The best approach for helping you to put together your video system is to show you the assembled system and allow you to 'de-construct' the setup to learn how it all came together.  The pictures below show a XCam2 based video system. 
The Ground Station
Click here for Battery pageClick here for Receiver pageClick here for Camcorder page The ground based portion of the system captures and records the video transmitted from the airplane.  The ideal system is light and portable so that transporting the equipment to your flying site is easy.  I put together a system that I can wear, since my flying site tends to be whereever I pull my car off to the side of the road. 

Click on each of the components in the picture to learn more about it.
Ground system considerations and options
I have read about an amazing number of options that people use for the ground based portion of their system.  Some people use a small DC powered television set to watch the video, and don't try to record it.  Other folks use a combination tv/vcr to watch and record their video (again, DC powered).  This option obviously limits your mobility, but the equipment cost is significantly lower than a system that uses a digital camcorder.  The primary consideration you want to give your system is the ability to point your ground based antenna.  The patch antenna that comes with the X10 receiver is fairly directional, and benefits from being pointed at the airplane.  Depending on your flying site, however, you might be able to get away with a fixed installation where the receiver's antenna is pointed in the general area of sky where you'll be flying.


 
The Aerial Platform
The airborne portion of the system transmits a live video signal to the ground based receiver.  The ideal system is lightweight so that it can be carried by a small RC aircraft, and low power, so that it can run for a long time without needing to be recharged.  The system I put together weighs under two ounces, not including the battery.

Click on each of the components in the picture to learn more about it.

 Click for Antenna pageClick for Transmitter pageClick for DC-DC Converter PageClick here for Camera page
Airborne system considerations and options
Since this website is focused on using the XCam2 as an aerial video system, I won't talk a lot about alternative transmitters.  The other components of the airborne system were selected based on the criteria I had for a successful setup.  They were:
  • System must be light enough to be carried on my lightest electric airplane.
    • Currently my smallest plane is a Multiplex Pico-Jet.
  • System must have flexible power arrangements.
    • I want to be able to power the system from it's own 4 cell battery pack, or share the flight system's battery
  • Signal coverage of system must be relatively uniform
    • Some of my planes are very acrobatic, and I need to be able to receive a good signal from the transmitter regardless of the antenna's orientation
  • Signal strength of system must be great enough to cover the maximum distances I might fly.
    • A successful system will allow me to 'speck out' my plane and still give good video reception.