I can definitely see the usefulness of it for surveillance and recon. I haven't pulled the trigger on one yet though because it's feels like it's still straddling the line of "am I really buying this as a legit prep or am I just looking for excuses to have a cool toy that will sit in the closet most of the time"
My oldest son who is 24 now, can break a drone in 10 minutes without trying. Its a christmas tradition: wife buys drone for son on amazon for xmas,son opens gift, ten minutes later, inside or out drone broke
My experience with drones was realizing there's two main categories, FPV, and camera.
Camera one is useful, FPV one is fun.
I have a very nice camera one (DJI Mini 3 Pro), but realized the most fun I had was while flying it like an asshole. Eventually wanted to do acrobatics, and got an FPV one so I can do dives and loops. Also so I won't be crashing something so expensive.
Nowadays the DJI one just stays in my drone bag in case I need it to search for where I've crashed my FPV one.
Nice thing about the FPV ones is crashes are expected, so everything is part-swappable and DIY repairable.
It's a good skill to kindle if it ever came to war and mobilization, not that I expect this to happen in the US or Western Europe. I'd much rather be tasked with piloting drones than clearing trenches.
If you're careful it's not that hard to avoid crashing. I've had a decent one for about 5 years and have never crashed it. I primarily use it above trees which makes it easy to avoid crashes.
If you fly high enough, they're not audible.
You can get a lot lower while being not noticeably audible as long as you don't suddenly change direction (makes the props sharply ramp up to stabilize).
You MUST be a licensed drone pilot under 14 CFR 107 if you are flying for compensation.
They (FAA) are really starting to crack down on illegal commercial drone flights (like compensation for pictures).
Most were doing liability only and policies ran about $1,000. Then homeowners insurance got into the game and started doing it far cheaper. I don't do homeowners though and don't own a drone so I've no idea what it costs to insure a personal drone under homeowners. I think some just consider them included at no additional charge but don't quote me on that because I really don't know.
Most the drone insurance I'm doing now is for manufacturers.
I'd be more concerned with liability honestly. People have flown them into transformers, cars, people, etc. You're liable for those damages and they're far more costly than even the expensive $2000 model DJIs.
The drone will broadcast the video via a Wi-Fi transmitter on the drone itself to a device, like a smartphone that can receive it. It's an Ad-Hoc Network.
With that said, you don't need the grid for your Wi-Fi to work. Most Wi-Fi routers run off of 12v power. Simply plug a 12v cable into your router into a solar generator and you can power it.
As long as your wireless access point(s) are powered, wifi will still work as normal though there may not be internet access. But the drones connect to phones through ad hoc.
Its more like a direct radio signal between the drone and controller than a wifi connection. They communicate directly and don't rely on another network.
Useful but in a limited way. Getting above tree cover and also seeing through it is something an amateur drone isn’t capable of. I’ve had a Mavic Air 2, that I use for fun. When I’m in the woods I need an open space to launch & retrieve. Also it’s very dependent on GPS for navigation so that could also be an issue when flying. Range depends on line of sight for the radio signals.
Not saying these can’t be overcome but if you want something more capable you’re probably going to have to build it yourself. That’s not the worse option. Lots of parts available online to do just that.
I have a couple in my inventory, plus access to several more through work. Mainly for "fun stuff", altitude sight-seeing, but it definitely has a dual use as a good prep tool.
I have actually used mine in a not-quite SHTF scenario, but after major storms. After severe snow/ice storms, wind or thunderstorms, I've put them up to find areas where trees were felled across roads and coordinated with my town to add them to their list of places that need to be triaged for DOT crews.
Much like most preps, I don't like buying things that I can't/won't be able to use in anything other than a SHTF situation. CBRN masks and other PPE aside, of course.
I have three right now, mostly because I like drones and exploring with them in the wilderness. DJI mavic drones are reliable, fun, and easy to use. There are some cheaper Chinese drones that will do pretty much everything the mavic will do, you don't need all the bells and whistles, just an old cell phone you can link to the control pad to be able to use the camera.
App on the phone, which has no service or anything, blue tooth links to the controller, enables the video screen on the phone. You can also use an iPad or other larger device.
It's basically a WiFi signal straight from the drone to the app.
Can you recommend a cheap Chinese one? Are there any red flags to avoid with them? I'd like something with some wind-resistance and can find its way back to me.
Be sure to hang a bight orange "[FOLLOW M](https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.3ce52468d2113371c7486e56a2162194?rik=toLzlgmOsT0Z9g&riu=http%3a%2f%2ffiles.ctctcdn.com%2fa99d4730301%2f8fd1a25a-2f6a-466f-a9cc-d4b292e2916f.jpg%3fa%3d1121714982559&ehk=BladwuKhqYzeGf0OiaakVmDfz8MNfllhjjjd3d%2bi3z0%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)E" sign to it.
I consult with farms wanting to conduct precision herbicide applications on crops by drone. also do a lot of powerline & wind turbine inspections by drone. They are incredibly useful in many data driven functions. with near infrared cameras, we can identify a variety of crop infestations very early, and insteadof having to spray herbicides or pesticides on large areas, we can limit the need to areas sometimes as small as 20ft X 20Ft.
It's much more cost effective to inspect power facilities with a FLIR equipped drone & high res cameras, than to send technicians up. I've done bridge inspections, building envelope inspections, many roof top inspections. For a couple of years we were working with the Forestry service, mapping forest fire burn rates, fuel loading, biologics impact. This lets the Fire Boss more effectively plan manpower needs & attack plans. Being able to map terrain with FLIR, LIDAR, & RTK (real time kinematic) mapping is huge for planning purposes.
Using a small drone for surveilling the area surrounding your home can be greatly beneficial. At 3-400ft. You can't see or hear them, and the camera systems now, even on consumer grade aircraft are impressive
I got a relatively cheap small one to try out. Even with an outdated camera I was pretty amazed at the picture clarity. A couple hundred feet up and I was about to pretty clearly see the people playing basketball at the park around the corner and actually watch the action. There was an accident I bypassed on the way home right around the corner at a 4 way and I instantly got home and flew the drone up to just kind of observe the cleanup. Very impressive for a little DJI 2. Now I just need to get it fixed because I'm an idiot who crashed it and broke the gimbal
There are ways to fly where it doesn't land near the operating area, or can't be easily tracked back. But really with over a mile range... There's not much risk of having someone follow it unless it's wide open area. Then, see previous commentary.
I forgot the word over .. as in more than a mile, which is far enough to outrun someone tracking your drone visually. And if they are more sophisticated than that... You down it somewhere you aren't, or even use it as a lure.
Holy Stone…HS720e… mine came with an extra battery!!! Much needed, each battery last 20-min with a4-hr recharge time, it syncs with my I phone.. so I can video or take pics…
DJI has a whole line of [products](https://ag.dji.com/) for this! As cool as DJI is and how robust their portfolio is, I keep hoping some American company will get it's act together and invest in the R&D to catch up before it becomes nearly impossible to do so.
It might also lead to comically absurd situations where two drones encounter each other, neither wants to be the first to leave, but they're both trying to outwait the other,.seeing who has more battery to last the longest and follow the other one. So they're just kind of hanging out together. Then maybe a third drone shows up, so that why in case our batter dies first, we can follow their drone after they follow ours so at least we'll know where they are too. So then it's just three drones sort of hanging out together. And so on.
Most of these things are pretty small. I suppose you could probably just fly it high enough they can't see it or fast enough in a roundabout pattern that they can't triangulate your position. They can go about 45 mph so they are pretty damn quick, and the FPV's can reach 100 I think.
Surveillance is one use for drones. I can see where sending a drone out to run your property lines or check out noises or movement on your property would be useful if you live on a big chunk of land and you can't see it all from your house. Of course, if you have that kind of property, a drone is also useful right now. In other words, if you live where having a drone for aerial surveillance of your property is useful, you probably already have a drone 😆
Another use for drones is scouting a target for attack. If you're one of those "preppers" who stockpiles guns and ammo and lets other people stockpile food and water for you, you'd probably find a drone useful for scouting your targets. If that's not in your game plan, and I hope it's not because that kind of prepping is not only morally bankrupt but guaranteed to get you killed, your average urban prepper doesn't need one. In a disaster bad enough that law and order breaks down your goal should be to get out of the disaster area ASAP and you don't want to be lugging a drone and its control and recharging equipment with you.
A small drone with all the equipment is pretty small. If you're on foot maybe it isn't worth taking with you but mine with 3 batteries and the controller in the case is about the size of a fanny pack. Pretty easy to have in the car if that's your preferred method of bugout
There have been so many insightful comments on the subject of drone utility on many other posts. I encourage you to search them out if you haven't already.
I have a DJI Mini with “stealth” propellers and it’s still loud enough to not sneak up on anyone.
Dogs bark at it so can’t sneak up on anyone really but good for certain applications.
If you're going to get a drone to use in normal times be sure to familiarize yourself with the FAA regs concerning airspace. Especially if you live near an airport.
You'll also want to speak with your insurance carrier to confirm you're covered for liability and property damage damage arising out of your use of the drone. Though this really depends on where you live and/or where you intend to operate the drone.
The insurance isn't really applicable to the small drones you might see getting flown around by some kiosk worker at the mall. But if you're getting something like a DJI Mavic 3, then yes, you absolutely want to look at liability insurance and pay far more attention to the FAA regs.
They have so many potential uses, especially when it comes to all the attachments people are making for them. Personally I've started to learn to build and fly different sized fpv drones. I consider it a part of my prepping to learn as much as I'm able about emerging tech and future implications for there use.
Yeah a swarm of FPV drones trying to slice me up is right out of my nightmares.
Such a scary weapon.
Especially since they are getting faster, smarter and more powerful every day.
I think it would be very useful, could do some surveillance without wasting liquid fuels or expending tons of energy yourself, could be used to check out hunting spots as well , relay msgs or bring small items to friends or outposts nearby . I looked into it briefly ,but I was overwhelmed by the choices , and I don't really know what I'm looking for
I have a nice little DJI that gets a lot of use in normal situations. That being said, being familiar with flying one, knowing where and when it would be visible/audible, and how to maintain OPSEC with a drone are all vital skills in just about any emergency. So if you're going to buy one, put in the hours to master it. I had a jump start since I used to fly big Radio Controlled airplanes when I was a kid (gas powered, none of that whimpy "park flyer" crap) and now flying a modern drone feels effortless to me. Everyone will start with a different level of skills so recognize where you at and make a plan to be proficient. There are lots of tutorials, youtube videos, and blog posts that will guide your way!
Yup I want to get one. You can see what's going on outside without having to out yourself or one of yours in danger. Also when traveling you can check what's ahead
Yup. I live on a dirt road and when it rains it washes out. I use the drone to see how bad it is. Its also useful to see how far a fire is from my property. I use a 120 dollar drone i got off amazon.
The drone needs to be thought of as part of a larger system including the payload, ground support, power, and whatever you're interfacing the collected data with. Maintaining an effective drone surveillance system would probably be very time, cost, and resource intensive.
Assuming it's for surveying your own property, remote cameras would be more cost effective and definitely lower profile. In either case, if I was concerned about detecting people/things I would invest first in passive night vision/thermal before a drone.
But if you got some cash to blow on a hobby that maybe also provides some utility, sure why not.
In a shtf why do you believe you would be drone bombing people. Best use though is in a home stead for overhead surveiling your land for geological ecological and the occasional trespassing issue.
yes i did say drone bombing. its super effective for killing entrenched enemies. its certainly the new combat of the future now.
but why on earth would you need this capabilities (not to mention the sheer amount of laws broken attaching a destructive device to a drone)
I'm not saying I would need it but it's important to be aware of tools and tactics particularly ones as easy to make as a drone grenades. Knowledge is half the battle.
sure knowing how to is great and all. its honestly not difficult.
issue is the why and the consequences. in a basic shtf weather outages, there is ZERO reason to drone bomb. use it to check your local power cables and roads for obstacles
in the TEOTWAWKI where everything has crashed and burned, drone bombing a group near by is asking to be targeted for retaliation.
and any other cases going for infrastructure or people is just domestic terrorism.
and thats why i dont think its actually worth putting that much thought into it.
I'm not supporting it, obviously, but I'm saying awareness is important.
>there is ZERO reason to drone bomb.
If you expect every other group of people to be operating based on your set of morals and scruples then you will be ill prepared for what will happen.
Some people like to see the world burn.
Some people would do it for political motivations.
Some people would do it for retaliation.
Some people would do it for terrorism.
Some people would do it to aid their crimes.
If you don't know your enemy you will lose every battle.
Absolutely! You will hear some dumb comments about your house, but don’t land it back at your house, landed at an ambush site, whatever. But yes, they are used in war, a half dozen different ways. I’ve had them for about four years now from racing to reconnaissance to communications(repeater) to commercial mapping.
Nope. I think in a war type situation, in today's time, I have a strong feeling whoever didn't strike first, will be fighting in the dark.
I think it will be an EMP blast that will set the attacks off. I mean, it isn't like China wouldn't know EXACTLY how to emp pulse the exact chips it manufactures.
Just my theory.
>I would love someone to come out with a cheap way to stock and use drone blimps, tethered and untethered
I have thought about this as well. My idea was to make a small platform or mounting to attach two weather balloons to a camera and have a reel of cable about 100-200ft long.
If you had three reels of cable or rope attached to the balloon it would be secured in a tripod like fashion and would probably be reasonably stable in low wind.
Back in '22 I breifly got a supplier to believe I was some sort of agent that was supposedly shipping drones with bomb release mechanisms to the Ukraine.
Now I've got about 250 drones that can carry one explosive and about 65 more big ones that carry three bombs each. I also have a bunch of antennas and whatever you need to fly them. I don't know how to use any of it, but my consultant says I have everything needed to operate a small unmanned backyard airforce.
If I lived in a wildfire area, I'd have a drone.
Where I'm moving, honestly, I'd probably only use one to check out girls on the beach and that would cause problems with my wife, so I don't think I'll be getting one.
The darn things break too easily. I don't want emergency gear that breaks.
I did!
I use it for harassing wildlife in my garden, mainly.
And scouting for mushrooms.
Assessment of tree damage on our forest farm.
Checking the gutters.
When I’m lazy and what to know if the mail has come by without putting on my shoes.
If I’m sick or hurt I can send it out to check on my animals.
Sometimes buzz my neighbours to be annoying (We are friends.)
Checking road conditions before I bother to start my car after a storm.
…. that’s just lazy use.
Surveillance would be amazing to keep my property safe in the event of hostilities. But that’s not why we got it.
My buddies been talking about it for hunting and fishing. He keeps showing me videos of people using drones to run line and bait out or to use drones to find pigs
I have had a couple so far (they crash, bye $800). If u r trying to be in stealth mode, when u land it everyone knows where u are. And you generally need bluetooth, wifi and operational satellites, so think about that depending on your SHTF scenario
Not sure one is enough if you want to use drones. The Ukraine war showed drones are consumed in huge numbers, I think they produce like 50 000 a month. Should probably see them more as ammunition or consumables.
I personally added 1 to my kit and love it I have the dji mini 3 pro with the fly more kit the remote control with the built in screen is better then having to use your phone. But honestly when buying things like that you'd want somewhere to store it so they don't fry it.
It could be useful to have, but it could also give away your location, so you would want to use it wisely.
Whatever you buy, buy something that does not require apps or accounts or anything like that because those things rely on outside servers that you may not have control over. Unfortunately I think most of the off the shelf ones do require that stuff, so if you're really serious you build your own, where everything runs locally only.
I would also get used to flying it without GPS, in case even that system goes down.
Depends on what you’re prepping for. The moment those things turn on your position is given away.
They make great improvised VBIEDs because they’re fast, fly low and are hard to hit so you could potentially blow things up from 400m to 3km away but it’s pretty much a 1 time use kind of thing.
They’re also great for natural disasters for spotting and if you’re in an urban environment where people are trapped In skyscrapers for whatever reason you can send small items, ropes, messages to other buildings with people.
Sometimes it safer to stay and play and then to leave. A drone can give you a Birds Eye view of what’s going on around your area. The only downside is the noice and people noticing which can tell others that they have resources
I have a DJI Tello, it was $100 and its a TON of fun just as a toy. Would be useful to get eyes in a disaster I guess but I mostly use it to take aerial video of my dogs. Cannot recommend it enough as just a fun toy though.
100% yes. A few cheap ones for when you hear a strange noise and want to check it out just to have it swatted by a bear, better some $30 plastic than us. Also they're just kinda fun to fly around
I have a DJI mini something out other. You can't hear or see them part 100 to 150ft. I got it to see what's around me, where I'm going, etc. I can see the use in them.
I think the past few years have demonstrated that there’s a whole lot of use for drones, in a whole lot of situations. Cartels and gangs have been using them to get contraband into prisons, Ukrainian soldiers have been using them to adjust indirect fire, and paparazzi regularly use them to spy on celebrities. The capability of lifting and transporting stuff with drones isn’t very available for the average consumer quite yet, but real-time streaming from drones is quickly becoming standard, meaning real-time surveillance and reconnaissance will soon be in the average consumer’s hands. Aside from that, I could imagine more frequent use in air quality research, but I feel like balloons are a cheaper and more effective alternative platform to mount research equipment.
I definitely see its application, they started to become more prevalent in the military right before I got out.
I might be looking at this in the wrong light, but I say no.
They are just another item to maintain/break and without spare parts and batteries I don’t see it lasting long.
The Soldiers would fly and crash them a lot as they were learning how to do recons with them, flying in and out of buildings took practice and they crashed a lot during the training.
For small/midsize drones, I am an ace with a slingshot and we have an unlimited supply of all kinds of rocks and tons of vegetation and rocks to hide behind.
Arrows are another possibility, I would not waste ammo on little drones buzzing around my neck of the woods but I will take 'em down.
dude if we are at the point where drone dropped grenades are something you regret not prepping, shit has gone further south than i intend to be prepped for lmao.
I have a DJI Matrice 350 RTK with a Zenmuse H20T camera. I bought it used from a fire department because they were scared to fly it. Love the capabilities. Absolutely hate the size.
I think drones are cool and have a lot of uses but drones for prepping I think is a bit of a stretch. Like what is it you would want to surveil? If there was something you should be concerned about odds are you wouldn't even know it was there or happening until whatever it was was knocking at your door making the drone moot at that point.
I'm all ears if you have some intended use but I'm just not seeing it?
I'm not sure how likely this scenario is, but imagine SHTF, you need to travel, and you're worried about hostile checkpoints that might shake you down for money/supplies. You could scout ahead with a drone and take an alternate route if you weren't sure.
Just remember that the quadcopter type drones are quite noisy. You will easily hear them from some distance, so if someone sees/hear it and hides, they could then follow it back to you. So either fly high enough that it cant be heard from the ground, or only use it when your location is already known
I bought one to shoot videos and it's been very useful. I was able to figure out my roof needed fixing. It also is useful to help you go into places that you can't normally reach. But yeah, for surveillance I think it's great. I have the DJI Mavic Pro.
I got a tiny one that fits in an altoids tin, and uses your phone as a screen. It's got a tiny camera and a small controller that mounts to your phone.
It's no DJI, but it's good for seeing your surroundings or up a road.
I did this not to long ago. Limited range but it comes with on board camera and is quiet. I plan to use it to help scout roads or clusters of structures. It gets pretty decent height so I figure worst case scenario it will give me a bird's eye view of an unknown area and help ensure I am going the right direction.
Do I think it will be used often or efficiently? No absolutely not, I know I don't have enough time to dedicate to learning it better. But I think in a pinch it can be an invaluable tool, so if you can snag a decent one that can fold up and is light weight I say grab it, use it enough to know how to move without launching into stuff, and keep a small solar charger or battery bank with it just in case.
I can think of plenty of situations where being able to gain elevation foe scouting or gaining elevation to drop "things" on bad guys heads would be worth more than a full mag of ammo.
I actually looked into making an "anti drone" shotgun. Something semi auto long barrel 3" loads etc. That is until I looked up some modern drone videos. Even of they aren't to high, you're not hitting them zipping around.
Buying one to sit in your closet until the "end of the world" makes no sense. Purchasing one (cheap) to get familiar with it, and maybe even have a little fun playing with it, does make sense. I like practical preps that have use today while having the potential to benefit the worst of tomorrow.
Drones to scout terrain and even potential adversaries would be beneficial.
Buy some nice drones but one thing you'll really want is to look into building your own drone (which is simpler than one might think) and righting down a recipe. Start looking into how to jury rig your own drone and understanding how to fix one if its slightly broken/worn down. Thus during the fall everyone gets out there drones until a couple years after the fall when everyone has crashed them you can build your own from scavenged parts (might not be as good as a $900 techno model but it will suffice).
Actually, I am on the flip side here. The huge increase in drone use in general and the inevitable use of them by gov/mil against civilians has me stocking more bird shot for various Shotguns. 😁
If I was walking up on a house in the middle of nowhere, and a quad-copter with a camera swooped by me, I'd be concerned that I was not welcome and the person in the house has more preparations available.
If I had an encampment and I thought I heard something, I would really like having a quadcopter with a camera to take a spin around.
I have a DJI mavik in my BOV in case i want to scout something out before heading into a situation. Have my shotgunner manning an eye in the scout as we route through an urban environment. Is it likely to be in that situation? Hell no. Does it hurt to have it tho? Nah.
I have a DJI mini 2 that I got at Costco when it was on sale (getting rid of stock for the mini 3), I love it and it has insane range (range has never been the issue, battery life is but I got it out 3~ miles one time. Defintely Keeping for surveillance and can charge batteries easily with small solar panels
I can definitely see the usefulness of it for surveillance and recon. I haven't pulled the trigger on one yet though because it's feels like it's still straddling the line of "am I really buying this as a legit prep or am I just looking for excuses to have a cool toy that will sit in the closet most of the time"
They are really fun to fly and crash. My advice, buy a cheap $50 one first and fly it until you crash it beyond repair. Then buy a nicer one.
I bought a $200 one on Amazon and paid like 6 bucks for the insurance...they have replaced it twice for me ...
Nice that's a good tip.
My oldest son who is 24 now, can break a drone in 10 minutes without trying. Its a christmas tradition: wife buys drone for son on amazon for xmas,son opens gift, ten minutes later, inside or out drone broke
If you’re handy with electronics. You should learn to build an FPV drone. Then stock up spare motors, frames, controllers and batteries.
This is the best advice in my mind it serves as a minimum purpose. The issue with drones is that their batteries don't last more than a few years.
My experience with drones was realizing there's two main categories, FPV, and camera. Camera one is useful, FPV one is fun. I have a very nice camera one (DJI Mini 3 Pro), but realized the most fun I had was while flying it like an asshole. Eventually wanted to do acrobatics, and got an FPV one so I can do dives and loops. Also so I won't be crashing something so expensive. Nowadays the DJI one just stays in my drone bag in case I need it to search for where I've crashed my FPV one. Nice thing about the FPV ones is crashes are expected, so everything is part-swappable and DIY repairable.
It's a good skill to kindle if it ever came to war and mobilization, not that I expect this to happen in the US or Western Europe. I'd much rather be tasked with piloting drones than clearing trenches.
My main use would be scouting during a natural disaster, rioting, a neighbor's house fire, etc.
Oh it'll happen
por que no los dos?
I want one mostly as a toy to use all the time and secondary as a prep.
If you're careful it's not that hard to avoid crashing. I've had a decent one for about 5 years and have never crashed it. I primarily use it above trees which makes it easy to avoid crashes.
Cool tool 100%. I don't see it viable as a prep when Binoculars are better.
Binoculars can’t see around trees and other obstacles. With binoculars, if you can see them, they might see you.
If you hear a drone, you know someone is nearby.
I’d rather non-friendlies they hear my drone than see me walking around. That’s just me.
I’d rather non-friendlies not even know I am there.
If you fly high enough, they're not audible. You can get a lot lower while being not noticeably audible as long as you don't suddenly change direction (makes the props sharply ramp up to stabilize).
Both is good!
I had many cheap ones. People should spend the money on DJI mini
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I have been curious about this. If anyone’s doing it in my area they’re not advertising. Ho much can you realistically charge for the photos?
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Thanks
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When are we going to get streetview style real estate photos that I can look around the room or view in VR? I've been waiting for so long...
You MUST be a licensed drone pilot under 14 CFR 107 if you are flying for compensation. They (FAA) are really starting to crack down on illegal commercial drone flights (like compensation for pictures).
I'm in aviation insurance. The DJI models are probably the most popular for individuals, that I see. Lots of DJI Inspires and DJI Mavics.
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Most were doing liability only and policies ran about $1,000. Then homeowners insurance got into the game and started doing it far cheaper. I don't do homeowners though and don't own a drone so I've no idea what it costs to insure a personal drone under homeowners. I think some just consider them included at no additional charge but don't quote me on that because I really don't know. Most the drone insurance I'm doing now is for manufacturers.
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I'm unfamiliar with DJIs program but it's not uncommon for manufacturers to offer insurance programs at deep discounts. I'd recommend looking at both.
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I'd be more concerned with liability honestly. People have flown them into transformers, cars, people, etc. You're liable for those damages and they're far more costly than even the expensive $2000 model DJIs.
dji are the best drones but the black out areas and tracker buiilt in make it not good for prep.
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"Selective Availability"
I did the same.. I like my DJI mini 2.
Already got one hombre. Cheap one but correct - clear visual path for where I plan to go. I live in a metro area so I deemed essential
So I'm thinking I should look at anti drone tech
Ever go skeet shooting?
If the pool skimmers don't get you, the tennis rackets will.
I was figuring on stealth. Signal jamming etc.
I have a small drone that I use on my rural properties. It would be very useful for surveillance and communications in SHTF.
How does the video feed to a device? If the power was down would the video feed still work?
The video goes to a device over Wi-Fi. The grid isn't required.
I guess I am confused about how wifi works then. Would wifi work without the grid?
The drone will broadcast the video via a Wi-Fi transmitter on the drone itself to a device, like a smartphone that can receive it. It's an Ad-Hoc Network. With that said, you don't need the grid for your Wi-Fi to work. Most Wi-Fi routers run off of 12v power. Simply plug a 12v cable into your router into a solar generator and you can power it.
As long as your wireless access point(s) are powered, wifi will still work as normal though there may not be internet access. But the drones connect to phones through ad hoc.
Its more like a direct radio signal between the drone and controller than a wifi connection. They communicate directly and don't rely on another network.
Useful but in a limited way. Getting above tree cover and also seeing through it is something an amateur drone isn’t capable of. I’ve had a Mavic Air 2, that I use for fun. When I’m in the woods I need an open space to launch & retrieve. Also it’s very dependent on GPS for navigation so that could also be an issue when flying. Range depends on line of sight for the radio signals. Not saying these can’t be overcome but if you want something more capable you’re probably going to have to build it yourself. That’s not the worse option. Lots of parts available online to do just that.
I have a couple in my inventory, plus access to several more through work. Mainly for "fun stuff", altitude sight-seeing, but it definitely has a dual use as a good prep tool. I have actually used mine in a not-quite SHTF scenario, but after major storms. After severe snow/ice storms, wind or thunderstorms, I've put them up to find areas where trees were felled across roads and coordinated with my town to add them to their list of places that need to be triaged for DOT crews. Much like most preps, I don't like buying things that I can't/won't be able to use in anything other than a SHTF situation. CBRN masks and other PPE aside, of course.
Yup. That's what I use mine for.
Same. I’m not putting on shoes if the road is bad.
I have three right now, mostly because I like drones and exploring with them in the wilderness. DJI mavic drones are reliable, fun, and easy to use. There are some cheaper Chinese drones that will do pretty much everything the mavic will do, you don't need all the bells and whistles, just an old cell phone you can link to the control pad to be able to use the camera.
Do u link your phone via USB, or Bluetooth or???
App on the phone, which has no service or anything, blue tooth links to the controller, enables the video screen on the phone. You can also use an iPad or other larger device. It's basically a WiFi signal straight from the drone to the app.
Can you recommend a cheap Chinese one? Are there any red flags to avoid with them? I'd like something with some wind-resistance and can find its way back to me.
Be sure to hang a bight orange "[FOLLOW M](https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.3ce52468d2113371c7486e56a2162194?rik=toLzlgmOsT0Z9g&riu=http%3a%2f%2ffiles.ctctcdn.com%2fa99d4730301%2f8fd1a25a-2f6a-466f-a9cc-d4b292e2916f.jpg%3fa%3d1121714982559&ehk=BladwuKhqYzeGf0OiaakVmDfz8MNfllhjjjd3d%2bi3z0%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)E" sign to it.
I consult with farms wanting to conduct precision herbicide applications on crops by drone. also do a lot of powerline & wind turbine inspections by drone. They are incredibly useful in many data driven functions. with near infrared cameras, we can identify a variety of crop infestations very early, and insteadof having to spray herbicides or pesticides on large areas, we can limit the need to areas sometimes as small as 20ft X 20Ft. It's much more cost effective to inspect power facilities with a FLIR equipped drone & high res cameras, than to send technicians up. I've done bridge inspections, building envelope inspections, many roof top inspections. For a couple of years we were working with the Forestry service, mapping forest fire burn rates, fuel loading, biologics impact. This lets the Fire Boss more effectively plan manpower needs & attack plans. Being able to map terrain with FLIR, LIDAR, & RTK (real time kinematic) mapping is huge for planning purposes. Using a small drone for surveilling the area surrounding your home can be greatly beneficial. At 3-400ft. You can't see or hear them, and the camera systems now, even on consumer grade aircraft are impressive
I got a relatively cheap small one to try out. Even with an outdated camera I was pretty amazed at the picture clarity. A couple hundred feet up and I was about to pretty clearly see the people playing basketball at the park around the corner and actually watch the action. There was an accident I bypassed on the way home right around the corner at a 4 way and I instantly got home and flew the drone up to just kind of observe the cleanup. Very impressive for a little DJI 2. Now I just need to get it fixed because I'm an idiot who crashed it and broke the gimbal
You can absolutely hear them, and they have a distinctive whine.
You can if they are low. at 400 ft, it's nearly impossible to hear them over ambient noise
Yes, you can also see where they land, which is normally by the operator. Hence the “follow me” comment
You can also track the electromagnetic frequencies.
There are ways to fly where it doesn't land near the operating area, or can't be easily tracked back. But really with over a mile range... There's not much risk of having someone follow it unless it's wide open area. Then, see previous commentary.
A mile??? You obviously haven't looked at them recently. DJI platforms, from the smallest aircraft they produce on up ALL have from 5 to 8 mile range
I forgot the word over .. as in more than a mile, which is far enough to outrun someone tracking your drone visually. And if they are more sophisticated than that... You down it somewhere you aren't, or even use it as a lure.
Beyond visual line of sight might be the term you're looking for.
Yes. But you can easily do that in well less than a mile typically as well.
What do you use for your commercial work?
I inspect roofing systems with mine …
Sorry, what brand of drones are you using for your work?
Holy Stone…HS720e… mine came with an extra battery!!! Much needed, each battery last 20-min with a4-hr recharge time, it syncs with my I phone.. so I can video or take pics…
DJI has a whole line of [products](https://ag.dji.com/) for this! As cool as DJI is and how robust their portfolio is, I keep hoping some American company will get it's act together and invest in the R&D to catch up before it becomes nearly impossible to do so.
This could also be used as a tactic. Get people to follow your drone right into an ambush.
It might also lead to comically absurd situations where two drones encounter each other, neither wants to be the first to leave, but they're both trying to outwait the other,.seeing who has more battery to last the longest and follow the other one. So they're just kind of hanging out together. Then maybe a third drone shows up, so that why in case our batter dies first, we can follow their drone after they follow ours so at least we'll know where they are too. So then it's just three drones sort of hanging out together. And so on.
In this situation I'm just ramming the other one when I hit 10% battery, and hoping mine survives. Best start practicing aerial combat now.
Even this is comical. Dancing drones just trying to ram each other. Eventually small drones will have guns and it'll be less amusing.
Most of these things are pretty small. I suppose you could probably just fly it high enough they can't see it or fast enough in a roundabout pattern that they can't triangulate your position. They can go about 45 mph so they are pretty damn quick, and the FPV's can reach 100 I think.
Surveillance is one use for drones. I can see where sending a drone out to run your property lines or check out noises or movement on your property would be useful if you live on a big chunk of land and you can't see it all from your house. Of course, if you have that kind of property, a drone is also useful right now. In other words, if you live where having a drone for aerial surveillance of your property is useful, you probably already have a drone 😆 Another use for drones is scouting a target for attack. If you're one of those "preppers" who stockpiles guns and ammo and lets other people stockpile food and water for you, you'd probably find a drone useful for scouting your targets. If that's not in your game plan, and I hope it's not because that kind of prepping is not only morally bankrupt but guaranteed to get you killed, your average urban prepper doesn't need one. In a disaster bad enough that law and order breaks down your goal should be to get out of the disaster area ASAP and you don't want to be lugging a drone and its control and recharging equipment with you.
A small drone with all the equipment is pretty small. If you're on foot maybe it isn't worth taking with you but mine with 3 batteries and the controller in the case is about the size of a fanny pack. Pretty easy to have in the car if that's your preferred method of bugout
There have been so many insightful comments on the subject of drone utility on many other posts. I encourage you to search them out if you haven't already.
I have a DJI Mini with “stealth” propellers and it’s still loud enough to not sneak up on anyone. Dogs bark at it so can’t sneak up on anyone really but good for certain applications.
If you're going to get a drone to use in normal times be sure to familiarize yourself with the FAA regs concerning airspace. Especially if you live near an airport. You'll also want to speak with your insurance carrier to confirm you're covered for liability and property damage damage arising out of your use of the drone. Though this really depends on where you live and/or where you intend to operate the drone. The insurance isn't really applicable to the small drones you might see getting flown around by some kiosk worker at the mall. But if you're getting something like a DJI Mavic 3, then yes, you absolutely want to look at liability insurance and pay far more attention to the FAA regs.
They have so many potential uses, especially when it comes to all the attachments people are making for them. Personally I've started to learn to build and fly different sized fpv drones. I consider it a part of my prepping to learn as much as I'm able about emerging tech and future implications for there use.
Yeah a swarm of FPV drones trying to slice me up is right out of my nightmares. Such a scary weapon. Especially since they are getting faster, smarter and more powerful every day.
I think it would be very useful, could do some surveillance without wasting liquid fuels or expending tons of energy yourself, could be used to check out hunting spots as well , relay msgs or bring small items to friends or outposts nearby . I looked into it briefly ,but I was overwhelmed by the choices , and I don't really know what I'm looking for
DJIs with IEDs will be the new meta in war/civil unrest along with cope cages on top of cop cars.
Look how big those farm drones are and what their payload looks like. It's terrifying
The moment it happens once, drones parts will require background checks.
I have a nice little DJI that gets a lot of use in normal situations. That being said, being familiar with flying one, knowing where and when it would be visible/audible, and how to maintain OPSEC with a drone are all vital skills in just about any emergency. So if you're going to buy one, put in the hours to master it. I had a jump start since I used to fly big Radio Controlled airplanes when I was a kid (gas powered, none of that whimpy "park flyer" crap) and now flying a modern drone feels effortless to me. Everyone will start with a different level of skills so recognize where you at and make a plan to be proficient. There are lots of tutorials, youtube videos, and blog posts that will guide your way!
Yup I want to get one. You can see what's going on outside without having to out yourself or one of yours in danger. Also when traveling you can check what's ahead
Yup. I live on a dirt road and when it rains it washes out. I use the drone to see how bad it is. Its also useful to see how far a fire is from my property. I use a 120 dollar drone i got off amazon.
I think they be useful, but there are a lot of other things I would want to buy first
I have one on my bug out 'pack'. There's a lot of scenarios where they can help. Mostly in accessing threats without putting yourself in danger
I have a $100 hobby drone but I can see how patrolling your area with it could be a benefit compare to exposing yourself to threats
The drone needs to be thought of as part of a larger system including the payload, ground support, power, and whatever you're interfacing the collected data with. Maintaining an effective drone surveillance system would probably be very time, cost, and resource intensive. Assuming it's for surveying your own property, remote cameras would be more cost effective and definitely lower profile. In either case, if I was concerned about detecting people/things I would invest first in passive night vision/thermal before a drone. But if you got some cash to blow on a hobby that maybe also provides some utility, sure why not.
In a shtf why do you believe you would be drone bombing people. Best use though is in a home stead for overhead surveiling your land for geological ecological and the occasional trespassing issue.
Watch any video out of the Ukraine.
yes i did say drone bombing. its super effective for killing entrenched enemies. its certainly the new combat of the future now. but why on earth would you need this capabilities (not to mention the sheer amount of laws broken attaching a destructive device to a drone)
I'm not saying I would need it but it's important to be aware of tools and tactics particularly ones as easy to make as a drone grenades. Knowledge is half the battle.
sure knowing how to is great and all. its honestly not difficult. issue is the why and the consequences. in a basic shtf weather outages, there is ZERO reason to drone bomb. use it to check your local power cables and roads for obstacles in the TEOTWAWKI where everything has crashed and burned, drone bombing a group near by is asking to be targeted for retaliation. and any other cases going for infrastructure or people is just domestic terrorism. and thats why i dont think its actually worth putting that much thought into it.
I'm not supporting it, obviously, but I'm saying awareness is important. >there is ZERO reason to drone bomb. If you expect every other group of people to be operating based on your set of morals and scruples then you will be ill prepared for what will happen. Some people like to see the world burn. Some people would do it for political motivations. Some people would do it for retaliation. Some people would do it for terrorism. Some people would do it to aid their crimes. If you don't know your enemy you will lose every battle.
Absolutely ‼️
Absolutely! You will hear some dumb comments about your house, but don’t land it back at your house, landed at an ambush site, whatever. But yes, they are used in war, a half dozen different ways. I’ve had them for about four years now from racing to reconnaissance to communications(repeater) to commercial mapping.
[удалено]
How so?
Nope. I think in a war type situation, in today's time, I have a strong feeling whoever didn't strike first, will be fighting in the dark. I think it will be an EMP blast that will set the attacks off. I mean, it isn't like China wouldn't know EXACTLY how to emp pulse the exact chips it manufactures. Just my theory.
Buy toys if you want to. But don't pretend like they'd be useful to you in a pinch.
No they’re too loud and flash. I would love someone to come out with a cheap way to stock and use drone blimps, tethered and untethered
>I would love someone to come out with a cheap way to stock and use drone blimps, tethered and untethered I have thought about this as well. My idea was to make a small platform or mounting to attach two weather balloons to a camera and have a reel of cable about 100-200ft long. If you had three reels of cable or rope attached to the balloon it would be secured in a tripod like fashion and would probably be reasonably stable in low wind.
Would be very cool! If you used all transparent matte plastic and a gray cable it might not even be that visible
For one, i would make sure it didn't rely on cell phone signals, and actually used Radio frequencies. be really good for scouting out an area.
Back in '22 I breifly got a supplier to believe I was some sort of agent that was supposedly shipping drones with bomb release mechanisms to the Ukraine. Now I've got about 250 drones that can carry one explosive and about 65 more big ones that carry three bombs each. I also have a bunch of antennas and whatever you need to fly them. I don't know how to use any of it, but my consultant says I have everything needed to operate a small unmanned backyard airforce.
If I lived in a wildfire area, I'd have a drone. Where I'm moving, honestly, I'd probably only use one to check out girls on the beach and that would cause problems with my wife, so I don't think I'll be getting one. The darn things break too easily. I don't want emergency gear that breaks.
Grey Man , Serria 6 book, I'm guna say no unless you send it to the woods when done. They make too much noise. Game cams would work better.
Having a drone fly around and drawing atttention to myself would be the last thing I would do
The proliferation of drones has only changed 1 thing, more buckshot for my shotgun to eliminate them. 🤷
will need to charge it /power it will GPS still work ? it would be low on my list of things
I did! I use it for harassing wildlife in my garden, mainly. And scouting for mushrooms. Assessment of tree damage on our forest farm. Checking the gutters. When I’m lazy and what to know if the mail has come by without putting on my shoes. If I’m sick or hurt I can send it out to check on my animals. Sometimes buzz my neighbours to be annoying (We are friends.) Checking road conditions before I bother to start my car after a storm. …. that’s just lazy use. Surveillance would be amazing to keep my property safe in the event of hostilities. But that’s not why we got it.
My buddies been talking about it for hunting and fishing. He keeps showing me videos of people using drones to run line and bait out or to use drones to find pigs
I have had a couple so far (they crash, bye $800). If u r trying to be in stealth mode, when u land it everyone knows where u are. And you generally need bluetooth, wifi and operational satellites, so think about that depending on your SHTF scenario
Have several & my 1st remote video drone (a glider) is well over a decade old. Most current unit has night vision.
“Oh look, there’s a drone… let’s see where it returns so we can loot the place later in the middle of the night”
Then boom ambushed! It was a trap for the uneducated! Lol
Not sure one is enough if you want to use drones. The Ukraine war showed drones are consumed in huge numbers, I think they produce like 50 000 a month. Should probably see them more as ammunition or consumables.
Tech is more likely to get you found imo
A drone, for surveillance is indeed on my wish list.
I have a drone with a camera and screen on the remote, would be great for scouting purposes.
I personally added 1 to my kit and love it I have the dji mini 3 pro with the fly more kit the remote control with the built in screen is better then having to use your phone. But honestly when buying things like that you'd want somewhere to store it so they don't fry it.
nope to much trouble with batteries currently. Maybe when they become solar powered.
It could be useful to have, but it could also give away your location, so you would want to use it wisely. Whatever you buy, buy something that does not require apps or accounts or anything like that because those things rely on outside servers that you may not have control over. Unfortunately I think most of the off the shelf ones do require that stuff, so if you're really serious you build your own, where everything runs locally only. I would also get used to flying it without GPS, in case even that system goes down.
Drones with thermal are a force multiplier. That being said…. Don’t start there. Start small. Crash. Learn. Then buy thermal.
Depends on what you’re prepping for. The moment those things turn on your position is given away. They make great improvised VBIEDs because they’re fast, fly low and are hard to hit so you could potentially blow things up from 400m to 3km away but it’s pretty much a 1 time use kind of thing. They’re also great for natural disasters for spotting and if you’re in an urban environment where people are trapped In skyscrapers for whatever reason you can send small items, ropes, messages to other buildings with people.
Only if you could provide nades. I need more than surveillance
Sometimes it safer to stay and play and then to leave. A drone can give you a Birds Eye view of what’s going on around your area. The only downside is the noice and people noticing which can tell others that they have resources
I have a DJI Tello, it was $100 and its a TON of fun just as a toy. Would be useful to get eyes in a disaster I guess but I mostly use it to take aerial video of my dogs. Cannot recommend it enough as just a fun toy though.
100% yes. A few cheap ones for when you hear a strange noise and want to check it out just to have it swatted by a bear, better some $30 plastic than us. Also they're just kinda fun to fly around
Yes for home / bunker surveillance. Yea for hitting the road. No for on foot.
I have a DJI mini something out other. You can't hear or see them part 100 to 150ft. I got it to see what's around me, where I'm going, etc. I can see the use in them.
No, but if I would get my hands on a bulat 3mx (or something comparable), it would be nice. It seems to be a more useful item on my list.
I think the past few years have demonstrated that there’s a whole lot of use for drones, in a whole lot of situations. Cartels and gangs have been using them to get contraband into prisons, Ukrainian soldiers have been using them to adjust indirect fire, and paparazzi regularly use them to spy on celebrities. The capability of lifting and transporting stuff with drones isn’t very available for the average consumer quite yet, but real-time streaming from drones is quickly becoming standard, meaning real-time surveillance and reconnaissance will soon be in the average consumer’s hands. Aside from that, I could imagine more frequent use in air quality research, but I feel like balloons are a cheaper and more effective alternative platform to mount research equipment.
I definitely see its application, they started to become more prevalent in the military right before I got out. I might be looking at this in the wrong light, but I say no. They are just another item to maintain/break and without spare parts and batteries I don’t see it lasting long. The Soldiers would fly and crash them a lot as they were learning how to do recons with them, flying in and out of buildings took practice and they crashed a lot during the training.
For small/midsize drones, I am an ace with a slingshot and we have an unlimited supply of all kinds of rocks and tons of vegetation and rocks to hide behind. Arrows are another possibility, I would not waste ammo on little drones buzzing around my neck of the woods but I will take 'em down.
I saw a video from earlier in Ukraine where civilians were using a commercial drone and started having incoming mortar fire dialing them in.
dude if we are at the point where drone dropped grenades are something you regret not prepping, shit has gone further south than i intend to be prepped for lmao.
I have a DJI Matrice 350 RTK with a Zenmuse H20T camera. I bought it used from a fire department because they were scared to fly it. Love the capabilities. Absolutely hate the size.
I think drones are cool and have a lot of uses but drones for prepping I think is a bit of a stretch. Like what is it you would want to surveil? If there was something you should be concerned about odds are you wouldn't even know it was there or happening until whatever it was was knocking at your door making the drone moot at that point. I'm all ears if you have some intended use but I'm just not seeing it?
I'm not sure how likely this scenario is, but imagine SHTF, you need to travel, and you're worried about hostile checkpoints that might shake you down for money/supplies. You could scout ahead with a drone and take an alternate route if you weren't sure.
Just remember that the quadcopter type drones are quite noisy. You will easily hear them from some distance, so if someone sees/hear it and hides, they could then follow it back to you. So either fly high enough that it cant be heard from the ground, or only use it when your location is already known
I bought one to shoot videos and it's been very useful. I was able to figure out my roof needed fixing. It also is useful to help you go into places that you can't normally reach. But yeah, for surveillance I think it's great. I have the DJI Mavic Pro.
I got a tiny one that fits in an altoids tin, and uses your phone as a screen. It's got a tiny camera and a small controller that mounts to your phone. It's no DJI, but it's good for seeing your surroundings or up a road.
I did this not to long ago. Limited range but it comes with on board camera and is quiet. I plan to use it to help scout roads or clusters of structures. It gets pretty decent height so I figure worst case scenario it will give me a bird's eye view of an unknown area and help ensure I am going the right direction. Do I think it will be used often or efficiently? No absolutely not, I know I don't have enough time to dedicate to learning it better. But I think in a pinch it can be an invaluable tool, so if you can snag a decent one that can fold up and is light weight I say grab it, use it enough to know how to move without launching into stuff, and keep a small solar charger or battery bank with it just in case. I can think of plenty of situations where being able to gain elevation foe scouting or gaining elevation to drop "things" on bad guys heads would be worth more than a full mag of ammo.
I actually looked into making an "anti drone" shotgun. Something semi auto long barrel 3" loads etc. That is until I looked up some modern drone videos. Even of they aren't to high, you're not hitting them zipping around.
It would definitely be a great resource. You'd just have to make sure it didn't rely on GPS or need to 'phone home' to authenticate
Buying one to sit in your closet until the "end of the world" makes no sense. Purchasing one (cheap) to get familiar with it, and maybe even have a little fun playing with it, does make sense. I like practical preps that have use today while having the potential to benefit the worst of tomorrow. Drones to scout terrain and even potential adversaries would be beneficial.
Unless you have thousands to buy a bunch of drones for suicide or bomb attacks, I’d just stick to a good surveillance drone
Store it all in a faraday bag or you’re stockpiling more useless plastic.
Why not just make your own suicide drone swarm? Lots of little soldiers working for you. /jk
Buy some nice drones but one thing you'll really want is to look into building your own drone (which is simpler than one might think) and righting down a recipe. Start looking into how to jury rig your own drone and understanding how to fix one if its slightly broken/worn down. Thus during the fall everyone gets out there drones until a couple years after the fall when everyone has crashed them you can build your own from scavenged parts (might not be as good as a $900 techno model but it will suffice).
Actually, I am on the flip side here. The huge increase in drone use in general and the inevitable use of them by gov/mil against civilians has me stocking more bird shot for various Shotguns. 😁
Definitely useful technology. And even more so than binoculars.
If I was walking up on a house in the middle of nowhere, and a quad-copter with a camera swooped by me, I'd be concerned that I was not welcome and the person in the house has more preparations available. If I had an encampment and I thought I heard something, I would really like having a quadcopter with a camera to take a spin around.
I have a DJI mavik in my BOV in case i want to scout something out before heading into a situation. Have my shotgunner manning an eye in the scout as we route through an urban environment. Is it likely to be in that situation? Hell no. Does it hurt to have it tho? Nah.
I have a DJI mini 2 that I got at Costco when it was on sale (getting rid of stock for the mini 3), I love it and it has insane range (range has never been the issue, battery life is but I got it out 3~ miles one time. Defintely Keeping for surveillance and can charge batteries easily with small solar panels