[TVARC] Fwd: [vHOTSmComp] MANDATORY Meshtastic settings change!

[Mike Regan]

The attached email is an important message regarding settings changes on
the LoRa Meshtastic network with the small 915 mgHz LoRa radios.  If you
are one of the many TVARC members who are now involved with the project,
along with members of the HOT Small Computers Club, there are changes
you will need to make in your radio configuration.

Please pay close attention to this message from Yang Shen W9ETC.

Mike Regan KM4ZTE

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Yangmin Shen <yangmin.shen at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jun 28, 2024 at 10:01 AM
Subject: [vHOTSmComp] MANDATORY Meshtastic settings change!
To: vHOTSmComp <vhotsmcomp at googlegroups.com>



IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
For those who are participating in Meshtastic in The Villages, we are
migrating to new settings for our mesh.  This means that you will need to
re-program your radios to maintain communications with others in TV.

I was going to set a future date for us to all migrate, but decided there
was no point in a gradual transition, so the new settings are EFFECTIVE
IMMEDIATELY.


WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

   1. As we learned about Meshtastic, we have become better informed about
   its nuances.  Once such discovery is that Frequency Slots are selected
   using a hash of the combined Primary Channel Name and Primary Channel PSK.
   Since we use TheVillages/AQ== as our Primary Channel/PSK, our hashed
   Frequency Slot is 30.  If LongFast/AQ== is used the hashed Frequency Slot
   value is 20.  This means that Meshtastic visitors or others expecting to
   use LongFast in TV will not find the mesh as we are on a different
   Frequency Slot than the default.  Changing our Primary Channel back to
   LongFast/AQ== will address this issue.
   2. Using the default LongFast as the Primary Channel allows us to be
   discovered on mesh map services like meshmap.net, any by people looking
   for contacts from outside this area (DX from an airplane, boat, etc.)
   3. The Channel TheVillages will be configured as a Secondary Channel,
   but is expected to remain as the main way for Villagers to communicate
   while avoiding the "noise" of the LongFast channel.


WHAT ARE THE NEW SETTINGS?
The settings are available at our website
<https://handsontechorg.weebly.com/>.  Browse to handsontech.org>Small
Computers>Meshtastic.

   - Please read the etiquette section
   - Both manual settings and QR code setting are available
   - Note the MQTT server and settings have changed.  If you require MQTT,
   you will need to make these changes manually.  The QR code only changes
   channel settings.  See etiquette section regarding MQTT.

NEWS ABOUT OUR TOWER MOUNTED NODE
As many of you know, we have plans to install two solar powered nodes on
local radio towers - one on top of the Villages hospital, and another on a
private tower near Warm Springs and 301.

The exciting news is that we hope to have these nodes up in the next week
or so!  Since RF is tricky, so there is no sure thing, but we expect to be
able to reach large patches of our community with these nodes.  Keep
watching for them.  They'll be up soon!!

See you on the air!

- Yang

-- 
Meeting calendar, past presentations, and other resources are at
handsontech.org
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