When i got my first rfm95 i also followed an online tutorial which used a 5v arduino. The rfm95 was powered from 3v3 and i also got errors just using RadioHead examples. After fitting a level shifter it worked fine. So, as long as the supply to the rfm95 is correct the device isn’t fried. The reason it doesnt work with a 5v arduino is because tbe signals coming from the rfm95 do not drive the arduino pins above the high level threshold. So add that level shifter or use a 3v3 arduino.
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A single ‘test’ does not imply you can rely on the behavior. If you repeat this with 100 devices and none of them is damaged you can draw a conclusion. You may simple have been lucky…