Questions
Asked often. Answered once.
Everything below is also true on the product pages; this is just the short form. If it isn't here, the User Guide or the Master Guide will have it.
Choosing
Which model do I need?
Pick by the job. Carrying it all day: GFT-5. Running a team from a vehicle: GFT-10. The big screen: GFT-15. Nodes extend any of them. The comparison table puts all five on one screen.
What is the difference between a node and a terminal?
A terminal is a computer: it runs GREYFATHOM OS and every tool. A node is a radio: a Heltec LoRa board running Meshtastic, nothing else. Nodes relay and extend the mesh; terminals are where you work.
Do I need nodes?
Two terminals talk to each other directly. Nodes matter when there is terrain, distance, or a team in between. A relay node on a ridge is the cheapest range you can buy. See Complete the set under each terminal for the usual pairing.
Built or kit?
Built means assembled, flashed, burn-in tested, with a signed report in the box. Kit means the printed parts and every fastener; you bring the board and the hours. Same shells, same standard.
Software
Is there a subscription, an account, or a licence server?
No. GREYFATHOM OS is $99 once, every tool enabled, free v1.x updates. Nothing on a terminal phones home, and nothing expires.
Can I run the software on my own Raspberry Pi?
Yes. Buy the licence on the software page, flash the image, done. It is the same image that ships on a terminal.
Is TAK included?
Yes. TAK ships in the image and has been validated on a second node, so it is counted: nineteen tools, every one tested. It needs the LoRa radio fitted.
Do the tools need specific hardware?
Four do. Comms, Radio Config and TAK need the LoRa radio; Position needs the GNSS receiver; SDR needs the receiver dongle. Everything else runs on any terminal. That hardware is the only thing a higher price buys.
Radios and range
Which radio boards work?
Heltec V3 and V4, RAK WisBlock, LILYGO, Seeed XIAO and Nordic nRF52 boards over Meshtastic. Radio Config drives them. The full list is on the hardware page; if a board is not listed, it is not supported yet.
What range should I expect?
LoRa wants line of sight. Ridge to ridge, kilometres. Through buildings or timber, hundreds of metres. Radio Config shows the settings that matter so you can plan around the physics rather than a brochure number.
Ordering
How long until it ships?
Everything is built to order in small runs. Allow two to three weeks from order to shipment, then tracked delivery. The cart shows shipping before you commit.
What does shipping cost?
Free tracked U.S. shipping on orders over $75; a flat $8 under that. International is quoted at cost, no markup.
Can I return it?
Thirty days. Details on the shop page.
Is the enclosure waterproof?
The printed enclosures are not sealed in this release. The GFT-15's Pelican 1500 and the GFT-10's Pelican 1400 are both IP67 closed and latched, unmodified. Case ratings are Pelican's, not ours.
Support
Something is wrong with my unit.
Every unit is serial-tracked. Use the warranty section on the contact page and it comes straight to the bench that built it.
Where is the manual?
The User Guide covers each product; the Master Guide covers everything else and lives on the terminal, offline.