General Category > Security & Survival
Drones for security augmentation
JohnyMac:
Great update FF. :thumbsUp:
My big thing about a drone is flight time. To patrol my AO, and do it right, I would need 45 - 60 minutes. I know that one has a return/resume feature butttt.
Lets chat more at Field Day this year.
Thanks for posting :cheers:
Felix:
A wife's friend suffered the tragic loss of her husband when he face/head planted into a rock after coming off his mountain bike. He had only recently retired from Railroad (Engineer). Anywho, he had a Mavic Pro and she asked if I wanted it (for $700?) Yup, thank you.
Some of the batteries are dead or weak but I've flown it around the compound a wee bit. Lots to learn and when I can spring for some new batteries (EXPENSIVE!) I'd like to set it up to run a set course, circling my AO using perhaps 75% of its battery capacity each patrol (the other 25% allowing for varying winds aloft, loiter time if something found). Right now, it has only regular camera for visual light but I would also like to fit it with thermal (also spendy).
Terrain here is long valleys separated by ridges perhaps 150' above average low points, all covered in Ponderosa pine. The least suspicion or concern, up goes the drone on its preprogrammed flight plan.
Does this sound like anything anyone here has done?
Any experiences that might give a guess at how feasible and/or effective this might be?
FeedingFreedom:
--- Quote from: Felix on May 29, 2023, 03:01:58 PM ---Right now, it has only regular camera for visual light but I would also like to fit it with thermal (also spendy).
Any experiences that might give a guess at how feasible and/or effective this might be?
--- End quote ---
You're not going to be able to fit a thermal camera on that, the gimbal isn't made for it and the firmware is totally different for the thermal models.
You'd be better off with some cameras or at least motion sensors around the property, covering points of ingress. You'd need a dedicated pilot to continue tracking anything you saw, while you position yourself to intercept. Some of us may be nimble enough to walk and chew gum at the same time, but walking and flying a drone is sketchy at best.
Short of thermal, consumer drones are all but useless at night, and almost all of them are not useable in rain, in very cold conditions, and in high wind.
One thing that I forgot to add is that I bought a "dropper" mechanism for my MA2, it works by turning on the landing light which activates a servo and pulls the retention pin. Max weight is around a pound, and flight time suffers accordingly. But it's pretty darn handy to be able to drop a line exactly where you want it for pulling a tree over or installing wire antennas in trees. You could also use it to drop messages, although that might attract unwanted attention.
If money is no object, DJI does make a "dock" for the Matrice 30, which is basically a garage for the drone. Even has a weather station on it to check if conditions permit flight.
Felix:
"So hypothetically, if you acquired a drone that falls into weight class where it should be registered, would you register the drone? If not, why not? If so, why? This is purely hypothetical... "
Purely hypothetically, I could have purchased a used Mavic Pro and hypothetically flew it briefly around the compound. Was forwarded paperwork to update registry but have been stuck in "hypothetical" so...
Now _IF_ I actually had one (a Mavic Pro) and _IF_ i programmed it to fly a surveillance loop over my AO, why would the Feds need to see "registration"? What legitimate, constructive purpose would this fulfill as opposed to a possible downside of government interference to their ends, not mine?
Heck, I'm still trying to figure best way to procure a hypothetical thermal scope without leaving a breadcrumb trail of financial records leading straight to my door ( like suppressors do).
Sir John Honeybucket:
re: registration, the WHY question.
Politicians covet the sole use of force to be available only to their minions. Because drones are a force multiplier, hence the regulations for registration. Similarly to the regulations prohibiting encryption on the ham bands....
Massa don like his slaves a whisperin an he especially don like them able to fight back....[/size]
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