KYKM — Everyday Handheld

Note on COM ports: The COM## numbers in this guide are the author’s own, shown as examples — your port will differ. On Windows, open Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT) with the node plugged in to find the COM number your device enumerated as, and use that in place of the example in every command. On macOS/Linux the equivalent is a /dev/tty.*, /dev/ttyUSB*, or /dev/ttyACM* path. Always confirm your own port before running these commands.

Purpose & Role

This node is different from the deploy-and-forget nodes (tracker, travel, base). It is the handheld you carry — always with you, always on, and it plays three roles at once:

Everyday client — participates in the mesh, sends and receives messages, shares your position.
Admin master (M1) — its keypair is one of the three fleet masters; it can remotely administer the other nodes. (See the Admin-Key ADR.)
Contact node — it holds the public Reach-Ed channel, so it’s where members reach you.

Because it’s carried and used constantly, it is not tuned for maximum battery frugality the way the tracker is — it’s tuned to be responsive and present.

1. Configuration (verified)

Section	Setting	Value	Purpose
Device	role	CLIENT	Full participant; relays and is reachable
Device	node_info_broadcast_secs	10800	NodeInfo every 3 h
Position	gps_mode	ENABLED	Live GPS
Position	gps_update_interval	300	Fix every 5 min
Position	position_broadcast_smart_enabled	true	Sends position as you move
Position	broadcast_smart_minimum_distance	50	Metres moved before a smart send
Position	position_broadcast_secs	3600	Stationary heartbeat
Position	position_flags	1003	Altitude, timestamp, heading, speed
LoRa	region	US	—
LoRa	modem_preset	MEDIUM_FAST	Must match the rest of the mesh
LoRa	hop_limit	5	Fleet standard (see hop-limit justification)
LoRa	tx_power	30	Full legal power
Power	(defaults)	no aggressive sleep	Kept responsive as an everyday device

Note on preset: the CLI may print modem_preset: 4 — on this firmware 4 is the enum value for MEDIUM_FAST. Confirm by name with --info | findstr /i modemPreset. This must match every other node or the handheld lands on a different frequency slot and can’t hear the mesh.

2. CLI Procedure (Windows CMD, serial)

Configure over USB serial (the M1 has no Wi-Fi — serial or Bluetooth only). Disconnect the phone app first. Every committed write reboots the node; wait 60–90 s. The COM## port is an example — check Device Manager.

Step 1 — core config (one transaction, one reboot):

meshtastic --port COM19 --begin-edit --set device.role CLIENT --set device.node_info_broadcast_secs 10800 --set position.gps_mode ENABLED --set position.gps_update_interval 300 --set position.position_broadcast_smart_enabled true --set position.broadcast_smart_minimum_distance 50 --set lora.region US --set lora.modem_preset MEDIUM_FAST --set lora.hop_limit 5 --commit-edit

Step 2 — public channel precision (approximate location):

meshtastic --port COM19 --begin-edit --ch-index 0 --ch-set module_settings.position_precision 13 --commit-edit

Step 3 — admin keys (this node is a master; it holds the other two — see the Admin Master section). Set one key per command, over serial.

Then verify (Section 5).

3. Channels

The handheld carries three channels:

Index	Name	Precision	Purpose
0	(primary, default key)	13 (~4 km)	Public channel; approximate location only
1	(private)	32 (full)	Personal/private traffic — not published, kept off all public docs
2	Reach-Ed	0 (off)	Public contact channel; text only, no location

Channel 0 uses the approximate-location precision (13) so your public position is coarse (~4 km), not exact.
Channel 1 is your private channel at full resolution — deliberately excluded from any shared documentation.
Channel 2 (Reach-Ed) is the shared contact channel, text-only (precision 0 = no location), uplink/downlink off. Shared to members by QR scan only — never the key.

4. Admin Master Role

KYKM (M1) is one of the three fleet admin masters. Under the “every node carries all three master keys except its own” rule, KYKM holds the other two masters’ public keys:

M2 / base: base64:7CDjTOmJVFaNrf+KNd1+eYZYQ7mIjMN43xtwDx8N3nY=
M5 / travel: base64:4VyAwe95ytDwLrWEUYaQDNeLbGg7QEOX5oO/g1NyqGg=

From this handheld you can remotely administer other nodes over RF, e.g.:

meshtastic --port COM19 --dest "!<target node id>" --get lora
meshtastic --port COM19 --dest "!<target node id>" --set lora.hop_limit 5

(Double quotes on the dest in Windows CMD. Remote --set reboots the target and RF round-trips are slow — allow a couple of minutes and re-read to confirm.)

Because this device holds admin power over the fleet, protect it: set a non-default Bluetooth PIN, and keep the handset locked. Possession of this node’s private key is what confers admin authority; the private key never leaves the device and is never written down.

5. Verification

meshtastic --port COM19 --get device --get position --get lora
meshtastic --port COM19 --info | findstr /i "role name precision hop modemPreset"

Expected:

role: CLIENT
gps_mode: 1 (ENABLED), gps_update_interval: 300, smart on
lora hop_limit: 5, region US, modemPreset MEDIUM_FAST
Channel 0 precision 13, Channel 1 precision 32, Channel 2 (Reach-Ed) precision 0
hwModel THINKNODE_M1, hasWifi false — confirms the right node (M1 has no Wi-Fi)

6. Operating Notes

This is a carried, always-on device — responsiveness over battery frugality.
It is an admin master: lock it, use a non-default BLE PIN.
Public position is coarse (channel 0 precision 13); exact position only on the private channel.
Reach-Ed is text-only; people contact you there, shared by QR.
No Wi-Fi on this hardware — administer and configure over serial (USB) or Bluetooth.