I have been derelict lately. I haven't had a chance to write.
So many people get excited about drone racing. Yes, I understand the draw - it is fast moving, and takes a lot of skill. And is even fun to watch as a spectator. But I don't think I'll ever be a drone racer. Those who do it well almost always grew up playing video games. I was in my late 20's when PONG came out. And while I was possibly the best PONG player in Glenwood, Iowa for awhile, I never got too excited about any of the other games and never got good at any of them. And although I have good reflexes, it doesn't seem to translate. I simply can't fly as well as a lot of others. My opinion is that mastering video games is a prerequisite for drone racing, I'll use that as my excuse anyway. But I have to admit that I have considered BUILDING the world's fastest drone, I always seem to find something I would like to do instead.
I have decided that my goal is to advance the art of all multirotors instead.
I have been working with a Raspberry pi Model 3B. If you didn't already know, a Raspberry pi is a credit-card sized computer that very capably runs Linux. It also costs $35. It has an optional, 8MP camera module and can encode and stream live HD video (1080 X 720 / 30fps) over its built-in WiFi. The Raspberry pi can also run Python, an easy-to-write, yet powerful programming language. If you connect a Raspberry pi to the telemetry port of the flight controller, you can send/receive that telemetry (and control) information over WiFi AT THE SAME TIME YOU ARE STREAMING VIDEO.
But WiFi has very limited range.
So, I'm working with a Verizon 4G LTE USB "dongle" plugged into the Raspberry pi. I don't have everything working yet, but I don't think I'm too far from success. If a craft could communicate over 4G, it would be possible to control the multirotor and watch live video from Chicago while sitting in California. I expect the latency to be less than 200mSec, which is good enough for flying.
I'll let you know as get more and more of the setup working.