Well, the FAA regulations are very old, and congress has actually given the FAA a deadline of September 2015 to finalize their new guidelines (a deadline which they have already missed). The FAA needs to act VERY quickly.

http://qz.com/516790/the-faa-expects...egal-they-are/

The new guidelines are much better for the consumer but not in effect yet. There is a LOT of confusion and controversy around this topic. Take a look at these 2 pubications/articles. Remember you could just drive a few miles away from your condo so you are safely away from the airport. Also, I'm not sure Laconia regional would qualify as a "no-fly" zone. Here is a link to the "current" guidelines, but you'll find lots of "interpretations" of their legal authority if you search for opinion articles.

https://www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft/

I usually look for the top of a hill with a good view over the lake and launch from there. The DJI Phantoms are programmed to not go higher than 400 feet from where you launch in the US. But of course you can launch from the top of a 400 foot hill and then fly over the lake - and then you are 800 feet up :-).

So, the lake lover in me loves these pictures and unique new perspectives on the area I live in and love. The engineer/geek in me loves the technical aspects and would really like to play with one of these for awhile. But the private individual in me worries about where all this is going.

We had some renters in a house down the shore from us this summer. They had a drone. I have to admit that I found it quite disconcerting and invasive when it came hovering over our dock area and "watched" us for awhile (twice!). I'm sure it was innocent but it felt weird and violating all the same.

I don't have an answer to what to do about it, but I do believe that some new type of regulations will need to be developed as to who, how, and when these things can be used.

Sorry if this hijacks a a thread to be just about pictures and fun. Please feel free to move and start a new thread if needed.

The new gopro model is garbage in my opinion. I have owned most of them from the Hero original to this new Hero Session. The session is for people who "need" it to be that small. The video quality is subpar in compared to the Hero 3, 4 silver or black.

I want to get into drones badly however I bought a cheap one $89.99 to play with and now there is one hanging about 85 feet in a tree behind my house. I'm sure you can guess how it got there. I did hear the phantoms are much easier to fly and you can actually take your hands off the control and it will just hover right?

Laconia is not a towered airport. The software you use restricts 'blacked out' areas around airports. Laconia does not have that restriction on the app (due to reason above) and works fine in that area. There are plenty of low flying craft in that area, so you need to be careful and always fly line of sight.

I got the Phantom 3 professional after I saw a renter with a DJI Inspire 1 (same company, different drones, different price points). My wife (read: accounts payable dept) saw it and immediately green lighted the purchase. It's a cool toy that combines many hobbies - R/C aircraft and photography/videography.

As far as the intrusive nature of the drones - they do NOT have zoom on the cameras. I'd have to be flying directly overhead and close to get 'improper' footage (disclaimer: not why I bought a drone) and you'll certainly hear my drone before you even see it.

That is correct. You center the controls and it will hover in place (in GPS mode). The professional comes with lightbridge - which sends video back to a phone or tablet running the software with little to no lag - so you can watch your flightpath/images directly on the screen mounted to the controller. Pretty cool technology.

The P3 Advanced ($999) also comes with Lightbridge for extended range (2+ miles). Worth it to pay the extra $300 over the standard ("only" half mile range) if you are going to get into the hobby seriously. That being said, the P3 standard at $699 is a fantastic deal.

Merrymeeting,

You are absolutely right, and that's how lots of people feel. Because I really love the hobby and the photography, I go out of my way to explain how it works to people, and I also go out of my way to be respectful of people's privacy. I don't want a few irresponsible people out there to ruin the hobby for the rest of us who are trying to follow the rules.

For example, I wanted to so some pictures/filming at a local golf course. Instead of just flying, I first went into the club house and got permission and showed them what I would be doing (and offered to share the media). They REALLY appreciated me checking with them first, and allowed me to take whatever pictures and video I wanted to take.

As for neighbors, I try to alert my neighbors as well, and show them and explain my purpose (NOT to spy on people). A lot of people don't realize that once you get 100 feet up, since these cameras (at least my camera) do NOT have zoom capabilities, so you can't see anything meaningful that high anyways (unless you are buzzing 20 feet away from someone's face - which is obviously not cool).

It will be VERY interesting to see how this technology unfolds. Until then, I will continue to post pictures and videos here - and I hope you all continue to enjoy them!

Thanks for the thoughtful post!

Mike

Back to the Pics!
 

Sorry for all the posts, but after all the "drone" discussion, I felt compelled to share one of my favorite pictures I got of my kids and friends on the waverunner.

Very neat. However, these are inexpensive so what happens when there are 20 of them flying around Wolfeboro Bay, or a similar venue, on a hot summer night? It will be interesting to watch this unfold.

For those concerned with privacy and security:

http://www.alloutdoor.com/2015/10/16...ingle-bullet/#

And you will find yourself in a lot of trouble with the FCC.

Jamming devices are radio frequency transmitters that intentionally block, jam, or interfere with lawful communications, such as cell phone calls, text messages, GPS systems, and Wi-Fi networks.

Jammers are illegal to market, sell, or use in the United States.
A single violation of the jamming prohibition can result in tens of thousands of dollars in monetary penalties, seizure of the illegal device, and imprisonment.

Source: http://www.gps.gov/spectrum/jamming/

And an out of control drone would be a physical danger to all within it's flight range.

First I want to thank the OP for many beautiful videos. Yes, these drones have good purposes. I have several large tracts of land that are hard to get to, especially in the winter. These would be great for areal surveillance to see if something is wrong, or somebody in squatting where they shouldn't be, etc.

I can also see the bad side, where stalkers (yes, they do exist) can have their way, and there is little one can do about it. The purpose of the link on the jammer was to show that there is technology out there that could be used for to handle a bad situation, other than, say birdshot.


Peace, and tranquility, it is the will of Landru...

All I can say is the day someone hovers one of those around my yard for more than it minute it ain't gonna be pretty.

Add on one of these and birdshot will work just fine :D



https://silencerco.com/products/salvo-12/

I started this thread to share some beautiful pictures of the lake we all love. To assume all drone operators are stalkers is offensive and irresponsible. And, to suggest people start shooting them down is even worse. Like any technology and/or any hobby, people need to do it responsibly, and follow the rules and laws. But please don't group me into a stereotype because of a piece of technology I own. Like it or not, this technology is growing for photography enthusiasts and hobbyists and it is not going away any time soon. If a person is using them to fly near airports, or near the White House, or to peep in someone's windows, then they should be arrested just like any other crime is treated. How is it any different than people using a full zoom camera on the ground inappropriately? Because it happens to be able to fly? The bottom line is - as technology changes and improves, people need to learn how to use it responsibly, and we need to create new laws and rules to make sure those who don't are controlled and dealt with accordingly. I can assure you that "shooting them out of the sky" is not a solution, and if one happens to be flying 400 feet over your property, it is no different than a plane or glider flying 400 feet over your property. Would you shoot that down too?

Come on folks. Please be reasonable. "We" are not stalkers. We just like taking breathtaking pictures.

Mike


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I really enjoy seeing your drone footage Mike.Dont let a few sour grapes ruin your well intentioned thread.

I am not hating on you, honestly I want one! Kinda jealous Dan beat me to the punch.

I have been doing some research myself on what to get. I had a photographer come a few weeks ago to do some real estate pictures with his drone. He has a few different ones but took mine with a Phantom 3 (regular version I think, not the pro). Pretty impressive toy.

Nice Pics!

Codeman;

I went with the Phantom 3 Advanced. It's pretty easy to fly and takes very impressive photos / videos! The hardest part for me was the upfront downloading of updates which is not detailed very well in their online instructions. Once I got through that (thanks Mike! ;)) everything went well!

It has a lot of pretty cool features that I have not used yet. I'm still playing with the basic ones but it is a lot of fun!

I figure with a 1 1/2 mile range, I can easily buzz my camp when ice is not safe to check on things during ice in and out or to check on ice conditions. It has a lot of uses besides taking pretty pics and videos...

Hope all is well!

Dan

I am SERIOUSLY jealous now !


.

That would be impressive! Totally jealous.

Hey I got no problem with them if they are used properly but...............you know they wont be by some. I'm with Merrymeeting privacy will be infringed because there are always a few bad apples in the bushel. Its a poorly regulated field at the moment just like the internet is/was when it was rolled out. Bad people capitalize on good things unfortunately.

As he said, he started this thread to share some amazing pictures, not to listen to word vomit. If you're that concerned about drones then go complain to your legislators, not this website. Your opinion is everything that is wrong with society, take the first chance you get to jump on a good thing for no reason because you have NOTHING better to do. When your privacy is actually infringed then complain, but that's hardly the case here.

oy
 

You can see where this is going from a mile away. Two years from now we'll be looking at a drone layer on the Bizer map.

At the moment it's a novelty, but $1k is a pretty small entry fee for this crowd.

Who's the negative one here? Geez chill out!

Once Again........

Different thread ....

Phantom simply shakes his head .........

I am forever amazed at how and/ or why people have to take a perfectly good thread and begin to (1) derail it & (2) turn it into a political football of "Rights"

Shameful ..... simply shameful and a perfect example of how a "few" can wreck the bushel !!

Get a life !!


.

Shreddy you crack me up. Your post is is one with negative childish response. If you read my posts I said I had nothing against them just that they will be used in the wrong way by some and my first post was feeding off what was posted above by Merrymeeting. :laugh:

At least I know when life fails I'll have a shot at being a comedian? :D Just didn't like the whole when one comes close to my yard it isn't going to be pretty comment. Nothing in THIS THREAD gave intentions by any member that they'd be spying on anyone (that I don't think). Seemed like a foolish way to derail what was otherwise a cool topic, but I digress.

Back to cool drone pictures. I'd like one, but would find it hard to be doing something cool and capture the picture at the same time (snowmobiling, skiing, action boating, etc.)

I may pull the trigger on one (no, not shoot one down) this week. DJI is now selling the Phantom 3 Pro for $1159 with a free extra battery. That puts it inline with what the advanced goes for with an extra battery.

The base model is marked way down now too, $599!

Well .... we all knew it was coming

After Dec 21st all Drones are suppose to be registered

Good Luck with THAT !!

http://www.faa.gov/uas/registration/


From the "Flight Aware" website:

If you’re the proud owner of a drone—or are one of the thousands of shoppers who’ll purchase one this holiday season—the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants to know about it. And the agency has finally set a deadline.

Starting December 21, the FAA wants you to register any small, remote, aerial vehicle that weighs between 0.55 and 55 pounds with the government. It’ll cost you $5, but that fee will be waived during the first 30 days. Each registration is good for three years.

When’s your deadline? If you’ve owned your drone since before December 21, you’ve got until February 19, 2016, to complete registration. But weirdly, if you’ll own your drone after December 21, you’ll need to register before you take your UAV out for its first outdoor flight.

“Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility,” US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in the FAA press release announcing the deadline. “Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely.”

The call for registration comes at a time when civilian drone use seems more complicated than ever. A recent study from Bard University found that there were over 300 “near-misses” between drones and piloted aircraft in 2015. And one YouTuber recently outfitted his drone with a flamethrower and posted footage of it incinerating a turkey on a spit.

Over 400,000 drones are expected to be sold this holiday season, so the FAA is going to have its work cut out for it—both in terms of wrangling registrations, and in nailing down clearer rules for hobbyists.






.

Charley Foxtrot

FAA: Registrants' Names To Be Made Public...
 

Forbes published an article saying the FAA will disclose drone registrants' names and addresses:

:eek2:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...5849065ae9.jpg

Still no visible ice on Sunday....


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That photo has me thinking that we dont really need the services of Emerson for calling ice out.:laugh:

Heard today that the insurance industry is looking into liabilaty issues with dromes and insuring them.
http://www.nhbr.com/February-5-2016/...w+News+Browser
http://www.riskandinsurance.com/rise-drones/

Sure, you could have 500 drone owners arguing over the exact day and time of ice out!

Dave Emerson is fair, objective, and responsible and has always done a good job. I think it works just fine the way it is!

Did you not notice my smiley?It was a joke.:eek:

Here's a video I took mid summer when I first got the Phantom 3 Professional. It starts out looking across Wentworth Cove at Governors Island with Saunders Bay on the right. I then rotated it 180 degrees CCW viewing The Governor's Island bridge along the way. Then I brought it back and landed it on our deck. My biggest fear was that I was going to put it into the lake but it was actually fairly easy to fly. Every time I view it it reminds me of those wonderfully warm, still mornings on our beautiful Lake.

I posted it here on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4OatXZklNU

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a4OatXZklNU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'm so impressed by how stable that video is--thanks for sharing!

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