Airplane disconnected my rc signal??

dicksonjoe · Oct 15, 2018

Hi guys,

i was flying at an attraction site where there was a small airport just about 30 kms away. Above me every 5 mins there would be a small plane that flys by. Plane is about id say 900-1000 meters above. I was flying at around 50meters high. My dji app went black screen and i was still able to control my drone fortunately. So my question is, did an aircraft jammed my signal or something? or just crappy usb cable and firmware cause?

colinfowler · Oct 15, 2018

dicksonjoe said:
Hi guys,

i was flying at an attraction site where there was a small airport just about 30 kms away. Above me every 5 mins there would be a small plane that flys by. Plane is about id say 900-1000 meters above. I was flying at around 50meters high. My dji app went black screen and i was still able to control my drone fortunately. So my question is, did an aircraft jammed my signal or something? or just crappy usb cable and firmware cause?

much more likely to be your device/cable/app than a plane jamming.

WithTheBirds · Oct 15, 2018

What’s an attraction site? To the extent your video feed was killed by another RF source you can be almost certain it had nothing to do with the aircraft overhead. More likely something closer to you.

dicksonjoe · Oct 17, 2018

colinfowler said:
much more likely to be your device/cable/app than a plane jamming.

learned something new
apparently i noticed that it has something to do with video cache, it alerted me a few times but i ignored it. Then it makes my rc and drone lose signal.

Lapeer20m · Oct 17, 2018

In USA, only the federal government can jam radio signals.

WithTheBirds · Oct 17, 2018

dicksonjoe said:
learned something new
apparently i noticed that it has something to do with video cache, it alerted me a few times but i ignored it. Then it makes my rc and drone lose signal.

Doubtful the cache was the issue. If the video cache was full the video would simply stop recording. The only exception might be if your device had insufficient available memory and the app crashed however connection between the remote and AC would not be affected.

ac0j · Oct 17, 2018

Lapeer20m said:
In USA, only the federal government can jam radio signals.

Depends on the signal. I have installed several cellular jammers in cars for students (requested by the parents) so a cell phone will not operate while the car is in gear.

WithTheBirds · Oct 17, 2018

ac0j said:
Depends on the signal. I have installed several cellular jammers in cars for students (requested by the parents) so a cell phone will not operate while the car is in gear.

Nice play with words

.... What can be done and what is lawful to do often differ- as is the case here. Most if not all jurisdictions have statutes which make it an offence to intentionally cause interference to or disruption of device operation on particular frequency bands (those used for cellular communication are specifically covered).

ac0j · Oct 17, 2018

WithTheBirds said:
Nice play with words .... What can be done and what is lawful to do often differ- as is the case here. Most if not all jurisdictions have statutes which make it an offence to intentionally cause interference to or disruption of device operation on particular frequency bands (those used for cellular communication are specifically covered).

I believe I saw a Chevrolet commercial recently that mentioned a feature like this available factory installed.
I was about to install one in my car with a directional antenna, so I can disconnect people driving and texting, or talking.

WithTheBirds · Oct 17, 2018

ac0j said:
I believe I saw a Chevrolet commercial recently that mentioned a feature like this available factory installed.
I was about to install one in my car with a directional antenna, so I can disconnect people driving and texting, or talking.

LOL..... Can you think of a solution to stop people reading newspapers, eating bowls of cereal, doing makeup etc also? I must admit to being amazed by the number of people doing everything other than focussing on the task of driving also.

AS far as I know there are very limited exclusions that allow cellular network jamming- prisons being an obvious and well known application. It would be surprising if a car manufacturer could get away with it. Would be nice to see though.

Lapeer20m · Oct 17, 2018

ac0j said:
I believe I saw a Chevrolet commercial recently that mentioned a feature like this available factory installed.
I was about to install one in my car with a directional antenna, so I can disconnect people driving and texting, or talking.

My guess is that the phone connects to the car via Bluetooth and the car disables calls While Driving...

Lapeer20m · Oct 17, 2018

From fcc website:

The use of "cell jammers" or similar devices designed to intentionally block, jam, or interfere with authorized radio communications (signal blockers, GPS jammers, or text stoppers, etc.) is a violation of federal law. Also, it is unlawful to advertise, sell, distribute, or otherwise market these devices to consumers in the United States. These devices pose serious risks to critical public safety communications, and can prevent you and others from making 9-1-1 and other emergency calls. Jammers can also interfere with law enforcement communications. Operation of a jammer in the United States may subject you to substantial monetary penalties, seizure of the unlawful equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment.

Jammer Enforcement

ac0j · Oct 17, 2018

Lapeer20m said:
From fcc website:

The use of "cell jammers" or similar devices designed to intentionally block, jam, or interfere with authorized radio communications (signal blockers, GPS jammers, or text stoppers, etc.) is a violation of federal law. Also, it is unlawful to advertise, sell, distribute, or otherwise market these devices to consumers in the United States. These devices pose serious risks to critical public safety communications, and can prevent you and others from making 9-1-1 and other emergency calls. Jammers can also interfere with law enforcement communications. Operation of a jammer in the United States may subject you to substantial monetary penalties, seizure of the unlawful equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment.

Jammer Enforcement

These are very low power, and only work within the car. You might have trouble outside the car if leaning against its side window, BUT they are connected so they only start jamming when the car is in gear.