I've also used Meshtastic a bunch for backcountry stuff, and coming from vhf/uhf radios, I gotta say I fucking love nonsynchronous comms in that setting. Being

I've also used Meshtastic a bunch for backcountry stuff, and coming from vhf/uhf radios, I gotta say I fucking love nonsynchronous comms in that setting. Being able to set my phone down and go filter water or whatever, then come back to a text message that the other group made the pass and will be there in an hour (or, like you said, just their moving arrow), is so much nicer in practice than having to monitor an analog voice channel. That wasn't really a benefit I was expecting when getting into it, but it's one of my favorite aspects in actual usage. I will gladly put up with some level of jank (2/11 t-beams have unressurectably died mysteriously over time) for that kind of QoL improvement. (That said, I still carry a backup ht)