diff --git a/pdbApp/configparse.cpp b/pdbApp/configparse.cpp
index 89529f5..47805f9 100644
--- a/pdbApp/configparse.cpp
+++ b/pdbApp/configparse.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ typedef std::map<std::string, pvd::AnyScalar> options_t;
 typedef std::map<std::string, options_t> config_t;
 
 struct context {
+    const std::string chanprefix;
     std::string msg;
     std::string group, field, key;
     unsigned depth; // number of '{'s
@@ -34,9 +35,13 @@ struct context {
     // depth 2 - Group
     // depth 3 - field
 
-    context() :depth(0u) {}
+    context(const std::string& chanprefix, GroupConfig& conf)
+        :chanprefix(chanprefix)
+        ,depth(0u)
+        ,conf(conf)
+    {}
 
-    GroupConfig conf;
+    GroupConfig& conf;
 
     void can_assign()
     {
@@ -69,7 +74,7 @@ struct context {
                 fld.type = value.ref<std::string>();
 
             } else if(key=="+channel") {
-                fld.channel = value.ref<std::string>();
+                fld.channel = chanprefix + value.ref<std::string>();
 
             } else if(key=="+id") {
                 fld.id = value.ref<std::string>();
@@ -217,6 +222,7 @@ struct handler {
 }// namespace
 
 void GroupConfig::parse(const char *txt,
+                        const char *recname,
                         GroupConfig& result)
 {
 #ifndef EPICS_YAJL_VERSION
@@ -228,7 +234,12 @@ void GroupConfig::parse(const char *txt,
 
     std::istringstream strm(txt);
 
-    context ctxt;
+    std::string chanprefix;
+    if(recname) {
+        chanprefix = recname;
+        chanprefix += '.';
+    }
+    context ctxt(chanprefix, result);
 
 #ifndef EPICS_YAJL_VERSION
     handler handle(yajl_alloc(&conf_cbs, &conf, NULL, &ctxt));
@@ -240,6 +251,4 @@ void GroupConfig::parse(const char *txt,
 
     if(!pvd::yajl_parse_helper(strm, handle))
         throw std::runtime_error(ctxt.msg);
-
-    ctxt.conf.swap(result);
 }
diff --git a/pdbApp/pdb.cpp b/pdbApp/pdb.cpp
index 9b4ea29..03c47c9 100644
--- a/pdbApp/pdb.cpp
+++ b/pdbApp/pdb.cpp
@@ -100,7 +100,6 @@ struct PDBProcessor
     typedef std::map<std::string, GroupInfo> groups_t;
     groups_t groups;
 
-    std::string recbase;
     GroupInfo *curgroup;
 
     // validate trigger mappings and process into bit map form
@@ -196,13 +195,10 @@ struct PDBProcessor
 
             try {
                 GroupConfig conf;
-                GroupConfig::parse(json, conf);
+                GroupConfig::parse(json, rec.name(), conf);
                 if(!conf.warning.empty())
                     fprintf(stderr, "%s: warning(s) from info(Q:group, ...\n%s", rec.name(), conf.warning.c_str());
 
-                recbase = rec.name();
-                recbase += ".";
-
                 for(GroupConfig::groups_t::const_iterator git=conf.groups.begin(), gend=conf.groups.end();
                     git!=gend; ++git)
                 {
@@ -232,15 +228,15 @@ struct PDBProcessor
 
                         GroupInfo::members_map_t::const_iterator oldgrp(curgroup->members_map.find(fldname));
                         if(oldgrp!=curgroup->members_map.end()) {
-                            fprintf(stderr, "%s.%s Warning: ignoring duplicate mapping %s%s\n",
+                            fprintf(stderr, "%s.%s Warning: ignoring duplicate mapping %s\n",
                                     grpname.c_str(), fldname.c_str(),
-                                    recbase.c_str(), fld.channel.c_str());
+                                    fld.channel.c_str());
                             continue;
                         }
 
                         std::tr1::shared_ptr<PVIFBuilder> builder(PVIFBuilder::create(fld.type));
 
-                        curgroup->members.push_back(GroupMemberInfo(fld.channel.empty() ? fld.channel : recbase + fld.channel, fldname, builder));
+                        curgroup->members.push_back(GroupMemberInfo(fld.channel, fldname, builder));
                         curgroup->members.back().structID = fld.id;
                         curgroup->members.back().putorder = fld.putorder;
                         curgroup->members_map[fldname] = (size_t)-1; // placeholder  see below
diff --git a/pdbApp/pdbgroup.h b/pdbApp/pdbgroup.h
index b3b2b5e..2b82455 100644
--- a/pdbApp/pdbgroup.h
+++ b/pdbApp/pdbgroup.h
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ struct QSRV_API GroupConfig
         std::swap(warning, o.warning);
     }
 
-    static void parse(const char *txt,
+    static void parse(const char *txt, const char *recname,
                       GroupConfig& result);
 };
 
diff --git a/testApp/testgroupconfig.cpp b/testApp/testgroupconfig.cpp
index 4e0ae75..cdcb1b0 100644
--- a/testApp/testgroupconfig.cpp
+++ b/testApp/testgroupconfig.cpp
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ void test_parse()
     "  \"+atomic\":false,\n"
     "  \"fld\":{\n"
     "    \"+type\": \"simple\","
+    "    \"+channel\": \"VAL\","
     "    \"+putorder\": -4"
     "  },\n"
     "  \"\":{\n"
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ void test_parse()
     "}";
 
     GroupConfig conf;
-    GroupConfig::parse(txt, conf);
+    GroupConfig::parse(txt, "rec", conf);
 
     testOk(conf.warning.empty(), "Warnings: %s", conf.warning.c_str());
 
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ void test_parse()
     testOk1(conf.groups["grpa"].atomic_set);
 
     testEqual(conf.groups["grpa"].fields["fld"].type, "simple");
-    testEqual(conf.groups["grpa"].fields["fld"].channel, "");
+    testEqual(conf.groups["grpa"].fields["fld"].channel, "rec.VAL");
     testEqual(conf.groups["grpa"].fields["fld"].putorder, -4);
 
     testEqual(conf.groups["grpa"].fields[""].type, "top");
@@ -49,15 +50,15 @@ void test_fail()
 
     {
         GroupConfig conf;
-        testThrows(std::runtime_error, GroupConfig::parse("{", conf));
+        testThrows(std::runtime_error, GroupConfig::parse("{", "", conf));
     }
     {
         GroupConfig conf;
-        testThrows(std::runtime_error, GroupConfig::parse("{\"G\":{\"F\":{\"K\":{}}}}", conf));
+        testThrows(std::runtime_error, GroupConfig::parse("{\"G\":{\"F\":{\"K\":{}}}}", "", conf));
     }
     {
         GroupConfig conf;
-        testThrows(std::runtime_error, GroupConfig::parse("{\"G\":5}", conf));
+        testThrows(std::runtime_error, GroupConfig::parse("{\"G\":5}", "", conf));
     }
 }