Long range light weight radio modem for a small UAV

| Can I ask some expert advice to select radio modems to be used in a | small UAV (a model airplane infact) ?

You can, but I'd think that one of the ham radio groups would be a better choice, as anything you find that meets your specifications is likely to be on the ham band.

Without using ham band equipment, your best bet might be a cell phone with a modem of some sort.

That 5+ km requirement is the problem -- you can find 900, 2400 and

5800 MHz radio gear that will give you the desired data rate, but their ranges are likely to be less than one km due to the very limited power.

(I'm assuming that the situation is the same over in Australia as it is here in the US. I don't know for sure.)

And then there's the issue of a UAV. Over here in the US, the FAA generally leaves us modelers alone, as our planes are always under direct control and in visual range. But UAVs operate under different, far more restrictive rules, and while the line between the two is rather vague, it's generally less about size and more about how the plane is controlled and how far away it can operate. If your plane was 5 km away, I seriously doubt the FAA would consider it to be a normal model airplane anymore.

Maybe things are signifigantly different down under. But I doubt it.

Jeff -- You might contact the Aeronautical Engineering group here at the University of Florida

They have been designing UAVs for some years now and compete and have won in the worldwide competitions. I believe the latest winner had a maximum dimension in any direction under 5" and carried a TV camera and transmitter -- it was flown with virtual goggles. Drop me a note and I'll give you the addy of one of their professors.

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