Currently being explored by some members, connected mode packet over LoRa.

There is already a reasonable uptake of APRS over LoRa (see this map for example), and this means using LoRa modulation to send AX.25 frames. While APRS uses AX.25 in a different manner to classic AX.25 connected mode packet radio, there is some firmware for LoRa devices that appears to support KISS, with some specifically mentioning packet BBS support as well as APRS.

UPDATE: The commonly used LoRa APRS firmware by richonguzman does not support connected mode packet even via it's KISS interfaces. This is a systemic issue because LoRa APRS as implemented here uses a LoRa payload with TNC2 encoded strings, which do not represent the full information in an AX.25 packet. When KISS is enabled, an AX.25 frame is constructed with hardcoded header values to make it an APRS UI packet to send to KISS interfaces specifically. This means there is no point trying to mix LoRa APRS firmware and connected mode AX.25 firmware.

For connected mode packet, the options really seem to be rnode or RPi-LoRa-KISS-TNC-2ndgen.

• LoRa_APRS_Tracker - Mentions “Kiss and TNC2” support from TTGO-T-Beam-LoRa-APRS
• LoRa_APRS_iGate
• esp32_loraprs - ESP32 based LoRa/FSK KISS Bluetooth/BLE/USB/TCPIP modem, and supports “APRSDroid TNC2 text APRS packet mode”
• RPi-LoRa-KISS-TNC-2ndgen - “emulates a KISS TNC and controls a hardware LoRa transceiver of 1st and 2nd generation (SX127x/SX126x) connected to the Raspberry´s SPI”
• Using an RNode With Amateur Radio Software - Using RNode firmware to use “an RNode with amateur radio applications, like APRS or a packet radio BBS, you will need to put the device into TNC Mode. In this mode, an RNode will behave exactly like a KISS-compatible TNC, which will make it usable with any amateur radio software that can talk to a KISS TNC over a serial port.”
• ESP32APRS_T-TWR - works in 3-modes: APRS internet gateway, digital repeater, tracker, with built-in TNC and radio transceiver. which is used with the ESP32-S3 LILYGO T-TWR Plus V2.0 board, “Bluetooth TNC2/KISS Mode”

OARC's own 2E0ITB is working on an embedded AX.25 implementation ax25embed, so it is entirely possible we could use this with a custom firmware (on either a LoRa dev board, or a custom micro + LoRa module) and make out own.

• Build your own RNode hardware, e.g. from an ESP32 board and a transceiver module. Possibly cheaper than buying fully fledged LoRa dev boads? (though they are cheap too)
• LoRa Packet Radio (new age of PR) Facebook group
• OK2ZAW blog post about LoRa packet radio, including BPQ setup