I'm just remembering my early enthusiasm about getting my friends to get their licenses and then we could talk 250 miles like we were on the phone - NOT. Even the 1 who did I basically couldn't reach with modest equipment and even worse antennas.
(but we've both been licensed for about 40 years now and the learning was a great thing)

Ham radio over a 500 km path isn't reliable like the telephone. It's reliable like shortwave radio or the pony express. They mostly work after their fashion but have limitations that modern folk would find frustrating.

Local repeaters and even networked repeaters are much better. (If you have that coverage)