‘Default’ Channel Name

Support
1

Hello everyone,

This might have be been asked and answered but I couldn’t find it via the search.

Just got my first Meshtastic device (T-Beam v1.2) I’m in the UK and running 868.

By default the default channel is called ‘ Primary’ but I’ve seen a few YouTube videos where they refer to this channel by the radio configuration of Long Fast.

Is it just convention that the primary channel is renamed to be called the radio configuration and that is the defacto public channel?

1 Like
2

Heh. Same problem/question here. On Android devices it sets it to “LongFast”, on iPhone it sets it to Primary.

What to do if you don’t want to segregate your public transmissions/receptions between Android and iPhone??

3

Yes, the first channel (0) is called Primary by convention. If you use the web client can actully see channels labeled as Primary or Secondary, but should always follow convention of using 0 as primary AFAIK.

The Primary channel is the one that will be used for ‘general broadcasts’, like your position and node-info packets.

The default primary channel will have the default name of ‘LongFast’ (or whatever predefined lora settings you used), LongFast is just the most common setup - so it what your channel is called.

… because it has a predfined key, it’s the one that ‘everybody’ has, so its kinda like a public channel.
When you create a new channel it has a private key, and so can only others can only access that channel if htey have the key (and they have it setup with the same channel name!) - can use a QR code to share private keys between devices.

Its only ‘by default’ that the public channel of LongFast is used as Primary.

You could for example have a private channel as the primary (which was a good way to not share location publically, now can choose position sharing independently of primary/secondary)

… which channel(s) are primary/secondary does not have to match between devices for communication. Just the channel name + key has to match (and of course the rest of the physical Lora params!)

(on iphone, the primary will also have a channel name, I guess just LongFast anyway, which is why communoication works)

4

So if I understand correctly it doesn’t matter what Channel 0 is called? Primary or LongFast, it will still receive all public broadcasts?

It didn’t seem to be the case earlier when setting up my father’s node: I had to change my Channel 0’s name from “Primary” to “LongFast” (on iPhone) to contact his Channel 0 (on Android) called “LongFast”.

5

No. You will receive broadcasts from whatever channel THIER device has as Primary. Its their device that uses the Primary (whatever that is called) for broadcasts

You receive them if you have the same channel (by name+key). regardless if primary or secondary.
If the reports you receive are on your secondary channel, then wil show the channel number in the node list (on Android at least)

Which is primary/secondary is independent of the channel name. They could have primary as LongFast, or something else.

6

So yes, if the iphone has the first channel with the name of ‘Primary’ would have to rename it to LongFast to communicate with Android.

7

Thanks for clarifying. Seems like a major flaw. So unless everyone has the same channel name we won’t all receive all public callouts in the same way a CB radio would. Is there any discussion about this generally you know of? It would seem to separate all iOS primary channel default users from Android ones? Not optimal comms!

8

Honestly I dont any experience with the iPhone app, to explain why the ‘default’ primary channel is different. It might be for legacy reasons. Or might just confusion during setup. At some point it was changed.

Although from my read of the meshtastic firmware (on the actual device, not the app), seems the default channel will be setup to match the modem settings name (and the defauk psk)

… so it seems that even with the iphone app, the default channel should always be LongFast (or whatever) because it set by the device, and won’t be depend on the ‘App’.
(and Long Fast is already the default modem preset)

9

You mean the name is set to LongFast or the mode?

Hmm. This looks more and more like a fatal flaw, surely!?

10

Well suggesting that the default modem preset should be LongFast.

So the default channel name when starting should also be LongFast.

the first channel channel is also the primary so might also be be refered by that, even though seems likely its name is still longfast.

Maybe the iphone app changes the name, but seems unlikly

11

I see. Nonetheless, nothing is received between “LongFast” and “Primary”, both Channel 0, on an iPhone-to-Android message send.

Thank you for your time.