Gm

With just a basic mains-USB repeater in my loft and mains-USB companion radio always on in the house (less than £60 all in), I can message all over the UK and into continental Europe. Still dependent on the power grid but it can be a good place to start.

Happy to have a chat about the site you are planning for this repeater node and what might be the best format. You would need at least one "companion radio" node to send and receive messages too. These are less expensive... maybe £40.

Would you want it to be a solar node like that one on CMH? I got that 20W solar panel with a built-in battery for a bargain £40 - it works reliably all the way through a British winter. That particular one is over £60 now, and out of stock. I can look for an alternative. For a solar node, a low power consumption micro controller is best - about £25 rather than the standard £13. A good outdoor antenna is about £30 - that's an improvement I've made. A case and sundry cables are about £20. If power is available and solar isn't required, it's much less expensive.

Yes, happy to. I've actually built an upgraded version of this type of solar node.