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Ratspeak for T-Pager

The LilyGO T-Pager runs Ratspeak Handheld, alongside T-Deck Plus and Cardputer Adv. It uses the shared Rust Reticulum/LXMF core. This page describes Ratspeak Handheld 2.2.4 beta.

Hardware​

Use the SX1262 version of the T-Pager / T-LoRa-Pager. It has an ESP32-S3, 480×222 display, QWERTY keyboard, scroll encoder, LoRa radio, and GPS. Other radio variants are not interchangeable firmware targets. Match your antenna and radio configuration to the hardware and frequency band.

An SD card is optional for normal messaging. The firmware can store identity, settings, and messages on internal flash.

Install​

Use pager-full.zip from Ratspeak Handheld releases for a fresh installation. Upload it through Build your own on the web flasher, or select the T-Pager preset when it shows Ratspeak Handheld.

Back up your identity and data first. Factory packages reset internal storage after you accept the web flasher's backup notice. See the backup instructions before replacing an existing installation.

Hold BOOT, tap RST, then release BOOT to enter download mode. Reset the device manually after writing completes. See Flashing firmware for the full procedure and source builds; use DEVICE=tpager.

Modes and controls​

The full package starts a launcher with two choices:

  • Standalone — on-device LXMF messaging over LoRa or Wi-Fi.
  • RNode — a host-controlled radio for Ratspeak or another Reticulum client.

Use the scroll encoder to move between tabs. Click it or press Enter to enter the selected tab, then turn it to move through that screen's controls. The first click enters the screen; it does not also activate a control. Backspace goes back to tab navigation when the current screen has no more specific back/edit action. Alt+Backspace is Escape for cancelling an edit.

For a selected setting, press Enter or click to edit, then turn the encoder up to increase/advance or down to decrease/go back. Editing changes the value without scrolling the surrounding page. Enter saves; Backspace cancels ordinary value edits. A setting with only one available choice cannot be edited.

Select a frequency without touch​

  1. Open Settings → LoRa. Select Developer Radio Controls, then hold the encoder button as prompted to unlock the custom fields.
  2. Open Frequency and press Enter or click to edit. Use A/D to choose the highlighted digit. Comma/slash also work here.
  3. Turn the encoder up to increase that digit or down to decrease it, or type a digit; Alt+Q…P enters 1…0.
  4. Press Enter to save, or Alt+Backspace to cancel. Backspace alone moves to the preceding digit while editing.

The bracketed digit and the on-screen hint show what will change. Match the frequency and radio preset with the other device; unsupported frequencies are rejected. This editor does not require touch, a trackball or horizontal scrolling.

Power buttons​

In Standalone mode, a short BOOT press sleeps or wakes the screen. Holding BOOT while the screen is on opens the power-off confirmation; a six-second hold forces power off. PWR powers the device on from shutdown; RST resets it. Prefer the confirmed shutdown over a forced power-off when saving data. A forced power-off can interrupt a save. If the display is dark, tap and release BOOT to wake it before holding again.

See the handheld guide for messaging states, long history and storage/recovery behavior.

Legacy rsPager​

Previous releases and their build instructions remain in ratspeak/rsPager. Both firmware families use rspager- filenames, so check the source repository and release version.