LITTLE OF ME :I've been dreaming about long range FPV flyer for the longest time (with a full on onboard pc not a microprossesor. With todays available tech you can by a motherboard for less than $100 thats max size is 5 inches by 5 inches.) Seeing that only military UAV could go long distances and FAA restrictions "dont actually allow it" there isnt much out there on making a UAV that can go out farther than a mile. But ive come accross some great info. My company recently got a new type of wireless internet connections and the gentlemen who i happened to work with knows how the Government's UAV's Get long distance GIGABIT data transfer that means full 1080p video streaming quality plus all kinds of other data.
THE BEEF - Military Drones use Millimeter wave signal sent from a spinning dish off the drone to a ground station within line of sight/just as long as there are no abstruction in line of sight. this signal can travel for more than 50+ miles depending on the signal range your using (not 100% sure ).
MY QUESTION - I've done little research on the matter but always hitting road blocks. Dose any one know about this teck or how I/We could implement it or is it just impossible due to size, weight, equipment, cost variable or some thing else i could not for see.
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Great concept, I've been thinking of the same thing but you've answered your own question in my opinion. The key phrase is "Military Tech" which probably means that we, being lowly civilians, cannot get a hold of this technology without a permit or in a controlled environment. The only thing that I can think of is using standard FPV equipment and boost the power output and a more efficient antenna. The issue is that boosting transmitting power also boosts power consumption, which would overall decrease flight time.
Relating to your question on dimensions though, it begs to reason that a system that has a spinning dish, no matter how small it is, would take up a substantial amount of space and power considering the power needed to power the transmission of the signal along with the constant power needed to drive the rotary mechanism, but this is just speculation. Let me know if you do find anything out though be cause I am interested in this prospect as well. Hope this helps.