Lets talk about drones

[huntindog]

As my signature states we are committed boondockers. With as large as our momentum is, we have to be careful about going down just any dirt road. We have several sites that we like to camp in, that if they were occupied when we arrived would leave us in a bad stituation as far as getting turned around. What we have been doing is dropping a quad off, to go check it out before towing the Momentum in. then radioing thhe status back to the rig. This works well.
Recently we were dicussing getting a camera drone for this.
We know less than nothing about them. I figure there has to be people here that have knowledge in this area.
TIA

 

[triplethreat]

When I saw the Title of this thread, my immediate thought was to move it to the "Hobbies" section, then I read the entire thread and I think it's fine here.

So, I'm not much further ahead of you regarding drones and their usage. I have one, but have not flown it for at least a couple of years. Drones now are required to be registered with the FAA for identification purposes if I'm not mistaken. Also, there are places that you cannot fly them.....like National Parks, restricted air spaces, within so many miles of an airport, etc. It gets a little complicated as I remember. Also, there is possibly a restriction that you can only fly them within line of sight maybe, unless you have some kind of license status or ????

My advice to you is to dig in and do a bunch of research BEFORE buying anything and make sure that you are within the bounds of the laws that regulate them.

 

[Second Chance]

As a licensed pilot I was very surprised to find out how many regulations and restrictions there are regarding flying a drone recreationally (not to mention the prices of the things!). This might get you started:

https://knowbeforeyoufly.org/knowbeforeyoufly/get-started/recreational

Rob

 

[huntindog]

I have looked at quite a bit of this info.
I do not at this point see it being a problem.
The places I am thinking of flying are pretty remote...Thats why we go there. We like to be off by ourselves.We avoid holiday week ends. Many times on a
2-3 week outing we only see 1 or 2 vehicles.

 

[livinthelife]

I have looked at quite a bit of this info.
I do not at this point see it being a problem.
The places I am thinking of flying are pretty remote...Thats why we go there. We like to be off by ourselves.We avoid holiday week ends. Many times on a
2-3 week outing we only see 1 or 2 vehicles.

I would be concerned about whether someone else had already parked in the area I was checking out with a drone. Could be annoying to them.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

I would be concerned about whether someone else had already parked in the area I was checking out with a drone. Could be annoying to them.

I don't think he'd be hovering over them for long. Just long enough for a quick recce and back home.

Sounds like you camp in similar places that we camp from time to time. Rare to see others. I don't think you would have to worry about rules and regs in such remote areas...I wouldn't.
But remote in Canada is different than remote in the Phoenix area..so... your call.
My nephew has one. You can fly out of site for miles. I want to say about 15...but I can't remember for sure. Probably depends on how much you spend. And it will initiate return when it senses it is getting close to not having enough juice to get back. Photo quality is impressive. You can also lock it onto something like your quad and it will follow you. Not sure if that's useful...but it's neat.
Interesting, as I type this there is an ad on the screen ad sidebar advertising military drones.....You probably don't need an armed one..unless maybe you're hunting...lol

 

[huntindog]

I would be concerned about whether someone else had already parked in the area I was checking out with a drone. Could be annoying to them.

Presently. I ride a quad to check on this...That is IMO much more annoying...Reality is that it is rare to find anyone else already there..
But it sure would be a pain backing my rig a mile or two out of these places

 

[sande005]

Like following all traffic laws, drone use can be more complicated than one would assume. The links above are a great place to start.
For a casual user, some things to consider:
1. You need an FAA license (cheap, very easy to get, but their hook into making sure you know the rules....)
2. Even in the remote wilderness, you are not allowed to go higher than 400 ft. above ground. Sounds like a lot, until its not....
3. You need one with a module that broadcasts your ID, so any legal authority can identify who is flying.
4. If in another country (Canada vs US, etc.) you are subject to their version of the FCC for the radio control, and the FAA for flight - which may be VERY different than home.
5. MANY areas, and not just National Parks, prohibit their use at all. So you have to be aware of the rules for that remote location, also.

'Tis up to you to judge whether or not the risk of not following the rules is worth the slight convenience.

 

[el Rojo]

Officially you are supposed to keep the drone in your line of sight.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

(Canada vs US, etc.) you are subject to their version of the FCC for the radio control, and the FAA for flight - which may be VERY different than home.

I don't know the rules up here in Canada...but I can say nobody I know has done any licensing for their drones. Just fyi. Maybe we don't even have rules for them.

 

[livinthelife]

I don't know the rules up here in Canada...but I can say nobody I know has done any licensing for their drones. Just fyi. Maybe we don't even have rules for them.

https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/dr...y-your-drone/flying-your-drone-safely-legally

 

[wudwork]

My first thought would be your orientation. It takes a few minutes to "setup" a drone to fly. Once its up and over the trees, unless you know the CG layout, its not easy to know where the drone is or how to return. Sure they have the ReturnToHome feature, but unless you setup prior to launch, it will go WAY up high before returning. Remember the DJI drones do have GPS, and it works great, but CG's are most likely not included in the map you see on screen when flying. Then there are the trees/leaves; can you see thru from above ? Lastly, how do you find your exact site from above, might not be easy. I fly my drone when I can but would not consider it during RV landing/leaving operations.

As my signature states we are committed boondockers. With as large as our momentum is, we have to be careful about going down just any dirt road. We have several sites that we like to camp in, that if they were occupied when we arrived would leave us in a bad stituation as far as getting turned around. What we have been doing is dropping a quad off, to go check it out before towing the Momentum in. then radioing thhe status back to the rig. This works well.
Recently we were dicussing getting a camera drone for this.
We know less than nothing about them. I figure there has to be people here that have knowledge in this area.
TIA

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

but CG's are most likely not included in the map you see on screen when flying. Then there are the trees/leaves; can you see thru from above ? Lastly, how do you find your exact site from above, might not be easy.

We're not talking real campgrounds here. I'm talking about openings in the bush down old logging roads. I think huntindog camps in similar areas.

 

[huntindog]

My first thought would be your orientation. It takes a few minutes to "setup" a drone to fly. Once its up and over the trees, unless you know the CG layout, its not easy to know where the drone is or how to return. Sure they have the ReturnToHome feature, but unless you setup prior to launch, it will go WAY up high before returning. Remember the DJI drones do have GPS, and it works great, but CG's are most likely not included in the map you see on screen when flying. Then there are the trees/leaves; can you see thru from above ? Lastly, how do you find your exact site from above, might not be easy. I fly my drone when I can but would not consider it during RV landing/leaving operations.

I don't use campgrounds. And I don't see a need to fly it very high. 50' would be plenty high. I would just follow the road to the site and return it back to the Rv

 

[huntindog]

We're not talking real campgrounds here. I'm talking about openings in the bush down old logging roads. I think huntindog camps in similar areas.

You are spot on.
The more I think about it, the better I like the idea. We are often the first people into the area in the spring. Trees fall across the roads in the winter. We carry a chainsaw to cut our way in . It would be nice to know just how bad the deadfalls are before venturing in. One or two spots, and I am good with clearing the road for a pristine camping experience. More than that I will move on. BTW, I think more than 90% of the deadfalls are cleared by like minded campers. I have never seen any govt. employees do it

 

[huntindog]

Like following all traffic laws, drone use can be more complicated than one would assume. The links above are a great place to start.
For a casual user, some things to consider:
1. You need an FAA license (cheap, very easy to get, but their hook into making sure you know the rules....)
2. Even in the remote wilderness, you are not allowed to go higher than 400 ft. above ground. Sounds like a lot, until its not....
3. You need one with a module that broadcasts your ID, so any legal authority can identify who is flying.
4. If in another country (Canada vs US, etc.) you are subject to their version of the FCC for the radio control, and the FAA for flight - which may be VERY different than home.
5. MANY areas, and not just National Parks, prohibit their use at all. So you have to be aware of the rules for that remote location, also.

'Tis up to you to judge whether or not the risk of not following the rules is worth the slight convenience.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it.... Does it make a sound?

If someone flys a drone in the forest and there is nobody there to see it.....Does it cause a problem??

BTW, 50' high would be more than high enough for my purposes.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

I think more than 90% bof the deadfalls are cleared by like minded campers. I have never seen any govt. employees do it

Ya, I agree. We bring chain saws for the trees and weed wackers to trim the grass. Especially if we are in early and the first to use the area for the season. It's rarely in really poor condition, so people throughout the year must keep it up.

 

[JAKunze]

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it.... Does it make a sound?

If someone flys a drone in the forest and there is nobody there to see it.....Does it cause a problem??

BTW, 50' high would be more than high enough for my purposes.

The higher you go the less you can hear the prop noise from the ground. If you take it to the max allowed altitude, depending on terrain you might be able to see the site long before you get close enough to bother anyone who might already be there. That would also reduce the total time you are in the air scouting. You also want the height to get best signal, range, and visibility of the drone (VLOS guidance) from where you are.

 

[Cooper]

Lot's to know about drones

As my signature states we are committed boon dockers. With as large as our momentum is, we have to be careful about going down just any dirt road. We have several sites that we like to camp in, that if they were occupied when we arrived would leave us in a bad situation as far as getting turned around. What we have been doing is dropping a quad off, to go check it out before towing the Momentum in. then radioing the status back to the rig. This works well.
Recently we were discussing getting a camera drone for this.
We know less than nothing about them. I figure there has to be people here that have knowledge in this area.
TIA

Anyone flying a drone recreationally, in the United States, regardless of age, yes even the 8 year kid, MUST have a TRUST certificate. It's easy, quick and free. Also, you must have constant visual line of sight of the drone (VLOS), you can not just fly a drone over trees and not be able to see it. Go to https://trust.pilotinstitute.com TRUST is a collaboration between the FAA and industry to provide TRUST and educational safety material to Recreational Flyers. The 30 minute course will provide a wealth of information prior to testing. You will need to print your certificate immediately after completion as you can not go back to print later. You would have to retake the test to print later. I could go on and on about flying a drone recreationally and the legalities associated with flying a drone. Pilot Institute will make you knowledgeable and help keep you out of trouble. I.E. Don't be one of the dummies flying over football stadiums recently and get tagged with $20k fines. Here's the link to the FAA for recreational flyers. https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers.

 

[huntindog]

Anyone flying a drone recreationally, in the United States, regardless of age, yes even the 8 year kid, MUST have a TRUST certificate. It's easy, quick and free. Go to https://trust.pilotinstitute.com TRUST is a collaboration between the FAA and industry to provide TRUST and educational safety material to Recreational Flyers. The 30 minute course will provide a wealth of information prior to testing. You will need to print your certificate immediately after completion as you can not go back to print later. You would have to retake the test to print later. I could go on and on about flying a drone recreationally and the legalities associated with flying a drone. Pilot Institute will make you knowledgeable and help keep you out of trouble. I.E. Don't be one of the dummies flying over football stadiums recently and get tagged with $20k fines. Here's the link to the FAA for recreational flyers. https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers.

Not a problem. Flying a drone for any other purpose does not appeal to me. It will have a job to do where humans are scarce.
Being in the woods when most people are not is my thing