diff --git a/esp-link/config.c b/esp-link/config.c
index 026d139..1af160a 100644
--- a/esp-link/config.c
+++ b/esp-link/config.c
@@ -24,8 +24,9 @@ FlashConfig flashDefault = {
   .slip_enable  = 0, .mqtt_enable = 0, .mqtt_status_enable = 0,
   .mqtt_timeout = 2, .mqtt_clean_session = 1,
   .mqtt_port    = 1883, .mqtt_keepalive = 60,
-  .mqtt_host    = "\0", .mqtt_clientid = "\0",
-  .mqtt_username= "\0", .mqtt_password = "\0", .mqtt_status_topic = "\0",
+  .mqtt_old_host  = "\0", .mqtt_clientid = "\0",
+  .mqtt_username  = "\0", .mqtt_password = "\0", .mqtt_status_topic = "\0",
+  .mqtt_host      = "\0",
   .sys_descr 	  = "\0",
   .rx_pullup	  = 1,
   .sntp_server  = "us.pool.ntp.org\0",
@@ -141,8 +142,16 @@ bool ICACHE_FLASH_ATTR configRestore(void) {
     flash_pri = 0;
     return false;
   }
-  // copy good one into global var and return
+  // copy good one into global var
   os_memcpy(&flashConfig, flash_pri == 0 ? &ff0.fc : &ff1.fc, sizeof(FlashConfig));
+  // convert old config
+  if (flashConfig.mqtt_host[0] == 0 && flashConfig.mqtt_old_host[0] != 0) {
+      // the mqtt_host got changed from 32 chars to 64 in a new location
+      os_printf("Converting old mqtt_host\n");
+      os_memcpy(flashConfig.mqtt_host, flashConfig.mqtt_old_host, 32);
+      os_memset(flashConfig.mqtt_old_host, 0, 32);
+  } else os_printf("mqtt_host is '%s'\n", flashConfig.mqtt_host);
+
   return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/esp-link/config.h b/esp-link/config.h
index c3da742..341d7e1 100644
--- a/esp-link/config.h
+++ b/esp-link/config.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ typedef struct {
            mqtt_timeout,               // MQTT send timeout
            mqtt_clean_session;         // MQTT clean session
   uint16_t mqtt_port, mqtt_keepalive;  // MQTT Host port, MQTT Keepalive timer
-  char     mqtt_host[32],
+  char     mqtt_old_host[32],          // replaced by 64-char mqtt_host below
            mqtt_clientid[48],
            mqtt_username[32],
            mqtt_password[32],
@@ -30,13 +30,14 @@ typedef struct {
   int8_t   rx_pullup;                  // internal pull-up on RX pin
   char     sntp_server[32];
   char     syslog_host[32];
-  uint16_t syslog_minheap;               // min. heap to allow queuing
-  uint8_t  syslog_filter,                // min. severity
-           syslog_showtick,              // show system tick (µs)
-           syslog_showdate;              // populate SYSLOG date field
+  uint16_t syslog_minheap;             // min. heap to allow queuing
+  uint8_t  syslog_filter,              // min. severity
+           syslog_showtick,            // show system tick (µs)
+           syslog_showdate;            // populate SYSLOG date field
   uint8_t  mdns_enable;
   char     mdns_servername[32];
   int8_t   timezone_offset;
+  char     mqtt_host[64];              // MQTT host we connect to, was 32-char mqtt_old_host
 } FlashConfig;
 extern FlashConfig flashConfig;
 
diff --git a/esp-link/main.c b/esp-link/main.c
index ba2cf8d..5994e65 100644
--- a/esp-link/main.c
+++ b/esp-link/main.c
@@ -116,6 +116,10 @@ void user_rf_pre_init(void) {
 
 // Main routine to initialize esp-link.
 void user_init(void) {
+  // uncomment the following three lines to see flash config messages for troubleshooting
+  //uart_init(115200, 115200);
+  //logInit();
+  //os_delay_us(100000L);
   // get the flash config so we know how to init things
   //configWipe(); // uncomment to reset the config for testing purposes
   bool restoreOk = configRestore();
diff --git a/mqtt/mqtt.c b/mqtt/mqtt.c
index bf785f6..74710bc 100644
--- a/mqtt/mqtt.c
+++ b/mqtt/mqtt.c
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ void ICACHE_FLASH_ATTR
 MQTT_Init(MQTT_Client* client, char* host, uint32 port, uint8_t security, uint8_t sendTimeout,
     char* client_id, char* client_user, char* client_pass,
     uint8_t keepAliveTime) {
-  DBG_MQTT("MQTT_Init\n");
+  DBG_MQTT("MQTT_Init, host=%s\n", host);
 
   os_memset(client, 0, sizeof(MQTT_Client));