# Drones work both ways



## NMPRN (Dec 25, 2020)

I figure what I can learn about the bad guys is far more important than what the bad guys can learn about me.

I picked up a humble little Parrot Bebop 2 drone a few years ago, played with it for a few days, and decided my preps would never be complete without a drone. I can't think of a better way to find out what's going on within 4 or 5 miles of my location. Obviously neither can the military and law enforcement who use them every day.

They're not as vulnerable as some folks think. When they're in autonomous mode (if they're setup right) the only jammer that would cause them a problem would be a GPS jammer. ...if the people you're up against are sophisticated enough to have a GPS jammer that could actually defeat a drone at a reasonable range, ...you've got bigger problems. As far as shooting one down, unless you just screw up and you're flying low and slow very near a bad guy who has his shotgun ready, it's very unlikely that anyone's going to be able to shoot you down. And unless you do something deliberately stupid you're not going to crash one in autonomous mode.

Even my old hobby level Bebop records 1080p video of the whole flight and takes 14 megapixle stills where ever you tell it to. When your flying high enough that no one can hear you, you can still recognize a persons face. It doesn't have any sort of night vision but it still takes great images in urban ares if the street lights are on. Out in the boonies at night you can still see flashlights, headlights and campfires. I've got 9 pre-programmed flight plans that cover every situation I could think of and it's super easy to add more if something changes.

I've put a few hundred hours on the Bebop and it's still going strong. But it's time I built a purpose built 'prepper drone'. Larger, quieter, more sophisticated flight controller, better cameras, night vision (even if it's just IR illumination), heavier payload, radio repeater package, etc. _...and for dozens of federal agents who monitor this newsgroup:_ putting any sort of weapons on it would be illegal ...so I'd never consider doing that

Just for fun. I use the drone to keep track of a big construction project in town. It's good to know where the traffic problems are before I head that way. 
>low-res still from a video<


----------



## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Interesting. Which bebop version do you have? How does it do in wind or even a breeze. 

Just for the fun of it I bought a drone 2 years ago but man, it will not behave in any type of wind. Yeah, it’s a cheap model but I’d expect a little better. 

I like the idea of being about be high (FAA Rules?) and go out a mile or two.


----------



## NMPRN (Dec 25, 2020)

It's the Parrot Bebop 2. I don't think they make them anymore but I'm sure there are better (and cheaper) ones out there now. 

The flight controller (PCB in the drone) does all the work so wind isn't an issue. I don't know the exact max wind speed I've flown it in but it's somewhere around 35mph. It'll handle wind speeds up to the max speed of the drone. The default software limits it to about 40mph but other (free) software doesn't impose any limits. 

You don't have to go very high to not be heard, especially if there's a little background noise. And you don't have to go much higher than that to not be seen. I don't know why you'd ever need to get close enough to be seen or heard and there's definitely no advantage to get within shotgun range.


----------



## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

I have the first gen Mavic Air. Though the novelty has worn off, it's definitely a useful tool to have in the kit.


----------



## Captjim_NM (Oct 31, 2020)

I can see drones as a valuable tool. If someone's drone crosses my property, BANG! no drone. Living out in the country I shoot dove and geese right out of my yard.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Everyone keeps talking about shooting drones down like they do it all the time.


----------



## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Everyone keeps talking about shooting drones down like they do it all the time.


From what I’ve read the feds consider them aircraft and it’s against the law to shoot them down. I don’t know.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

If they're flying at 500 feet, you won't shoot them down without a flak gun.
No shotgun in the world will reach 165 yards.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

rice paddy daddy said:


> If they're flying at 500 feet, you won't shoot them down without a flak gun.
> No shotgun in the world will reach 165 yards.


Even if they could, the vast majority of shooters don't have the experience to shoot uphill accurately.


----------



## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Even if they could, the vast majority of shooters don't have the experience to shoot uphill accurately.


The majority of hunters here duck hunt. They’re all shot out of the air flying. 

Same with Dove, they’re flying across a field at approx 50 mph or better

That’s the only legal way to shoot them.(those birds)


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Ranger710Tango said:


> The majority of hunters here duck hunt. They’re all shot out of the air flying.
> 
> Same with Dove, they’re flying across a field at approx 50 mph or better
> 
> That’s the only legal way to shoot them.(those birds)


Ducks are usually a known size. How big is that drone up there? Can't tell? Kinda hard to figure out how far away it is.


----------



## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Ducks are usually a known size. How big is that drone up there? Can't tell? Kinda hard to figure out how far away it is.


The typical recreational drone that I’ve seen is about the size of a duck flying or a smaller. 

Hitting a target with a shotgun is not a problem if it’s in range. How do you know if it’s range ? Empty the gun on the target, if the target falls then it was in range. 

Even so, it’s illegal to shoot a drone down according to the FAA.

You ever shoot skeet ? The disc is about the size of a coffee cup saucer.









Judge rules man had right to shoot down drone over his house


Technically Incorrect: A Kentucky judge dismisses all charges against William Merideth, saying the drone was an invasion of privacy.




www.cnet.com


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Ranger710Tango said:


> The majority of hunters here duck hunt. They’re all shot out of the air flying.
> 
> Same with Dove, they’re flying across a field at approx 50 mph or better
> 
> That’s the only legal way to shoot them.(those birds)


We've got dove sitting on the pasture fences all the time.Or walking around picking thru the grass.
Just yesterday, leaving for town, I drove up to the front gate, and two of them sitting less than 10 feet from a big red crew cab pickup didn't even move until I opened the door.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Ranger710Tango said:


> The typical recreational drone that I’ve seen is about the size of a duck flying *or a smaller.*


*Or smaller.* So how big is it? Without knowing the size, you're just guessing on how far away it is.


----------



## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

Back Pack Hack said:


> *Or smaller.* So how big is it? Without knowing the size, you're just guessing on how far away it is.
> 
> View attachment 113554


Experience shooting things out of the sky and knowing how far I can see will tell me if I can hit it or not.
If that fails then there’s always this.








Get the Range Right - Delta Waterfowl


Goose hunting tips from Delta Waterfowl. Getting the range right takes some practice but it doesn't have to be difficult.




deltawaterfowl.org






The point is that I can unload on a target and if I don’t hit it then I can reload and wait until it’s closer.

If it doesn’t get close enough then I can’t hit it.

Guessing is a legit tactic if you have plenty of time and ammo. 

Its not that difficult to estimate the size of a recreation toys that are flying around your house. It’s actually pretty easy when they get close enough for concern.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Ranger710Tango said:


> ..........The point is that I can unload on a target and if I don’t hit it then I can reload and wait until it’s closer.......


And the point is.... if you're shooting at it, the operator simply moves it away. Ducks aren't that smart. So by the time you're halfway through your mag dump, it's out of range. So reloading is a moot point.


----------



## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

Back Pack Hack said:


> And the point is.... if you're shooting at it, the operator simply moves it away. Ducks aren't that smart. So by the time you're halfway through your mag dump, it's out of range. So reloading is a moot point.


Tell that to the operators of the drones that have been shot down. They may disagree with you, as do I .

Ducks are way more reactive than a drone would be.

And if it were in range it wouldn’t get a second chance to evade.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Ranger710Tango said:


> Tell that to the operators of the drones that have been shot down. They may disagree with you, as do I .
> 
> Ducks are way more reactive than a drone would be.
> 
> And if it were in range it wouldn’t get a second chance to evade.


You're assuming I'm saying it's impossible to shoot one down. I'm not.

I'm saying_ it's more difficult that you think_. And I'm saying that to someone who hasn't shot one down, and probably never tried.


----------



## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

Back Pack Hack said:


> You're assuming I'm saying it's impossible to shoot one down. I'm not.
> 
> I'm saying_ it's more difficult that you think_. And I'm saying that to someone who hasn't shot one down, and probably never tried.


Im telling you it wouldn’t be difficult to shoot a target flying in range.,

the question then becomes if it’s in range or not.

A smart hunter waits until he KNOWS his target is within range. If it’s in range it’s simple, nothing difficult about it.

I took one down with fishing line. It’s legal.

Ive said enough. We will just have to agree to disagree.

I enjoyed the discussion. Have a great night.


----------



## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Ranger710Tango said:


> From what I’ve read the feds consider them aircraft and it’s against the law to shoot them down. I don’t know.


Feds also consider bogus reports to FFL's illegal.... Good luck


----------



## Steve40th (Aug 17, 2016)

I just started looking at drones.
At first it seemed I just wanted one for property views whereI could get too.
Now, knowing whats coming into area is a good idea.
Due to size or weight, FAA does require license, like 5 bucks.
Anyways, looks like a valuable tool for home and defense.


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Steve40th said:


> I just started looking at drones.
> At first it seemed I just wanted one for property views whereI could get too.
> Now, knowing whats coming into area is a good idea.
> Due to size or weight, FAA does require license, like 5 bucks.
> Anyways, looks like a valuable tool for home and defense.


I've thought about it for the same reason but that's as far as I have gotten. An old buddy had one and one thing I learned from him is that they take a lot of practice.


----------



## Folklore (Apr 6, 2021)

Ranger710Tango said:


> Ducks are way more reactive than a drone would be.


Yes, ducks are dangerous!


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Early on, Florida put some rules in place for drones and private citizens.
If you are interested, google "florida drone laws."


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Early on, Florida put some rules in place for drones and private citizens.
> If you are interested, google "florida drone laws."


Too bad the laws won't pass muster in the courts. Only the federal gubbamint can enact rules concerning aircraft.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Too bad the laws won't pass muster in the courts. Only the federal gubbamint can enact rules concerning aircraft.


They've been in place since 2018.
No one has challenged them yet.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

rice paddy daddy said:


> They've been in place since 2018.
> No one has challenged them yet.


Yet.

Just because it's been in place for 3 years doesn't make it legal. The gubbamint loves to ignore the law.


----------



## Stability50 (8 mo ago)

Back Pack Hack said:


> *Or smaller.* So how big is it? Without knowing the size, you're just guessing on how far away it is.
> 
> View attachment 113554


 Just a small recommendation, but have you thought of painting it like a penguin, killer whale, etc? Dark on top, lighter underneath?


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Stability50 said:


> Just a small recommendation, but have you thought of painting it like a penguin, killer whale, etc? Dark on top, lighter underneath?


Um... why? It's light on the bottom, and no one will see it from the top when deployed.


----------



## Mike Xonox (7 mo ago)

NMPRN said:


> I figure what I can learn about the bad guys is far more important than what the bad guys can learn about me.
> 
> I picked up a humble little Parrot Bebop 2 drone a few years ago, played with it for a few days, and decided my preps would never be complete without a drone. I can't think of a better way to find out what's going on within 4 or 5 miles of my location. Obviously neither can the military and law enforcement who use them every day.
> 
> ...


I have 2 drones. The first one was a cheapy that I learn how to fly with and I have beaten the living heck out of it and yet it still flies.


----------



## wraithofroncollins (10 mo ago)

I've considered Drones as a Scout Craft... Be easier to patrol an area by sending out a drone and checking the video feed. Question is though, do any drones have NV cameras. I figure they would be more effective at night, but I remember seeing Search and Rescue teams use drones to look for survivors after the town flooded...


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

wraithofroncollins said:


> Question is though, do any drones have NV cameras.











Night Vision Drones: Guide & Top 4 Ranked - DroneSourced


Are you looking to buy a night vision drone? In this guide, we rank the best drones with night vision & explain how they work.




dronesourced.com


----------



## Ty520 (6 mo ago)

IMHO, if you're going to get one, invest in a decent one. My wife got me a relatively cheap one - really nothing more than a toy - it was unstable (the slightest breeze tossed it around) and had bad video and range.

I also they are also much louder than you think. I can hear them from a few hundred yards away, and if you stopped it to loiter and do recon, it would be relatively easy to hit with just a 22lr.

if you're dealing with someone that has electronic countermeasures that could take it out, you're probably screwed anyways.

that being said, I would definitely say that a good one would give you an upper hand. Even if just deploying up above you to get a 360 bird's eye view of your situation.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Ty520 said:


> ....I also they are also much louder than you think. I can hear them from a few hundred yards away,


I've flown mine 25 feet above people and they're totally oblivious of it. And their dogs usually don't pick it up either.



Ty520 said:


> ...and if you stopped it to loiter and do recon, it would be relatively easy to hit with just a 22lr.


Try it. It's surprisingly difficult to do. Even with specially-designed 12ga rounds. 

Two issues come into play here. The first is few people really know the actual size they are and tend to think they're much larger than they are and second.. shooting 'uphill' isn't something most people know how to do in terms of bullet drop.


----------

