I'm a novice Air 2S flyer. I fly in many areas of the very busy Los Angeles/SoCal basin. VLOS is a must for beginners. Most important for people learning spatial awareness with a drone is planning, planning, planning. Where are you going during this flight. Think it through before you launch. A flight plan also goes along way in keeping your drone in one piece. I'll bet the FAA is freakin' out about drone/cell network access.
As a FAA Commercial pilot I can tell you beyond line of site is fine as long as you stay 400 feet and below (not hear airports) there almost no chance of coming close to aircraft. Our landing patterns at the airport are often 1,500 feet. So I'm not sure if this guy has a license or just has no clue what he referring to in his line of site comments.
Mike, I find it hard to believe that you're an FAA licensed pilot that would advocate for flying beyond VLOS. That has to be the most irresponsible comment I've had posted to date. While it is true that commercial aircraft have to stay above the 500' ceiling, there are a LOT of exceptions to that with smaller planes and helicopters. I live between a large farming area and the shore and fly at these locations regularly. I can tell you that on most occasions, smaller planes over the fields fly well below 400' when crop-dusting. At the shore there are sightseeing helicopters and banner planes flying every day below the 400' limit and all of these are in a drones airspace. Also, very few of these have ADS-B on board so they are essentially invisible to me and can appear quickly, which provides very little time for me to avoid them. The other more important point is that the FAA gave us a simple set of rules to follow as drone pilots, which includes the VLOS one. Why would you ever suggest that drone fliers ignore this based on your experience? Do you also speed through school zones because you're a good driver? These rules were put in place to make the skies safer for commercial aircraft and still allow us to share that airspace with our drones. I'm not a big fan of rules either, but these are simple and I try to follow them. If folks took your advice to fly beyond VLOS, it would only be a matter of time before we had an incident and the FAA could ground all drones with the stroke of a pen. Give that some thought and I hope it makes sense. If not, please sell your drone and find another hobby so the rest of us can enjoy the thrill of flight.
@@Dronevalley I have been a pilot my entire life....I will show you my license and I even did stunt flying! How can I reach you, I am shocked you would doubt me?
Mike, I couldn't believe that a pilot would advocate for drone fliers not having to worry about aircraft below 400'. That was an irresponsible comment and made me question your credentials. As I pointed out, there are a lot of private and commercial planes, helicopters and other aircraft that regularly fly below that 400' ceiling and why the FAA has implemented the VLOS rule. That was the real point of my reply and you haven't addressed that. Pilots are some of the most careful and conservative professionals I know and ALWAYS err on the side of safety. Encouraging drone pilots to ignore the VLOS rule is reckless and irresponsible, hence my reply.
@@DronevalleyI too live in an agricultural area that is swarming with crop dusters during the spring. I'd say they're at a much higher risk of a bird strike than a drone strike. Red-tailed hawks are everywhere where I live, they can weigh anywhere from 690-1700 grams and are often circling on updrafts above the fields. Any crop duster pilot knows there's risk involved with flying so low. Bird strikes are a much more likely. Besides crop dusters only fly seasonally. As far as helicopters go, again unless they're spraying crops, taking off, or landing they'll be above 400'
@@kickeramps The crop dusters have to fly lower to not have their spraying spread too far and for it to be effective so they are pretty low and aren't using any ADS-B so there's no way of knowing if they're in the area. We also have "banner" planes in our area that routinely fly at the shore and elsewhere that are also under 400' without ADS-B. Finally, helicopters aren't required to have ADS-B and can fly anywhere, essentially at any height so there's another hazard to keep in mind. All of this leads to the VLOS rule and keeps all of us safe when flying. Until we have a drone that can actively avoid another aircraft, BVLOS is still a future goal. Stay safe and fly close.
I'm fine with "visual line of sight" as far as being able to see the airspace around where your drone is flying. What I find silly is that you not only have to be able to see a drone the size of a cell phone but even the orientation of it. I can't tell orientation by looking at the drone when it's about 50 feet away, and easily lose sight of it after about 300 feet. But I can see whether there is any other aircraft in the space where it's flying, or most anything else that could be a problem - that's all that should really matter.
I agree with you and my interpretation of VLOS is exactly the same. The intent of the rule is to avoid a collision so if I have a clear view of the sky near where my drone is flying, I can see aircraft approaching and drop down to avoid any incident. I do use a small strobe to help with the visibility of the drone and it gives me about 3000' of view.
My sentiments exactly 💯 I believe most people that complain about VLOS regulations is exactly that. If I have clear sight of the sky around where the drone is and can see where the drone is that should be allowed. I can get having the ability to see it can be crucial if say you lose the camera feed and need to fly it back by eye sight...
Thanks for the post. If you're using goggles, you need to have a spotter with you. You can't use goggles alone as per the FAA rules because you have no clear view of the sky and can't maintain VLOS.
My issue with VLOS is that while I can't see my drone much more than a couple hundred yards, I can certainly see aircraft in the area. I'd think VLOS should be based on being able to see aircraft in the area that you're flying, and not necessarily whether you can pinpoint the actual drone itself.
Vision assist allows you to use the 360 sensors to see around you. I also think this will be for adds ons for professional uses like RTK, Speaker, Light. DJI will likely release and SDK with these extras to extend the life of the drone for commercial use.
Rick, great vid. Real world pilot here. When aircraft are flying low enough to collide with a drone, usually the pilot is flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules) unless landing IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and landing at an airport under IMC conditions. ADS-B is something pilots use to track locations of other aircraft. Maybe it’s time for DJI, et al, to dabble with ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) in drones. Not sure if it’s possible, but it might be worth a look! Just say’n! 🤔
FAA has said they don't want drones with ADS-b out. I believe their argument is that it would make so much white noise that pilots would start to ignore most things and render it useless.
As a full scale general aviation pilot of a small personal aircraft [1974 Decathon] I can attest as to how difficult it is to see another aircraft when you're flying especially during the day and if you're close to the same altitude or above them. You might see one if it was above you and the sky was the background. Of course coming into an airport, you expect more of a chance for there to be other aircraft in proximity to you but that's when we start depending our radios to figure out where everyone is or, in the case of a larger airports by directions from people following all the planes by radar. While there are instruments for proximity warnings [TCAS], most small aircraft do not have these. So even though we're looking, essentially, we mostly depend on the fact that the sky is big and luck. How this relates to drones is that even if a drone was as big as a Cessna you don't have any more of a chance of hitting someone else than in a full scale aircraft except if you fly into an area you know is likely to be congested. Also, with the exception of helicopters and crop dusters , most full scales don't fly at 400 ft or less unless they're landing or taking off and they're supposed to stay at least 500 ft away from any obstacles. So... the bottom line is that there's really not much point in hyper-regulating drones because just common-sense regulations are adequate.
I agree with you if it was just you, me and a collection of other responsible pilots flying. In that case the chances of a collision would be really low. The challenge is that every day some new fliers enter the hobby and with the explosion of novice pilots launching drones, the chances of a crash are increasing exponentially. It's just more gear in the air, which makes it more likely. VLOS at least limits the chances of a crash since the pilot can actually see the drone to avoid another aircraft. I know from experience that smaller planes can come up on you quickly and are well under 400' where I live since they are servicing crops. VLOS minimizes the chances of me missing them and ruining the hobby for everyone.
It’s weird that paraglider pilots and PPG are less limited than drones though. I think it’s super odd. Paragliders do have some of the best visual range as far as being able to look around BUT they lack the mobility to get out of the way. Yet at 5-6 thousand feet there are pretty much little to no regulations for PG pilots.
If you stay below 400' aircraft should never be an issue. Aircraft have to stay above 500'. Flying beyond LOS should be allowed for those with cameras, FPV or screens on their controllers, that allow the user to see exactly where they are. The new rules should be for commercial drones only, they are heavy and dangerous. Hobbyists drones-planes have never been a problem in the past 50 years, no need to regulate them now.
I agree, but playing devil’s advocate here, those planes have to take off and land. The 500’ doesn’t apply then. That being said, I fly non-VLOS here in the rural country; no farm airstrips close by. These mini drones go out of sight quickly!
sptrader, thanks for the post but there are a lot of situations where commercial aircraft fly well below that 500' ceiling. Sightseeing planes and helicopters as well as smaller crop-dusting aircraft are just a few examples. I've had more than one encounter at the shore with a low-flying plane pulling a banner sneak up on me. The other challenge is that most of these aircraft do not have ADS-B enabled so you're totally blind to them with the newer DJI gear.
jimgray- I agree with you and have had quite a few times where a farmer was working their field and popped up from behind a stand of trees well below 200' making another pass treating their crops. If my drone was out of sight, there could have been a collision and that's the whole point of VLOS.
@@Dronevalley I guess I’ll check your website for a beacon to attach to my mini 4. I’ve never seen crop dusters around here; too many woods and smaller corn and tobacco fields. Your point is well taken though.
Helicopters routinely operate under 400 feet. There was a midair between a Mavic drone and a helicopter in Daytona Beach,FL the day before this video posted. That collision occurred at 180 feet AGL.
My VLOS forward using just the drone camera is much greater than when I used to fly my old taildraggers (T-Craft, Champs): I am not a fan of the drone VLOS rules in the USA. I enjoyed your commentary in this video. Keep up the good works.
The line of site isn't really an issue when it comes to interacting with other aircraft (if you pay attention to the AIR SENSE which is just further complemented with the recent update for vision assist through the obstacle avoidance sensors .
That's really interesting to learn Rick; I love discovering hidden little things like this! Does that USB C plug provide power? It would be interesting to find an alternate use for the plug and the cavity. What other drones from them appear to have this?
Hi Rick how was it done with the older Parrot products ? do you think a third party might be able to make 4g work the same as the old Parrot way , then no need to go through DJI's servers ?
If you click on the QR code under the shell, it shows you exactly what it’s for there is a 4g module for it even has a video and how to it’s made for the mini 4 pro also somehow and I even found the module on eBay for 159.99
I have flown beyond visual line of sight for almost 11 years now I have never had any issues. First and foremost a manned aircraft normally doesn’t fly below 400 feet unless near an airport but I don’t live within 50 miles of any airports also flight radar app is great for seeing any manned aircraft that might be flying close to your location. And it not only shows the manned aircraft’s position and heading but also the altitude of that flight. Another factor is helicopters flying within a couple miles of your location are pretty loud and easily detected before getting close. Flying around 150-200 feet in altitude is a pretty good altitude for long distance flights. Vision assist also helps you view through the camera sensors giving you 360 all around vision now. Also you can have visual line of sight upto 5 plus miles or further depending upon your location. If you’re standing in a desert and can see a mountain that is 10 miles away and you fly directly towards the mountain you might not actually see the drone itself but can see the general area of where the drone is located. And if a plane happens to be flying in that area you will see it as it is much larger than the drone.
I appreciate the post but can't agree with your logic. A LOT of aircraft fly well below 400' on a regular basis. Sightseeing helicopters and planes as well as smaller aircraft servicing crops. Very few of these broadcast an ADS-B signal so you're effectively blind to them in the air. Flying beyond VLOS is like driving through town with blinders on since you can't really see anything above, below, behind or to the sides of your drone and that's a lot of dark space you can't react to. The simple fact is that we fly in a shared airspace with other aircraft and since we're not actually in the aircraft to take evasive action to avoid a crash, there have to be limitations until the drone can do this automatically. I'm sorry but I'm really opposed to this type of flight with today's technology. It's like playing Russian roulette in the sky and the potential for trouble is too high, plus you're violating the law.
I recieved my cellular dongle 2 unit for my Air 3 today. I believe DJI will in the future put a sim slot into most of their drones with this feature already integrated and just charge the annual fee witout an additional dongle. I also believe they will in the further future also integrate sattelite connection for their drones too - although this will be more complicated to get a high bandwidth without a bigger reciever device. But flagship smartphones are also starting to at least somewhat integrate sattelite features even if it is just for texting for now.
I'd like to see DJI put a cellular connection in their drones like Brinc does with its Lemur. Turning the drone into a flying cell phone could be very helpful in law enforcement situations like barricaded subjects. Thanks for the video.
Good discovery. There is some research in journals about using cellphone technology for UAVs. A policy issue beyond BVLOS is band allocation; UAVs are stuck on certain shared frequencies, where there are dozens of signals and other sources of EM noise in urban areas creating interference. The FCC and the FAA need to work on this quickly, even creating a voice frequency on the Air band. In fact, there are several other bands, 433 MHz ? available, as well as ham radio bands.
Greg Reverdiau from Pilot Institute posted a 15 minute YT video about 2 years ago specifically focused on VLOS. In that posting he explains that the FAA's intent on VLOS is that the Pilot in Command (PIC) or a visual observer (VO) immediately proximate to and in real-time communication with the PIC "must have the ability to see the aircraft at all times." The FAA's concept of VLOS. therefore, does NOT mean the PIC can see the air space in the area where the drone is located. The PIC or VO must be able to actually see the actual aircraft. Strictly applied, this concept renders most consumer drones to missions within a very small radius from the PIC. FAA's concept of VLOS may date to a time when remote control aircraft were larger fixed wing aircraft having analog signal transmission, no cameras and no on-board visual signal transmission. IMHO, this concept of VLOS is unrealistic (and wholly ignored) in the current era every day consumer drone deployment.
Thank you this video. I didn't know that about the air 3 until you showed me. I also agree all the hating on Chinese drones DJI drones specifically. It's all political with lobbying even lobbying from Skydio. DJI drones save lives in search and rescue police and now they are banned for those services. That worries me. Thank you again and I'll see you in the next video you are speaking about this.
I would like to see the exact dongle/ components and which countries have approved it. It’s very interesting subject. I have an DJI AIR 3 , it’s great to fly.
Well done Rick !; just a quick comment on VLS; its a flawed process in some respects for the following: there are so many new and experienced pilots flying very small DJI drones and trying to do the right thing with keeping their Drones in VLS however due to there color and extremely small profiles, invariably they are going to push the limits of "Site"; this in turn creates an issue with situational awareness (you can see where I am coming from!); my view is to change the rules where for EG, to fly beyond VLS you must have for EG, a minimum of a DJI Fly / Go 4 / Go and or any other similar Manufacturers platform to visually know (on your phone / tablet / RC) where you are at; the redundancy's / obstacle avoidance systems these days take care of a lot of the other risks involved; just a thought and possible starting point for further discussion !!! Happy New Year!!!
Yep, the FAA governs the skies and the FCC governs the airwaves. Cell service in the air has always been a challenge and it looks like DJI is experimenting with using it as a connection technology in the future. Stay tuned.
Yes it is for mobile cell dongle. DJI will release firmware soon for some of its drones to fly using a dongle. You will also notice similar hatches in the RC Pro and dji RC REMOTE CONTROLLERS. It will be introduced soon in Europe testing starting soon, not sure about the USA.
Thanks for the post and I did use the one I had with both of my Smart Controllers to connect for map updates and firmware downloads so that portion of it works since it's only touching the SIM network. The drone connection is trickier since it needs to be authorized through the DJI system and I think that's a very touchy subject right now in the U.S. with all of the nonsensical discussions around DJI being a security threat. I'm not sure if we'll ever see that feature activated.
Hey Man , I bought my air 3 a month ago, I have been living in China for 20 years, I use the 4 g network when ever I fly i. , It uses the TD-LTE dongle. It works very well, I Can go around buildings with no problems. Some times it will lose a single but pick it up very fast. It can use a sim card or an esim. The way it works is the controller goes to a DJI server the drone connects to the same server. If it losses WiFi it will use the 4 G network. I live in a city so its a very dense electronic environment. Dji has a sort of back pack for the mini 4 that can hold the TD-LTE dongle the problem with that is its over 250 gram and need to be registered. But that's very easy the DJI store does it for you. It really changes the way to fly.
Get an optical sensor that can turn on and off based on seeing light or not. Then use your light on the drone to toggle that to open and close a grip thing! I don't know if this would actually work, but I have thought about it before.
Interesting info Rick. As far as VLOS, while you can't see the drone you can see the general area where the drone is located. You can see manned aircraft in that area, even a C-152, That should be enough to see and avoid. If I see an aircraft in that area I can lower the altitude to avoid it. Btw, even if you can see a drone 1,000 feet away it's still very difficult to judge distance, speed, direction and altitude of an aircraft that is relatively much large.
If you have 120° visibility with your camera, that's 240° you can't see, an airplane can fly faster than a drone overtaking the drone. Until we have some sort of detection on the controller, that will warn of an aircraft approaching I don't think we should be able to fly, farther than visual line of sight. That's my humble opinion for what it's worth.
I typically fly my drone at around 100 ft or lower. Do I need to worry about aircraft at that height? I would think not especially if you are avoiding airstrips and heliports.
Other than search and rescue, law enforcement or similar flight missions I believe that there is little need to fly BVLOS. Other than the drone becomes difficult to see due to its size. Hi-Vis tape or paint? Thanks Rick.
Thanks for the post and I actually thought the same thing since the original FAA regulations called for the drone to broadcast it's location directly. I think the Air 3 was probably in development when these regulations were being created and DJI wanted to hedge their bets. They are always ahead of the curve.
I was flying out in the Boone dock at a little League park. All at once a crop duster. Made his first pass in a soybean field and zoomed up over the fence and turned to go back. I parked the drone and waited til he was done .. thats the only time I've ever had an airplane below the 500 feet. But neither of us were aware of the other. Those turbine dusters are pretty quiet.
the auto dive also has an impact if your covering news, and the drone would be forced down if another news helicopter entered the zone. Part of my issue is DJI and having to step to them for unlocking the drone, even if the FAA has already cleared you to fly in a restricted/regulated space, as you have gone via 107 and gotten approval. the new DJI 360 obstacle avoidance should cover a lot of the issue. if a drone is an aircraft and it ID's as an aircraft, does that mean when another drone enters the area, they both dive to 50 feet. more to think about on that.
The rules are pretty clear that a drone has to give way to other aircraft. We are the last ones to start using the airspace and have to be aware of other aircraft to avoid a collision. ADS-B will help with that and a lot of the newer DJI drones have that built into their design and you'll get a notice that another aircraft is in your area. The challenge is that not all aircraft use this system and most helicopters don't either so there's a lot of traffic in the sky that you're blind to if you fly beyond VLOS. I think the tech for drones will eventually sort this out but we're a few years away from that right now.
Yep, I knew about that "hack" years ago but the difference is that unlike Parrot (who abandoned the consumer drone space), DJI actually built the connection into their drones as a supported feature. The also offer brackets and mounting hardware for the dongles. Unfortunately this feature is not available in the U.S. and may never be. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the recent nonsense about China spying through DJI drones and the company is careful to not poke the bear until things settle down a little.
This marks the beginning of subscriptions for DJI. $33/yr subscription. Also on another video on the DJI Dongle 2, a commenter said " will not be safe to work in the US since it uses a relay to their service which means they (DJI) received all the data including the streaming video before it gets sent back to your device. With everything going in with DJI in the US this will make it harder for services like this to work in the US."
I wonder if DJI you could in theory and since the Dongle is routing through DJI's servers actually take over the control of your drone ? and fly wherever they wanted . just a thought 😅
Howdy Rick!! Huston we have a problem!! First, I am so thankful to come across your channel!! Next, one issue I believe that has not been addressed with DJI drones; nighttime flight!! I am on my 3rd AIR 3!! Here's my story!! Its dark I am flying for 30 minutes without an issue! I changed the battery; the drone takes off as normal then it becomes " a possessed drone; it shot off like a rocket!! Similar to a "Ukrainian Drone!" It Kamazai'd into my neighbor's tree! I reviewed the flight the data the drone was headed to the Gulf of Mexico!! (Approx. 1500 miles away) I spoke to the DJI folks "don't fly at night!" Huston aka Rick any input??
Someone asked what happen to your "first drone?" Once again at night, I was flying in the "N" mode or normal mode when I decided to fly in the "sport mode"!! I was approximately 2000 feet from my location when I transferred to "sport" mode from "Normal!" Once again the drone became diabolical (The Church lady from "Saturday Night Live had control of the drone !!) It slammed into my daughters' house then slammed into her neighbors house 200 feet away!! Suggestion: Don't fly in "sport" mode at night if you value your relationship with your family and neighbors!
Visual line of sight only makes sense when flying in areas you can potentially hit something. It makes no sense when I'm flying along small streams in rocky environments with a lot of signal obstruction.
But my man, these are all discontinued technologies. TDMA went away a long time ago, and CDMA was turned off in 2022. T-Mobile has some 2G/3G GSM towers left, but they are few and far between if they actually exist at all in 2024. Now they all use LTE (each at different frequencies, or channels but it's not based on previous TDMA or CDMA technology at all) and 5G which runs at different bands and frequencies but again not related to prior technologies.
After thinking about it a little more, I was wondering if they added it for other accessories like a light / speaker or RTK but there's no mounting holes to secure anything to the drone. it was clearly designed for the cellular dongle to fit in there. Interesting...
@@Dronevalley moreover, the size of the trunk matches the size of the dongle, but it doesnt seem reasonable for djji to work and design this for few countries while wasting space that could have been used for upward sensors or bigger battery for their biggest and richest markets like the US
Perhaps there isn't anything to mount on the current piece, but those screws would be able to hold another piece I think? If it pops off that easily another one could pop on?
That's actually a great idea and if DJI offered a new hood with a USB extension and mounting holes you could replace the current one with, that would allow you to mount accessories on there and have power as well.
I just really want to be able to buy an RTK module for $700 for the air 3 and not have to buy a mavic 3E... I'm dreaming with @lukepadfield80 here lol I don't think DJI is ready to cannibalize the enterprise features too much yet for us. They'll keep trickling that stuff down slowly once there is less to offer otherwise.
We just sent out the last of the winner emails and have to wait to hear back from the winners before we can make the announcement. Unfortunately it takes a little time for folks to read their email with the holidays and all so it might be a week or so yet before all of the winners are confirmed. Once I have that done, I'll post a clip on the channel announcing the winner and where they are from. Please be sure to check your SPAM folder to make sure you didn't miss anything. I've sent 14 emails so far and only had 6 responses from winners.
Thanks. I am willing to sacrifice myself to accept all the unclaimed prizes; we wouldn’t want them to go to waste. - Tim - 😊 As a side-note, you wanted our TH-cam “handle” as well, but how do you communicate with someone through their TH-cam name. (I just need to know where to look).
Yes, I did a clip on this feature a few weeks back and the Mini 4 Pro does now provide Vision Assist. It helps with side blind spots but you can only see one direction at a time so it's somewhat limited. It may be a glimpse into what's coming next.
@@Dronevalley like you have said about other things, it's only a matter of a bit of programming - get the drone to automatically show you a screen in the corner if it detects movement against the sky and you'd be in pretty good shape.
Here in Australia, we have to stick to vlos. Ive just updated my dji and now i have a ceiling limit of 150ft! So i think we are more restricted than the US.
Those height limits are location specific. Normally I can fly up to the 400' ceiling here in the States but in some locations it's lower to 150' or 300' depending on how close I am to a local airport or military base. I'll bet if you move to a new location you'll be able to fly even higher. Thanks for the post!
Why is it always assumed that people flying out of LOS are being irresponsible? Whenever I do I have a live flight radar that shows all air traffic in real time making it real easy to stay clear of air traffic.
Thanks for the post and it's not an assumption. If you're flying beyond VLOS with the drones on the market today, you are being irresponsible. Flight radar is great but it DOES NOT track every plane and helicopter in the air so you are technically blind to smaller aircraft and helicopters. Flight tracking is a great tool but it relies on ADS-B and other tech for reporting and not all aircraft are equipped. This is the exact reason we have VLOS. I don't mean to sound harsh but it's a serious issue since it takes one collision from a single pilot flying beyond VLOS to end this hobby for all of us. The FAA could change the rules to mandate that no drone can fly more than 2000' or ground us completely. I love this hobby and the FAA has set up a few simple rules for us to follow in order to enjoy flying our drones. Please stay within VLOS so we can all enjoy flying and exploring the great outdoors.
Actually it does track every plane and helicopter because the FAA requires all such aircraft to have a transponder which transmits altitude and speed and where its going. I have even viewed military aircraft on it and even the Global Hawk and Reaper surveillance UAV show up on there. It does in fact track every single legal aircraft in the sky. If I am at or below 400ft and keep a close eye on air traffic everything will be fine. Besides all consumer drones already seemed to have been hinder by government putting a limit on altitude at 1600ft, there's already enough preventative crap in place. @@Dronevalley
You need to dig a little deeper and you'll see that most of these aircraft are tracked by broadcasting an ADS-B signal that provides that information. The challenge is that sightseeing planes and helicopters as well as smaller planes that service farmers fields are not required to have these and most don't. These are also the aircraft most likely to fly under the 500' ceiling that other commercial aircraft have to maintain. This means that you're effective blind to the very aircraft you might collide with. With today's aircraft you're simply crossing your fingers when you fly beyond VLOS and are at risk of a collision every time you lose sight of your drone. This is a reckless approach to flying and puts all of our hobby at risk - it's just that simple. In my opinion, if you can't follow the simple rules that the FAA has established for drones you shouldn't be flying.
Not once have i encountered an aircraft that wasn't on my radar and I check frequently. I am not in an area that engages in sight seeing or farming/ agriculture. Been building and flying drones for years. I feel the precautions I take are good enough to keep anything from happening. I don't go out of VLOS all the time, its actually more of a rarity, but I do it from time to time with good precaution and planning. There is no convincing me otherwise, the government is always over reaching for control over every little thing in our lives. @@Dronevalley
I appreciate the conversation and it's less about government overreach and more about safety. You're wrong about the flight trackers alerting you to very aircraft and even though you might not see them, a good percentage (10-15% on average) of daily flights are done by aircraft that do not have ADS-B on board. You're also not taking into account other aircraft operating under the 500' ceiling like gliders, hang-gliders and powered gliders. all of these are possible collisions you have no awareness of. The bottom line is that if you're flying beyond VLOS with today's technology, you're rolling the dice every time you lose sight of your drone. I do believe that in the near future we'll have smarter drones that can detect and avoid aircraft automatically but there not here yet. The last thing I'll say about this is that flying beyond VLOS is a really selfish thing for your enjoyment that puts other aircraft, the public and our hobby at risk so please don't do it. It's no different than speeding through a school zone because you're late for work.
Matrice 30T also has a cavity; definitely made for the previous dongle. USB and screw holes line up and everything. (oddly, no antenna leads; maybe just in the US. Maybe I need to just open it up and put in my own uFL/MCX cables.) I think because of the recent law that went into effect (today) though - we'll never see this in the US. I'd love to just to have a backup connection. I fly in the mountains, and terrain out here is crazy. Multipath, trees, mineral deposits, weird stuff. It's always good to have backup and a more resilient connection. And the drone would be far less likely to enter an uncontrollable state. Also could help greatly in finding lost drones, and improve location and remote ID facilities. So it seems the benefit of this would outweigh the possible misuses (having 'more of a temptation' to go BVLOS?? okay...) - but with recent legal moves and the scaremongering it'll never be implemented here. I still use the (active) dongles in my Matrice and RC Pro controllers tho, because it's nice to have a connection outside of wifi when you're out in the field.
Yep, there are a few drone models from DJI that offer this feature (and DJI is the only company including this right now) but not all planes broadcast the signal. Many of the smaller sightseeing planes and crop dusters as well as most helicopters aren't required to have an ADS-B system and if you're relying on the DJI system to warn you, you're totally blind to those aircraft. That's one of my complaints about RID. Somehow every drone in the sky needs to self-identify but a large portion of the other commercial aircraft can fly without the critical ADS-B systems installed.
Excellent video once again Rick. Question... I'm considering the purchase of a Mini 4 Pro. Are there currently any DJI goggles that can take advantage of the new DJI O4 video transmission? And does the either (or both) of the Mini 4 Pro Controllers have a video output port (to feed to another monitor?
Thanks for the post and I'm glad that you're enjoying the content. DJI just released a new firmware update for the Mini 4 Pro that now makes it compatible with the DJI Goggles 2 and the Motion Controller 2. This means you can fly it both as a camera drone and also in FPV mode with the Goggles. None of the controllers (outside of the larger Smart Controllers) have an HDMI port but you can do a screen recording when flying and even add audio commentary to it with one of our Drone Valley Microphones. I have a few links here to check out the gear I've mentioned. Mini 4 Pro - amzn.to/48xl5se DJI Goggles 2 & Motion Controller 2 - amzn.to/48zDXXE Drone Valley Mic - tinyurl.com/4h3wc86e
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the DJI Goggles 2 use the DJI 03 video transmission. So, they will work, but if there were goggles that utilized the DJI 04 video - then wouldn't they then provide me the same signal distance as my Air 3's controller?
From what I've found so far, the DJI Goggles 2 uses the O3+ transmission system, so I guess its safe to assume these goggles can't take advantage of the Mini 4 Pro's newer O4 transmission system. Anyone know what the difference(s) are between O3+ and O4? Unfortunately my timing for buying DJI products has been terrible. It seems as soon as I bite the bullet on a DJI product, DJI supersedes it with a better product, so as you can imagine I'm leery to order the DJI Googles 2 for the Mini 4 Pro. It would be interesting to know if DJI plans to come out with goggles that can take advantage of the Mini 4 Pro's O4 transmission system. The reason I asked about whether either Mini 4 Pro Controller has a HDMI output is, I still own DJI's Crystal Sky Ultra 7" Monitor (2,000 nits) which I use with my older Mavic Pro. It's a really nice monitor and it would be great if I could use it on the newer DJI drones.
Thanks for the post but currently none of these DJI remotes (DJI RC / RC2 / RC-N1 / RC-N2) support video output from the USB-C connection natively, even with an adapter. The reason is that DJI intentionally left the needed DisplayPort driver out of their Android build on the controllers. We have been testing this on all of the remotes and there is a lot of tweaking needed to get this working, including side-loading the driver. I think the reason that DJI left this feature out was to minimize lag on the application. Remember, DJI built these controllers to do one thing well - fly the drone. Any other features that expand that use put additional stress on the processor and could affect performance. I'm optimistic that DJI will make this available in the future but it may be on the next generation of DJI RC with an upgraded processor.
Stay visual (line of sight) for non-commercial users, period. Like you said, those users (irresponsible people) that do distance testing are putting people and property at risk of damage, injury and life. I use to have a drone years ago and would never attempt a distance run. I gave it up because it's too expensive now for my hobby (aerial photography). You have to pay extortionate amount of money for drones, licences, and get permission from too many property owners to fly anywhere these days.
Thanks for the kind words on the video. All I was trying to point out was that I uncovered a hidden feature on the Air 3 that hadn’t been discussed before. I found it because I spent a ton of time studying and taking apart these drones to better understand the tech. Since this is probably the first time you’ve heard about the SIM port, you’re making my point.
I understand but for the average hobby flier, VLOS is still the limit. Even with a Part 107, BVLOS is almost impossible to get approval for unless you're testing a new delivery quad or have a very special requirement.
I ran into this issue overseas with military small and medium sized UAS platforms. We ran signals at the same bandwidth as European cell phone carriers. Even though a lot is done with GPS, the signals would get mixed and cause a lot of headaches.
I think it may be for the Next step in remote ID, when FAA first proposed Remote ID they wanted drone to be connected to the Internet and that would require being connected to cell network. I think DJI is just looking into what next step in RID is going to be.
I could be wrong, but there's nothing i can think of that China can see from a drone that they can't already see from a satellite, space station, or balloon that the government allows to fly cross country before knocking down.
Hi Rick. Been subscribed to your channel for years. Would you consider making an in-depth video on the "Countering CCP Drones Act" being proposed in the House?
I think they may have installed that into the drone to try and match the anafi ai drone because that is the only other drone to fly on the cell network
Why wouldn't that compartment be a preparation for an R.I.D. module? USB C for power. The Antennas just need to be the right length for the VHF Frequency band. The module could be "fixed" or removable just by a small change in the cover to be a snap-on cover like a battery compartment. Being on top also facilitates a GPS antenna. I already have two different R.I.D. modules. One is self powered and the other needs a power source similar to a Receiver. So the USB C connection works. Or, DJI could be planning for future, built-in additions whenever the US FAA decided to levy tariffs to get them to comply.
@Dronevalley Maybe I'm typing it wrong, so to clarify... I do fly with my drone in view; never have I broken that rule... ever. What I'm saying is that I also practice regularly with using the on-board cameras only, but my drone is always in my line of sight and I can also easily hear it. I mainly fly in model airfields (yes, I'm an AMA member too). That makes me a respsible pilot. Now, what I'm saying is I don't fly in obvious places where planes are. But thanks to those (like you) that do... pilots like me with drones capible of flying longer distances in places where planes don't fly have to follow rules that shouldn't apply to us. Why? CAUSE THERE ARE NO PLANES AROUND!!! For example... if I fly 2.5 miles out with clear skies over the valleys in Galena, IL, planes don't fly in that area cause they fly hot air balloons there. You're not gonna say a massive slow moving balloon "came out of nowhere". But you're flying where planes are and even lost a drone to that stupidity. So the rule is for people like you who fly where you shouldn't in the first place. The sky is massive. Surely you can find a spot with no planes. I do all the time.
You're missing the point. I can assure you that I've been flying longer and fly a wider variety of hobby and professional drones than most fliers and have more experience that most drone pilots with this gear. There are very few rules you have to follow to fly your drone in the U.S. and VLOS is one of them. You keep saying that I shouldn't fly in an area where planes might be and that's an impossible thing to do because planes are everywhere. Rescue helicopters, paragliders, sightseeing planes, survey planes, hot air balloons and other aircraft all fly below the 400' ceiling and you won't see them coming. I respect NFZ locations and don't fly near them, but the rest of the sky is open to flight as long as I simply keep the drone in view. The FAA put this rule in place because drones have no detect and avoid capabilities yet that will prevent a crash. That will be coming in the next few years as the tech gets better. For now, respect the FAA rules or land the drone, it's just that simple.
That's exactly what enables the usable weaponization of drones. Without a reasonable range, the drone flyer is vulnerable to any other threat on the battlefield. This is what is allowing the Babayaga drone to drop off another drone, sacrificing its battery power to deliver the passenger drone far behind the lines in to support areas. The cards used may not be using mobile phone cell towers, but the connection card is certainly being used by militaries and governments. The US public will likely never see that space and connection used for any furthering of the drones range. They are already afraid of what 1 person with a tiny budget can accomplish with this technology. It proved to be too effective in Gaza and Ukraine. One soldier with enough drones can currently take out an entire battalion of standard infantry and armor.
Thanks for the post but it's not really Autel behind the ban, it's more likely Skydio that lobbying for restrictions. All Chinese drones (including Autel) are covered by the Federal ban so they're hurting too.
![เจ็บที่ยังฮัก - ม่อน วรวิทย์ [ Official Mv ] จอนนี่มิวสิค](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KALIGSRSjFs/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm a novice Air 2S flyer. I fly in many areas of the very busy Los Angeles/SoCal basin. VLOS is a must for beginners.
Most important for people learning spatial awareness with a drone is planning, planning, planning. Where are you
going during this flight. Think it through before you launch. A flight plan also goes along way in keeping your drone
in one piece. I'll bet the FAA is freakin' out about drone/cell network access.
As a FAA Commercial pilot I can tell you beyond line of site is fine as long as you stay 400 feet and below (not hear airports) there almost no chance of coming close to aircraft. Our landing patterns at the airport are often 1,500 feet. So I'm not sure if this guy has a license or just has no clue what he referring to in his line of site comments.
Mike, I find it hard to believe that you're an FAA licensed pilot that would advocate for flying beyond VLOS. That has to be the most irresponsible comment I've had posted to date. While it is true that commercial aircraft have to stay above the 500' ceiling, there are a LOT of exceptions to that with smaller planes and helicopters. I live between a large farming area and the shore and fly at these locations regularly. I can tell you that on most occasions, smaller planes over the fields fly well below 400' when crop-dusting. At the shore there are sightseeing helicopters and banner planes flying every day below the 400' limit and all of these are in a drones airspace. Also, very few of these have ADS-B on board so they are essentially invisible to me and can appear quickly, which provides very little time for me to avoid them. The other more important point is that the FAA gave us a simple set of rules to follow as drone pilots, which includes the VLOS one. Why would you ever suggest that drone fliers ignore this based on your experience? Do you also speed through school zones because you're a good driver? These rules were put in place to make the skies safer for commercial aircraft and still allow us to share that airspace with our drones. I'm not a big fan of rules either, but these are simple and I try to follow them. If folks took your advice to fly beyond VLOS, it would only be a matter of time before we had an incident and the FAA could ground all drones with the stroke of a pen. Give that some thought and I hope it makes sense. If not, please sell your drone and find another hobby so the rest of us can enjoy the thrill of flight.
@@Dronevalley I have been a pilot my entire life....I will show you my license and I even did stunt flying! How can I reach you, I am shocked you would doubt me?
Mike, I couldn't believe that a pilot would advocate for drone fliers not having to worry about aircraft below 400'. That was an irresponsible comment and made me question your credentials. As I pointed out, there are a lot of private and commercial planes, helicopters and other aircraft that regularly fly below that 400' ceiling and why the FAA has implemented the VLOS rule. That was the real point of my reply and you haven't addressed that. Pilots are some of the most careful and conservative professionals I know and ALWAYS err on the side of safety. Encouraging drone pilots to ignore the VLOS rule is reckless and irresponsible, hence my reply.
@@DronevalleyI too live in an agricultural area that is swarming with crop dusters during the spring. I'd say they're at a much higher risk of a bird strike than a drone strike. Red-tailed hawks are everywhere where I live, they can weigh anywhere from 690-1700 grams and are often circling on updrafts above the fields. Any crop duster pilot knows there's risk involved with flying so low. Bird strikes are a much more likely. Besides crop dusters only fly seasonally. As far as helicopters go, again unless they're spraying crops, taking off, or landing they'll be above 400'
@@kickeramps The crop dusters have to fly lower to not have their spraying spread too far and for it to be effective so they are pretty low and aren't using any ADS-B so there's no way of knowing if they're in the area. We also have "banner" planes in our area that routinely fly at the shore and elsewhere that are also under 400' without ADS-B. Finally, helicopters aren't required to have ADS-B and can fly anywhere, essentially at any height so there's another hazard to keep in mind. All of this leads to the VLOS rule and keeps all of us safe when flying. Until we have a drone that can actively avoid another aircraft, BVLOS is still a future goal. Stay safe and fly close.
Great content Rick. I think this is desperately needed for first responders operating in dense urban environments.
We are limited on how far to fly a drone in the states. But yet the Biden administartion lets china fly a ballon across the US. go figure!
You are so right. for DFR situational awareness in many of the areas we need to go.
I'm fine with "visual line of sight" as far as being able to see the airspace around where your drone is flying. What I find silly is that you not only have to be able to see a drone the size of a cell phone but even the orientation of it. I can't tell orientation by looking at the drone when it's about 50 feet away, and easily lose sight of it after about 300 feet. But I can see whether there is any other aircraft in the space where it's flying, or most anything else that could be a problem - that's all that should really matter.
I agree with you and my interpretation of VLOS is exactly the same. The intent of the rule is to avoid a collision so if I have a clear view of the sky near where my drone is flying, I can see aircraft approaching and drop down to avoid any incident. I do use a small strobe to help with the visibility of the drone and it gives me about 3000' of view.
My sentiments exactly 💯 I believe most people that complain about VLOS regulations is exactly that. If I have clear sight of the sky around where the drone is and can see where the drone is that should be allowed. I can get having the ability to see it can be crucial if say you lose the camera feed and need to fly it back by eye sight...
Even sillier is the moment you put on goggles you have effectively lost VLOS so how are goggles legal?
Thanks for the post. If you're using goggles, you need to have a spotter with you. You can't use goggles alone as per the FAA rules because you have no clear view of the sky and can't maintain VLOS.
@@flurrywhite they aren't here in australia for that exact reason unless flying indoors
I think it's great that we all get the benefit from your curiosity! Fascinating clip Rick, hope you and the kids keep it up...
Thanks for the post and I love flying and uncovering tweaks like this one. I hope you had a great holiday!
My issue with VLOS is that while I can't see my drone much more than a couple hundred yards, I can certainly see aircraft in the area. I'd think VLOS should be based on being able to see aircraft in the area that you're flying, and not necessarily whether you can pinpoint the actual drone itself.
Rick since my nighttime crash I have spoken the DJI at length or nausea!!!! They can see all yes ALL my flights!! This is why I had their attention!!
Vision assist allows you to use the 360 sensors to see around you. I also think this will be for adds ons for professional uses like RTK, Speaker, Light. DJI will likely release and SDK with these extras to extend the life of the drone for commercial use.
Great discussion Rick. Any thoughts of using this compartment / USB for other purposes? Lights, beacons, other tech?
Rick, great vid. Real world pilot here. When aircraft are flying low enough to collide with a drone, usually the pilot is flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules) unless landing IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and landing at an airport under IMC conditions. ADS-B is something pilots use to track locations of other aircraft. Maybe it’s time for DJI, et al, to dabble with ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) in drones. Not sure if it’s possible, but it might be worth a look! Just say’n! 🤔
FAA has said they don't want drones with ADS-b out. I believe their argument is that it would make so much white noise that pilots would start to ignore most things and render it useless.
As a full scale general aviation pilot of a small personal aircraft [1974 Decathon] I can attest as to how difficult it is to see another aircraft when you're flying especially during the day and if you're close to the same altitude or above them. You might see one if it was above you and the sky was the background. Of course coming into an airport, you expect more of a chance for there to be other aircraft in proximity to you but that's when we start depending our radios to figure out where everyone is or, in the case of a larger airports by directions from people following all the planes by radar. While there are instruments for proximity warnings [TCAS], most small aircraft do not have these. So even though we're looking, essentially, we mostly depend on the fact that the sky is big and luck. How this relates to drones is that even if a drone was as big as a Cessna you don't have any more of a chance of hitting someone else than in a full scale aircraft except if you fly into an area you know is likely to be congested. Also, with the exception of helicopters and crop dusters , most full scales don't fly at 400 ft or less unless they're landing or taking off and they're supposed to stay at least 500 ft away from any obstacles. So... the bottom line is that there's really not much point in hyper-regulating drones because just common-sense regulations are adequate.
I agree with you if it was just you, me and a collection of other responsible pilots flying. In that case the chances of a collision would be really low. The challenge is that every day some new fliers enter the hobby and with the explosion of novice pilots launching drones, the chances of a crash are increasing exponentially. It's just more gear in the air, which makes it more likely. VLOS at least limits the chances of a crash since the pilot can actually see the drone to avoid another aircraft. I know from experience that smaller planes can come up on you quickly and are well under 400' where I live since they are servicing crops. VLOS minimizes the chances of me missing them and ruining the hobby for everyone.
It’s weird that paraglider pilots and PPG are less limited than drones though. I think it’s super odd. Paragliders do have some of the best visual range as far as being able to look around BUT they lack the mobility to get out of the way. Yet at 5-6 thousand feet there are pretty much little to no regulations for PG pilots.
Careful, You cant just go spewing truths like this.@@braddenison6034
I'd bet that it is also preparing for network ID, flying 400feet up will give a much better signal to connect to the network.
If you stay below 400' aircraft should never be an issue. Aircraft have to stay above 500'. Flying beyond LOS should be allowed for those with cameras, FPV or screens on their controllers, that allow the user to see exactly where they are. The new rules should be for commercial drones only, they are heavy and dangerous. Hobbyists drones-planes have never been a problem in the past 50 years, no need to regulate them now.
I agree, but playing devil’s advocate here, those planes have to take off and land. The 500’ doesn’t apply then. That being said, I fly non-VLOS here in the rural country; no farm airstrips close by. These mini drones go out of sight quickly!
sptrader, thanks for the post but there are a lot of situations where commercial aircraft fly well below that 500' ceiling. Sightseeing planes and helicopters as well as smaller crop-dusting aircraft are just a few examples. I've had more than one encounter at the shore with a low-flying plane pulling a banner sneak up on me. The other challenge is that most of these aircraft do not have ADS-B enabled so you're totally blind to them with the newer DJI gear.
jimgray- I agree with you and have had quite a few times where a farmer was working their field and popped up from behind a stand of trees well below 200' making another pass treating their crops. If my drone was out of sight, there could have been a collision and that's the whole point of VLOS.
@@Dronevalley I guess I’ll check your website for a beacon to attach to my mini 4. I’ve never seen crop dusters around here; too many woods and smaller corn and tobacco fields. Your point is well taken though.
Helicopters routinely operate under 400 feet. There was a midair between a Mavic drone and a helicopter in Daytona Beach,FL the day before this video posted. That collision occurred at 180 feet AGL.
Loved this video Rick. Great discussion. Keep up your EXCELLENT WORK!!!
My VLOS forward using just the drone camera is much greater than when I used to fly my old taildraggers (T-Craft, Champs): I am not a fan of the drone VLOS rules in the USA. I enjoyed your commentary in this video. Keep up the good works.
The line of site isn't really an issue when it comes to interacting with other aircraft (if you pay attention to the AIR SENSE which is just further complemented with the recent update for vision assist through the obstacle avoidance sensors .
That's really interesting to learn Rick; I love discovering hidden little things like this! Does that USB C plug provide power? It would be interesting to find an alternate use for the plug and the cavity. What other drones from them appear to have this?
I was thinking led line of sight module
Hi Rick how was it done with the older Parrot products ? do you think a third party might be able to make 4g work the same as the old Parrot way , then no need to go through DJI's servers ?
Very Interesting Rick. Thank you.
If you click on the QR code under the shell, it shows you exactly what it’s for there is a 4g module for it even has a video and how to it’s made for the mini 4 pro also somehow and I even found the module on eBay for 159.99
The USA is to Communistic for the Public to be allowed this.
I have flown beyond visual line of sight for almost 11 years now I have never had any issues. First and foremost a manned aircraft normally doesn’t fly below 400 feet unless near an airport but I don’t live within 50 miles of any airports also flight radar app is great for seeing any manned aircraft that might be flying close to your location. And it not only shows the manned aircraft’s position and heading but also the altitude of that flight. Another factor is helicopters flying within a couple miles of your location are pretty loud and easily detected before getting close. Flying around 150-200 feet in altitude is a pretty good altitude for long distance flights. Vision assist also helps you view through the camera sensors giving you 360 all around vision now. Also you can have visual line of sight upto 5 plus miles or further depending upon your location. If you’re standing in a desert and can see a mountain that is 10 miles away and you fly directly towards the mountain you might not actually see the drone itself but can see the general area of where the drone is located. And if a plane happens to be flying in that area you will see it as it is much larger than the drone.
I appreciate the post but can't agree with your logic. A LOT of aircraft fly well below 400' on a regular basis. Sightseeing helicopters and planes as well as smaller aircraft servicing crops. Very few of these broadcast an ADS-B signal so you're effectively blind to them in the air. Flying beyond VLOS is like driving through town with blinders on since you can't really see anything above, below, behind or to the sides of your drone and that's a lot of dark space you can't react to. The simple fact is that we fly in a shared airspace with other aircraft and since we're not actually in the aircraft to take evasive action to avoid a crash, there have to be limitations until the drone can do this automatically. I'm sorry but I'm really opposed to this type of flight with today's technology. It's like playing Russian roulette in the sky and the potential for trouble is too high, plus you're violating the law.
Great discovery Rick. I feel you on target on with your scenario
I recieved my cellular dongle 2 unit for my Air 3 today. I believe DJI will in the future put a sim slot into most of their drones with this feature already integrated and just charge the annual fee witout an additional dongle. I also believe they will in the further future also integrate sattelite connection for their drones too - although this will be more complicated to get a high bandwidth without a bigger reciever device. But flagship smartphones are also starting to at least somewhat integrate sattelite features even if it is just for texting for now.
I'd like to see DJI put a cellular connection in their drones like Brinc does with its Lemur. Turning the drone into a flying cell phone could be very helpful in law enforcement situations like barricaded subjects. Thanks for the video.
Good discovery. There is some research in journals about using cellphone technology for UAVs. A policy issue beyond BVLOS is band allocation; UAVs are stuck on certain shared frequencies, where there are dozens of signals and other sources of EM noise in urban areas creating interference. The FCC and the FAA need to work on this quickly, even creating a voice frequency on the Air band. In fact, there are several other bands, 433 MHz ? available, as well as ham radio bands.
Greg Reverdiau from Pilot Institute posted a 15 minute YT video about 2 years ago specifically focused on VLOS. In that posting he explains that the FAA's intent on VLOS is that the Pilot in Command (PIC) or a visual observer (VO) immediately proximate to and in real-time communication with the PIC "must have the ability to see the aircraft at all times." The FAA's concept of VLOS. therefore, does NOT mean the PIC can see the air space in the area where the drone is located. The PIC or VO must be able to actually see the actual aircraft. Strictly applied, this concept renders most consumer drones to missions within a very small radius from the PIC. FAA's concept of VLOS may date to a time when remote control aircraft were larger fixed wing aircraft having analog signal transmission, no cameras and no on-board visual signal transmission. IMHO, this concept of VLOS is unrealistic (and wholly ignored) in the current era every day consumer drone deployment.
makes me smile chinese spy technology? alexa says hold my fekin beer lol 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you this video. I didn't know that about the air 3 until you showed me. I also agree all the hating on Chinese drones DJI drones specifically. It's all political with lobbying even lobbying from Skydio. DJI drones save lives in search and rescue police and now they are banned for those services. That worries me. Thank you again and I'll see you in the next video you are speaking about this.
The Fimi X8 Pro has a spot for the accessory dongle for 4G on the back end. Not available in the USA.
I would like to see the exact dongle/ components and which countries have approved it. It’s very interesting subject.
I have an DJI AIR 3 , it’s great to fly.
Well done Rick !; just a quick comment on VLS; its a flawed process in some respects for the following: there are so many new and experienced pilots flying very small DJI drones and trying to do the right thing with keeping their Drones in VLS however due to there color and extremely small profiles, invariably they are going to push the limits of "Site"; this in turn creates an issue with situational awareness (you can see where I am coming from!); my view is to change the rules where for EG, to fly beyond VLS you must have for EG, a minimum of a DJI Fly / Go 4 / Go and or any other similar Manufacturers platform to visually know (on your phone / tablet / RC) where you are at; the redundancy's / obstacle avoidance systems these days take care of a lot of the other risks involved; just a thought and possible starting point for further discussion !!! Happy New Year!!!
Curious, in what other countries is the accessory available? ?
wow, fcc is always more powerful enough, with cellular: nice!
Yep, the FAA governs the skies and the FCC governs the airwaves. Cell service in the air has always been a challenge and it looks like DJI is experimenting with using it as a connection technology in the future. Stay tuned.
Yes it is for mobile cell dongle. DJI will release firmware soon for some of its drones to fly using a dongle. You will also notice similar hatches in the RC Pro and dji RC REMOTE CONTROLLERS. It will be introduced soon in Europe testing starting soon, not sure about the USA.
Thanks for the post and I did use the one I had with both of my Smart Controllers to connect for map updates and firmware downloads so that portion of it works since it's only touching the SIM network. The drone connection is trickier since it needs to be authorized through the DJI system and I think that's a very touchy subject right now in the U.S. with all of the nonsensical discussions around DJI being a security threat. I'm not sure if we'll ever see that feature activated.
for some reason i can listen to this dude talk all day, lol. he has a radio DJ vibes amirite.
Thanks for the compliment and I'm glad you're enjoying the content!
Hey Man , I bought my air 3 a month ago, I have been living in China for 20 years, I use the 4 g network when ever I fly i. , It uses the TD-LTE dongle. It works very well, I Can go around buildings with no problems. Some times it will lose a single but pick it up very fast. It can use a sim card or an esim. The way it works is the controller goes to a DJI server the drone connects to the same server. If it losses WiFi it will use the 4 G network. I live in a city so its a very dense electronic environment. Dji has a sort of back pack for the mini 4 that can hold the TD-LTE dongle the problem with that is its over 250 gram and need to be registered. But that's very easy the DJI store does it for you. It really changes the way to fly.
Great video, thanks . I wish DJI develop a release mechanism integrated into their controller so i can dual use my drone for fishing bait dropping 😂
Get an optical sensor that can turn on and off based on seeing light or not. Then use your light on the drone to toggle that to open and close a grip thing!
I don't know if this would actually work, but I have thought about it before.
@@NinjaKickthat a great idea. When you’re flying, what do you press to turn the light off and on?
Interesting info Rick. As far as VLOS, while you can't see the drone you can see the general area where the drone is located. You can see manned aircraft in that area, even a C-152, That should be enough to see and avoid. If I see an aircraft in that area I can lower the altitude to avoid it. Btw, even if you can see a drone 1,000 feet away it's still very difficult to judge distance, speed, direction and altitude of an aircraft that is relatively much large.
If you have 120° visibility with your camera, that's 240° you can't see, an airplane can fly faster than a drone overtaking the drone. Until we have some sort of detection on the controller, that will warn of an aircraft approaching I don't think we should be able to fly, farther than visual line of sight. That's my humble opinion for what it's worth.
Excellent info and presentation. I am and have always been a proponent of VLOS flight. Thanks for the info.
I typically fly my drone at around 100 ft or lower. Do I need to worry about aircraft at that height? I would think not especially if you are avoiding airstrips and heliports.
I have trees in my area around 100' if an airplane hit you at that height then they're hitting the trees too.
Other than search and rescue, law enforcement or similar flight missions I believe that there is little need to fly BVLOS. Other than the drone becomes difficult to see due to its size. Hi-Vis tape or paint? Thanks Rick.
Cool , does the Mavic Mini have this ? Just out of curiosity.I'm a Mavic Mini beginner . Happy New Year .
There have been a few kits with the dongle out for some of the DJI Mini drones but it still doesn't work in the U.S.
I think you have bigger issues over there than 4G dongles and line of sight flying.
Excellent channel, I'm wondering if this port is multi use and could also be used for a Remote ID Module, just a thought.
Thanks for the post and I actually thought the same thing since the original FAA regulations called for the drone to broadcast it's location directly. I think the Air 3 was probably in development when these regulations were being created and DJI wanted to hedge their bets. They are always ahead of the curve.
I was flying out in the Boone dock at a little League park. All at once a crop duster. Made his first pass in a soybean field and zoomed up over the fence and turned to go back. I parked the drone and waited til he was done .. thats the only time I've ever had an airplane below the 500 feet. But neither of us were aware of the other. Those turbine dusters are pretty quiet.
You need a STARTRC LED SKID GEAR set for your DJI MINI 3 PRO for night flying. Visible at incredible distances.
the auto dive also has an impact if your covering news, and the drone would be forced down if another news helicopter entered the zone. Part of my issue is DJI and having to step to them for unlocking the drone, even if the FAA has already cleared you to fly in a restricted/regulated space, as you have gone via 107 and gotten approval. the new DJI 360 obstacle avoidance should cover a lot of the issue. if a drone is an aircraft and it ID's as an aircraft, does that mean when another drone enters the area, they both dive to 50 feet. more to think about on that.
The rules are pretty clear that a drone has to give way to other aircraft. We are the last ones to start using the airspace and have to be aware of other aircraft to avoid a collision. ADS-B will help with that and a lot of the newer DJI drones have that built into their design and you'll get a notice that another aircraft is in your area. The challenge is that not all aircraft use this system and most helicopters don't either so there's a lot of traffic in the sky that you're blind to if you fly beyond VLOS. I think the tech for drones will eventually sort this out but we're a few years away from that right now.
Nicely done, sir. Thank you for the information.
I agree with you totally about visual line of sight. It is risky.
you can already fly farther than the battery will allow accounting for rth right?
People have been using cellular dongles in Parrot discos for years in the states :)
Yep, I knew about that "hack" years ago but the difference is that unlike Parrot (who abandoned the consumer drone space), DJI actually built the connection into their drones as a supported feature. The also offer brackets and mounting hardware for the dongles. Unfortunately this feature is not available in the U.S. and may never be. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the recent nonsense about China spying through DJI drones and the company is careful to not poke the bear until things settle down a little.
This marks the beginning of subscriptions for DJI. $33/yr subscription. Also on another video on the DJI Dongle 2, a commenter said " will not be safe to work in the US since it uses a relay to their service which means they (DJI) received all the data including the streaming video before it gets sent back to your device. With everything going in with DJI in the US this will make it harder for services like this to work in the US."
I wonder if DJI you could in theory and since the Dongle is routing through DJI's servers actually take over the control of your drone ? and fly wherever they wanted . just a thought 😅
Howdy Rick!!
Huston we have a problem!!
First, I am so thankful to come across your channel!!
Next, one issue I believe that has not been addressed with DJI drones; nighttime flight!!
I am on my 3rd AIR 3!!
Here's my story!! Its dark I am flying for 30 minutes without an issue! I changed the battery; the drone takes off as normal then it becomes " a possessed drone; it shot off like a rocket!!
Similar to a "Ukrainian Drone!" It Kamazai'd into my neighbor's tree!
I reviewed the flight the data the drone was headed to the Gulf of Mexico!! (Approx. 1500 miles away)
I spoke to the DJI folks "don't fly at night!" Huston aka Rick any input??
Someone asked what happen to your "first drone?" Once again at night, I was flying in the "N" mode or normal mode when I decided to fly in the "sport mode"!!
I was approximately 2000 feet from my location when I transferred to "sport" mode from "Normal!"
Once again the drone became diabolical (The Church lady from "Saturday Night Live had control of the drone !!) It slammed into my daughters' house then slammed into her neighbors house 200 feet away!!
Suggestion: Don't fly in "sport" mode at night if you value your relationship with your family and neighbors!
Visual line of sight only makes sense when flying in areas you can potentially hit something. It makes no sense when I'm flying along small streams in rocky environments with a lot of signal obstruction.
Outside of the US they have to limit the transmission power, so a cellular connection is much more important.
Maybe you can add a lidar device or infrared camera? Ideas?
i wonder if you can put a SSD hard drive in there
THANK YOU DRONE VALLEY 🎉🎉2024🎉
FLY SAFE
Love the video. We actually have three types of “cellular” networks. GSM (T-Mobile) as in Europe. TDMA (AT&T) and CDMA (Verizon).
But my man, these are all discontinued technologies. TDMA went away a long time ago, and CDMA was turned off in 2022. T-Mobile has some 2G/3G GSM towers left, but they are few and far between if they actually exist at all in 2024.
Now they all use LTE (each at different frequencies, or channels but it's not based on previous TDMA or CDMA technology at all) and 5G which runs at different bands and frequencies but again not related to prior technologies.
We have more problems with Boeing losing tires and doors or skidding off the runway because of no brakes.
The drone world should not have any worry.
We had the same deal years ago with RC airplanes and that was first time in 50 years I had an airplane in my airspace.
God bless you for making this video
Excellent video and well explained!!
Glad you liked it! I appreciate the post and will have more content posting this week so be sure to check back.
Excellent video.
Howdy Rick!!
Nighttime flight must be adressed
Could an RTK module be fitted in that spot?
After thinking about it a little more, I was wondering if they added it for other accessories like a light / speaker or RTK but there's no mounting holes to secure anything to the drone. it was clearly designed for the cellular dongle to fit in there. Interesting...
@@Dronevalley moreover, the size of the trunk matches the size of the dongle, but it doesnt seem reasonable for djji to work and design this for few countries while wasting space that could have been used for upward sensors or bigger battery for their biggest and richest markets like the US
Perhaps there isn't anything to mount on the current piece, but those screws would be able to hold another piece I think? If it pops off that easily another one could pop on?
That's actually a great idea and if DJI offered a new hood with a USB extension and mounting holes you could replace the current one with, that would allow you to mount accessories on there and have power as well.
I just really want to be able to buy an RTK module for $700 for the air 3 and not have to buy a mavic 3E... I'm dreaming with @lukepadfield80 here lol
I don't think DJI is ready to cannibalize the enterprise features too much yet for us. They'll keep trickling that stuff down slowly once there is less to offer otherwise.
Great video.
I've had several areas where there is RF connection issues outside of your two scenarios.
Rick, your channel’s link for the CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY states, “stay tuned to the channel for a clip announcing the winners.”
Where is that clip? 😊
We just sent out the last of the winner emails and have to wait to hear back from the winners before we can make the announcement. Unfortunately it takes a little time for folks to read their email with the holidays and all so it might be a week or so yet before all of the winners are confirmed. Once I have that done, I'll post a clip on the channel announcing the winner and where they are from. Please be sure to check your SPAM folder to make sure you didn't miss anything. I've sent 14 emails so far and only had 6 responses from winners.
Thanks. I am willing to sacrifice myself to accept all the unclaimed prizes; we wouldn’t want them to go to waste. - Tim - 😊
As a side-note, you wanted our TH-cam “handle” as well, but how do you communicate with someone through their TH-cam name. (I just need to know where to look).
Didn’t the Mini 4Pro make available 360 visible through its side/back sensors? Although black and white ?
Yes, I did a clip on this feature a few weeks back and the Mini 4 Pro does now provide Vision Assist. It helps with side blind spots but you can only see one direction at a time so it's somewhat limited. It may be a glimpse into what's coming next.
@@Dronevalley like you have said about other things, it's only a matter of a bit of programming - get the drone to automatically show you a screen in the corner if it detects movement against the sky and you'd be in pretty good shape.
Here in Australia, we have to stick to vlos. Ive just updated my dji and now i have a ceiling limit of 150ft! So i think we are more restricted than the US.
Those height limits are location specific. Normally I can fly up to the 400' ceiling here in the States but in some locations it's lower to 150' or 300' depending on how close I am to a local airport or military base. I'll bet if you move to a new location you'll be able to fly even higher. Thanks for the post!
Love your channel!
Why is it always assumed that people flying out of LOS are being irresponsible? Whenever I do I have a live flight radar that shows all air traffic in real time making it real easy to stay clear of air traffic.
Thanks for the post and it's not an assumption. If you're flying beyond VLOS with the drones on the market today, you are being irresponsible. Flight radar is great but it DOES NOT track every plane and helicopter in the air so you are technically blind to smaller aircraft and helicopters. Flight tracking is a great tool but it relies on ADS-B and other tech for reporting and not all aircraft are equipped. This is the exact reason we have VLOS. I don't mean to sound harsh but it's a serious issue since it takes one collision from a single pilot flying beyond VLOS to end this hobby for all of us. The FAA could change the rules to mandate that no drone can fly more than 2000' or ground us completely. I love this hobby and the FAA has set up a few simple rules for us to follow in order to enjoy flying our drones. Please stay within VLOS so we can all enjoy flying and exploring the great outdoors.
Actually it does track every plane and helicopter because the FAA requires all such aircraft to have a transponder which transmits altitude and speed and where its going. I have even viewed military aircraft on it and even the Global Hawk and Reaper surveillance UAV show up on there. It does in fact track every single legal aircraft in the sky. If I am at or below 400ft and keep a close eye on air traffic everything will be fine. Besides all consumer drones already seemed to have been hinder by government putting a limit on altitude at 1600ft, there's already enough preventative crap in place. @@Dronevalley
You need to dig a little deeper and you'll see that most of these aircraft are tracked by broadcasting an ADS-B signal that provides that information. The challenge is that sightseeing planes and helicopters as well as smaller planes that service farmers fields are not required to have these and most don't. These are also the aircraft most likely to fly under the 500' ceiling that other commercial aircraft have to maintain. This means that you're effective blind to the very aircraft you might collide with. With today's aircraft you're simply crossing your fingers when you fly beyond VLOS and are at risk of a collision every time you lose sight of your drone. This is a reckless approach to flying and puts all of our hobby at risk - it's just that simple. In my opinion, if you can't follow the simple rules that the FAA has established for drones you shouldn't be flying.
Not once have i encountered an aircraft that wasn't on my radar and I check frequently. I am not in an area that engages in sight seeing or farming/ agriculture. Been building and flying drones for years. I feel the precautions I take are good enough to keep anything from happening. I don't go out of VLOS all the time, its actually more of a rarity, but I do it from time to time with good precaution and planning. There is no convincing me otherwise, the government is always over reaching for control over every little thing in our lives. @@Dronevalley
I appreciate the conversation and it's less about government overreach and more about safety. You're wrong about the flight trackers alerting you to very aircraft and even though you might not see them, a good percentage (10-15% on average) of daily flights are done by aircraft that do not have ADS-B on board. You're also not taking into account other aircraft operating under the 500' ceiling like gliders, hang-gliders and powered gliders. all of these are possible collisions you have no awareness of. The bottom line is that if you're flying beyond VLOS with today's technology, you're rolling the dice every time you lose sight of your drone. I do believe that in the near future we'll have smarter drones that can detect and avoid aircraft automatically but there not here yet. The last thing I'll say about this is that flying beyond VLOS is a really selfish thing for your enjoyment that puts other aircraft, the public and our hobby at risk so please don't do it. It's no different than speeding through a school zone because you're late for work.
Another great video Rick
I think this is for network remote-id and flyers will have an account with the operator, and will have to get clearance to fly our drones, maybe
What country has BVLOS for recreational pilots?
You said it!
Good informative video Rick
Very helpful! Thank you! 👍👍
Matrice 30T also has a cavity; definitely made for the previous dongle. USB and screw holes line up and everything. (oddly, no antenna leads; maybe just in the US. Maybe I need to just open it up and put in my own uFL/MCX cables.) I think because of the recent law that went into effect (today) though - we'll never see this in the US. I'd love to just to have a backup connection. I fly in the mountains, and terrain out here is crazy. Multipath, trees, mineral deposits, weird stuff. It's always good to have backup and a more resilient connection. And the drone would be far less likely to enter an uncontrollable state. Also could help greatly in finding lost drones, and improve location and remote ID facilities. So it seems the benefit of this would outweigh the possible misuses (having 'more of a temptation' to go BVLOS?? okay...) - but with recent legal moves and the scaremongering it'll never be implemented here. I still use the (active) dongles in my Matrice and RC Pro controllers tho, because it's nice to have a connection outside of wifi when you're out in the field.
On the Mavic 3 classic RC It tells you if there is an aircraft in the vicinity It picks up any aircraft signal.
Yep, there are a few drone models from DJI that offer this feature (and DJI is the only company including this right now) but not all planes broadcast the signal. Many of the smaller sightseeing planes and crop dusters as well as most helicopters aren't required to have an ADS-B system and if you're relying on the DJI system to warn you, you're totally blind to those aircraft. That's one of my complaints about RID. Somehow every drone in the sky needs to self-identify but a large portion of the other commercial aircraft can fly without the critical ADS-B systems installed.
Excellent video once again Rick. Question... I'm considering the purchase of a Mini 4 Pro. Are there currently any DJI goggles that can take advantage of the new DJI O4 video transmission? And does the either (or both) of the Mini 4 Pro Controllers have a video output port (to feed to another monitor?
Thanks for the post and I'm glad that you're enjoying the content. DJI just released a new firmware update for the Mini 4 Pro that now makes it compatible with the DJI Goggles 2 and the Motion Controller 2. This means you can fly it both as a camera drone and also in FPV mode with the Goggles. None of the controllers (outside of the larger Smart Controllers) have an HDMI port but you can do a screen recording when flying and even add audio commentary to it with one of our Drone Valley Microphones. I have a few links here to check out the gear I've mentioned.
Mini 4 Pro - amzn.to/48xl5se
DJI Goggles 2 & Motion Controller 2 - amzn.to/48zDXXE
Drone Valley Mic - tinyurl.com/4h3wc86e
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the DJI Goggles 2 use the DJI 03 video transmission. So, they will work, but if there were goggles that utilized the DJI 04 video - then wouldn't they then provide me the same signal distance as my Air 3's controller?
From what I've found so far, the DJI Goggles 2 uses the O3+ transmission system, so I guess its safe to assume these goggles can't take advantage of the Mini 4 Pro's newer O4 transmission system. Anyone know what the difference(s) are between O3+ and O4? Unfortunately my timing for buying DJI products has been terrible. It seems as soon as I bite the bullet on a DJI product, DJI supersedes it with a better product, so as you can imagine I'm leery to order the DJI Googles 2 for the Mini 4 Pro. It would be interesting to know if DJI plans to come out with goggles that can take advantage of the Mini 4 Pro's O4 transmission system. The reason I asked about whether either Mini 4 Pro Controller has a HDMI output is, I still own DJI's Crystal Sky Ultra 7" Monitor (2,000 nits) which I use with my older Mavic Pro. It's a really nice monitor and it would be great if I could use it on the newer DJI drones.
Rc-n2 controller can do HDMI over the USB c connection you just need an adapter
Thanks for the post but currently none of these DJI remotes (DJI RC / RC2 / RC-N1 / RC-N2) support video output from the USB-C connection natively, even with an adapter. The reason is that DJI intentionally left the needed DisplayPort driver out of their Android build on the controllers. We have been testing this on all of the remotes and there is a lot of tweaking needed to get this working, including side-loading the driver. I think the reason that DJI left this feature out was to minimize lag on the application. Remember, DJI built these controllers to do one thing well - fly the drone. Any other features that expand that use put additional stress on the processor and could affect performance. I'm optimistic that DJI will make this available in the future but it may be on the next generation of DJI RC with an upgraded processor.
Stay visual (line of sight) for non-commercial users, period. Like you said, those users (irresponsible people) that do distance testing are putting people and property at risk of damage, injury and life. I use to have a drone years ago and would never attempt a distance run. I gave it up because it's too expensive now for my hobby (aerial photography). You have to pay extortionate amount of money for drones, licences, and get permission from too many property owners to fly anywhere these days.
"And again, you probably dont think through these things like I do" Get over yourself 😹
Thanks for the kind words on the video. All I was trying to point out was that I uncovered a hidden feature on the Air 3 that hadn’t been discussed before. I found it because I spent a ton of time studying and taking apart these drones to better understand the tech. Since this is probably the first time you’ve heard about the SIM port, you’re making my point.
@@Dronevalley It's not, which is why I'm calling you out. Sorry that you misinterpreted my comment as kind words.
Thank you Rick. 👍
That was really helpful, thank you for sharing
Glad it was helpful! I have a lot more new content posting this week so be sure to stop back soon.
Sure you can fly BVLOS in the US. All it requires is a FAA Part 107 BVLOS Waiver. Is it easy to get? No, it can take a year or more to get approval.
I understand but for the average hobby flier, VLOS is still the limit. Even with a Part 107, BVLOS is almost impossible to get approval for unless you're testing a new delivery quad or have a very special requirement.
I ran into this issue overseas with military small and medium sized UAS platforms. We ran signals at the same bandwidth as European cell phone carriers. Even though a lot is done with GPS, the signals would get mixed and cause a lot of headaches.
Where may we buy the antennas to put in the trunk?
You can find them if you do a Google search but remember that these don't currently work in the U.S.
@@Dronevalley thank you so much
I think it may be for the Next step in remote ID, when FAA first proposed Remote ID they wanted drone to be connected to the Internet and that would require being connected to cell network. I think DJI is just looking into what next step in RID is going to be.
Yea the FAA wants to track our every move
I could be wrong, but there's nothing i can think of that China can see from a drone that they can't already see from a satellite, space station, or balloon that the government allows to fly cross country before knocking down.
Hi Rick. Been subscribed to your channel for years. Would you consider making an in-depth video on the "Countering CCP Drones Act" being proposed in the House?
You can connect the remote to your phone's hotspot. Great insights!
or if at home , connect to your homes WiFi 🙂
Good vid...the ominous warnings are there...no alt....need tcas...I need some more info on the other ac altitide....vlos is not realistic....sorry faa
I think they may have installed that into the drone to try and match the anafi ai drone because that is the only other drone to fly on the cell network
Why wouldn't that compartment be a preparation for an R.I.D. module? USB C for power. The Antennas just need to be the right length for the VHF Frequency band. The module could be "fixed" or removable just by a small change in the cover to be a snap-on cover like a battery compartment. Being on top also facilitates a GPS antenna. I already have two different R.I.D. modules. One is self powered and the other needs a power source similar to a Receiver. So the USB C connection works. Or, DJI could be planning for future, built-in additions whenever the US FAA decided to levy tariffs to get them to comply.
@Dronevalley Maybe I'm typing it wrong, so to clarify... I do fly with my drone in view; never have I broken that rule... ever. What I'm saying is that I also practice regularly with using the on-board cameras only, but my drone is always in my line of sight and I can also easily hear it. I mainly fly in model airfields (yes, I'm an AMA member too). That makes me a respsible pilot. Now, what I'm saying is I don't fly in obvious places where planes are. But thanks to those (like you) that do... pilots like me with drones capible of flying longer distances in places where planes don't fly have to follow rules that shouldn't apply to us. Why? CAUSE THERE ARE NO PLANES AROUND!!! For example... if I fly 2.5 miles out with clear skies over the valleys in Galena, IL, planes don't fly in that area cause they fly hot air balloons there. You're not gonna say a massive slow moving balloon "came out of nowhere". But you're flying where planes are and even lost a drone to that stupidity. So the rule is for people like you who fly where you shouldn't in the first place. The sky is massive. Surely you can find a spot with no planes. I do all the time.
You're missing the point. I can assure you that I've been flying longer and fly a wider variety of hobby and professional drones than most fliers and have more experience that most drone pilots with this gear. There are very few rules you have to follow to fly your drone in the U.S. and VLOS is one of them. You keep saying that I shouldn't fly in an area where planes might be and that's an impossible thing to do because planes are everywhere. Rescue helicopters, paragliders, sightseeing planes, survey planes, hot air balloons and other aircraft all fly below the 400' ceiling and you won't see them coming. I respect NFZ locations and don't fly near them, but the rest of the sky is open to flight as long as I simply keep the drone in view. The FAA put this rule in place because drones have no detect and avoid capabilities yet that will prevent a crash. That will be coming in the next few years as the tech gets better. For now, respect the FAA rules or land the drone, it's just that simple.
Good one
That's exactly what enables the usable weaponization of drones. Without a reasonable range, the drone flyer is vulnerable to any other threat on the battlefield. This is what is allowing the Babayaga drone to drop off another drone, sacrificing its battery power to deliver the passenger drone far behind the lines in to support areas. The cards used may not be using mobile phone cell towers, but the connection card is certainly being used by militaries and governments. The US public will likely never see that space and connection used for any furthering of the drones range. They are already afraid of what 1 person with a tiny budget can accomplish with this technology. It proved to be too effective in Gaza and Ukraine.
One soldier with enough drones can currently take out an entire battalion of standard infantry and armor.
US don't have it yet ... And may never have if Autel get their way and ban them altogether
Thanks for the post but it's not really Autel behind the ban, it's more likely Skydio that lobbying for restrictions. All Chinese drones (including Autel) are covered by the Federal ban so they're hurting too.