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Successful real-world mission by DSAR pilots this morning

RCdancer

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Charlie reported this mission by himself and Shane this morning,

“Just got home from a mission. Two women got lost in the woods, they called on the cell phone they had with them, the battery died before they could be located. A ground team saw them but couldn't figure out how to get there, so Shane directed them from the air then told them the best way to get out of the woods. There was a creek and dense woods to navigate through. The Sheriff deputies were impressed with what the drone could see from 150 feet. I didn't get a chance to fly, just was Shane's VO. Great way to start the weekend.”

:)
 
Wow, great job! Was Shane using an ME’s speaker to talk to the women?

I posted the idea before of using a drone as a repeater to relay messages via 2m, it would be interesting to use one to drop a low watt credit card radio to the victims so that the drone can send messages back-and-forth between the rescuer and the victims.
 
Wow, great job! Was Shane using an ME’s speaker to talk to the women?

I posted the idea before of using a drone as a repeater to relay messages via 2m, it would be interesting to use one to drop a low watt radio to the victims so that the drone can send messages back-and-forth between the rescuer and the victims.

I don't know. Charlie can answer?
 
Just curious about how he directed the women out of the woods.

I guess a “follow me” or “this way out” pointer finger sign on the bottom of the drone would’ve worked.

Or a M2E with the loudspeaker payload?
 
Just curious about how he directed the women out of the woods.

I guess a “follow me” or “this way out” pointer finger sign on the bottom of the drone would’ve worked.

Depending on what aircraft was used they could drop a "message card" to the person(s). We have the ability to drop a payload from one of our aircraft and we utilize that for:
First Aide Kit
Emergency Blanket
Flashlight
2-way radio
Water
Message Cards (laminated card we can write)
Message could be "Follow Drones Direction", "Help is on the way", "We know where you are, STOP MOVING AROUND!", "Bet you wished you could read a map now" (Just kidding but seriously LOL).
 
I posted the idea before of using a drone as a repeater to relay messages via 2m, it would be interesting to use one to drop a low watt credit card radio to the victims so that the drone can send messages back-and-forth between the rescuer and the victims.

Or a burner phone.
 
That would work unless you’re stuck down in a Canyon with no cell coverage, the drone can act as a repeater with a two way radio above the canyon that way.

True. I think Charlie said they had a phone with them until the battery died. Anyway it was just a thought.
 
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True. I think Charlie said they had a phone with them until the battery died. Anyway it was just a thought.

You are right, in that case it would’ve been better to use a phone, I’m just hypothetically speaking about other situations.
 
Depending on what aircraft was used they could drop a "message card" to the person(s). We have the ability to drop a payload from one of our aircraft and we utilize that for:
First Aide Kit
Emergency Blanket
Flashlight
2-way radio
Water
Message Cards (laminated card we can write)
Message could be "Follow Drones Direction", "Help is on the way", "We know where you are, STOP MOVING AROUND!", "Bet you wished you could read a map now" (Just kidding but seriously LOL).

Can I ask which dropper you use? I found some cheapies on Amazon, and these more expensive ones.

 
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Another use for a drone capable of acting as a communications repeater would be to make communications more reliable for the search teams. If you find your out of radio contact because of terrain, just send your drone high above you and that may help get the signal out better...
 
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Can I ask which dropper you use? I found some cheapies on Amazon, and these more expensive ones.


I like the photos on the ad! The one with the parachutists makes the little Mavic look like some new full sized Sikorsky! ?
 
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Can I ask which dropper you use? I found some cheapies on Amazon, and these more expensive ones.


We're using the Yuneec H520 aircraft and I've "created" a drop system utilizing the "landing gear lugs" to hold a home-made drop device (piece of PVC tubing) with the payload suspended below.



 
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We're using the Yuneec H520 aircraft and I've "created" a drop system utilizing the "landing gear lugs" to hold a home-made drop device (piece of PVC tubing) with the payload suspended below.




Very nice, there’s an Australian company doing something like that with life preservers. I posted a video of theirs a while back showing a surf rescue of a couple swimmers stuck in a riptide. They were able to get back to shore on their own using the life preserver the drone dropped for them.
 
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We're using the Yuneec H520 aircraft and I've "created" a drop system utilizing the "landing gear lugs" to hold a home-made drop device (piece of PVC tubing) with the payload suspended below.




Ingenious! You were right on the money for the drops.

I might make a servo driven one for the Mavic since it doesnt have retracts.
 
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Ingenious! You were right on the money for the drops.

I might make a servo driven one for the Mavic since it doesnt have retracts.

I'll be honest, I was shocked it hit like that on the first drop but I wasn't too terribly high either. For the record, I wouldn't drop something from too terribly high unless there were no other options. That radio is kind of heavy and gains speed/velocity pretty quick.

Yes servo actuated would be the way to go but keep in mind that the Mavic doesn't have a lot of "extra power" to carry a payload. Where-as the H520 does as well as airframes like the Inspire have a lot of extra power when lends well to lifting larger payloads.
 
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