Matthew,
I am glad to hear from you, thanks for the post and you know what? If you want to dive in you can do it whenever you like. We are currently working on a plan of attack for the project, but going operational is pretty simple. There are no wires or big antennas or anything like that. You basically just have to use u-bolts and attach it as high as you can. I will make a note of your offer and I’m going to work on a map display that will show the nodes as we start getting them established. Please email me here if you want to chat about it more, otherwise I will follow up with you once we get things a bit more developed.
For a fact, we are looking at the ELECROW ThinkNode M6 (UPDATE: THIS LINK NOW GOES TO THE CORRECT UNIT. SEE FOLLOW ON POST.) solar-powered repeater nodes (fixed backbone) + LILYGO T-Deck Plus portable nodes (the only difference between those is also just $5-10 and for $10 more you get it sooner). If you were to buy one of each you could start familiarizing yourself with how they operate and the ELECROW unit is the one you would put up on your tower. Meshtastic is an open standard, the gear is interoperable between manufacturers so there isn’t any risk of incompatibility if you want to get a head start. Mine are both ordered.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)