I still just have issues with how some parts of meshcore are closed source.

Meshtastic has plenty of flaws but I tend to steer towards it just because I find it to be a more open alternative. To each their own I suppose

Amateur Radio can also be a digital mode of communication. AX.25 as an example, is probably the most common protocol for packet radio communication.

Where normally you would speak into the radio and talk with someone you can instead use a TNC that would produce digital tones (much like dial-up internet) that can then be used to send digital information.

This is a gross simplification of the process and I am sure I have messed up part of the description. But as an example of what you can do with that is running a forum/bbs only with radios, sending emails over radio, and sending images over radio, etc…

Radio is neat