Convert Your Heltec Wireless Stick Into a 433 MHz LoRa APRS iGate or Digipeater

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to turn a Heltec Wireless Stick into a 433 MHz LoRa APRS iGate or digipeater. All you’ll need is the Heltec Wireless Stick, a Windows computer, Visual Studio Code, and a few other tools.

🛠 Prerequisites

Heltec Wireless Stick: A compact device that includes a plastic case and an antenna.
Computer: A Windows machine for development.
USB Type-C Cable: To connect your Heltec Wireless Stick to your computer.

💻 Step 1: Set Up Your Computer

1. Download and Install Visual Studio Code:
   Visit the Visual Studio Code website, download the installer for Windows, and follow the installation instructions.
2. Install PlatformIO Extension for Visual Studio Code:
   Open Visual Studio Code, click on the Extensions icon in the sidebar (or press Ctrl+Shift+X), search for “PlatformIO IDE,” and install the extension.

🔧 Step 2: Install the Heltec Wireless Stick Driver

1. Visit the Heltec website and go to the Support section under “Resources Download.”
2. Download the CP210x Universal Driver for your Heltec Wireless Stick.
3. Follow the installation instructions to install the driver on your Windows machine.

📦 Step 3: Download and Prepare the LoRa APRS iGate Code

1. Navigate to the LoRa APRS iGate GitHub repository and download the code as a ZIP file.
2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file to a folder on your computer.
3. Open Visual Studio Code, go to File > Open Folder…, and select the folder where you extracted the LoRa APRS iGate code.

📝 Step 4: Configure the iGate/Digipeater

1. In Visual Studio Code, navigate to the data folder within the LoRa APRS iGate project.
2. Open the igate_conf.json file.
3. Edit the file to include your specific details, such as your callsign, SSID, and other necessary parameters.

⚙️ Step 5: Update the PlatformIO Environment

1. In Visual Studio Code, open the platformio.ini file located in the root directory of the LoRa APRS iGate project.
2. Ensure the following line is included to set the environment for the Heltec Wireless Stick:

   [platformio]  
   default_envs = heltec_wireless_stick

🛠️ Step 6: Build and Upload the Firmware

1. Build the Firmware:
   Press Ctrl+Alt+B in Visual Studio Code to compile the firmware for your Heltec Wireless Stick.
2. Connect the Heltec Wireless Stick:
   Use a USB Type-C cable to connect your Heltec Wireless Stick to the computer. While connecting, hold down the USER button on the device to enter upload mode.
3. Upload the Firmware:
   Press Ctrl+Alt+U in Visual Studio Code to upload the firmware to your device.

📂 Step 7: Upload the Filesystem Image

1. After successfully uploading the firmware, click the PlatformIO icon in the Visual Studio Code sidebar.
2. Under the PlatformIO tab, locate “Heltec Wireless Stick.”
3. Click on Platform > Upload Filesystem Image to upload the necessary configuration files to your device.

🌐 Step 8: Configure via Web Browser

Once you’ve configured, flashed, and uploaded the filesystem image, the Heltec Wireless Stick will broadcast a Wi-Fi SSID. You can connect to this Wi-Fi network and access the device’s configuration page by opening a web browser and navigating to 192.168.4.1. This allows you to reconfigure the device easily from the web interface.

🎉 Step 9: Complete the Setup

Congratulations! 🎊 Your Heltec Wireless Stick is now configured as a 433 MHz LoRa APRS iGate or digipeater. You’re all set to start relaying APRS packets!

Enjoy your new LoRa APRS iGate/Digipeater and happy tracking! 📡

P/S: There is still a known bug: the display on the Heltec Wireless Stick is not working at the moment.