What Is The Helium Transmit Scale?
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What Is The Helium Transmit Scale?
The transmit scale was introduced to the Helium Network as a way to encourage hotspots to be placed in areas with little coverage. The Network increased its total coverage because of the transmit scale. The transmit scale is usually between 0.00 and 1.00, and you can check your current transmit scale on the Helium App.The network uses Proof-of-Coverage activity, such as beacons and witnesses, to check that hotspots are providing real coverage. The transmit scale is calculated based on the density of hotspots in a particular location.
In practice, the transmit scale is a weighting the network applies to a hotspot's Proof-of-Coverage activity. A value close to 1.00 means the area is not crowded, while a lower value means there are many hotspots nearby.
The transmit scale is a multiplier tied to the number of hotspots you witness within a particular period. It also applies when your hotspot takes part in challenges.
How to Check your Transmit Scale
You can easily check your transmit scale on the Helium network map. Once you load the explorer and the map is displayed, you can click the filter on the screen's lower right-hand corner.
Then you click the transmit scales after clicking the filter button. You would notice that the map changes from hotspot location and spreads worldwide to a graphical representation, like a heat map, showing the areas with highest and lowest transmit scales.
How does Transmit Scaling work?
This scaling does not apply to all of your hotspot's activity. It applies mainly to challenges and witnessing. A high gain antenna can help reach hotspots located in locations with high transmit scales. This works better with beaconing, where most of the challenge weighting goes to receivers, not transmitters.
Each transmission is weighted by the number of witnesses and then scaled according to the transmitter's transmit scale. Witnesses are weighted according to how many of them there are.
Understanding your Hexes, Resolution, and Sibling
Before you place your new helium hotspot, it is expected that you will have done a bit of research and surveillance to select a suitable location so you can get good coverage. Part of this recon would be to utilize the helium explorer and the helium map. To understand the explorer, you must be familiar with these terms.
- Hexes: These are simply Hexagons in the Helium Explorer. They are used to separate and designate regions on the helium map. Each hexagon marks out certain areas to which certain rules can apply.
- Resolution: This is also referred to as Res, for short. A resolution on the helium explorer represents certain vertical distances from the earth's surface.
- Sibling: The sibling refers to a hex that shares borders with your hex. Technically speaking, it is one of the chain variables that the network uses to calculate your transmit scale.
Rules of the Game
The transmit scale operates on many rules, some of which are kept secret by the Helium Network. However, paying attention to the general rules is important as they affect how your hotspot is scaled.
Chain variables explain the mode of operation of the transmit scales, and you can use them to estimate the amount of scaling your hotspot would receive in a particular location with regard to its resolution. The chain variables (or Chain Vars) are:
- Density Target: the total number of hotspots that can be in a hex without any other hotspot.
- Density Max: the highest number of hotspots you can have in your Hex, even if sibling variables are met.
- Sibling: the number of siblings required to meet the density target to reach Density max.
These three variables have a set of rules that, if not met, would warrant a penalty, and the accumulation of the penalties is what becomes your transmit scale for a particular location.
For example, at Resolution 8, the chain variables are 2, 1, and 4. The “1” refers to the density target of your hex. The number “2” refers to the number of siblings required to have the density target so your hex can have up to the density max before it is scaled. The last variable is the Density Max.
If all the conditions are fulfilled in the res 8 hex, your hotspot would receive no penalties or scaling for that particular res. However, this calculation is done on every resolution from 4 through 10. This makes it difficult not to be mounted.
Summary
The Helium Network uses a number of rules to weigh how hotspots take part in Proof-of-Coverage. One of the most direct is the transmit scale, which scales a hotspot's activity to the number of hotspots it can effectively witness and challenge.
Transmit scaling was introduced to favour lone hotspots in uncovered areas over hotspots placed in crowded regions. Using chain variables, the network has successfully created a means to estimate chain variables so users can determine the best spots to deploy their hotspots.
FAQ
Can I Reverse the Effect of the Transmit Scale
Yes. To make up for a lower transmit scale, Hotspots should improve their antenna setup (go outdoors, use higher gain antennas, utilize higher elevations) so they can see beacons from Hotspots farther away, which could be in regions that have higher transmit scales.
Does the Transmit Code Affect me at all Resolutions?
No, it doesn't. That would be unfair. Hotspots would be scaled in resolutions 4 to 10. The Helium Network left a small chance for hotspots that are just starting out. If properly researched, you might find a great location where you won't be scaled.
Why did Helium Introduce Transmit Scaling?
Transmit scales were introduced to encourage users to set up devices in unoccupied locations rather than stay clumped up in specific locations.
