Transport · LXMF · NomadNet · Relay Chat · BBS · Wikipedia
Add this to your ~/.reticulum/config under [interfaces]:
[[Chicago Offline]]
type = TCPClientInterface
enabled = yes
target_host = rns.chicagooffline.com
target_port = 4242
Works with Sideband, NomadNet, or any Reticulum-based application.
Live, real-time IRC-style chat rooms over Reticulum. No accounts, no logs — if you're here, you're in the conversation.
You'll need this to connect from any RRC client:
As of NomadNet 1.1.0, RRC is built in as a first-class client. This is the recommended way to connect.
pip install nomadnet # or: pipx install nomadnet
~/.reticulum/config (see Step 1 above)
nomadnet — navigate to the Chat section, add the hub hash, and join chicagooffline
NomadNet also gives you access to our node pages, Retipedia, and LXMF messaging — all in one TUI. Source: github.com/markqvist/NomadNet
These standalone clients also work but are no longer the primary focus of development:
pipx install rrc-gui)chicagooffline — type /join chicagoofflineAsync community discussion boards over Reticulum. Post messages, read announcements, and have threaded conversations — even when users are on different schedules.
Install: pip install textual, clone the RetiBBS repo, and run the client. The BBS server announces itself on the network — your client will discover it automatically once connected to our transport.
Search and read Wikipedia articles entirely over Reticulum. Served from a local Simple English Wikipedia archive (~300 MB). No internet required.
Browse to the Retipedia page in NomadNet after connecting to this node:
nomadnet → Navigate to this node's pages → Encyclopedia (or /page/retipedia/index.mu)
Retipedia serves Simple English Wikipedia — optimized for low-bandwidth Reticulum links.
Join the Chicago Offline Reticulum radio network with an RNode:
Frequency: 914.875 MHz Bandwidth: 125.0 KHz Spreading Factor: 8 Coding Rate: 5 TX Power: 22 dBm (check your hardware)
RNode interface config:
[[RNode LoRa]]
type = RNodeInterface
enabled = yes
port = /dev/ttyACM0
frequency = 914875000
bandwidth = 125000
txpower = 22
spreadingfactor = 8
codingrate = 5
Compatible hardware: Heltec V3/V4/T114, LilyGO T-Beam/T-LoRa, RAK4631, or any SX1262/SX1276 board with RNode firmware. Flash with rnodeconf --autoinstall.
This node serves pages over the Reticulum network via NomadNet. Connect via the transport above, then browse to this node to find:
pip install nomadnet # installs NomadNet + Reticulum + LXMF nomadnet # launch and add our transport interface
Reticulum is a cryptography-based networking stack for building resilient, encrypted communications over any medium — LoRa, packet radio, WiFi, serial, TCP/IP, or anything in between. No accounts, no servers required, no metadata leaks.
We build resilient, off-grid communication infrastructure for Chicagoland. LoRa mesh nodes, MQTT observers, and Reticulum transport — keeping Chicago connected when the grid goes dark.