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Create a Radio Group

A Radio group works without any internet connection. Data is shared over the radio mesh network via LoRa.

Create the group​

  1. From the home screen, tap +
  2. Select Create a group
  3. At the top of the creation screen, switch the type to Radio
  4. Enter a Name and pick an Icon and Color
  5. Tap Create

That's it. The channel and subcode are set to defaults automatically, you can adjust them in Group Settings after creation if needed.

Invite teammates​

Radio groups have an invite code just like online groups, but the code works differently. A Radio invite code starts with FLT- and encodes all the group configuration (name, channel, subcode, color, icon) directly inside it.

To share the code:

  1. Open the Radio group's settings (tap Menu → Settings)
  2. Copy the FLT- invite code, or tap QR Code to let teammates scan it directly
  3. Share it with your teammates, text, WhatsApp, word of mouth, anything

When a teammate enters the code in Flaresat (+ → Join a group), the app decodes it and recreates the matching group on their device automatically. No manual config needed.

Channel and subcode​

Two settings control how your group's radio traffic is filtered:

Channel​

Flaresat supports 8 channels (0–7). Channel 0 is the default. How isolation works on channels 1–7 depends on your firmware:

Meshtastic: channels 1–7 use a PSK (encryption key) that must be configured identically on every device via the Meshtastic app. Devices with a mismatched or missing PSK receive nothing, the packet is dropped entirely with no fallback.

MeshCore: channel numbers alone do not isolate traffic. Without a PSK configured in MeshCore, all devices hear all channels regardless of the channel number selected. Encryption must be set up in the firmware to get channel isolation. See Connecting Your Radio Device → for full details including asymmetric encryption behavior.

Subcode​

The subcode is a short identifier used to filter traffic within a channel. If multiple groups share the same channel, they only see each other's messages if their subcodes also match. This means:

  • Your group won't be flooded by messages from other Flaresat groups on the same channel
  • It's not encryption, it's a filter. For full privacy, configure a PSK in your firmware.
  • On MeshCore without encryption, the subcode is your primary layer of group isolation

You can leave the subcode empty to receive all Flaresat traffic on the channel, or set one to isolate your group.

Connect your radio device​

Before sending or receiving anything over the mesh, connect a Meshtastic or MeshCore device over Bluetooth. See Connecting Your Radio Device →

Group data stays on-device​

Unlike online groups, all Radio group data (pins, routes, messages) is stored locally on each device. If someone installs Flaresat fresh, they won't see historical items, only items transmitted over the mesh while they're connected.

To preserve Radio group data across device changes, use Cloud Backup →