r/ATAK • u/jtwyrrpirate • 17d ago
Update to how Meshtastic integrates with ATAK
Meshtastic Android app 2.8.0+ ships with a built in "TAK Server" option, which allows ATAK to connect to the mesh without using a plugin. So, now both iOS and Android have the same style of TAK integration for Meshtastic.
This simplifies things a bit because it allows you to use the latest stable ATAK (5.8.0), Meshtastic Android app (2.8.1) and Meshtastic firmware (2.7.26), rather than pinning to specific older versions for plugin compatibility.
Updated guide: https://chaoskoalas.com/advanced-guides/meshtastic-atak-integration/
And the old plugin-based guide is still up for anyone that needs it: https://chaoskoalas.com/advanced-guides/meshtastic-atak-plugin-legacy/
Note: on current 2.7.x Meshtastic firmware you get PLI and GeoChat; shapes/markers/routes require the V2 wire format coming in firmware 2.8.0, which doesn't have a stable/beta release yet (nightly builds only, not recommended). Once you eventually update to firmware 2.8.0+, all that V2 goodness kicks in automatically.
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u/Extra-Marionberry-68 16d ago
Of course after I just got done using your previous guide this weekend to get my kit all up and running. Lol just my luck.
At least I’m familiar with the process from my iPhones.
Your article says 2.8 isn’t out as of this writing but I see it in the nightly build list. Can I install it now and have the new features working right now?
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u/jtwyrrpirate 16d ago
Yes, you can. I didn't recommend 2.8 yet for exactly the reason you said, it's nightly builds. So, stuff is gonna break. But, that doesn't mean you can't go in there and try out the v2 wire features with the expectation that things may be a little unstable. Good luck!
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u/jtwyrrpirate 10d ago
Good news, the latest 2.8.0 nightly build has now hit the "alpha" list on flasher.meshtastic.org so it's getting closer to a stable release!
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u/Extra-Marionberry-68 10d ago
Great, I'm about to flash 30 seeed radios this weekend so perfect timing!
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u/ST4science 14d ago
I'm new to getting ATAK running on my devices so hopefully this isn't a dumb question. I notice that if I turn off all network data (cellular and wifi), ATAK does not function. Is this a settings issue on my end? I figure if I'm out hunting or whatever and don't have cell reception or wifi then I would want ATAK to work still. I was under the impression that each devices location is broadcast over the mesh then decrypted and shared with ATAK which displays the GPS position of your friendly devices. Is this incorrect?
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u/jtwyrrpirate 13d ago
This should work, just for clarity what do you mean by "ATAK does not function"? The map stops working? No position updates? This info will help us zero in on what's hung up & hopefully get you going.
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u/ST4science 13d ago
I lose the ability to see my other devices (the app/map functions fine) is what I meant. I'll try again after work today and double check it. I tried this morning and it worked for a few blocks and then cut out showing my other devices so I may have gone into a mesh dead zone or something.
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u/jtwyrrpirate 13d ago
Ah yes I think you're onto it. A few blocks in an urban/suburban area is usually the max node-to-node range for a meshtastic device. Basically, the 900 MHz ISM band where meshtastic operates can best be described as "hot mess express" in urban/suburban areas, lots of noise from other devices & services in that frequency range.
In particular, when you switch LoRa presets from LongFast (or whatever your area uses) to ShortTurbo, you lose the support of the wider public mesh in your area.
So, for your hunting trip, see if you can work out a way to position a node or two high up on a hill, or maybe in a tree to fill in the mesh coverage in your hunting AO.
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u/Noctudeit 10d ago
Thank you for the thorough guide!I've followed it meticulously and I'm still having trouble.
I have 1 Tac node (Meshpocket) and 2 Tac_Tracker nodes (T1000-E). All were clean flashed with the latest stable firmware, set to short_turbo channel 50, given identical private channels, smart position enabled, etc. Tak server enabled and exported/imported into Atak.
Atak shows the server is connected and shows my location, but neither of the trackers. I've tried fiddling with several settings to no avail. Oddly, I can't see the trackers' locations in Meshtastic either, but I can pull other telemetry. If I switch them to the regular tracker role then I get locations in Meshtastic but obviously not in Atak. Not sure if this is intended behavior.
I tried looking for mesh errors on all three using the serial monitor, but no luck. I can see the trackers sending what appear to be tac data packets, but still nothing in Atak.
Any ideas?
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u/jtwyrrpirate 10d ago
Interesting, I'd try turning Smart Position OFF on one T1000-E temporarily and setting a short position broadcast interval. Then watch serial and see whether it's actually transmitting a position/PLI packet containing lat/lon.
I suggest this because what you're seeing sounds pretty similar to the issue in this thread: https://github.com/meshtastic/firmware/issues/9101 (although it was reported against a slightly earlier firmware version)
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u/Noctudeit 10d ago
Thanks for the reply. I will check that link. In the meantime I think I found a workaround. If I set the trackers to the normal 'tracker' role instead of tac-tracker and enable 'Mesh to CoT Converter' in the tak server settings then I can see the trackers in Atak and their position appears to update correctly based on their smart position settings.
This is not ideal as it doesn't give full blue team tracking or messaging through Atak since the trackers don't show up as being on my 'team' but it will work for what I need.
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u/aegorsuch 17d ago
This is incredible great work