Who has a Drone they take Camping?

[adamis]

I know drones are a bit of a two way street, some people love them and others hate them. Admittedly they can be noisy and a nuisance if flown in the wrong place. In many places they are often restricted from flying for various reasons. That being said, they are going to be part of our future in one form or another.

There are times when having a drone to take some pictures unobtainable the usual way is handy and quite fun. It can also be handy to do some basic scouting if say a particular stretch of off highway road looks troublesome and you aren't certain how far it stretches.

I have yet to take my own drone (Parrot Bebop 2) flying with me while camping but I anticipate I'll probably do it on my next trip. Does anyone else have a drone they take with them while camping and if so, what have you used it for and what precautions do you take to not upset others?

[Dutch_12078]

I think my favorite drone "shoot down" was a police report where the fellow that shot down a drone hovering above his sun bathing teenage daughter at his farm. He told the officer responding to his call, "I was cleaning my crossbow when it went off." Since no one came forward to claim the drone, no charges were filed...

One thing that I've wondered about for some time is "airspace ownership" above someone's property versus drone use. The FAA recommends limiting non-commercial drones to a 400 ft ceiling, but the US government and the courts have generally considered 500 ft to be the lower limit of navigable airspace, with the air space below that apparently belonging to the property owner. That would seem to make a case for drones flying over our property below 500 ft to be potentially guilty of trespassing or invasion of privacy or property.

Back on the subject of shooting drones down, a Kentucky judge dismissed all charges against a father that shot down a neighbor's drone that he claimed was spying on his sunbathing daughter on the basis of invasion of privacy.

Interesting times...

[MetalGator]

pnichols wrote:
I can't figure out why drones seem "so cool" to some. :h

Some people like to hunt, some like to fish, some like to fly drones. Not sure what is so hard to see about that. I think drones are "cool" myself. In the short time I have had mine, I have gotten some fantastic pictures and videos. I am into amateur radio (ham radio) and have been licensed since 1995. I really like the "cool" hobby but I am sure other's think it's silly. Why have a radio and I can pick up a cell phone and call anyone? Different strokes for different folks.

I never thought much about a drone until a friend of mine purchased one and showed me some of the pictures he took with it. I was amazed and now wish I had purchased one sooner since there were a lot of places I would have liked to have some aerial pictures.

It's just a shame that a handful of disrespectful drone owners seem to make the headlines and give owners a bad name. I have never used mine to "spy" on anyone and have always followed all the FAA rules. Unfortunately, not everyone does.

Burch

[adamis]

pnichols wrote:
I can't figure out why drones seem "so cool" to some. :h

Model aircraft buffs have been flying joystick radio controlled airplanes and helicopters for decades - many with cameras in them too. Why didn't this turn into a "craze"?

I guess there's nothing like creative marketing to create a market - for anything ... or was it the availability of small lithium battery packs that created the drone hobbyist frenzy?

The ease of flying a modern drone (with GPS lock) has changed the dynamics of this hobby. My 11 year daughter took about 5 minutes to learn how to fly it competently enough as compared to a model airplane or helicopter which are significantly more difficult to learn.

Additionally, more people are into "casual" photography. Not everyone owns an DSLR (myself included) but with the rise of always present cell phones that take surprisingly good pictures almost anyone can become a budding photographer. Sure, you won't get the quality a true professional camera will achieve but I have some 30"x40" canvas prints hanging on my walls taken with my cell phone (LG V20) that look very good.

The convergence of easy to fly drones and easy of digital photography is what I believe is driving the interest in drones. I had no interest in flying anything until I saw that I could use a drone to take pictures I would otherwise never be able to take.

[pnichols]

I can't figure out why drones seem "so cool" to some. :h

Model aircraft buffs have been flying joystick radio controlled airplanes and helicopters for decades - many with cameras in them too. Why didn't this turn into a "craze"?

I guess there's nothing like creative marketing to create a market - for anything ... or was it the availability of small lithium battery packs that created the drone hobbyist frenzy?

[parker_rowe]

mike-s wrote:
I think there's a market for a gun (like a t-shirt cannon) which fires a net or mass of fishing line.

Ha! Better start a GoFundMe before someone else does!

GET-CHUR-ANTI DRONE CANNONS ROIGHT HERE. ONE FOR $25 TWO FOR $60. GARE-UN-TEED!

[mike-s]

parker.rowe wrote:
Anyone who thinks firing anything but birdshot into the air is a good idea probably isn't the best one to listen to.

I think there's a market for a gun (like a t-shirt cannon) which fires a net or mass of fishing line.

[parker_rowe]

stufarmer wrote:
Drone, no. 357, yes.

Anyone who thinks firing anything but birdshot into the air is a good idea probably isn't the best one to listen to.

I think drones are cool. I just don't need ANOTHER expensive hobby/toy! 😄

My brother in law has one, somehow sets it to automatically follow his boat in the Florida Keys and gets all kinds of awesome shot's with it. Seems like a blast.

[Boon_Docker]

What kind of pictures and video does your 357 take?

[stufarmer]

Drone, no. 357, yes.

[TCdude]

1. Did you use it for photography, playing around, scouting out a potential campsite, other? all of the above, love the auto track feature to track me on my ATV or boat (great video). I mainly use it for family photos and campground pics. Its nice to fly it out and get a group photo including the larger surroundings.
2. Where did you fly? I dont normally stay at busy campgrounds. But I fly it where ever I wouldnt be a nuisance and want to get some cool pictures.
3. What precautions did you take to not be a nuisance? I avoid people that aren't in my camping party and private property.
4. What type of drone do you have? DJI Spark - the entry level pro-sumer setup for a DRONE. lots of user friendly functionality and an OK price.
5. Where did you store it in the camper? I have a case and backpack that it all fits in.
6. Where there any challenges to charging the batteries? battery life on the SPARK is about 12 minutes. I carry 4 batteries with me. 12 minutes may see short, but you can get alot of shots in the time frame. 45 minutes to recharge. I bought a accessory that charges 4 battery's at once.
7. What was the range like in heavily forested areas? I have a booster that says 5 miles. Realistically maybe 1 or 2 miles with booster. The more stuff in between you and the drone the less distance. maybe 1400 -2000 feet in forest maybe less with dense cover or buildings.
8. Did you get comments from other campers?
Never had any issues, normally just interest and questions. Not Rage.
9. What sort of rules did you encounter at various places?
Never asked, never invaded any bodies space. DJI has built in protection from breaking FDA rules. It wont let me fly if there is a airplane in the area or airport close by. It also has safety measures to limit height to under 400 feet.

I absolutely love playing and taking photos with my drone but I go out of my way not to offend people when I'm flying. My 2 cents.

[azrving]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

pheelsgoodman wrote:
I've had several drones. Started with hobby built models a few years back. Last drone I purchased, DJI Mavic Pro. Really don't need to buy another.... The Mavic flys further than I ever need, travels and folds well, and has plenty of accessories available. The water proof hardcase for controller and extra batteries is a must for being on the road.

Anyways, the utility of these little devices is pretty incredible. Some of its uses are pretty obvious, but others you may discover later.

Because the Mavic streams video right to your cell phone, there isn't much hassle involved with the scouting process. Unpack and unfold the drone, boot up the controller and cellphone. Send the launch command, and the drone practically flies itself and sends its video image back to your phone instantly.

Other than just general photography, the drone serves as a pretty handy scouting tool. Most of my scouting is for fishing and hunting. I can launch the drone when showing up to a new area to get a birds eye view of the land. They also make a pretty good conversation piece, and it has been a great ice breaker for neighbors at RV parks.

Anyways, pretty handy. And if your traveling to sight-see, a drone gives you a completely new angle for sights that most will miss.

First picture is a river I've parked by to scout. No visibility of the river at all because of tall brush and bank.


Second picture.... much better.


Pit stops can be frequent.


Some pictures you just cant get from the ground.




The neighbors...

Hence the ever increasing regulations. Those are great pictures but based on the same they appears to show at least 2 direct violations of FAA regulations, not to mention the wind farm operator may have taken slight issue with someone flying drones anywhere near a turbine. Around here those operators are testy if you just walk onto one of their leased parcels.

No...not the drone police, but being a holder of an FAA RPC, and having dabbled in it commercially while pushing the envelope myself with the regs if you will in regards to locations and altitudes, you may want to not post footage to publicly accessible sites and such.

Oops
Don't ya just hate when the guy who knows what he's doing shows up. LMAO.

[MetalGator]

Also, if you have never flown a drone, it's amazing how easy they are to fly. My Mavic pro (around $700) pretty much fly's itself. If you let go of the controls, it just stops and hovers. If the drone gets out of range of the remote, it will fly back to it's take off point. If the batteries start to get low, it will also fly back before the batteries die. On the Mavic pro, it has a front facing sensor so it won't run into anything if flying forward. Some of the more expensive models have sensors on all sides. I had never flown any type of RC aircraft before and within about 30 minutes of flying the drone I was comfortable with it.

Burch

[MetalGator]

It's a shame that a small percentage of irresponsible drone owners have created so many regulations and hate for drones. I am into photography and my wife got me a Mavic pro drone for Christmas. I love it! It takes great video and pictures. I have only used it a few times when staying in our motorhome. Both times we were on the water and I tried to use it early in the morning and kept it away from the park. I got some great video going over the lake and up and down the river. I purchased a different set of blades for it and you can't hear it once it gets up above 150' or so. I have really gotten some neat pictures with it. In reality it would be a poor choice for "spying" on people as once it gets close enough to get detailed pictures the person would hear it. My guess is there are many more campers spying on other campers with a good set of binoculars. I know a friend that has a place in the mountains and has a telescope. It's amazing what he can see with that thing.

Here in Florida, you can not take off or land a drone in a state park but there is nothing that states you can't fly over the park. Just no take off and landing. That could have changed since I got my drone but that's the way it used to be.

I have had several campers come and take a look at the drone video when I am flying it and all have had a positive interest in it. However, I have been at a few RV parks where I wouldn't have been comfortable flying a drone.

Burch

[jplante4]

Moved from Truck Campers

[Ralph_Cramden]

pheelsgoodman wrote:
I've had several drones. Started with hobby built models a few years back. Last drone I purchased, DJI Mavic Pro. Really don't need to buy another.... The Mavic flys further than I ever need, travels and folds well, and has plenty of accessories available. The water proof hardcase for controller and extra batteries is a must for being on the road.

Anyways, the utility of these little devices is pretty incredible. Some of its uses are pretty obvious, but others you may discover later.

Because the Mavic streams video right to your cell phone, there isn't much hassle involved with the scouting process. Unpack and unfold the drone, boot up the controller and cellphone. Send the launch command, and the drone practically flies itself and sends its video image back to your phone instantly.

Other than just general photography, the drone serves as a pretty handy scouting tool. Most of my scouting is for fishing and hunting. I can launch the drone when showing up to a new area to get a birds eye view of the land. They also make a pretty good conversation piece, and it has been a great ice breaker for neighbors at RV parks.

Anyways, pretty handy. And if your traveling to sight-see, a drone gives you a completely new angle for sights that most will miss.

First picture is a river I've parked by to scout. No visibility of the river at all because of tall brush and bank.


Second picture.... much better.


Pit stops can be frequent.


Some pictures you just cant get from the ground.




The neighbors...

Hence the ever increasing regulations. Those are great pictures but based on the same they appears to show at least 2 direct violations of FAA regulations, not to mention the wind farm operator may have taken slight issue with someone flying drones anywhere near a turbine. Around here those operators are testy if you just walk onto one of their leased parcels.

No...not the drone police, but being a holder of an FAA RPC, and having dabbled in it commercially while pushing the envelope myself with the regs if you will in regards to locations and altitudes, you may want to not post footage to publicly accessible sites and such.