Drones and research

[Nugget Shooter]

OK, I was finally bitten by the drone bug and amd almost done studying for my part 107 license. What a fantastic research tool and once mastered one can see the goldfields from a birds eye... I am amazed by the abilities of the DJI Mini and Mavic Air  and the video quality. 

Now I can see over that next hill without humping my chubby self over it.

COOL....

[mn90403]

You'll see your trends as never before!

Plot your nugget finds on a map and then go above the area with the drone.

Mitchel

[Gilaoro]

I have been reading  a lot of books about drones and their use, I just didn't imagine all the uses they are currently used for and that Israel is the major supplier of spy drones. They have even used them right here in Phoenix, AZ demonstrating the use of the "GORGON STARE"  drone that can read  a car licence 15 miles away . It can track any vehicle or person forward and backwards in time.  In other words you can just designate a car or person with a mouse click and it can track him back to the place it came from or went too. And they can stay up a long time and a few of them can continuously watch an entire city day and night.The book said that the latest cameras have 10,000 pixel resolution. The cameras were first made from 1000's of cell phone cameras feeding the computer that ties it all together.   The US government  isn't saying where they are using them in the US but they are in use and Israel is selling them  to any country that can pay the freight. These are the big drones not the hobby type but they  can do amazing things with the small one too. If I was able that would be my major focus in life remote control drones ! 

[DolanDave]

Max,

  I have been using a drone for 2 years now. The technology is improving on each new release. I just recently purchased the new DJI Mavic Air 2, and love it. Flight time is 30 minutes, has a 4k camera, its range is a few miles, ect. Im using it more and more on sending it out to scout out prospecting locations to hunt. I ran into another prospector out near Ivanpah Nevada, and he was about to hike up a steep hill to get to some interesting looking mine workings almost at the top of the hill. I told him, I will send the drone to scout it out. When the drone flew up there, the mine was completely caved in, and the guy was thankful for saving him a few hours of strenuous hiking.

   You can buy small cell phone repeaters to attach to the drone, so if your in a remote location, in a canyon, or hills that get no cell, you can send the drone straight up, to get above hills and mountains to get cell.

Dave

[adam]

Whats a part 107 license, and why does it matter? 

And BTW Bill when I click an add link , it doesent open a new window , rather it closes yours and jumps to the linked page.

[Nugget Shooter]

Hi Adam, you have to have an FAA part 107 drone license to use any drone video to make any type of money or in trade for goods. This includes YouTube , filming for a realtor, anything that makes money. Hefty fines if someone turns you in or if you are caught. You can get a recreational license, but can not use the video online if monetized, all drones over .55 pounds must be registered, but only part 107 operators must get the license, 150.00 for the class and another 160.00 to take the final exam for license at a local airport or other FAA location. Fines range from 1000.00 to 36000.00 if caught without this license doing video uploads to YouTube etc.

Even a drone under .55 pounds is not allowed to upload or sell video without a part 107 license.

[Nugget Shooter]

On 7/12/2020 at 1:10 PM, DolanDave said:

Max,

  I have been using a drone for 2 years now. The technology is improving on each new release. I just recently purchased the new DJI Mavic Air 2, and love it. Flight time is 30 minutes, has a 4k camera, its range is a few miles, ect. Im using it more and more on sending it out to scout out prospecting locations to hunt. I ran into another prospector out near Ivanpah Nevada, and he was about to hike up a steep hill to get to some interesting looking mine workings almost at the top of the hill. I told him, I will send the drone to scout it out. When the drone flew up there, the mine was completely caved in, and the guy was thankful for saving him a few hours of strenuous hiking.

   You can buy small cell phone repeaters to attach to the drone, so if your in a remote location, in a canyon, or hills that get no cell, you can send the drone straight up, to get above hills and mountains to get cell.

Dave

I have the DJI Mavic Mini and the DJI Mavic Air... Amazing what they can do...

[BMc]

On 7/12/2020 at 2:10 PM, DolanDave said:

Max,

  I have been using a drone for 2 years now. The technology is improving on each new release. I just recently purchased the new DJI Mavic Air 2, and love it. Flight time is 30 minutes, has a 4k camera, its range is a few miles, ect. Im using it more and more on sending it out to scout out prospecting locations to hunt. I ran into another prospector out near Ivanpah Nevada, and he was about to hike up a steep hill to get to some interesting looking mine workings almost at the top of the hill. I told him, I will send the drone to scout it out. When the drone flew up there, the mine was completely caved in, and the guy was thankful for saving him a few hours of strenuous hiking.

   You can buy small cell phone repeaters to attach to the drone, so if your in a remote location, in a canyon, or hills that get no cell, you can send the drone straight up, to get above hills and mountains to get cell.

Dave

"You can buy small cell phone repeaters to attach to the drone, so if your in a remote location, in a canyon, or hills that get no cell, you can send the drone straight up, to get above hills and mountains to get cell"

I could see that being a game changer in remote areas. Probably cheaper than a Sat phone . . .?

[clay]

On 7/12/2020 at 1:10 PM, DolanDave said:

   You can buy small cell phone repeaters to attach to the drone, so if your in a remote location, in a canyon, or hills that get no cell, you can send the drone straight up, to get above hills and mountains to get cell.

Dave

That's a great idea Dave! Could be a real help in some areas near to cell towers but behind a hill etc.

I can't seem to find any small ones. Do you know where to look?

[Gilaoro]

On 7/12/2020 at 1:10 PM, DolanDave said:

Max,

  I have been using a drone for 2 years now. The technology is improving on each new release. I just recently purchased the new DJI Mavic Air 2, and love it. Flight time is 30 minutes, has a 4k camera, its range is a few miles, ect. Im using it more and more on sending it out to scout out prospecting locations to hunt. I ran into another prospector out near Ivanpah Nevada, and he was about to hike up a steep hill to get to some interesting looking mine workings almost at the top of the hill. I told him, I will send the drone to scout it out. When the drone flew up there, the mine was completely caved in, and the guy was thankful for saving him a few hours of strenuous hiking.

   You can buy small cell phone repeaters to attach to the drone, so if your in a remote location, in a canyon, or hills that get no cell, you can send the drone straight up, to get above hills and mountains to get cell.

Dave

Dave,  All this stuff is advancing so fast it's hard to even read about the advances and uses . For instances I have now read that most major fire departments have drones to get views of the fire that they  are fighting without risking a helicopter. Pretty soon they are going to have too have traffic control just for drones. For an old foggy like me who grew up without TV until 1945. When I lived in Deming ,NM  you could watch the big drones followed around by a Cessna  going through testing. Some of the first operational drones over seas were remotely controlled from Fort Bliss Texas , they solicited a bunch of old  radio control model operators to fly them before the young guys caught up to the training . Just because you can fly a regular aircraft does not make you capable of flying a drone on a monitor. Younger people who have grew up with video games have a definite edge. These days you can almost be sure someone is watching you with a camera or a drone. Its just a matter of time before someone invents a small drone with some sort of gold nugget detector, be to late for Grubstake and Me !!

[DolanDave]

8 hours ago, clay said:

That's a great idea Dave! Could be a real help in some areas near to cell towers but behind a hill etc.

I can't seem to find any small ones. Do you know where to look?

Clay,

  I should have reworded that sorry... there really is no small repeater per say. But what you can do is either attach your phone to your drone, and send a text, then send the drone up as high as you can, hopefully it can send out the text, and receive texts if there is a tower its able to hit. Or attach your phone to the drone, then tether an old phone down below via bluetooth/ wifi to make data calls, or texts.. It beats hiking to the top of a hill or mountain...

Dave

Edited July 15, 2020 by DolanDave

[Nugget Shooter]

interesting indeed 

[William B]

What you are referring to is called a mobile hot spot. It is available from your service provider. It could be attached to a drone and sent up to get a signal then it would connect to your phone or computer via WiFi.

[BMc]

4 hours ago, William B said:

What you are referring to is called a mobile hot spot. It is available from your service provider. It could be attached to a drone and sent up to get a signal then it would connect to your phone or computer via WiFi.

I have learned from experience that there are times and places that you can be at higher elevations with a direct line of sight and no obstructions to the cell tower (except distance), and still not get a signal, so I am not sure that elevation alone, would always work.

[William B]

You are correct line of sight isn’t the only consideration. There is a range also. Ten maybe twelve miles is about maximum distance on a digital signal to a cell tower these days. Back in the old days when we had Motorola bricks and suitcases and the signal was analog a person could use a tower up to 50 miles away on one of those phones line of sight. You could also install a 150 watt chip in the phone instead of the 15 watt send receive chip that came from the factory And get about 150 mile range. Talk about cooking brain cells and giving yourself a brain tumor. Lol. It wasn’t legal to do that in the U.S. and the FCC could bust you and fine you heavily for doing it.  Back in the nineties I had such a phone and used it when I lived in Nassau in the Bahamas I could call direct to towers in Florida. That saved a lot of money on long distance calls. But the service was still about three dollars a minute instead of the five dollars a minute using the land line phone calling the U.S. from overseas. I also have to admit I learned about that trick from a drug smuggler on how to chip a phone to call direct to Florida. That’s a different story though.
Another consideration is that not all towers talk to all phones. On my drive home from work each day I have a stretch of about ten miles with no signal even though there is a cell tower sitting beside the road half way through that stretch of road. That is a provider thing and who your service provider is in a given area. 
Lastly out in the gold fields you will probably be on mineralized soil that could effect signals and the weather can also effect the signals. Even sun spots for that matter. So night time will get you a better signal than you can during daylight. 

[BMc]

2 hours ago, William B said:

You are correct line of sight isn’t the only consideration. There is a range also. Ten maybe twelve miles is about maximum distance on a digital signal to a cell tower these days. Back in the old days when we had Motorola bricks and suitcases and the signal was analog a person could use a tower up to 50 miles away on one of those phones line of sight. You could also install a 150 watt chip in the phone instead of the 15 watt send receive chip that came from the factory And get about 150 mile range. Talk about cooking brain cells and giving yourself a brain tumor. Lol. It wasn’t legal to do that in the U.S. and the FCC could bust you and fine you heavily for doing it.  Back in the nineties I had such a phone and used it when I lived in Nassau in the Bahamas I could call direct to towers in Florida. That saved a lot of money on long distance calls. But the service was still about three dollars a minute instead of the five dollars a minute using the land line phone calling the U.S. from overseas. I also have to admit I learned about that trick from a drug smuggler on how to chip a phone to call direct to Florida. That’s a different story though.
Another consideration is that not all towers talk to all phones. On my drive home from work each day I have a stretch of about ten miles with no signal even though there is a cell tower sitting beside the road half way through that stretch of road. That is a provider thing and who your service provider is in a given area. 
Lastly out in the gold fields you will probably be on mineralized soil that could effect signals and the weather can also effect the signals. Even sun spots for that matter. So night time will get you a better signal than you can during daylight. 

"That is a provider thing and who your service provider is in a given area"

Oh so true. Even the big boys don't always seem to work in certain places way out in the sticks. The smaller local providers, may or may not, let you piggy-back and roam for awhile but it's hard to figure out what works until you get out there and see the set up, range, parameters of coverage etc. Nothing simple anymore.

[hardtimehermit]

So speaking about out in the sticks, this is where my wife and i were last year when we found out the hard way about charging drone batteries while in the field. We were stuck for a couple days, before my buddy could find us, even then thankfully the drone had enough power to fly out to our rescue truck and guide him to us. You can get some great views with the drones, and show you what's around the corner, happy flying everyone.

[FlakMagnet]

wonder what satellite internet will be like. Anyone know?

 

[GotAU?]

On 7/26/2020 at 8:01 AM, FlakMagnet said:

wonder what satellite internet will be like. Anyone know?

 

 That SpaceX internet satellite train idea is a curse to us stargazing and astronomy buffs. And once it is all up there, people will be able to watch dancing cat videos anywhere they want to go, I imagine, because coverage will be global. There will be a lot of uses for it though, someone could probably even use it remotely to fly a long-distance drone across the oceans using it to control their system.  Times are definitely changing from what we’ve been used to in the past!

Edited July 27, 2020 by GotAU?

[GotAU?]

One use for drones can be to make high quality aerial photo maps of an area you are interested in prospecting. I have been making 3D maps for work and fun projects using drones (I have a 107 license) for awhile, and realized how useful it could be for scoping new areas out. I have also used my drone to fly up to cliff faces to look for rock art, and to inspect interesting looking veins or dikes running through them.

There are several ways to make maps from photos, and some are very low cost to free.  Here is my procedure with references to the just the commercial programs I use:   To get uniform 100% coverage of photos for mapping, I program my drone to fly autonomously in a grid pattern over the target area while it takes many overlapping photographs using a program called Virtual Litchi Mission (Links to an external site.). I then process the photos using the rendering program Agisoft PhotoScan (Links to an external site.).  The program then creates a 3D model using reference points in the images or using reference points called ground control points (GCP’s) to triangulate and process the 3D point grid onto which images are ‘wrapped’ to create a 3D model.  The models can then be independently analyzed using the software or saved as a georeferenced TIF file with known latitude and longitude coordinate handles on it so that it can be placed in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) such as ArcGIS (Links to an external site.) for mapping, or into online mapping programs like Google Earth (Links to an external site.).

If anyone wants more details or help with how to do this, and some links to free programs to do this, PM me here.

Here are some examples from my mapping projects, a large bedrock outcrop for an archaeological project (sorry, that’s not a vortex site with magical floating boulders), and a BLM parcel I like to fly and detect at near my home:

Edited July 27, 2020 by GotAU?

[FlakMagnet]

On 7/27/2020 at 9:31 AM, GotAU? said:

That SpaceX internet satellite train idea is a curse to us stargazing and astronomy buffs. 

Yeah I am not at all a fan of having hundreds of little sat.'s blocking astronomical observations, it seem pretty short sighted (pun intended).

Also, what happens with all the succeeding launches of different items? It must be getting kind of trashy up there with all the sats and assorted junk floating around…very difficult to keep track of.

 

[Rod]

Bill, I'm glad to hear that you're pursuing the 107 certificate. I'm a certified Part 107 pilot, so feel free to hit me up on FaceBook or via cell if I can be of any help to you. It's very rare that I read the forums, but heard about Reg and logged on. 

This thread has brought up a lot of great sub-topics. I'm no lawyer, but do know a few good ones. That said, I'll add a few notes. It's your due diligence responsibility to get the facts for yourself, don't just believe or disbelieve me.  

Yes, if you are making money on YouTube or anywhere with a drone, even $0.01 from ads, it's in your best interest to obtain a Part 107. If you've already been making money with your drone, but without your 107, what can you do? If it were me, I'd talk to an attorney. It's very unlikely that any regular person even cares, but it's about being on the right side of the FAA regulations. Perhaps an attorney would encourage you to edit the footage out of your videos to start with and stop doing it until you have your 107. Really, I don't know what they would say. 

107 also applies if the drone footage somehow "furthers your business". I'll leave you to figure that meaning out, but think about intent. 

Yes, a Part 107 pilot can still fly as a recreational pilot too. You're allowed to have fun on both sides. 

This guy is an aviation attorney and a drone specialists on top of that, great website to learn more: https://jrupprechtlaw.com/ 

Hope this helps, happy flying folks!

[Nugget Shooter]

The 107 test is actually not all that hard, I had to go over the charts and weather parts a couple times in my class from http://pilotinstitute.com , then you can even take practice tests. Took me about 3 weeks with me being quite busy with life, BUT I learned so much I recommend you take the course whether you intend to get the license or not 

Also it is legal to have a remote P.I.C. go out with you when you fly with his or her guidance or get him to do your photos for you as well... Worth following the law because the fines can be quite hefty  

[GotAU?]

1 hour ago, Nugget Shooter said:

The 107 test is actually not all that hard, I had to go over the charts and weather parts a couple times in my class from http://pilotinstitute.com , then you can even take practice tests. Took me about 3 weeks with me being quite busy with life, BUT I learned so much I recommend you take the course whether you intend to get the license or not 

Also it is legal to have a remote P.I.C. go out with you when you fly with his or her guidance or get him to do your photos for you as well... Worth following the law because the fines can be quite hefty  

Bill,  it’s great you are doing that for your videos!  For a great example of drone photography making movies more dramatic, I recommend watching The Last Kingdom on Netflix. I know there’s others out there but if you like historical dramas, that’s a pretty good one for watching. It has some really good drone shots that could make your educational detecting videos even more engaging  as well.  I could also see where it could be kind of an interesting way of showing the terrain you’re working in. Of course, I would keep it as a nadir (vertical) shot as much as possible to hide the location if you need to.

 I recently obtained a daytime waiver because I was going to start doing parking lot light evaluation projects with a security company using aerial photos at night (that project flopped with their bankruptcy, but I can still fly at night for other uses...) If anyone here needs help with getting a daylight waver, PM me and I’ll send you my original FAA application writeup which will save loads of time and will help you get it.

Edited August 11, 2020 by GotAU?

[Rod]

6 hours ago, Nugget Shooter said:

The 107 test is actually not all that hard, I had to go over the charts and weather parts a couple times in my class from http://pilotinstitute.com , then you can even take practice tests. Took me about 3 weeks with me being quite busy with life, BUT I learned so much I recommend you take the course whether you intend to get the license or not 

Also it is legal to have a remote P.I.C. go out with you when you fly with his or her guidance or get him to do your photos for you as well... Worth following the law because the fines can be quite hefty  

Yep, agree. It's not a difficult test, the weather and charts are likely the most challenging to people.

I feel lucky because my better half is a USAF vet and licensed private pilot. She's worked for both an AZ and Alaskan (Ketchikan Air) air service. I've absorbed much of my aviation knowledge just being around her. 

Happy flying!