Theoretical: Equipment Required to Hover at a Target Indefinitely

[ToasterDrones]

What would it take in theory to hover at a target indefinitely without losing FPV contact. Assuming the target is 0.25 miles (0.4km) away from takeoff, negligable wind, and 400' hover alt. Normal power supplied operating inside a large, plastic tent/ground station.

I imagine required equipment would include

2x mavic pro drones
5x smart batterys
1x blue 5in1 charter (3 battery 2 remote)
1x OEM battery charger
4 man crew (5 with a forward spotter)
4x iPad w/ 2x charger
1x High capacity surge projector
1x PC for offloading SD cards

I envision a large 10 person tent set up on the roof of a building, powered by one or more heavy duty extension cords. A crew of 4 operators takes turns between flying and prepping. Drone A takes off and hovers on target until 30% battery warning , at which point drone B launches and flies to target. When drone B arrives on site, Drone A is RTB. Upon landing Drone A swaps batterys, dumps SD videos, and cools for 15 mns before the process is repeated. Remote controls being charged while in use with the standard adapter in the top of the controller with backup iPad batteries being charged separately.

4 man crew is divided into teams A and B, Each talking breaks in between flights. A 5th spotter could be employed downrange if VLOS is questionable.

My concerns are overheating the motors, you think this would be long enough of a cool-down time between flights. Also concerned about the voltages involved and keeping everything powered up.

What else have I not thought of?

 

[Ping^Spike]

Would it not be easier (and cheaper) to just build a 400ft scaffold tower and stick a GoPro on top?

 

[ToasterDrones]

No ability to track the after we find what we are looking for with a crane/go pro. A friend and I have most of the equipment already short just a couple tablets

 

[Ping^Spike]

You didn't mention tracking, thread title said hover indefinitely

 

[Mossiback]

• A couple spare SD cards in case one gets corrupted/dropped.
• A small electric fan to assist cooling between flights (I don't know if it is necessary but addresses your concern).
• Extra PC or remote drive with a micro SD slot you can download directly to. It sounds like quite a project so it would be advisable to make a backup copy on site.

 

[ToasterDrones]

Full disclosure I'm pretty sure my girlfriend is cheating on me I would like to see where she goes when I "go to work"

 

[MiniPalourde]

Full disclosure I'm pretty sure my girlfriend is cheating on me I would like to see where she goes when I "go to work"

It should work. However, you have to consider that the Mavic top speed is about 40 MPH and less if you're against wind. I assume you're in a large city with a lot of traffic? Or is your girlfriend travelling by walk?

 

[Callum]

Your going to need a third Mavic for redundancy.

Would be a complete waste of time if you kept that routine up for multiple hours for one to fail before spotting your target.

I'm curious. What is it you want to spot and track at 400ft.

 

[ToasterDrones]

We live in a small town not more than 3 miles wide, I'd like to see my car start to move, where it goes, and what house she goes into when she gets there. A third platinum on Deck for when the car starts to move wouldn't be a terrible idea but we do not have one, or on the flip side what car pulls up, the license plate and who comes into my home while I'm away

 

[Simmo]

Put a gps tracker in the car..

 

[Callum]

We live in a small town not more than 3 miles wide, I'd like to see my car start to move, where it goes, and what house she goes into when she gets there. A third platinum on Deck for when the car starts to move wouldn't be a terrible idea but we do not have one, or on the flip side what car pulls up, the license plate and who comes into my home while I'm away

I wouldn't go down this route mate, once you lose trust and start things like this it's a slippery slope and will only get worse whether she is cheating or not.

I'm not condoning it but if it's something you had to do you would be easier just tracking her phone. Or a magnetic tracker on car.

 

[ToasterDrones]

GPS tracker only works if she pulls into the dudes driveway, would not work if she parked on the street or if dude came over to my house

I just want to know for sure and with who.. I hope she is just buying shoes, but I doubt it. My friends are drone nerds too and are excited to do some 4 real recon

 

[MiniPalourde]

TBH, this is not efficient.

You could install some kind of dash cam in your car, or you could even put some kind of micro in her vest. You could put a little camera in your house to know when she leaves the house and THEN start your mavic.

From what I've seen, you're not 100% sure she's cheating on you anyways

 

[choo choo]

We live in a small town not more than 3 miles wide, I'd like to see my car start to move, where it goes, and what house she goes into when she gets there. A third platinum on Deck for when the car starts to move wouldn't be a terrible idea but we do not have one, or on the flip side what car pulls up, the license plate and who comes into my home while I'm away

It seems an awful lot of people and complicated resources for what is really an easy thing, why make it so difficult?
Why not just put a tracker on her car or phone so you will know when and where she goes to. After all, you might set all that lot up, only to find she’s gone to the mall for some shoes!!
A hidden camera in the house is cheap from eBay, it will automatically alert you on your iPhone to anyone entering and either record it directly to your phone or an SD card.

 

[MiniPalourde]

It seems an awful lot of people and complicated resources for what is really an easy thing, why make it so difficult?
Why not just put a tracker on her car or phone so you will know when and where she goes to. After all, you might set all that lot up, only to find she’s gone to the mall for some shoes!!
A hidden camera in the house is cheap from eBay, it will automatically alert you on your iPhone to anyone entering and either record it directly to your phone or an SD card.

A tracker on the phone is a great idea. I don't know if OP has access to the password though

 

[ToasterDrones]

Phone tracker and GPS tracker leave bases uncovered

 

[Mossiback]

Well, first off, I would like to say I am sorry to hear about your situation. It just sucks.

As far as the tracker talk, there may be privacy laws where you live that could get you in legal trouble if you used the information.

Since you have 4 or 5 people to help and it is a small town, why don't you just have your "forward spotter" watch the house from a distance, have the others in their cars spread out around town, and coordinate a tail using cell phones. Get a good camera with a telephoto lens to capture your evidence.

 

[Lake_Flyer]

It is just wrong to use drones for these purposes.
Pretty sure you're violating privacy laws.

 

[ac0j]

As a former private investigator having delt with many people in similar situations. I would recommend not wasting your time.
The root of the problem is that there is no trust. If you pull off the surveillance, either way you lose. Either it confirms she is cheating, or you will continue to be suspect. If she finds out you are doing it, you lose.
The lack of trust, for whatever reason you have it, is enough to suggest this is probably a relationship that is best let go. Without trust you will never be happy. And NOT catching her will not ease your suffering. I dont think this woman is the one for you. If she was, there would be NO suspicion at all.
Good luck with whatever you decide, but you are approaching a cliff that you cant keep from falling off of, no matter what you find.

 

[ToasterDrones]

Easily recognizable vehicles would be sure to spot