remotelove , 5 hours ago (edited 5 hours ago)

With good directional antennas, the correct frequencies and analog signals and maybe last-mile AI/image recognition, 30-50 miles should be easy. You could even use a high altitude drone as a signal repeater for even more range with minimal latency.

For perspective: I could communicate with ham radio repeaters using a 5W transmitter and a basic whip antenna at about 150 miles, at 220/440mhz, because the repeater was in a high enough spot, on a distant mountain. Granted, that was only voice but it’s still a good representation of what kind of range you can get.

Digital signals at higher frequencies wouldn’t have much of a chance.

Edit: We are entering a period of high solar activity as well. While atmospheric bounce is usually reserved for other bands (usually 10m, or ~29mhz) it can absolutely be a thing with higher frequencies now.