Burning Mesh • 2026 Camp Guide
¶ Camp Channels & Location Sharing
A practical setup guide for keeping your camp connected without cutting it off from the wider mesh.
Quick answer: Most camps should keep Everyone in channel 0 and add an encrypted camp channel in channel 1. Camps that only want private camp communication can instead put their camp channel in channel 0 and remove Everyone. A coordinated private frequency is only for teams prepared to operate and support a separate radio network.
¶ Video Guides
Choose your phone platform for a complete camp-channel setup walkthrough.
Android Camp Channels Tutorial
iOS Camp Channels Tutorial
¶ Choose Your Camp Setup
START HERE
Do you want to talk outside camp, read Everyone, or see the broader mesh in your NodeDB?
YES → Recommended for most camps
Keep Everyone channel + add your camp channel
Keep Everyone in channel 0 and add your encrypted camp channel in channel 1.
NO ↓ Continue
I only want private camp communication.
ONE MORE QUESTION
Do you need a separate radio network—and can your camp build, maintain, and troubleshoot it?
YES → Separate network
Request a coordinated private frequency
Choose this only when your team truly needs an isolated radio network and has people prepared to operate and support it.
NO → Stay on the shared mesh
Use your camp channel as Channel 0
Set your private camp channel as channel 0 and remove Everyone.
Your radio still routes packets for others on the shared mesh, but you will not see broader-mesh nodes in your NodeDB or read Everyone.
Channel ≠ frequency. Putting your camp channel on channel 0 does not create a separate radio network; only a coordinated private frequency does that.
Leave the radio settings alone. Burning Mesh firmware locks in the event’s radio configuration. Do not change the Frequency Slot, Modem Preset, or other frequency settings.
¶ What Is a Camp Channel?
A camp channel is an encrypted group chat carried over the mesh. It allows your camp to:
- Chat as a group
- Share location with campmates when enabled
- Invite others using a link or QR code
- Keep camp traffic separate from the public Everyone conversation
Only people with the same channel name and encryption key can read that channel’s messages or shared positions.
Direct messages require both radios to share channel 0. NodeInfo and public keys are exchanged on channel 0; without a matching primary channel, users will not discover one another or obtain the keys needed to start a direct message. Keeping Everyone in channel 0 allows direct messages with other event participants. Position sharing does not work the same way in DMs; if two people want dependable shared location, create a small private channel—even if the “group” is only two people.
¶ Before You Share Location
iOS: If your radio uses its own GPS, continuous phone-location access is not required. If the phone will provide GPS to the radio, enable Share Location in Meshtastic. Choose Allow While Using App when first prompted.
To keep phone-provided position updating while another app is active or the screen is locked, also enable Continuous Location Updates. If iOS later asks, choose Change to Always Allow. Verify the final permission under Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Meshtastic → Always. Enable Apple’s system-level Precise Location permission if you intend to share exact position.
Android: In system settings, open Meshtastic → Permissions → Location and choose Allow all the time when background phone position is needed. Enable precise location if you intend to share it. If your radio does not have GPS, also open Meshtastic app → Settings and enable Provide phone location to mesh.
Two different settings: Your phone’s Precise Location permission controls what Meshtastic can obtain from the phone. The camp channel’s Precise Location option controls what the radio shares with that channel.
Privacy check: Precise location is visible to everyone who possesses that channel key. Share channel links and QR codes only with people you trust.
¶ How automatic updates choose a channel
Firmware: Use the current Burning Mesh 2.8.x firmware. Install or update it with the official flasher at burn.meshtastic.org.
- In the current Burning Mesh firmware, automatic position broadcasts use the lowest-numbered channel with position sharing enabled.
- If position sharing is enabled on channel 0, channel 0 receives the automatic broadcasts.
- For the recommended setup, leave position sharing off for Everyone in channel 0 and enable it for your camp channel in channel 1.
- On iOS, a green location arrow identifies the channel receiving automatic position broadcasts.
- Higher-numbered channels with position requests enabled can request your location, but they do not receive automatic broadcasts while a lower enabled channel exists. Position replies are rate-limited.
¶ Create Your Camp Channel
- Install or update to the current Burning Mesh 2.8.x firmware using burn.meshtastic.org, then connect the Meshtastic app to your radio.
- iOS: Open Settings → Channels → Add Channel. Some app versions group Channels under Radio Configuration.
- Android: Open Settings → Channels and add a channel.
- With Everyone already in channel 0, add your camp channel next. On iOS, the app automatically uses the first available number; on a fresh setup it should appear as channel 1.
- Give it a short, recognizable name such as
DustyOwlsorCampChat. Keep the generated random key and leave the role set to Secondary. - To share location on iOS, enable Allow Position Requests, then choose Precise Location or Approximate Location according to your camp’s privacy agreement.
- Select Save, then verify the camp channel appears as channel 1. On iOS, the green location arrow should appear beside it when it is the automatic position channel.
Best practice: Most camps should keep Everyone in channel 0 and add their camp channel in channel 1. If your camp only wants private camp communication, you can instead place the camp channel in channel 0 and remove Everyone, as shown in the flowchart above.
iOS notification tip: If Everyone becomes noisy, long-press it in the channel list to mute notifications without removing the channel.
¶ Invite Your Campmates
¶ Recommended Everyone 0 + Camp 1 setup
On iOS: Open Settings → Share QR Code. Include only your camp channel, leave Everyone unselected, confirm the screen says Add Channels, then choose Share QR Code & Link. This creates an invitation that preserves the recipient’s existing channels.
On Android: Share the camp channel as a QR code or link and use the add or append option rather than replace.
When receiving this invitation, choose Add rather than Replace whenever that choice is offered. On iOS, Add uses the next available channel number; if other secondary channels already exist, verify where the camp channel was added.
¶ Camp-only Channel 0 setup
Add Channels cannot create this arrangement because it preserves the existing primary channel and appends the camp channel as a secondary. A camp lead must either configure channel 0 manually on each radio or deliberately prepare a Replace Channels invitation containing the camp channel as primary.
Use Replace carefully: Replace overwrites the recipient’s existing channel list. Test the invitation on one radio before distributing it to the camp. Do not change Frequency Slot, Modem Preset, or other event radio settings.
- Before the event: Send the correct Add or Replace link through your normal camp communication system.
- On playa: Display the QR code on a camp lead’s phone or a printed card.
- After joining: Have each person send a test message and confirm the correct channel name and number appear.
¶ Camp lead checklist
| Step | Check |
|---|---|
| 1. Preserve | Keep Everyone in channel 0 unless the camp intentionally chose the camp-only Channel 0 setup. |
| 2. Create | Add the camp channel in the channel number selected in the flowchart. |
| 3. Configure | Agree on position-sharing and precision settings. |
| 4. Share safely | Use Add for Everyone 0 + Camp 1. Use a tested Replace configuration only for the camp-only Channel 0 setup. |
| 5. Test | Verify chat, position sharing, channel names, and channel numbers before arrival. |
¶ Recommended Setup for Most Camps
| Channel | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 0 — Everyone | Public mesh conversation, node discovery, key exchange, and direct messages beyond your camp; position sharing off |
| 1 — Your camp | Encrypted camp chat and agreed position sharing |
| 2–7 — Optional | Crews, groups, and text-only or request-only channels |
This arrangement keeps your camp connected privately without cutting it off from the broader Burning Mesh community. If your camp intentionally chooses the simpler camp-only setup, place the camp channel in channel 0 and remove Everyone as described above.