Meshtastic allows you to send off grid messages between devices without having to use the internet or a cellular connection. But Meshtastic isn't perfect, especially not when used for large mesh networks. However there exists a different, older and more mature project, that does basically the same thing as Meshtastic, but tackles some of the issues differently.

Meshtastic devices used in this video:
Lilygo T-Deck
Lilygo T-Beam
Heltec v3

APRS Radios shown in this video are:
Kenwood TH-D72
Anytone AT-D878UV Plus

Cable for connecting Quansheng UV-K5(8) and other radios to a smartphone for APRS use:
https://baofengtech.com/product/aprs-k1/
APRS software used on the phone is APRSDroid

0:00 Intro
0:50 I am standing in a field
1:42 What are License Free ISM bands?
4:14 What is LoRa - Long Range?
5:27 What is Meshtastic?
6:20 Flashing Mesthastic Firmware and initial setup
7:20 Use cases for Meshtastic
9:00 RAK Wisblock as a solar powered repeater
9:43 The problems with large Meshtastic networks
10:33 Lilygo T-Deck as standalone Meshtastic device
11:24 The problem of congestion and duty cycles
12:43 The problem of low power output limits
14:03 The next step: APRS
19:20 What is Amateur Radio?
21:16 Outro