Hey Russ, great video! It was cool hearing you reflect on your channel's humble beginnings. I am proud to say, I've been here since your very first video. I happened to stumble across it right after you posted it, while looking for info on the new Mavic Pro I had on order (I was subscribed as Tim McGee then). Charter member! LOL! With regard to remote ID, I'm as worried about it as anyone, as I tend to fly in remote locations a lot. Thinking more about it, though, and that saying that 90% of what we worry about never happens, consider this... For people to stalk us, they will first have to know that Remote ID even exists. They will then have to download an app (is there even an app yet? I can't find one). Then, take the time to go hunting for drones in the air. Most days, I never see or hear any drones. I know Remote ID is all common knowledge among the drone community, but I doubt if the average citizen is even aware of it. It's not like a crime of opportunity where a dishonest person is going by and notices an Amazon package on your porch or sees your laptop in your vehicle and decides to grab the low-hanging fruit. They would have to take deliberate steps to go try to steal someone's drone. Most bad guys don't have that kind of dedication and commitment - to anything. They also face the possibility of not being able to subdue their prey, in the unlikely event that they can even find any. I'm a big boy, and I carry a gun when I'm out in the boonies. I imagine others do, too. I hope I'm not wrong, and all this never even becomes an issue. Thanks again for all your great videos and congrats on the success of your channel. You deserve it!
There have been a couple of remote ID apps available for at least a couple of months now. My buddy was flying an Avata a couple of weeks ago with updated software and I was able to detect him flying with dronetag or drone scanner.
Well, if you were to display your speed and home address on the outside of your car, probably 99 out of 100 people would ignore it. But that remaining small % can include karens, thieves and whackjobs with less-than-honorable intentions. I’ll fly rogue every time, the FAA can go pound sand.
If you fly high they won't even know the drone is there. And if they do by the time they open that app the drone will probably be practically gone. Chances are you will land before they get to your location. And typically when you fly low the person kinda knows where you are at all ready and it's usually relatively close to you. One thing I would do though is kinda move at least a little bit every once in a while if you are burning through a lot of packs to avoid being harrased.
@@elliothuh669 You just pretty much described exactly how I fly my drones. The only exception is when I fly distance over water (I’m just a 10-min drive from one of the Great Lakes), in which case I’ll fly around 40m AGL if I’m going for a 2-3mi range flight.
I'm sorry to say, this just created a whole new class of drone rebels, I'll not be participating in remote ID, but I'll still fly every single day. The government can kick rocks.
People just like you are the EXACT reason why remote ID is coming about to even begin with. You are literally a walking meme with the phrase “This is why we can’t have anything nice”. The very nature of remote ID and why is existing began with an anti-authoritarian mindset from the people that started all of this. Doing what you want and flying where you want is why this was implemented.
I looked at the FAA requirements and the FCC regulations. Depending on the frequency used the range can vary largely. If the drone is in a city and only a few feet off the ground, it may only transmit as little as 200 to 300 yards. But, the radio service is line of site... meaning the radio waves can travel as far as the visual horizon, plus about 15%. At 400 feet high, the signal could potentially travel 30+ miles. For a little reference, I have radios on the same band that I use to communicate with satellites about 240 miles above the surface of the Earth, using the same power the RFID modules could potentially use. Since the range can vary so much, I can fully understand why no one,will give you a straight answer on range.
If you know anyone who uses HAM or GMRS radios -- it is all the same (just different set of frequencies). There can be a tower somewhere near you and cause issues, or an airport radar pointing in your direction compared to me. So, yeah, it will depend on the environment and as you said, no one can just give an exact distance, not even if in space or on the moon :)
As for RID range, several announcements have been made by companies or groups who are actively working to create a nation-wide network of RID receivers that will be networked back to a central database. Think FlightRadar24 for drones. This means the range of the actual SRID or broadcast RID modules is no longer relevant because someone sitting a thousand miles away will still be able to see where you're standing and where your drone is. That'll be great for commercial operators who want to keep track of what their competition is doing in terms of work levels/locations. Unintended consequences of poorly thought out regulation perhaps.
Good god, there is sooooo much crap here… How can a small RID with a 3.5 v battery broadcast and have a satellite 160-2000 km detect it - the radio signal wouldn’t reach… and to have a “network” of receivers when the broadcast range as quoted is merely 500m or even 6 km - you would need 100 of thousands - millions receivers -
@@51Drones Thanks for confirming that I can fly my Mini 3 Pro recreationally without remote ID. Now, the question is, how can I turn it off _since it is not required._
@@powertuber4.068 Supposedly you can’t roll back the firmware that puts the capability on your drone, however, if you don’t input your FAA registration number your information cannot be broadcast. What I’m afraid of is that the firmware ignores that you didn’t put in the registration number but still broadcasts a signal generically saying “here’s a drone and there’s the operator”.
At first I didn’t have a problem with the Remote ID, but then I realized the privacy risks that it entails. What if someone with ill-intentions follows your drone to steal it from you or damage it just because they’re sadistic who doesn’t want anyone having fun? Remote ID should also transmit the device/users who are tracking the drone itself.
There is no way to tell who is listening to a particular frequency. Passive listening is by definition non-intrusive, so anyone will always be able to "overhear" the information.
I get it - having my own background allows me to understand both sides of this coin. But, you drive a vehicle every day and your license plate is out there so they can just follow you home and raid your house, right? They can track your GMRS or HAM radio transmissions and do the same, right? And I won't tell you HOW much information your cell phone it putting out there and how they can more easily steal your logins from that as compared to your drone transmission. If you are afraid of any of that, then don't own a drone, drive a vehicle, or use a radio or cell phone as they are much more easily trackable.
I understand that DJI can't tell you the broadcast distance of the modules exactly because the conditions might be different in every situation. However, they can tell us what they're designed to do. They have to know what kind of numbers they were shooting for. And there has to be some kind of a minimum. So why don't I just tell us what it is? What that tells me is that it's probably a lot farther than they want to tell us.
It's like them saying that they can't tell you the range of OcuSync because every situation is different with interference. Yet, they sure can advertise that "perfect condition" range. They can do the same with remote ID, but don't want everyone knowing that they are transmitting your location out to 3 miles.
@Daniel Lord Legal transmit power depends on the frequency and the transmitter. FRS is limited to one half watt, but Ham radio is not. Handheld transceivers are limited to 5 watts in certain bands, mobile units even more, and so on. The frequencies typically used by drones, and wifi, are allowed up to 1 watt.
Suggestion For Drone operator safety, It would be good if anyone on the app looking at your drone also showed up on the map as well as register on the app making malicious users leave a trail if anything bad happened to a drone or user. push that with FAA
I think they should just take all the public location info away. If there's an incident they can RID you and get the "drone license" and report it to the authorities if needed.
i agree Badpoet viewer needs to leave a trail for pilot and authorities to find one sided is totally wrong on so many levels, if your tracking a pilot all your personal info should be transmitted to pilot guarentee less individuals wanting to track pilot
So basically the brunt of this infringement is going to be placed on the pilots who have already jumped through the hoops to be commercial drone pilots and not affect those pilots who are most likely the “problem”.
As a former cop I can tell you even people working for the FAA will not enjoy this. When body cameras came out it was 100 percent public backed. Then the police supervisors instead of being in the field - were watching body cam videos all night. FAA will be a react not proactive agency with this. We talk about weight all the time but how many times have you seen FAA weighing drones? Safety first always. Add the heavy module or buy one equipped with RID. We all have to make a choice.
20:00 - (in regards to not being able to get great footage where you live) - I feel the pain here, I live in a very flat part of the mid west and we don't have epic sprawling mountains, however my solution to this has been to get better at flying low and close. Even corn or wheat fields can look amazing if you're flying a foot above them at 30mph. This takes time and patience to develop the skill but my most popular videos are of interiors and dense woodlands. If you shift your goal from trying to find epic locations to making whatever location you have look epic then when you have an epic location it will be that much cooler. That said finding epic locations is a skill in and of itself that can be fun to cultivate, travel is fun and drones can be an excuse for that.
They should have two modes for the Drones. One is Remote ID and one Recreational. Where as the Remote ID is only for Commercial use and the Recreational Will disable this by default with limitations.
Worth mentioning that even if you fly the Mini 3 Pro recreationally, you still have to register it if you have the larger batteries or add attachments (like anti-collision lights, landing gear, etc). If you have to register it, it has to have Remote ID.
Awesome, thank you so much! I will be getting a DJI mini 2 SE shortly and have no intention of anything I do with it going any farther than my cell phone or computer hard drive just for recreational use, I will not be uploading anything to social media so no registration or remote id needed, I have my Trust done and joined a CBO. Thank you for all you do for us drone enthusiasts.
Just on the FAA registration to renew my UAS registration: Part 107 operators must add manufacturer and model information for all UAS that they own and operate. For standard remote identification UAS and broadcast modules, you’ll also be required to provide the serial number. ****** Each broadcast module serial number may only be associated with a single, specific UAS and may not be listed on more than one registration.******
Hii Russ! I think you are mistaken about the sub-250 gram drones not having RID. I believe that RID is required if the drone is being flown for commercial purposes. If a drone like the Mini 3 Pro didn't have RID built into it, it could not be flown under Part 107. Regardless of how it is being used, I think that all new drones will be broadcasting RID. The difference being that the minis are not registered so any official picking up the signal could not tie it back to the individual. The mini drone flyers will still have the problem of having their location identified to any crook or Karen in the area. This is going to cause confrontations and I suspect there are going to be people getting hurt. There is an FAA regulation prohibiting interference with the flight crew of an aircraft in the performance of their duties. Since the FAA(Folks Against Aviation) have defined a small quadcopter as an aircraft. Does it follow that someone badgering a drone flyer could be charged under that statute?
You stated that it won't broadcast your personal information. (IF) it Broadcasting the my drones registration number it might as well be droadcasting my personal picture 📸. The FAA gave you a snow job!...
Good information and thank you. I did hear a conflicting answer on using 1 ID for multiple drones (commercially). It was reported you're expected to have a unique ID for each.
Russ, can you give some clarification on the following? My understanding is that if you download DJI’s firmware UPDATE V01.00.0400, it will automatically add the FAA’s Remote ID, which it states cannot later be disabled. I use an under 250g DJI Mini 3 pro for purely recreation purposes, so per FAA guidelines, am NOT required to register, or transmit Remote ID. I had read though from another source who reportedly contacted DJI , that after you have downloaded the Remote ID .0400 version, you will receive a prompt to activate/transfer Remote ID, which you can ignore, and it will then NOT start transmitting RID. Could you verify with DJI whether this is the case? I’d like to take advantage of the new features of the various DJI firmware updates, but would prefer at this point to, ‘skip’ the RID activation. Thanks for any assistance you can provide.
Great Question - This is my understanding as well that you can "ignore" the activation and all the firmware will be installed and you will be able to fly normally, however i am a little skeptical that this is how it will work. i think it would be wise to see somebody post this process for recreational only sub 250gr before attempting. Sure would be nice for DJI to give the user the option in the firmware update to select "Recreational only or Commercial" and i think that would put the liability back on the user and off of DJI.
@@randalldillion6061 yes but sadly the faa and other governments are strong-arming dji and other manufacturers into doing their will and pushing this bs.
In regards to the sub 250g drones, specifically DJI mini 3 pro that I own, I had to register with the FAA to be legal because I got the extended batteries that put the weight over 250g even if I'm just flying recreationally, and adding anything to it (collision avoidance lights, propeller guards, landing gear, etc) puts it over 250g immediately which would require registration to be legal, which puts you in the realm of requiring Remote ID.
Hey Russ, good review in a Q&A format. I think with as many people asking the question about "how far does RID go" that would be a great video to do a real world test for a couple of popular models and/or add on modules. Happy New Year and best wishes for continued success in 2023.
Russ, great video. Thanks for all the information related to Drone rules and RID. I did some research on the Dronetag RID Module $299 (way to much) but the pictures are a little deceiving no quite as big as they look in pictures Dimensions: 2.1 x 1.3 x 0.6 in (54 x 35 x 15 mm) Weight: 1.1 oz (32 grams) for anyone interested
As a pilot, will I be forced to carry a scale to prove my drone is sub 250 and doesn't need remote ID? I may buy a module to be legal, but wouldn't you know it. It's on my other drone I just flew and forgot to switch the module.
This is really interesting. Great discussion. One thing I am not clear on, why is RID good for the commercial industry? I can't see any benefit at all, other than catching/deterring irresponsible users.
Seems like remote ID being available to anyone with a mobile device is the dream come true for anyone wanting to harass drone pilots, which seems like a huge safety issue.
Thank you .. I just updated from my old Phantom 4 (2016) to the new Mini 3 Pro .. so much smaller and I'm so afraid of breaking it as it is so much more smaller! lol
Here’s my question about remote if- if drones present a danger to aircraft in the sky, why does it not send a signal to the aircraft around me vs the people stalking me on the ground?
Hi Russ, I have a great idea for a future video concerning remote Id. Maybe publish a video showing how someone would use remote and test it’s range and transmit information? You could have someone else fly your drone and you try to track it and see what information is actually transmitted while you’re at a remote location.
Hey Russ, great video - very interesting and informative. Here in Australia we're early in the Remote ID journey, so with something new like this, there's a lot of 'Unknown Unknowns' (ie things we can't even see coming) so I think watching what happens in the USA will provide a lot of good and bad lessons for us to learn. I have sat in many discussions with Government decision makers, advising on where drones can fly, and what privacy, communications and aircraft laws are maybe needing changes or updates, so I'm keen to make sure that a good balance is acheived between public safety, commercial interests and of course recreational operators.
Thanks for the information. I fly commercial real estate jobs, and I don't take a long time to do it. I've always had the plan of going up, coming down and turning everything off. .Might even do that between flights. Bottom line is, anybody other than law-enforcement had better not approach me. At the beginning of this, I think there will be Karen's roaming around just trying to detect remote pilots in flight
@@bidenisasnake9932 and I hope theres no qualified immunity put into place for drone users to sue the heck out of the government and anyone else pushing this nonsense if someone does get attacked or threatened.
Great video Russ! On the subject of the range of the Remote Id information available, my worst case scenario will be for the range to be the broadcast range of the drone. So if your drone has a range of 5.7 miles and you are flying 300 yards away, the info will be available up to 5.7 miles because that is the range of the transmitter. Obviously I am only talking about drones that have Remote ID built in. Hope I am wrong.
What is the purpose of making the pilot’s location known to the general public? I can understand making it available for law-enforcement or FAA officials, but I don’t see any purpose for making the location available to the public.
I have a sneaking suspicion that it allows the FAA to basically "deputize" the public. An upset neighbor will have the necessary information about the offending flight to report effectively. The FAA has no enforcement body so it needs the "see something, say something" plan otherwise the regulations are toothless.
Very informational video. I have a friend that lives in the state of Nevada. He’s very anti-Second Amendment and as of Saturday he received his concealed weapons permit. He likes to fly drones, but he’s afraid to get robbed or somebody confronting him. So now he’s carrying a 44 magnum to protect himself. Is this what the FAA is looking for people to protect them selves by carrying some type of weapon. I rarely fly in the US. I normally fly outside the country like Guatemala or El Salvador, or Nicaragua. Just because it’s getting too complicated to fly in the US.
Around 10:30 Russ, I don't think you answered his question. He wants to know as a hobbyist flying under 250g why DJI is forcing Remote ID as an update? Sure, if you're required to register with the FAA then you need to broadcast remote ID but he is exempt from registering yet DJI is forcing the remote ID update. He asked why is that?
no one is being forced, you are free to stop flying the drone and fly one that meets your own requirements. dji had to make a choice and they made it and now it's up to the flyer to decide. not all drones under 250g will be without rid, some will, some will not. my understanding is you will be able to choose to turn this ON or leave it OFF but once you turn it on, it is permanent. dji does not force you to update the sw on your drone and as of now, even though rid appears to be in the drone, i don't think it is actually broadcasting just yet; i could be wrong.
@@kensteele3363 then if us sub 250 aren't "forced" to update to it... give us access to download all the firmwares before it then.. instead of going from a new drone bought today.. being either buggy version V1.0 firmware OR only being able to update to the newest one that has remote ID -_- seems pretty forced to me.. the mini 3 at launch was pretty buggy and missing a lot of features.. its only good because of all the firmware that has updated it
Technically, if you have never been there before, go get it. They can yell at you to get off their property. If you don't leave and they request it again it then becomes criminal trespass. It is my understanding that this is how it is defined and enforced in the US.
In my state, doesn’t matter if you’ve been there before. If it’s not public land, you can get charged with criminal trespass. No different than saying “I can come in your house if I’ve never been there, and it’s ok until you tell me to leave”. Neither is a thing. (Knowledge based on my career experience as a state trooper)
I have over two dozen Master scale RC airplanes I've been flying for over 40 years hanging in my barn on 20 acres with my own grass strip I got my commercial license because they told me that's the only way I could fly over my own property and now I've got to have an individual ID module for every single airplane in order to fly them which is going to cost thousands and thousands of dollars there's got to be a better way and I'm 4 hours from the local flying field which can't support half my models anyway which include nearly all are Nitro and I've got four turbines so what am I supposed to do now
If you're flying on your own property in the country your chances of being caught in violation of rules is exceedingly small. Just fly. I'm not complying with RID because I pretty much only fly in the middle of nowhere.
@51Drones, when you use the term, “RID” & re: the sub-250gm class, I think that what many, even most, who originally purchased a sub-250gm drone & fly it strictly recreationally are concerned about is not so much whether the RID will be functioning, as in transmitting, but whether it'll be doing so all the time with no ability to deactivate it. That includes, even if it's being used for strictly recreational purposes. Whether or not the sub-250gm drone pilot will be flying in accordance with the FAA Regs, any LEO or other authorized official (or anyone else, for that matter) will be able to use its RID data, locate & track a drone & its operator. That will 1st require that RID be enabled & actively transmitting that RID data in the 1st place. I quite doubt that my DJI Mini 3 Pro will decide on its own whether I'm flying with the “Light” battery or the “Plus” battery & either switch its RID on or off accordingly, so it'll be transmitting the RID data all the time. In effect, the RID will be turned ON by default, all the time, & transmitting data, in accordance with that point you quoted the FAA section re: what type of data will be transmitted. Bottom line, there is NO turning the RID OFF, & anyone with the appropriate hardware/software will be able to make use of that data, for better or worse. I'm female, & I'm not looking forward to having to defend myself; if I have to dial 911, it'll be to report a body. “When seconds count, help is minutes away.” - “I'd rather be judged by 12 than be carried by 6.” I'm sorry that I bought a DJI product, not necessarily because their newer drone products will have that RID hard-wired in, but that DJI did so in such an underhanded way. The bloom is off the rose. ;(
Thanks for sharing this with us. Let me ask you a question. All my drones are registered before remote ID, so do I have to comeback on the FAA registration website and add more information?
RID doesn't assist integration into the NAS (despite what the FAA claims). RID is *not* the same as the electronic conspicuity that will be required to enable the sense and avoid and traffic management capabilities that such integration will require. RID is simply a way of tracking those who fly recreational drones and RC planes. The question must be asked... why would *anyone* need to track the operation and operator of a 250g foam scale model of a Piper Cub being flown on their own private property??? I think we all know the answer -- and it has *zero* to do with safety or security. What the FAA claims and what we're seeing are two totally different things. The FAA has been dishonest in the past with respect to their claims and assurances, this is more of the same IMHO.
I understand this type of stuff for instances like if Amazon started using drones to deliver packages, but to just record for your RU-vid or even just get a picture of a property you want to sell shouldn’t need all this. It has become like buying an Xbox. You buy the console and then the games and then you have to pay a fee just to play online. Now with drones you need the drone, registration, remote id, and a license and the license, remote id, and registration combined will cost more than plenty of people’s drones. If you have a drone like a Mavic mini which cost around 400 dollars or so you could easily spend more than that on being compliant. You’d spend like 160 on the license(more if you pay for a study course or if you don’t pass first try), at least 150 to 300 remote Id and registration fee which will be a continuous payment. I can kind of understand it but this is really killing the entry level drone pilot interest. My local hobby shops stopped selling drones all together because of all the regulations causing people to not want to buy them
Regarding a fallen drone on private property, 'grand theft' or 'theft in the first degree' provides for felony charges if property value exceeds a specific amount. In Oregon, that's $1000.
Someone coming to you and taking your property commits theft. Holding personal property which shows up on one’s land is not theft. Failure to give it back to verified owner is actually a civil tort called conversion. Have any of you operators noticed that registration will help with recovery of lost equipment?
Easy fix anytime someone is tracking your location their location should be visable as well. They should have to register with the FAA in order to view any info on the drones/pilot location. This would solve a lot of gripes people have with remote ID, as there would be a list of people, locations, and information of who viewed the drone at what time and where. Seems like these policies were put together before any real consideration was taken into affect.
The radio range is dependent on the frequency, effective radiated power and the receiving antenna. You can put the ID transmitter and antenna in a Faraday cage. It would still be on and transmitting. What I haven't heard yet is how I receive the ID and use the transmitted information to avoid collisions. (or create one) If it broadcasts a registration number then anyone can look that up and get your name and address like any ham radio callsign.
It does not broadcast the registration number. The rules state "the required message elements include: (1) a unique identifier to establish the identity of the unmanned aircraft" It broadcasts the serial number which will always be unique to the aircraft. The "broadcast" is part of the data stream from your drone to your controller. It is on and via the same Wi-Fi signals cell phones use to pick up wi-fi data, hence the easy ability for a cell phone to decode the wifi transmission and display the "unique identifier" not the registration information. What is scary is the app's ability to relay the information gathered to a cloud server and offer nationwide real time data on all drone flights recorded by all the apps clients in use. They could offer that for a extra few bucks. No they wouldn't do that right? And when did anyone not jump at the chance to make a few more bucks?
@@bluesneaky 🙂My first radio was at 27MHz and I needed a license from the FCC. They just want to know where the target is so they and use those space lasers. 🙂 Well I got my on space lasers and I want targeting info too.
So if "registration = RID" then just not registering any drone should make it "invisible". Hmm. Has anyone tried this, i.e., flying a non-registered drone and see that it broadcasts nothing for RID? I would think DJI would want to make RID mandatory on the Mini 3 Pro if/when someone puts a big battery in it, right? Same with all the larger aircraft. I can't imagine the FAA would allow OEMs to simply not transmit anything on aircraft it knows should be doing so.
No. If you purchased a drone after September 2022 (with delay to December 2022), and it's ready to fly out of the box. That is, it is not a home-built, it has Standard Remote ID in it and its turned on regardless of your registration.
Hello@@ElevatedVehicles! Currently iOS devices don't work for tracking DJI drones due to the BT5/WiFi versions in play. So I got an older Android phone that supports the necessary protocols/services and am running DroneScanner to good effect. Apparently there's at least one other app in the Play Store that also works. I think the phone I have is about four years old. It sees all my drones and control station locations.
Love your drone knowledge…how to keep your pictures or videos safe from people online mostly.. upload in part or full clips to their pages..what is law on this issues..how you keep your contents safe ?
Even with being compliant with Remote ID, planning a flight and being legal & respectful to all of the rules, I'm sure there will be some recreational flyers in fear by just enjoying a flight. Remote ID makes me feel weary that I may be unknowingly in the wrong and ultimately having a cop roll up on me. Not a good feeling to have.
@@johnh383 what if you haven't gotten a mini 3 pro yet? soo basically i would be stuck on the two year old firmware out of the box since I can't update to any of the firmwares "right before" this one.... its either all the way to this new remote ID one on a drone that doesn't even require it but DJI is forcing it. unless someone finds a way to get ahold of the firmware right before this one and shows everyone an install method. for the drone/RC/batteries lol otherwise I got to just stay on the old buggy original v1 patch? :( two years of feature updates cant use now..
@@johnh383 I haven't upgraded firmware on my dji fpv or air 2 for a long time. But it looks like not even a more recent drone like the dji fpv can just get a simple firmware update to make it rid compliant. A LOT of people won't be complying with RID. I probably won't, unless the modules come down to a reasonable price, not $300 like the dronetag mini. Because of this, me needing to renew my faa registration soon, and not having built in RID, my drones will be unregistered soon....you need an RID # to register now.
I just bought mini 3 pro, so my question for when it arrives is ...... when setting it all up is there a selector on the screen as to if want remote ID on or off based on recreational or business pursuits?
Hi, the Remote ID device you saw on Ken Herons channel was our product Dronetag Mini. It weights 32 gramms and its size is 54 x 35 x 15mm - the size is quite the same as the microphone from DJI that you have in video. We also have a product called Dronetag Beacon and it is even smaller than the DJI mic - Beacon size is 37 x 26 x 16mm and it weights only 16 gramms.
Hi Honza, thanks for chiming in. Can you give us an idea what the range of your transmitter is? Also, are there currently any free apps out there for receiving the data?
@@skycam509 Hi, we tested both our devices and were honestly surprised by the range. We received the signal in a range of 2600 meters from the drone to the mobile phone and 3000 meters to the dedicated receiver. As for the app - try to search for an app called Drone Scanner. This app is both for iOS and Android devices and you can see it in Ken Heron‘s videos. The app can receive signal from Remote ID capable drones using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
I'm new to all this and I'm thinking of getting the DJI m3p. I've been researching drones and the rules now for a few weeks. This has been SO informative! Thank you SO much for doing this video.
So flying a sub 250g drone for fun/recreational and not to make money you don't need remote ID? so this is not about safety of the airspace then is it, there must be many thousands of hobby flyers with a sub 250g drone flying, guess it won't be long though before they say all drones! once the commercial side takes off we the recreational flyers will effectively be banned from the air.
Great Video Russ. Sorry if I missed this but I still have two questions: 1) If you have a Sub 250gram drone and the Add-On RID pack puts you over that 250G Recreational limit, do you now have to get your 107 and fly as a commercial entity? 2) From everything I have learned about the RID, the FCC Part 44809 indicates that all drones must be RID enabled. However, you made it sound that if you are truly a recreational drone flier, you don't need to be RID compliant. Can you please explain? Thanks for all your help in the Drone world.
only if your flying for money do you need a 107 and if a drone weighs over 250 grams you need to register it but you dont need a 107. Yes all drones are to be manufactured with it even sub 250 grams for people who might use them to fly for money. So fly under 250 grams and dont register to be free of RID the real question is do sub 250gram drones that are equipped with RID broadcast if you flying as a hobbyist
@@dukegust8818 Part 107 is not about money. The recreational exception is for those flying "purely for recreation". There's a lot of stuff you can't do under the exception that has nothing to do with money.
they should treat it like aircraft when it lands on private land. if someone shots your drone down, they treat it like firing at an aircraft, so we should have the same protection for downed drones due to either operator error or acts of nature, mechanical failure etc.
I agree with your comment about not creating laws for crimes that don’t exist. But in some ways, that’s how these new regulations feel to many hobbyists and even pros. Why does the FAA need to know the lat/long of the takeoff location for regular folk that are just trying to enjoy a hobby? It does feel like a good opportunity for those who hate drones to target people. Did some event take place where hobbyist drone pilots were violating rules en masse?
I just ordered one of the $300 Remote ID modules to add to my 4 year old Yuneec H520. I guess we'll see how it works and how it affects the performance. I DID want to be legal in the event I continue to pursue commercial use of this drone (Yes...I have my Part 107). And I agree that "some form" of Remote ID is going to be necessary for the drone industry's future growth. My biggest issue with Remote ID is its impact on the Fixed Wing RC hobby. As you state there are NO approved sites at the movement. And here in rural Missouri I suspect they will literally be few and far between. We are looking to purchase some land in the southern part of the state (still very rural) and I am certainly considering putting in an RC air strip (I've been flying the Yuneec for years, but haven't flow Fixed Wing RC in over 12 years...I would really like to get back into it in 2023). Remote ID for the RC aircraft flyer seems to perhaps be solution in search of a problem.
I'm a wheelchair bound Part 107 pilot. Is there any provision under the ADA that allows me to fly in areas that won't trigger an FAA/FBI/sheriff's office/local law enforcement/Karen disaster? Excellent videos, BTW.
Russ, I appreciate your commitment to our hobby. I do believe your comments on remote ID and sub-250 gram drones need fleshing out. As you note the latest fw update on the Mini 3 Pro added remote ID. While this is a very capable drone I doubt it can divine whether or not its owner has registered it. So my GUESS is it will broadcast but if not registered the FAA will not be listening (if we are lucky). But what about people on the ground? Won’t they be able to pick up the signal if they have the right equipment or app? Further clarification would be appreciated.
Geeksvana put out a video about this. They said that there is a space to put in your FAA registration number after updating. Input of that information turns on RID broadcasting. It would be nice if that’s true because of a few positive things in those updates. I would however like to see a video of someone doing this to make sure it works. I asked this question on DJIs Facebook page and received a rather confusing answer.. see below “ Upgrading to the RID-compliant firmware that has been released that supports FAA Remote ID functionality is not required until September 16, 2023, even though the firmware is currently available. On and after that date, all drone pilots required to register must operate their drone in accordance with the FAA Remote ID rule. This means that you may need to upgrade the RID-compliant firmware unless your drone is not required to be registered.” In that reply, it does not say that you can download the update but still avoid RID broadcasting. I’m not sure if they understood the question though.
@@thomashardy9994 "Input of that information turns on RID broadcasting." Thomas where did you get this information from? Are you suggesting the FAA online database has fields that are linked to the internet that will activate your RID module in the drone as soon as it connects? I've never heard of this before, do you have an FAA resource that has mentioned this function? All I have heard is you manually put your details in the database and that's it. What does "the FAA will not be listening" mean?
Thankyou for making this video it is very informative. I do have one question though. If I should decide I want to register my M3P, would that automatically activate the already built in remote ID on the drone? Thanks in advance.
For me your channel is great because you are just one of us (even thought I have given up on drones because of all the regulation, but still watch your channel). A good example of that is your video on the Avata where you didn't do so good in manual mode. Just like we wouldn't most likely). 99% of YTers wouldn't even post that, all you would see is their super flying after they master it. RID is BAD, there is nothing good about it. With Geofencing there is no reason for RID except for nosy gov.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you still have to register your drone if it weighs over 250 grams or 0.55 lb even if you are flying it solely recreationally.
Russ, A great video with a lot of great information crammed into a short window. The one comment that caused me to pause was the person who asked something about how to get great or exciting video and photos. I think your response was good but not complete. Before I explain keep in mind that I am into the drone hobby for the sheer fun of the flight. Photos and Video are secondary for me because again I just love the flight experience. On to what I meant about incomplete. I think some of my best photos and videos have shot right near home. I would challenge anyone that says they cant find great things to video or take pictures of from the air that they just need to look a little closer. If you live in a concrete block on a rock in the middle of a pasture there are still so many great things to see from the sky. Again my passion is the flight so maybe that skews my views on this but I really feel that if you fly for the sheer enjoyment of the flight the rest will come naturally.
I can't see spending 300$ for a drone I have less than that invested in(used DJI mini one). Trouble is I also can't afford to goto the newer drone that all ready have it. This isn't good for these little drones. I'm like you Russ, in that I live in flyover county (just South iin SD). I doubt there will be much checking this out in the boondocks. If/when I get my Part 107 I guess I'll have to look at getting a new drone, of course this doesn't help my FPV stuff.
Great information, thanks for sharing. Guess I’ll be purchasing a better drone by September 2023, I see no future in buying a $100 broadcast module for a $250 drone. Great drone have over 50 flights and got some decent footage with a 2 axis gimble and no ND but I think it’s time to step up to a DJI now that I have a better understanding of photography and exposure. Need to search your archives 👍🏼
Regarding the Mini 3 pro I think your information was possibly inaccurate. I think the Mini 3 pro has remote ID because it has the ability to use a longer life battery that puts it over 250g. Because it has the ability to be greater than 250g requires it to have remote ID. It doesn't matter if it is only used recreationally. Please let me know if I am wrong.
I fly out west in Remote location aka in the middle of no place no wear No Cell service etc. so it is odd that in the safest are to fly, you can not fly do to no cell service.
Excellent overview but you were in error at around the 9:30min mark talking about sub 250g drones like the m3p. You stated that if you just fly recreationally you don't have to register the drone "and that means no remote ID". Not required to register it is correct but it doesn't matter, the m3p will always be transmitting the remote ID. There is no way to turn it off. There is software out there where you can disable it but once you reconnect the drone to the controller or fly app it automatically re-enables the remote ID.
It is correct that the mini 3 and 4 does NOT have to be registered if only flying recreationally & they will automatically transmit the remote ID.....but my question is if you don't register it, can someone see where the pilot is operating from?
My understanding is that when the M3P first came out it was not transmitting the remote ID. That came later with a firmware update. DMProductions did a vid on this update hinting that if you don't want to be tracked don't do any further updates. But that comes at a cost of losing further improvements to the software and firmware updates.
Parallel: Does your RID alert me if you (someone I don’t know) flies below 500 ft over my home? That would be nice, from a safety and privacy and legal perspective. If you want privacy and to fly low, go operate responsibly over your land, public, or with prior permission.
This type of hobby has become so technical, controlled and complicated, it warrants being ignored for the most part. Try and go by the rules the best you can and have fun.
Hello, I was wondering if Remote ID might have an upside to it?...Lets say your drone went down and you didn't have a sight line on the location, could the remote ID help you locate it?🤔 Thanks!
Unless you are close to an airport or a municipality, no one is going to hear a low watt transmission from less than 400 feet AGL. The reason that small plane transponders are heard is because of their altitude.
Quite an informative video. Is there any word on the FAA allowing guest flight provisions for people visiting the U.S. with drones weighing more than 249G?
My answer from DJI if the older drones like the Air2 will get a remote Id update. More info than I thought I'd get from them. Dear Customer, Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support and hope you are doing fine today. According to the FAR Part 89 Remote ID regulations, RID compliance for American users starts from September 16, 2023. Before that, the FAA RID regulation does not affect the user's flight activity. DJI will conduct an evaluation and prepare appropriate plans for different aircraft after the RID technical standards and MOC recognized by FAA are issued. Please be advised if there is anything else we can assist you with, we are so glad to be at your service. Thank you for choosing DJI. Best Regards, Yvette
