Shane,

    Ive recently done a little research on your topic, try these web sites....

        www.lemosint.com  - FM Tx and Rx (<$30) upto about 200m at low ?4kbs?
                                        -                (<$40) upto 300m at
about 40kbits/sec

        www.abacom-tech.com   - AM Tx and RX (<$12) upto 250ft at about
4kbits/s
                                                - FM Transceiver ($90) 500ft
40kbs

        www.convergentinc.com - AM Tx and Rx (<$10)

All these modules require NO external components, just add antenna, power and a
data singnal and away you go.  From what Ive read the AM Tx use about 4mA and
need a 17cm antenna (or pcb loop or wrapped coil).  They contain no data
formatting before transmittion, you have to do that, then send a serial stream
to the module and it is transmitted.  I have NOT used these modules so I have
no idea if they do what they say they do

    Try searching for: Wireless Modules  (that turned up a heap of companies
also)

        Goodluck,
                        Bad Boy Bubba.

"Tolmie, Shane" wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Could I ask your advice?
>
> What is the best company to source a tiny, short range, and cheap RF (radio
> frequency) data transmitter/receiver combination?  Ideally, it should be a
> single chip or module that connects to a PIC micro, has a short aerial, and
> has only a few external components.
>
> If you have any suggestions, could you please reply to
> smt52@REMOVE@elec.canterbury.ac.nz as well as the piclist.
>
> Thanks,
> Shane.