere on the planet, regardless of access to cell reception or wi-fi. goTenna allows you to send and receive texts and share GPS locations on beautiful offline maps, without ever relying on central connectivity. Depend on it in all kinds of situations: when hiking in remote areas, traveling, attending music or sporting events or during an emergency. Plus, because goTenna is end-to-end encrypted, it\u2019s not just for when you\u2019re off-grid, but when you want to be.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some sources<\/a> claim the goTenna is based on “short-wave” radio frequencies; \u00a0I discovered\u00a0that it operates between 150-154 MHz, so this is not the case. \u00a0Still, it would be fascinating the see the potential in a device that could use the HF spectrum to create a smart phone mesh network. Though the antenna would need to be longer, communication distances in rural areas could surpass that of VHF frequencies. In the end, text messages would be an ideal format for such a system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Richard Cuff who has apprised me of the goTenna: a small device that allows you to use your smartphone to send and receive messages and share your GPS location with others without the need of mobile phone service. goTenna\u00a0describes their device: “goTenna is a small, rugged device designed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,554],"tags":[3168,3170,3169],"class_list":["post-10481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-slightly-off-topic","tag-gotenna","tag-mesh","tag-mesh-networks"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-2J3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64645,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/paul-reviews-the-radtel-rt-880g\/","url_meta":{"origin":10481,"position":0},"title":"Paul Reviews the Radtel RT-880G","author":"Thomas","date":"November 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Paul Jamet Looking for a versatile radio? Which radio listener hasn\u2019t dreamed of owning a portable multi-band receiver allowing them to explore the widest possible radio spectrum? For nearly a year now, walkie-talkies have appeared on the market which, beyond the classic VHF\u2013UHF functions, also allow listening and transmitting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-11-03_IMG_16h2632UTC.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24626,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/cornell-engineers-invent-two-way-radio-on-a-single-chip\/","url_meta":{"origin":10481,"position":1},"title":"Cornell engineers invent two-way radio on a single chip","author":"Thomas","date":"March 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Ally, who shares the following news via the Cornell Chronicle: Engineers devise two-way radio on a single chip Two-way communication requires, of course, both send and receive capabilities. But putting them in the same device requires a filter between the send and receive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Waterfall-SDR.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Waterfall-SDR.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Waterfall-SDR.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8479,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/the-best-amateur-radio-and-shortwave-apps-for-ios-and-android-smart-phones\/","url_meta":{"origin":10481,"position":2},"title":"The Best Amateur Radio and Shortwave Apps for iOS, Android and Windows smart phones","author":"Thomas","date":"January 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Last update: 25 March 2022 Since applications are constantly being developed, I update this posting\u00a0regularly. If you would like to suggest an app that I have not considered, please comment or contact me! Amateur and SWL Apps for iOS,\u00a0Android and Windows phone Advances in technology have always gone hand-in-hand with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/SkywaveSchedules.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8745,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/outernet-shortwave-radio-for-the-smartphone-enabled\/","url_meta":{"origin":10481,"position":3},"title":"Outernet: shortwave radio for the smartphone enabled?","author":"Thomas","date":"February 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"There's a new project in the works, Outernet, that aspires to bring the international accessibility of shortwave radio along with the versatility of the Internet. 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