RID questions

[giroro]

I have heard RID broadcasts the location of the pilot and their drone.
Is RID data broadcast in plaintext, or a format that is easily readable by the general public?
How close would I need to be in order to receive this information, especially in areas that are typically far from law enforcement?
Can I use RID information to determine the value of a drone?

Don't worry, I'm not a thief, so you can trust me. I'm just new to drones and very interested in issues of personal safety.

On a completely unrelated note, would you say that drone pilots usually very distracted while flying, or are they often checking to see if anybody is sneaking up behind them?

 

[Sam36401]

I have heard RID broadcasts the location of the pilot and their drone.

Yes, that is how its supposed to work. From my experience (checking my drones) it shows both.

Is RID data broadcast in plaintext, or a format that is easily readable by the general public?

No. An app is needed to decipher the RID information.

How close would I need to be in order to receive this information, especially in areas that are typically far from law enforcement?

As close as a Wifi (or bluetooth signal) would be broadcast. I have only seen Wifi being used on my drones.

Can I use RID information to determine the value of a drone?

No. Why would you or anyone need that information?

Here is a summary of the FAA ruling:

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2021-08/RemoteID_Executive_Summary.pdf

 

[Cafguy]

would you say that drone pilots usually very distracted while flying

Sometimes I almost forget about the Glock 9mm in my holster. Why do you ask?

 

[KB9Radio]

You need an app to decipher location, but they can be downloaded and installed free from playstore, Appstore, and so on. Drone Scanner and Drone Sentinel are two of the apps that come to mind, but there may be others. As for range of signal, it depends normally on how high the antenna is, because we're talking about a drone, the antenna can be up to 400 ft high. So, range could reach out some pretty good distance.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

My drones always fail to be picked up on those android RID apps. When I first turn on the drones and start the motors, I watch my list of WIFI connections and I sometimes see the RID/serial number of the drones appear for a moment, like 20 seconds, then dissapear. All the while, when the wifi detects the drone just for a few seconds the app shows no drone the whole time.