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Meshtastic @mander.xyz
Avid Amoeba @lemmy.ca

Channels other than LongFast?

I just started using this so I know very little.

From what I gather, there's a default channel called "LongFast" which every device has from the start. I can see some messages in "LongFast" where I am.

I can see I can create another channel and share it via link, QR, etc.

Do people make such channels and share them publicly, for say local or topical chat groups? E.g. "Canada", or "Meshtastic Support", "BurningTesla", or "Cats"? Is this a thing? Can it be a things?

When I check local groups info, I see links to online comms like Telegram (ew), Discord, Matrix, etc. I don't see Meshtastic channel links.

13 comments

  • Each channel also has a pre-shared key (even the default LongFast one). Most community groups only share their channel info once you've joined or otherwise been vetted; they typically don't post those details for everyone to see.

    If you keep the default longFast as your primary channel, be aware that your location is shared over the primary channel, so you're sharing it with everyone.

    On my mesh, my primary channel uses a custom name and PSK so that only members can use it / see my location.

    Because I also wanted to be able to relay for and interact with the "public" / default channel, I created a secondary channel named LongFast. For that to work, I had to also modify my LoRa settings to use the default frequency slot for my region (20, in my case, which is 906.875 MHz).

  • In addition to what the other commenter said, I'll say "technically you can do whatever you want."

    If you want to create a channel to talk about cats with local people, you could make the channel and share the QR/link and some sort of "this is for meshtastic, look it up" sign at local cat related places like pet stores or shelters or whatever, but who knows how many people will actually join it.

    You could also try (and I haven't so if you do try let me know how it goes!) to create a new topic on the MQTT server (msh/us/cats or something like that) and share the link with meshtastic groups or cat groups online. I'd like to know if it's possible to create a new topic on the server by just adding one in your settings, so definitely let me know! Note, only people with the same topic in their MQTT settings will be able to see your posts there, it's like a room within a room.

    My local area has a set up like the aforementioned dayton mesh, and another dude nearby who created a channel as well but I've never made a contact on it, so people are indeed doing it, but at least in my area it isn't really feasible to be that specific on topics yet. Mostly it seems to be LongFast, Localmesh (like daytonmesh or ohiomesh type stuff), and then private channels for friends who all play paintball or camp or something like that. There are probably many that are sort of ephemeral, like they'll spring up for a protest or concert or hamfest, and then they'll all just be deleted at the end of the event.

13 comments