Drone Defense

I'm not worried about invisible drones. You'll always be able to hear them...that's why they're called drones.

There's nothing there that a well-aimed half-brick can't deal with. Don't worry. Be happy.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/13/technology/eagle-destroys-drone/index.html

...as someone said: "...skeet targets..."

I don't know about all the drones, but the remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicle my wife purchased to perform roof inspections does not have a very good camera for spying. What I mean by that is that the lens is such wide angle, you need to get uncomfortably close to get "a good shot". She purchased one of the DJI drones and the camera gimbal mechanism is amazing. This unit was about $1,400. It maintains a very steady picture even when breezes cause the vehicle to roll and pitch. She uses it when she needs to document roof damage on roofs that are too steep to climb safely. She works as an insurance adjuster.

Once you get this drone higher than 100 ft off the ground, you can barely hear it over the background noise, even in the country. On a windless night of course you can hear a lot more.

This is a hot button topic for a lot of people, but sometimes I wonder if the folks who object to them the most, have any experience either operating one or watching someone else operate one. You will find that the camera footage is not very privacy invading unless you get stupidly close. Certainly, creepy people or inconsiderate people will do creepy or stupid things with them. That's unfortunate. As for concerns about privacy, almost anyone can fly 500 ft or higher over most properties (excluding restricted airspace areas of course) and use a telephoto lens to take the most privacy invading photos ever. Much better than you can with these "hobby drones".

Does anybody complain about Google Earth?

We used it on a recent trip to the Hawaiian Islands. We were able to get some great footage in areas unaccessible by foot. I would like to think our use of it was respectful of other people. We did not use it where there were other people around. In areas where there were houses around, we got it up to altitude quickly so that you couldn't hear it and seeing it required knowing where to look. Typically, we would be in a remote area and used it to get a different perspective than we could on the ground. Using them at popular tourist sites would just annoy the hell out of people and I get that. We used it early in the morning at a few beaches before people started showing up. It got some great footage of the Waimea Canyon on Kauai. We brought the thing down once rotary wing aircraft (Hawaii's State Bird) started showing up. We used it on the Big Island to get amazing shots of the lava fields outside of the park boundaries. These things are persona non grata at all National Parks now thanks to a few brain-dead individuals. That's a shame.

But isn't that always the case, the majority pay for the sins of the few.

Hi Brave Sir Robin,

Your perspective is refreshing, enlightening... and needed. Thanks for the inside info. I hope everyone here reads your post.

And, I wanted to give you a GA, but I got this:

I'll try again later.Mike

That's OK, I gave him one for ya!

By the way, do not worry about the drones, they are there for your protection and security. The government could already see you at ground level for the last 30 or so years without needing a drone anyway.

We never do anything in our Arizona back/front yard or pool that would interest anybody. I still would not appreciate a drone flying over my property. I'd not shoot them down, here in town.

Having said that, drug snooping airplanes fly over our acreage in Ark. all the time. Somehow that has never bothered me. Of course, if a drone were hovering overhead and I thought it was spying on us, Blam!

I may have to dust off the trusty air cannon. 1.25" pipe 18" long 150PSI.

When I worked at Motorola many years ago, we built (had it built) a cannon sized for a tennis ball out of 1/4" wall Al tubing. Loosely based on the beer can connons of the time.

It was about 2 1/2 feet long with a perforated plate about 12 inches from the bottom. The combustion chamber. A 1/4" hole at the bottom where we squirted a little gasoline, gave it a charge of O2 from a tank and lit it off with a Coleman lantern flint striker mounted on the side.

It sounded lie a shotgun and got us almost arrested by the Forrest Service cops.

I wish I had it now.

During construction of air cannon 2.0, construction had progressed to the point of needing to take it out of the building. 2.0 was 2" pipe. We stuffed a rag down the barrel, and put a 30" length of pvc pipe in next just one inch pipe.

When we launched, that pipe went up so high it looked like a toothpick. Best guess was better than 200 ft. It went straight up, then straight down . Only 35-40 feet away. Not bad except we were in the middle of the airport. If the tower saw it, they never said anything about it. We, decided to cancel all further vertical launches. It now resides in the town of Davie. Protecting residents from drones, kites, clouds, and whatever else threatens the community.

We found that Coors Light cans fit very nicely. Half full of water (never beer) they go 100 or so feet straight up.

Of course this was the same crowd that used to shoot shot guns and black powder pistols straight up into the air and then quietly listen for the shot/bullets to fall back to earth. Never could get one to come down very close to where we were standing.

Did hear the buzz a number of times.

Send me your mailing address and I will make you one in exchange for all that unused equipment lying around your place.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/gstring-in-the-backyard-pic-just-the-beginning-drone-privacy-and-security-a-big-problem/story-fnpjxnlk-1227125689958

According to this article regulation is non-existent.

Jim

OK, so it seems trouble ensues if one gets shot down.

Has anyone built an Anti-Drone Drone?

Just maneuver over the top and drop a sheet over it with a drone of your own. Down she comes!

Oh no! It just hit me. It's the "Drone Wars". Would this be an infringement on the Star Wars franchise?

If they have a cloaking device... you can just wear that and go spy on sunbathing ladies

Well that's what Harru Potter does with his... c'mon... you know you wood.. I mean would

Kris

(damn, I forgot to post anon' )

Crashed drone interrupts Pennetta-Niculescu match at US Open

ECM: Jam - spoof - commandeer.

you left out one acronym: ROFLMAO!

No one was ROFL when the possibility was suggested that the Iranians high jacked one of our stealth drones.

I would think hacking and jacking your neighbors toy wouldn't be much of a challenge to the right person.

Sniff and record the signal control inputs, build your own transmitter, and just overpower Bubba's signal with your own. Even an encrypted signal is susceptible to jamming. If the smart tech flies a preprogrammed course then jam or spoof the position, altitude, or attitude sensors.

In Bubba's case maybe just buy an identical controller and jack up the input voltage?

If there is some concern with drones impacting privacy then perhaps its not the little fellars you can hear but the big fellars that orbit at 60,000 feet and stay airborne for weeks at a time that should be of concern.

If its the little fellars flown by hobbyists then perhaps they could be considered just as dangerous as a firearm in the hands of the wrong person.

Not to mention that the CIA and the military already have drones so small and insect-like in appearance, no one would really suspect them of being anything but a small bird, or a dragonfly.

You remember the old saying: "I would like to be a fly on her wall". Just think about a situation where you were pretty sure where the hostages were being held, and you could deploy these little critters to do all the scouting for the rescue team. Advantage good guys.

With suspicion of the Russian plane crash falling on ISIS, it will be interesting to see how Putin plays his cards.

Maybe Putin and the his Ruskie pilots will actually start bombing ISIS now, and not the resistance fighters.

One can only hope.