Dronetag Beacon Ongoing Observations and Discussions

[GeekOnTheWing]

I made a number of flights with a Dronetag Beacon attached to the top of my Evo 2 Enterprise V2 with Dual 640R thermal camera. I also used the Dronetag App on my iPad 11 Pro for each different flight. I selected a location and Fly Now option. A few questions... 1. Any way to change the start and end time for a flight? The app seems to assign the duration. I haven't figured out how to can change it. Also, when I launch the web app to see the flight data, the flights are all categorized as "CANCELLED". See attached screen capture. I am guessing I must be doing something wrong. Thoughts? Thanks!

I think (but am not sure) that the logging feature requires the sync functionality, which is planned, but not yet active for Beacon.

I don't know how to change the length of a mission, but if you're using the app it should automatically end the flight when you end the flight.

In all candor, I really didn't spend much time with the app beyond what I needed it for, which was verifying that the Beacon broadcasts the information required by FAA to be legal. I probably should delve into it more. It certainly doesn't seem to be a horrible app. I just haven't spent much time in it.

 

[Malli35998]

I think (but am not sure) that the logging feature requires the sync functionality, which is planned, but not yet active for Beacon.

I don't know how to change the length of a mission, but if you're using the app it should automatically end the flight when you end the flight.

In all candor, I really didn't spend much time with the app beyond what I needed it for, which was verifying that the Beacon broadcasts the information required by FAA to be legal. I probably should delve into it more. It certainly doesn't seem to be a horrible app. I just haven't spent much time in it.

Thanks for responding. Like you, I just want it to work and meet the FAA RID requirement. I was hoping to independently verify each flight and what information was recorded and reported. What caught my eye was the fact that each flight was categorized as “cancelled”. What does “cancelled” really mean?

 

[RobertZ]

As far as the company is concerned, the same Dronetag device can be assigned to multiple aircraft. The app provides for it and also allows one drone to be the default if more than one are associated with the Dronetag.

As for FAA, I don't know. I spoke to a fellow at FAADroneZone support who admitted that the registration system is lacking. To add the module to a drone requires that the registration be edited, and the drone's serial number replaced by the module serial number.

Because the drone manufacturer and model are not editable, that creates an inherent conflict. The drone serial number disappears, and the module manufacturer's information doesn't appear anywhere in FAA's registration system unless it's coded into the serial number somehow.

The FAA fellow said that editing the drone registration requirements and modifying the Web site to match them literally requires an Act of Congress; so for now, changing the serial number on the drone to the RID module's serial number is what they're doing.

In short: I don't know what would happen if the same RID module serial number is applied to an additional drone in FAA's system. It may welcome it with open arms and a sloppy kiss, or it may vomit on it. I just don't know. It will not, however, create a problem on the company's system.

It also is possible to register the RID module separately as a UAS and pay the fee, but that would only make sense in very limited recreational situations where the drone itself is not required to be registered, but the operator wants RID.

107 pilots are required unique IDs per each drone