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124 lines
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HTML
124 lines
7.2 KiB
HTML
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<title>TAK Integration</title>
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<pre class="markdown-content"># TAK Integration
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Meshtastic integrates with the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) ecosystem, enabling interoperability between Meshtastic radios and TAK applications like ATAK and WinTAK.
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## Overview
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The TAK module allows Meshtastic nodes to:
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- Share position data in TAK-compatible CoT (Cursor on Target) format
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- Appear as team members on TAK map displays
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- Receive TAK PLI (Position Location Information) messages
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## Setup
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### Prerequisites
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- ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit), iTAK, or WinTAK installed
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- Your node's **Role** (Device Config) set to **TAK** or **TAK Tracker** — this is what makes the
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TAK module appear in Module Config at all
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> ⚠️ **Warning:** The old **Meshtastic ATAK Plugin** is no longer part of this path and cannot
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> work. It bridged through the cross-process AIDL API, which was removed in app 2.8.0; the mesh
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> service is now in-process only. Do not install it. Interop today runs over the app's own local
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> TAK server plus the Mesh to CoT Converter, both described below, with stock ATAK/iTAK/WinTAK.
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### Configuration
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Navigate to **Settings → Module Config → TAK**. The module's own settings are your TAK identity —
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there is no separate enable switch here, because the **Role** setting in Device Config is what
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turns TAK on. Your node broadcasts this identity, which appears on TAK maps.
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Setting | Description |
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---------|-------------|
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Team Color | Your team color on the TAK map (e.g., Blue, Red, Cyan, Green) |
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Member Role | Your operational role within that team (Team Member, Team Lead, HQ, Medic, RTO, etc.) |
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Your TAK callsign isn't a separate setting — it's derived automatically from your Meshtastic node
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name.
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> 💡 **Tip:** Team/role colors are the standard TAK affiliation colors. Coordinate with your TAK
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> team to use consistent team assignments.
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### Local TAK Server
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The app can also run a **local TAK server** so ATAK/iTAK on the **same phone** can connect directly, without a remote TAK server. The server binds to localhost only (`127.0.0.1:8089`) and uses TLS with mutual certificate authentication (mTLS), so it is not reachable from other devices on the network. Open **Settings → Module Config → TAK → TAK Server**:
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- **Enable Local TAK Server** — starts the loopback-only mTLS server on port **8089** for ATAK/iTAK connections from the same phone.
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- **TAK Mesh Channel** — selects which Meshtastic channel outgoing TAK traffic is sent on (default: the primary channel, index 0). Incoming TAK traffic is accepted from any channel. Matches the equivalent setting on iOS and in the legacy ATAK plugin.
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- **Mesh to CoT Converter** — off by default, and shown under the server toggle. With the server
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running, this synthesizes a CoT contact for every node in your node database, so ordinary
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Meshtastic nodes appear on the ATAK map as contacts. **This is what replaced the old plugin's
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node visibility** — without it, only TAK-role nodes show up.
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- **Export TAK Data Package** — generates a `.zip` data package that ATAK/iTAK can import to connect to this server.
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## TAK Roles
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Nodes configured with TAK-related roles behave differently from standard clients:
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Role | Description |
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------|-------------|
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**TAK** | Full TAK interoperability — sends and receives CoT data, chat messages, and PLI updates. Functions as a standard client plus TAK bridge. |
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**TAK Tracker** | Position-only TAK output — automatically broadcasts PLI at regular intervals without user interaction. Optimized for unattended position beacons (vehicles, equipment, waypoints). Does not relay chat messages. |
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> 💡 **Tip:** Use **TAK Tracker** for devices that only need to report position (e.g., a radio mounted in a vehicle). Use **TAK** for devices where users actively participate in TAK operations.
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### CoT (Cursor on Target) Format
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TAK messages use the Cursor on Target XML format — a military standard for sharing situational awareness data. Meshtastic converts its internal protobuf messages to CoT format when bridging to TAK systems, so no manual format conversion is needed.
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## Wire Format (V1 / V2)
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Meshtastic supports two TAK wire formats, chosen automatically based on the connected radio's firmware — no manual configuration needed:
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Format | Compatibility | Features |
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--------|--------------|----------|
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V1 (Legacy) | Firmware 2.7.x and older | Bare protobuf encoding on port 72. Supports position sharing (PLI) and chat (GeoChat) only — shapes, markers, routes, and other typed CoT events are dropped |
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V2 (Current) | Firmware 2.8.0+ | Compact, zstd-compressed encoding on port 78. Adds shapes, markers, routes, aircraft, casevac, emergency, and task CoT types on top of everything V1 supports |
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A node still relays legacy V1 packets from older nodes even while running V2 itself, so mixed-firmware meshes keep working.
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## Usage with ATAK
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Once configured:
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- Meshtastic nodes appear as markers on the ATAK map with callsign labels
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- Chat messages can bridge between mesh and TAK networks
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- Position updates flow bidirectionally between Meshtastic and TAK
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- TAK Tracker nodes broadcast PLI automatically — their positions appear on ATAK maps without any ATAK-side configuration
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> ℹ️ **Note:** TAK integration requires specific node roles. Standard client nodes don't automatically participate in TAK operations — though with **Mesh to CoT Converter** enabled they still appear on the ATAK map as contacts.
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## Troubleshooting
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Problem | Cause | Solution |
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---------|-------|----------|
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Node doesn't appear on ATAK map | Wrong Role setting, or Mesh to CoT Converter off | Set the node's **Role** to TAK or TAK Tracker. For ordinary (non-TAK-role) nodes to appear, also enable **Mesh to CoT Converter** under the TAK Server settings |
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Position updates are stale | GPS fix lost or interval too long | Check GPS status; reduce position broadcast interval in Position Config |
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ATAK shows "disconnected" | The local TAK server is off, or ATAK is pointed elsewhere | Check **Enable Local TAK Server** is on, and that ATAK is connecting to `127.0.0.1:8089` — re-import the exported data package if unsure |
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Shapes, markers, or routes not bridging | Sending node is on legacy V1 (firmware 2.7.x or older) | Update the sending node's firmware to 2.8.0+ for V2 wire format |
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CoT data not flowing | Channel mismatch | All TAK nodes must be on the same channel with matching encryption |
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## Security Considerations
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> 🔒 **Privacy:** TAK data shares your position and callsign information. The TAK module respects
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> the same channel encryption as other Meshtastic messages — in sensitive environments, use a
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> channel with a non-default key.
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## Related Topics
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- [Settings — Modules & Admin](settings-module-admin) — TAK module configuration
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- [Nodes](nodes) — TAK and TAK Tracker roles in the node list
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- [Map & Waypoints](map-and-waypoints) — node positions on the map
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</pre>
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