Meshtastic is an open-source project using low cost LoRa radios as a long range off-grid communication platform in areas without little or no communications infrastructure. It’s a portmanteau of Mesh and “fantastic”.
I found it shared on Facebook, which lead me to the subreddit post, which lead me to reading more about it and even finding Lemmy communities and local groups!
https://mander.xyz/c/meshtastic
I also made sure to check if this wasn’t a hail corporate thing. And I also felt like I missed the era of homemade radios. So this is exciting for me!
I don’t know the rules of engagement yet, and the subreddit community seemed neutral/leaning against rogue setups.
As a thought, I wonder if people can/should pair up with outdoor wildlife camera enthusiasts and roll out relay nodes with their drops.