Drones will be ubiquitous. How to prepare?

Started by cockpitbob, May 27, 2015, 09:43:22 AM

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cockpitbob

It's better to stay ahead of things, rather than reacting to what has already happened.  Drones will soon be everywhere:  police, military, civilian.  Drones won't be ubiquitous for several years, but I don't see a SHTF situation in the next several years either.  Now's the time to start thinking and planning.

They are coming:
Here's that entertaining guy from FPS Russia with a machine gun mounted on his drone.
The military is working on cheap, disposable drones where the circuit board is part of the airframe.  Soon, us civilians will have similar things.

I figure there are 2 main missions drones will be used for; recon and attack.  In either case you want the drone down, but in the attack case you can't expose yourself while doing it.

This is a tough one.  I'm not seeing anything that gives the results I would like. 
*  Trap and skeet skills sounds nice, but that only gives you a reach of maybe 100 yards if you're lucky.  Recon drones, and probably the other type will be higher than that.  And, you are exposed while doing it.
*  Jamming assumes the drone isn't autonomous and that you know what frequency to jam and have the equipment and skills.  This has some possibility for us radio amatures.  Of course properly preparing now by testing equipment would cost me my ham license.
*  Get your own armed drone???  I'm a private pilot and have done a little play dog fighting and lining up for an air-air kill is much harder than it looks.

Has anyone else been giving this some thought?

KK0G

I would think that the biggest problem in defending against drones would be intel. One of the huge advantages to drones is their stealth - they're extremely small and almost noiseless from practical distances. To protect yourself from one you'd have to know it was even there in the first place. I don't have an answer for this but I think that by the time it was close enough to see and withing shotgun range, it's already gathered whatever intel on you "they" were looking for.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin

KK0G

cockpitbob

Quote from: KK0G on May 27, 2015, 10:53:47 AM
I would think that the biggest problem in defending against drones would be intel. One of the huge advantages to drones is their stealth - they're extremely small and almost noiseless from practical distances. To protect yourself from one you'd have to know it was even there in the first place. I don't have an answer for this but I think that by the time it was close enough to see and withing shotgun range, it's already gathered whatever intel on you "they" were looking for.
Yeah.  I didn't want to say this in the OP, but at them moment, WRT drones I'm feeling screwed/doomed.

gil

Let's make sure this thread is about civilian drones and nothing else... Thanks.

Gil


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K7JLJ

Drones won't be an issue in a grid down or economic collapse IMO.   In a matter of weeks people will be struggling for food and power (solar / alt) and having to go nomad or hunker down. 

Either way, playing with a drone, even to find a target to raid seems low on their priority list IMO.

People are too connected to the grid and few will be able to adapt with it down, let alone function on a high level that includes running drone surveillance.

I could be all wet, but I don't see it as an issue. 


- Jim
-Jim

Quietguy

I tend to see them as more of a defensive tool than an offensive tool from a prepping standpoint.  I can't really visualize a non-government group flying through my semi-rural wooded area looking for targets of opportunity.  We're far enough away from metro areas that well-organized bands of zombies aren't high on my list of things to worry about.  I'm more concerned about small groups of desperate low-lifes who are the same ones doing petty theft now.

However, I can visualize using one myself to get above the trees and doing slow 360s to see what may be headed my way.  I have thought  about that a number of times... we are now in the time of year where I cannot easily see beyond the boundaries of my own property because of trees and warm weather vegetation.  More than once I've wondered what some random daytime noise was.  Even the road isn't visible around the curve in my driveway until I walk almost all the way down to it.  I have also thought about mounting a wireless video camera on an RC truck to drive around the property to keep an eye on things.  Just another thing on the to-do list.

But, that also works to my advantage - most people are reluctant to open the gate and come up a blind (they can't see around a curve) 500 foot driveway to get to us.  That might be one case where a small group might use a little quad copter - or RC truck of their own - to see if it is worth coming up the driveway.  But, they could learn the same thing by quietly walking up the driveway and looking for themselves.  I guess that's why perimeter defenses become very important.

Wally

cockpitbob

OTOH, I'm looking forward to when drones are a little cheaper and more capable.  It will be great to inspect and clean my 2nd story gutters from a lawn chair, and just think how high and precisely I can string my wire antennas in these 60' tall New England trees

K7JLJ

I guess they are getting pretty cheap these days.  I figure by the time I need to patrol my property/community in WROL I will need LP/OPs also.

What's the effective range of video from a drone without a data cellphone system in place?


- Jim
-Jim

cockpitbob

I don't know the video range, but some radio control buffs get their Tech license so they can use the 6M band and more power.

cockpitbob

It's been about a year since I started this thread.  Holy cow have drones advanced since then.  Cheaper, more features, more lifting capability.

I'm having a hard time visualizing my SHTF preps not including a drone.  Perfect for surveillance if you're worried about roving bands of raiders.  And I've decided the way to deal with someone else's  drone is to hang a "tangle net" with a release mechanism below mine.  Either chase off a trespassing drone or chase it down and fly the net into it.  Then bring both drones home if mine can handle the weight, or just release it and hope the fall breaks it.

gil

One could be used to hoist a long end-fed antenna up and keep it there for 15 minutes...

Gil

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cockpitbob

Quote from: gil on April 20, 2016, 05:12:53 PM
One could be used to hoist a long end-fed antenna up and keep it there for 15 minutes...

Gil

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Yes.  Or retire my slingshot and be able to put the antenna wire exactly where I want.

gil

You need more slingshot practice Bob ;-)

Gil

Jim Boswell

     I can see a drone used for observation, maybe 1/2 mile out. During field day, every time we have tried to use a helium balloon to lift an antenna the wind has created major problems. With SHTF, considering the priorities involved, I don't see drones anything except a luxury toy. Kind'a like tracers, someone can follow them back to the source. Maybe my thoughts would be different if I lived in a major city.

cockpitbob

Quote from: Jim Boswell on April 21, 2016, 11:52:34 AM
     I can see a drone used for observation, maybe 1/2 mile out. During field day, every time we have tried to use a helium balloon to lift an antenna the wind has created major problems. With SHTF, considering the priorities involved, I don't see drones anything except a luxury toy. Kind'a like tracers, someone can follow them back to the source. Maybe my thoughts would be different if I lived in a major city.

Good points.  Maybe I should focus on using my ham radio skills to come up with a drone jammer for SHTF.  Not actually make one today, of course, but be able to if things get really bad.