A: Not 900mhz or 2.4ghz so it will not interfere with Xbee or my Futaba 6ex Radio
B: Long Range, 3-4 miles
C: Under 140g (save weight for batteries)
D: From US suppliers (to keep shipping $ low)
E: High Quality (many other video systems are crap such as hobbyking)
E: Under $230
Here is the list
From Birds Eye View Rc.com
LawMate 1.2G 1000mw Tx&Rx combo [LawMate 1.2G 1000mw Tx&Rx combo] - $119.99USD
BEV-1.3GHz Patch antenna [BEV-1.3GHz Patch antenna] - $29.99USD
BEV- high sensitivity microphone for FPV [BEV-microphone] - $3.99USD
From Ready Made Rc.com
Transmitter Cable [CABLE-TXSM] - $17.99
Rhino 610mAh 3S 11.1v 20C Lipoly Pack [R610-20-3] - $12.99
Camera Cable (3-wire) [CABLE-CAM3] - $8.49
From Diy Drones Store
Camera 640x480 $30
Note....... I have tested my Futaba 6ex 2.4ghz out to 1.75 miles with no problems, but it probably can not do 4 miles. The idea is to fly the UAV out of transmitter range autonomously. This is for sure illegal and this video system is hypothetical and has not been tested. So um... I don't endorse it.
I am planning to use this setup for a school project UAV.
I hope this can save other people from searching the internet for hours on end for the best deal.
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Replies
Thanks...
There is one component you have given little attention to in your notes: the antenna.
Don't under-estimate the antenna's role in the performance of your rf link - in fact, when it comes to rf links in RC/UAV/FPV projects (keeping in mind frequency and power output restrictions), antenna's are the one component you can develope in-house and realise significant gains with in doing so.
Antennas are the one un-restricted component to rf-links, but always seem to lag behind in development terms when it comes to putting together video/data/telemetry links for RC/UAV/FPV projects.
Quite why this is the case with RC/FPV and UAV projects, I can't figure out, but there you go.
Granted, the size of most hobby/amatuer UAV airborne platforms severly restricts what can implemented when it comes to antenna's - and its made even worse when the dynamic nature of the enviroment in which they fly, and how they fly, is taken into consideration - but, there is no such restriction when it comes to implementing an antenna (or suite of antennas) for the ground-station part of your project.
So long as you are not too concerned about the mass/weight of your ground station antenna/s, there is a considerable amount, performance wise, that can be achieved - lots of oppurtunity to realise very worthwhile real-world gains.
Another plus point about antennas: they are the one component in the overall rf hardware set-up, that can be treated independently i.e. changing, adjusting, altering an antenna very seldom impacts on the other components e.g. changing a video camera often means ensuring the replacement spec's are compatible with the rest of the hardware, or changing an amp will more than likely require the input/output levels of hardware to be plugged into the amp are not to low/not to high .... etc etc......
Changing an antenna usualy requires only an understanding of the before/after gain values, and possibly also radiation pattern changes. This is a somewhat simplified statement on the subject, but the point is: it's generally a lot easier to change an antenna to realise real beneficial performance gains, than to change other hardware components which are power output/voltage/current, or otherwise restricted in some way or another - as most hardware components in the UAV/RC/FPV rf-link will be .......
I'm going on a bit here - antennas have been my profession all my working life - so I'll end off with this suggestion: budget & time permitting, throw your chosen antenna to the dogs (before actually buying it) and go read up some on axial mode helical antenna's and the advantage they offer over just about every other antenna type that exsists, and why they are so idealy suited to UAV/RC/FPV projects.
Patrick