2023 is the Year of Remote ID – Your Questions Answered!

 Hi, everybody. Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023, and for the first video of this year, I’d like to go back and answer some of the questions that you guys asked me last year. Actually, a few weeks ago, I put out a question on my community tab on YouTube and asked if you had any questions in regards to Remote ID or anything in general about drones or about the channel.

So I’d like to start the year off by answering those questions. Now, some of the questions that you guys had, I did not have answers to, so I reached out to the Федеральне управління цивільної авіації (FAA), and they actually sent me some pretty good answers. So I’m going to go through those and answer your questions, that you had for me. So grab yourself a drink, and let’s answer the first one.

Your Remote ID questions answered

What is Remote ID for Drones?

This is from Jackson’s Drones, and we’re going to answer this one right away. What is Remote ID? Now, in case you don’t know. In case you haven’t been around for very long.

Remote ID is basically a technology that your drone will broadcast information about its flight and about all the information about that flight.

And that information’s going to be retrievable by anybody with a mobile device or with authorities or anyone that needs to know that information. And basically, the purpose of it is to help integrate drones into the national airspace system, and in order for drones to move forward, at least commercially, Remote ID has to come into play.

And so it’s unfortunate for recreational пілоти дронів just because of the privacy issues that it brings up. But it is important for commercial development and for moving forward with commercial drone use just because it’s part of the process, and it’s not. It’s not something that everyone likes.

In fact, most people aren’t a fan of Remote ID. But it’s something that’s necessary, something that’s here, and it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with if we want to be able to fly drones. And so I’m sorry to say it’s here, and it’s here to stay, but we’re still going to be able to have fun.

We’re still going to be able to fly . We’re just going to have a few more things that we have to do, and we’re just going to have to be a little warier of our surroundings. If we’re flying in certain places. But anyway, that’s Remote ID.

What is the range of Remote ID?

The next question is from Tom. How close will someone have to be to the pilot’s location or position in order to know their location while using the Remote ID tracking function, while the person doing the tracking is able to locate the pilot from a few hundred feet or miles away?

And if you get anything from this video, I hope this is what you take away from it, and that’s why I put it early on in the video. Everyone’s been asking how close does a bystander have to be to see what you’re doing, where you are, the information about your drone? Now, first of all, the information that is broadcast is not going to broadcast your personal information.

It’s not going to give your name, your address, your phone number, and all of that. It’s just going to give you a session ID number or a registration number. And then other information about the drone, the speed, the heading, the altitude, all of that. And then also your launch location or your remote controller location if you’re using Standard Remote ID.

So that’s where the privacy comes in. It’s going to let people know where the pilot is at all times. If they’re using Standard Remote ID. But the question about distance is really important because people want to know if I’m flying out in the middle of nowhere, there’s nobody around, is there somebody that’s two miles away that’s going to know where I’m at and then drive to me and steal my stuff?

And so, I think that’s why people want to know how close do you have to be? And the answer is that it’s going to vary so much according to the manufacturer. It’s also going to vary according to the broadcast module of manufacturers. So all the FAA did was set the guidelines that. The ability of the broadcast has to match the FCC’s let me bring it up here.

FAA says the Remote ID range will vary

I did get an answer from the FAA on this one, and it says, let me look here. How close will someone, okay, here we go. So their answer was the Remote ID broadcast is transmitted from the unmanned aircraft vehicle. So it’s transmitted from the vehicle. It’s not from the phone. It’s not from your app. It’s not from the remote, it’s from the drone itself or the broadcast module.

So the distance from the pilot’s location to the receiver does not affect the Remote ID broadcast. The FAA regulations do not specify a minimum broadcast range for Standard Remote ID, or broadcast modules. Rather, the rule requires that Standard Remote ID, unmanned aircraft, or broadcast modules be designed to maximize the range of the broadcast within the performance limitations of Part 15 devices as defined by the FCC. So it’s going to vary. For some modules, it’s going to be maybe 800 feet, maybe a mile, or it might be five miles, for Standard Remote ID in some situations. So it’s really going to depend on a lot of different things, and that’s why we’re not seeing an exact number.

DJI also said range for Remote ID varies

So I actually did reach out to DJI, and I asked them if they could give me a distance or a minimum distance, and their response was pretty much the same as the FAA’s.

They said, “this depends on the performance of the receiver and the radio interference in the vicinity of the receiver. Generally speaking, it can be hundreds of meters to several kilometers away. We’re unable to share a precise number as it depends on the environment”.

So we’re just not going to get a number, like a for-sure number of the range of Remote ID, until we actually see more people using it and seeing what their experiences are and seeing what it is in different environments as well.

As more modules come out and as more drones come out that are broadcasting, we’re going to start to see what the distance is, and we’re going to have an average, so we’re going to know, but for now, we really don’t know what that distance is going to be. And so I really don’t have an answer for you on that one, but at least it gives us a little bit of an idea of what the range is.

The drone broadcasts Remote ID. Not the remote controller

User FM3Q, whatever the rest of your name is. What actually sends the location, the drone, or the app. And as I just stated, it’s the drone, or it’s the broadcast module that’s on the drone. And I think I answered the rest of your question. User fm, q blah, blah, blah.

Does Remote ID affect the drone’s capabilities?

Caleb 2 360 4. He actually had quite a few good questions. First one, he asked, “What will be the effect on flight time?”

I think it’s going to affect flight time. I think it’s going to affect flight performance. And what I mean by that is the broadcast modules, the aftermarket modules that you’re going to have to attach to your drone, is going to affect your flight’s performance.

I think the Standard Remote ID for drones that have Standard Remote ID built-in, you’re not going to see any difference. Maybe a slight decrease in flight time, but I don’t think so. I think any flight performance is going to be affected just by the aerodynamics of that broadcast module. So for those of you that are going to be adding it to an old drone, that’s going to affect your flight time and how your drone performs.

How will a Remote ID module be attached to your drone?

Caleb, also asked, “How will these aftermarket modules be physically attached? Securely or just glue?”

No, I don’t think you’re going to glue. I think they’re going to be removable. , because I think you’re going to be able to transfer them to different drones. So if you have three different drones, you use this one for real estate all of the time, that’s your best camera drone, or whatever. You’re going to use that for real estate.

But then over here, you’re doing a thermal job, and you’re going to be able to attach that broadcast module. To that drone. So, I think they’re going to be easily removable, like maybe 3M hook and loop or maybe a strap of some type. I’m not sure. And there aren’t very many. I don’t think there’s maybe one out there now, and I don’t even know how that one attaches.

I think Ken Herron had one. It’s like a $300 module, which is ridiculous. I don’t think the normal person’s going to buy that one, but as the technology comes out and as we start to see more of it. I think it’s going to be. I think they’ll be securely attached. Definitely. Because if you’re going to pay that much money for something, you don’t want it falling off when you’re flying.

What role does the FCC play?

Yeah. Hockeyfan124 asks, what does the FCC have to do with drones and calls to ban drones like DJI? First of all, FCC does not call for banning drones. I don’t think they’ve ever called for banning of a drone. But I could be mistaken if I am, let me know in the comments. But the FCC has a lot to do with drones because anytime you’re transmitting data through the airspace, the FCC has to be involved.

The FCC regulates all information that is transmitted in the air , and so that’s why. Because your drone is transmitting information to the RC and back and forth. Also, if you’re transmitting, if you’re doing a live stream, maybe anytime there’s information, television signals, or any kind of frequency, the FCC is involved, and so that’s why.

Why is Remote ID added to the DJI Mini 3 Pro?

Fasbiks4me says the Remote ID is added to one of the Mini 3 Pro updates. It’s under 250 grams. What’s up with that? Great question. This is another thing I hope you get from this video. Remote ID is attached dependent upon registration. So if you have a Mini 3 Pro, let’s say, for instance, you just bought a Mini 3 Pro, you’re only going to fly it recreationally.

You’re not going to fly professionally, you’re not going to make money with the drone. You’re not going to help someone else further their business with it. You’re just going to fly for fun. That means you don’t have to register that drone. That means no, Remote ID. No registration, no Remote ID. But if you’re going to use that drone for the furtherance of a business, you’re going to use it for real estate.

You’re going to use it for photography and sell those pictures or whatever. That means you have to register the drone, and because you have to register the drone, it will have to broadcast Remote ID information. So that’s why you’re seeing drones like the Міні 3 and the Mini 3 Pro, and all of those sub-250-gram drones have Remote ID enabled because if you want to use them commercially, they have to broadcast because they have to be registered.

And so yes, if you only plan to use it recreationally, don’t register it in the Сполучені Штати. Don’t have to broadcast. The first time you use that for any kind of job or to further a business in anyway. You have to register it first, and once you register it, then you have to broadcast. I hope that makes sense.

I was actually enlightened about that, and that was from the FAA. That was a question that I actually asked them for more clarification on, and that is the answer that they gave me. Registration equals Remote ID. Okay?

Is Remote ID good or bad?

GarySturm3735 says, Remote ID is good or bad. Good and bad. I don’t know if he’s asking a question or making a statement, but I think he’s right if he is making a statement.

It is good and bad. It’s good for the progress of the commercial Індустрія безпілотників. I think it’s going to set back the recreational industry. I think a lot of people are going to be worried about their privacy and about their safety because it’s going to be available to anyone, their location, the pilot location.

But at the same time, I think the majority of flights and the majority of people are going to be okay. They’re going to get used to it. Okay. Out front, we just don’t know that much about it. It’s scary, and we hate it, but I think once we see that everything is more open and everyone’s more aware of things, that it’s not going to be as bad as we think it’s going to be. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. All right. So it’s good, and it’s bad.

Will Remote ID cause drone pilots to be harassed?

Next question. What were the consequences for those? This is from Caleb again. What will be the consequences for those who seek out пілоти дронів to harass them? Should there be extra protections? No, there are already protections for harassment, assault, theft, aggravated assault, or whatever.

Those laws or rules are already in place. It’s already illegal to do those things. So no, there’s really no need to have extra protections, and I really am one who believes that we shouldn’t make laws for crimes that haven’t yet existed. Do you know what I mean?

So, I think, if we get to a point where maybe in a couple of years, we’re starting to see this onslaught of пілоти дронів being assaulted and drones being stolen. Then maybe they need to revisit that discussion and say maybe we should not make pilot location available to everybody with a smartphone. But until then, I guess we’re just going to have to see.

Do my old drones need to be Remote ID compliant?

Wollertz says what do I need to get on my old drones to be compliant? And we talked about that already. It’s called the broadcast module. They’re going to vary in size. The one that I watched on Ken Herron’s show, it was pretty big. To me, it looked about the size of a GoPro, right?

Really big, heavy. Super expensive. Not for the average person. Maybe for someone with a bigger drone, like an Inspire or maybe, an older drone that doesn’t have Remote ID built into it, but I anticipate it’s going to be something more like this size, this is the DJI wireless mic.

It’s going to be something like this. And you’re going to have to get one of those. Purchase one. I would say anywhere from $50 to $200 is just my guess. My total, pull-it-outta-the-air guess on pricing. But I think that’s what it’s going to be. Yeah. Let’s go to the email that I exchanged with the FAA and answer some of these questions.

FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs)

So are there any FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs) in existence yet, and if so, what are their sizes and how do you find them?

FAA’s response: no, the FAA has not approved any FRIAs at this time.

This was early December. The location of approved FRIAs will be published on the FAA’s UAs data delivery service. I’ll put the link in the video description and up here on the screen so you can see it.

But once FRIAs are available, if you don’t know what FRIAs are, basically, they are drone parks or RC plane parks where you can go and fly a drone without broadcasting remote ID information. And and so there’s going to be more of those, but they’re not going to be coming for a while.

What can the general public see with Remote ID?

Let’s see. Will the broadcast information be available for the general public, and if so, what metrics will be visible?

Basically, the broadcast includes all the message elements identified in 89.305 and 89.315. I’ll put those in the video description, but I’m going to put them up on the screen here. This is what’s going to be broadcast from the broadcast modules that you’re going to attach to your old drones, and this is the information that’s going to be broadcast.

With Standard Remote ID. That’s all of that. That information is out there and readily available on many different websites and YouTube channels and all kinds of things, but there you have it.

Are there any broadcast modules available yet, and how much?

Are there any broadcast modules available on the market yet, and do you know the average costs? And the reply was the list of FAA-accepted declarations of compliance or DOC for Remote ID Broadcast is available on our website.

Right here at this website. I’ll put that in the video description. The FAA does not track the sale or availability of Remote ID broadcast modules. In addition, the FAA does not request or collect cost information from the manufacturers, so it’s up to the manufacturers. The FAA is not going to manage those things.

That’s just something we’re going to have to see as the technology gets out there and as they come to market. So I guess we have to be patient for that one.

Can you disable Remote ID on your drone?

Why can’t you turn off Remote ID on drones that have updated firmware until it’s required? Great question. And their response was, “questions about specific UA models should be referred to the UA manufacturer.”

So it’s not up to the FAA to say if Remote ID is active or not. It’s up to the manufacturer. So, for instance, if you update the DJI Avata and it has Remote ID now, and I believe it broadcasts automatically, and you cannot turn it off. You need to contact DJI and let them know what you think about that. But it’s not going to do any good.

It’s still going to, it’s still going to be there, it’s still going to broadcast. Don’t quote, I’m not sure. I haven’t done it yet. I haven’t updated my Avata, so I don’t know if you can turn it off or not, but that’s the deal. It’s up to the manufacturer. It’s not up to the FAA. And I think that was all I had from the FAA.

Again, I asked them about range. I just wanted more clarification on the range. The broadcast device, Ken Herron, stated that the broadcast module will be similar to the distance of Bluetooth 5, whatever that distance is. I have no idea. But it’s definitely going to be less than Standard Remote ID.

If you have that broadcast module, that’s going to be a little bit less of a distance. The FAA’s reply was, the rule does not provide range specification.

And, I talked about this already, but I’m going to say it again. Rather, the requirement discussed in the rules preambles performance based the f a proposed that the broadcast device used radio frequency spectrum in accordance with 47 CFR part 15 that is compatible with personal wireless devices and must be designed to maximize the range at which the broadcast can received while complying with 47 CFR Part 15, and any other laws in effect as of the date of declaration of compliance. So yeah.

And, so basically, they didn’t set the distance, they just said has to be within these guidelines. I think that’s it from the f a a. So that’s all for the questions regarding Remote ID.

Can you retrieve your drone from somebody else’s property?

Now let’s get to some other questions that you guys had. Great questions. This one I love. JimmyJohnson7041 says, my question is, “if your drone falls to the ground on private property, are you allowed to go get it?”

Technically, no. You can’t just walk on someone’s private property and retrieve your drone. However, the drone is your property.

You can approach the property owner and say, “Hey, my drone happens to be on your property. It fell from the sky landed on your property. You need to return that to me.”

I would ask nicely first, and if they refuse and say, no, you need to return that to me because it’s my property, and if you keep it, you are stealing it.

That is theft. And I can get law enforcement involved, and if they still say no. Call your local law enforcement. Tell ’em that someone stole your property. They’ll go to their house. You’ll get your drone back, hopefully. But, no, you can’t just go onto private property and retrieve it even though it’s yours.

They can’t keep it because if they do, they’re stealing it, so they have to give it back to you. All right, so that is by law, anything that happens to fall into someone else’s property is still your property. But, just a matter of getting it back. That’s going to be a challenge sometimes. Let’s see here.

I love the DJI RC

If I have a Mini 3 Pro and say I want to get the Міні 3, do I have to get a new DJI RC with it? Or the one I have will work for both? Yes, it works for both, and that’s great. You can use one RC for the Mini 3 Pro Air 2S і Mavic 3, Mavic 3 Classic. So pretty cool. Love that controller. It’s the best thing that DJI has ever done. An affordable on-screen controller. I love it.

Obstacle avoidance

Elizabeth Wonders, hi. Do you think that future drones will be built with more obstacle avoidance sensors, especially side sensors? Do you think DJI will release a software update for the Avata so users can choose to fly with an RC pro controller instead of FPV goggles?

Nope. I don’t think they’ll do that. I think the Avata will always be with the FPV goggles. Excuse me. But do you think future drones will be built in with more obstacle avoidance? Yeah, I think that’s the future. I think more drones as. As the technology gets better, obstacle avoidance is going to get lighter, it’s going to be more efficient, and we’re going to see it in just about every single drone at an affordable cost.

It’s just like any other kind of technology. It’s going to get better, it’s going to get cheaper to make, and it’s going to get cheaper to buy. So yes, I think that’s going to be a always going to be there.

How do I get better footage from my drone?

EndlessSkiesDronePhotography asks, I know how to fly, but I just can’t seem to get good footage from the place that I live.

I guess that’s not a question, it’s a statement, but that’s a great comment because a lot of people live in a place like I do North Dakota. The Upper Midwest, where I live, is pretty boring, so you have to drive. You have to travel if you want to get great-looking, beautiful, awe-inspiring footage.

You have to go places, you got to get in your car, you go to book a ticket, you got to take a train or bus and go somewhere that’s super cool. There’s definitely some places, I guarantee, near where you live within an hour or two that you can find something interesting to capture and share with the world or with your friends and family.

But it doesn’t have to be amazing, awe-inspiring stuff. You can create content right where you live, because that might be interesting to someone else. So might not be interesting to you, but someone else might find, oh, that’s super cool. And so just keep that in mind that if you want something that you see on Instagram or on YouTube channels, big YouTube channels, beautiful scenery, and stuff like that.

Those people are traveling, those people are going places. And so that’s what you need to do if you want to get that same effect.

Weirdest drone job?

Naturecallakbar1080. What is your weirdest job involving a drone? So far, I haven’t had any of them. Anything that I do with the drone is pretty boring. , I do real estate.

I’ve done some roof inspections. I’ve done some building inspection-type things. I haven’t done any like 3D modeling or anything like that. I guess the weirdest job that I almost did was somebody lost their dog. The dog had been missing for a month, but they have had sightings of where it was.

And say that they were looking for someone with a Thermal Drone. And so someone sent me the Hey, you should go check this out. Maybe you can help. And by the time I went and looked at it that they either found the dog or the dog just, they just gave up or whatever, but I couldn’t get the information.

But yeah, nothing really weird. So that’s the most far out that I’ve done there.

What kind of drone jobs exist?

Paula Feinberg. where to find paid drone work that is not real estate. There’s a lot of different jobs out there that’s not just real estate. I saw this like picture on Twitter the other day. I can’t remember who shared it.

I know Bill, the Drone Reviewer, shared it. I think Sally French shared it, the Drone Girl, but. I don’t remember, but I saw it last spring too, and I didn’t pay attention to it, but now I noticed it again. But it’s got like 30 different things you can do with a drone, so there’s a lot of opportunity out there.

Best video setup for drones?

So, WillCountyDrone. How do I know I’m getting the absolute best video picture set up on my drone while operating? I’ll say this, I say this all the time. What’s best for one person may not be best for someone else. There’s a couple of things I recommend. I always use my rule of thirds, my grid lines, and my X to make sure that my framing is good.

You don’t always want your subject right in the center of the screen, right? You want to use that rule of thirds. You want to show the environment you want to use rule of thirds. So I always use my grid lines. I always use an ND filter. And sunny days, even on cloudy days, I have ND four on there, but.

Usually, I have an ND 16 filter that allows me to dial down my shutter speed, so I’m able to get that nice, smooth footage. You don’t want that jerky, sharp-looking, you want that nice, smooth footage. An ND filter is really important. The other thing is to have your histogram on so you can see where your highlights and your lows are.

We don’t have that little histogram on, so you can see that everything is balanced as far as your highlights and your lows. So I think those are just general photography and general videography guidelines, but, like I said, what’s best for you might not be best for someone else.

So yeah, just remember that. And I think I’ll finish with this one. Why? Because we’re getting kind of long, we’re coming up on 25 minutes. Why do you think your YouTube channel got so popular? And how was it starting out? Actually, it wasn’t that hard because there was no pressure on me. I didn’t have any expectations of building.

The channel that I have now, I just started sharing the information that I was learning as I was going, and I think that’s why people were drawn to my channel because I was sharing information as a beginner, and everyone watching was also a beginner. So they wanted to see that experience through a beginner’s eyes.

And then, as the channel grew and as I became more experienced, those people grew along with me. We came together through this process of learning how to fly drone, learning all about drones, accessories. About the best way to do things. And I think that’s why so many people were drawn to my channel because they shared in the experience, they didn’t come to me for expert advice.

They came to me to see what it was like. For someone to do something for the first time that I’d never done it before. And I think that’s why a lot of people come, because I’m still learning. Every day, I learn something new about drones, about electric ride-ons, portable power stations, anything that I Огляд, or anything that I do related tech technology or electronics or devices.

I’m a beginner still, or at least maybe intermediate. Now with drones, I don’t ever think I’ll be an expert, resource for people, but definitely, I’ll have more experience than some people that I can share. But for the most part, when I do stuff for the first time, I’m still a beginner. And those people that come to the channel are beginners.

And so I think that’s what made my channel. Pretty quickly at the very beginning. And then that’s what continues to help me grow today. So definitely not where I want to be yet. Now I got that taste for being bigger. I still got a ways to go. And I think I’m going to always be driven to improve and be better and reach more people and help more people.

But but I’m also pretty happy with what I’ve done over the past six years. 2022 was a great year. Got a lot of great content, got to fly a lot of cool drones. I got to try a lot of new interesting gear and products and stuff like that. So I actually put quite a few videos out this year, and I’m pretty proud of it.

I’m not proud of. I’m going to let my overall health go down a little bit. As you can probably tell, I’ve gained quite a few, quite a bit of weight this year, but 2023, this is going to be the year I’m going to get back in shape, right?

We all say that, but no, I’m going to do better with balance. I’m going to do much better with balancing my personal life, my work life, my YouTube channel, my social media, all of those things.

I’m definitely going to do better at keeping things balanced because I do need to take care of myself and you guys should too. So be sure that you take care of yourself this year. So I wanna thank you for an awesome year and continuing to support the channel.

I really appreciate every one of you. This has been such a great experience, and it’s going to continue to be. For myself, and hopefully for you guys too. So have a great year, and I look forward to helping you guys out. And thanks for watching today. Follow me on social media if you haven’t already.

Twitter, Instagram, TikTok at 51Drones. You guys have a great day, and as always, fly safe and fly smart.