I have 2 heltec v3 nodes, I setup an encrypted channel between them… I can get good distance but I have a very good network run by others in the area that I piggy back on.
If you have line of sight you can go pretty far
I don’t really have much of a use case though, it’s just playing around with the tech for fun.
Imo, it’s worth getting to the end at this point… You’re already past the worst. Brandon Sanderson finished the series and if he does anything well it’s building an avalanche of a climax.