Transmitting portions of a data block in transmission bursts from a plurality of transmitters

1. A process of transmitting data, said process comprising:

partitioning a data block into data partitions at a master communications platform;

allocating each of said data partitions to one of a plurality of support communications platforms located within a distance D C from said master communications platform; and

transmitting said data partitions from long range transmitters in said support platforms to a distant receiver located at least a distance D R from said support platforms, wherein said distance D R is greater than said distance D C ,

wherein said transmitting comprises, at each one of said support platforms:

burst transmitting each said data partition allocated to said one of said support platforms by providing a power burst P B for a burst time period t B to said long range transmitter in said one of said support platforms, and

providing a charging time period t ch at said one of said support platforms between each said power burst P B .

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

said transmitting further comprises, during each said charging time period t ch , charging with a continuous average power P a a power storage device in said one of said support platforms, and

said providing comprises discharging said power burst P B from said power storage device to said long range transmitter in said one of said support platforms.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein said charging time period t ch is at least twenty times greater than said burst time period t B .

4. The process of claim 2 , wherein a power level of said power burst P B is at least two times greater than a power level of said average power P a .

5. The process of claim 2 further comprising transmitting via a short range transmitter in said master platform ones of said data partitions to ones of said support platforms, wherein said short range transmitter is capable of transmitting over said distance D C but is not capable of transmitting over said distance D R .

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein said transmitting via said short range transmitter comprises providing continuously to said short range transmitter power P L , wherein said power burst P B is at least two times greater than said power P L .

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein each said data partition is sufficiently small to be transmitted from one of said long range transmitters in one of said burst time periods t B .

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting said data partitions of said data block in a serial sequence with a time gap between each said data partition.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

said allocating comprises allocating each subset of n number of said data partitions one each to each of said support platforms, and

said number n is a total number of said support platforms.

10. The process of claim 1 further comprising acquiring said data block with a surveillance device at said master communications platform.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein said distance D R is at least one-thousand times said distance D C .

12. A cluster of communications platforms, said cluster comprising:

a master communications platform comprising a short range transmitter that requires an amount of power P C to transmit data over a distance D C ; and

support communications platforms each disposed within said distance D C from said master communications platform, each said support platform comprising a receiver, and a long range transmitter that requires a power P R to transmit data over a distance D R , wherein said distance D R is greater than said distance D C and said power P R is greater than said power P C ;

wherein:

said master platform comprises a power module capable of continuously supplying power P L to said short range transmitter, wherein said power P L is greater than said power P C but less than said power P R ;

each one of said support platforms comprises a power module capable of:

supplying continuously average power P a that is less than said power P R , and

only after a charging time period t ch , supplying to said long range transmitter of said support platform a power burst P B only for a burst time period t B that is greater than or equal to said power P R .

13. The cluster of claim 12 , wherein said power burst P B is at least two times said average power P a .

14. The cluster of claim 13 , wherein said power module in each said support platform comprises:

a power storage device comprising an input and a burst power output, wherein said power storage device is capable of charging sufficiently to discharge at said burst power output said power burst P B for said burst time period t B when supplied continuously at said input with said average power P a for said charging time period t ch ; and

a power supply capable of continuously supplying said average power P a to said power storage device.

15. The cluster of claim 14 , wherein said charging time period t ch is at least twenty times said burst time period t B .

16. The cluster of claim 12 , wherein said master communications platform comprises a controller configured to:

partition a data block into data partitions, and

transmit via said short range transmitter ones of said data partitions to ones of said support platforms.

17. The cluster of claim 16 , wherein each said support platform comprises a controller configured to:

transmit one of said data partitions in a burst transmission via said long range transmitter of said support platform, and

control said power module of said support platform to provide said power burst P B to said long range transmitter of said support platform to power said burst transmission.

18. The cluster of claim 17 , wherein said controller of said master communications platform is further configured to synchronize said burst transmissions of each of said support platforms.

19. The cluster of claim 12 , wherein said power P R is at least two times said power P C .

20. The cluster of claim 12 , wherein said distance D R is at least one-thousand times said distance D C .

21. The cluster of claim 12 , wherein said power burst P B is at least two times said power P L .