A video surveillance system includes a video surveillance camera and a frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) transmitter for efficiently and economically transmitting high resolution video signals from the video signal source in the license-free ISM bands (e.g., at 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, or 5.2 GHz) to a FHSS receiver adapted to receive and demodulate the FHSS signal and generate a complete, intact composite analog video signal directly therefrom. Complete and intact means that all of the composite analog video signal is transmitted and received, including the original line sync and frame sync signals, without requiring any further processing. The FHSS hop duration (or dwell time) and tuning frequency of each frequency hop are selected to permit sensing and modulation of the complete, intact composite analog video signal directly from the analog video signal source, whereupon that complete, intact composite analog video signal is transmitted, hop by hop, to a FHSS receiver, preferably using only the vestigial side band portion of the complete, intact composite analog video signal, to provide a high-resolution, narrow-bandwidth video surveillance system.