UAV warning YCAB to Caloundra also Samford area

[Kyle Communications]

Being a radio Amateur for some too many years to remember I put a television repeater up at our Ocean View radio site some 20 odd years ago. Hams with the appropriate licence can transmit non copy rite television pictures or video for transmission. One of the guys who used to work for me took it all over quite a few years ago and has been building it up and modifying it for more inputs and higher power also it was the first digital television ham repeater in australia and was on air in digital long before the testing started here. Sorry for the long preamble to this but you sort of need to know how we found this dangerous situation.

 

One of the inputs to the repeater is 1250 mhz FM which is alocated to us by the ACMA we also have a input on 1280 mhz FM. Pretty much every sunday we have been receiving live video from a couple of different UAV or maybe even FPV model aircraft. The information gives lat and long sometimes also height and speed std gps info overlayed on the video. We are not getting hq video from these but we have been trying to find out where they are as them using these frequencies is illegal and of course stuffing up our television ops.

 

Danny bought to me this morning a USB stick with this mornings flight on it and I was aghast to see this model being above the clouds and at 1300 ft. We have never been able to pin it down but today just before landing it did a sharp double turn and hello there was the glasshouse mountains so we quickly got onto google and found it. They are flying at the turf farm at the end of Red Rd which if you draw a line direct between caboolture and caloundra is directly in that path and these monkeys are flying well above 1000 ft all the time it would take much for one of us to bang into them causing god knows what sort of accident. I use that path regularly myself when flying back from caloundra to Ycab.

 

I am going to make a complaint to both the ACMA and also CASA. Is these a special phone number for casa for this or a particular email address. The ACMA is a no brainer as I have several of the RI's emails and phone numbers of course

 

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

You may not be able to see the pic well but it is a measure line from Ycab to Ycld and you can see the yelllow placemark on the middle that is where the UAV has been flying

 

 

[turboplanner]

Normal incident contacts I would think; this was an incident.

 

 

[djpacro]

http://www.atsb.gov.au/voluntary/repcon-aviation.aspx is one option with the ATSB.

[shu77]

Try Phil Presgrave

 

[email protected]

 

He's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Specialist for CASA. I dealt with him a little last year as I was doing a research project for work and can PM a direct number if required or pass your post along directly if you need. I am sure he would be very interested if you are seeing these above 500ft....

 

 

[dan3111]

I was flying over there today and they had a few big model up flying today at that turf farm .

 

 

[Hongie]

Maybe approach them first and explain to them the ramifications of their actions.. Other wise more over regulation of the uav industry is likely to occur?

 

My 2c

 

 

[turboplanner]

Is it a UAV or UAV facsimile?

 

It certainly sounds like someone has put video and GPS in so they can see where they are going.

 

It could be a Police UAV checking out the grass crops

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I have done some asking and they are model guys I am led to believe they live around the stafford or everton park area probably doing FPV which is flying a radio control model with video glasses on. It is highly controversial even in the modelling community. These guys KNOW they are not allowed above 425ft unless you get CASA approval and to boot they are using a video RF transmitter frequency that is not allowed either and they probably know this as well . There are other frequencies designed for this purpose. You are lucky Dan you didn't hit these monkeys as it would be really hard to see. I have a copy here of the transmitted video although very noisy at times it does get clearer and they are well above the clouds. I am a RC modeller and also a radio ham and I am pissed about it. These guys need to be jumped on then the waves made by this in the modelling community may very well start some action. I fly that route quite a lot so please be aware of this also there was one up on saturday in the Samford area they were on a different frequency and they were up around 600 ft still over height but no where near as bad as they guys

 

 

[Mick]

Hi Mark,

 

I would also be reporting this to MAAQ if you have not already.

 

These cowboys need to be dealt with ASAP.

 

Mick

 

 

[eightyknots]

Maybe approach them first and explain to them the ramifications of their actions.. Other wise more over regulation of the uav industry is likely to occur?My 2c

I agree. Rather than hit them with the hammer and getting government departments involved, make a personal approach first and explain the dangers of their actions for piloted planes.

 

 

[Guest nunans]

They would know about the height restriction, They may know they are supposed to have a ham licence to operate the tx but isn't there a power limit which they can stay under and not need a licence?

 

What they wouldnt know is that they are stuffing up your sunday morning ham tv show (though the fpv footage might have been more interesting?)

 

How far away is your repeater from the aircraft?

 

At least try and contact somebody from the model field where they are operating first and give them a chance to stop transmitting. If

 

they dont then go for it with all the casa and acma

 

 

[Sky Capt. Greybeard]

You got the height restriction correct, Kyle. It's in CASR 101. Surely that is the real safety issue? Please keep us all updated on this.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Are there any implications of these guys with the Gazelle crash that occurred in that area?

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

With the advent of the internet, it means that anyone can get hold of anything they want if they have the cash. I think it is higly likely that if they are not connected with a modelling club, that they may be totally oblivious to both CASA and ACMA regulations.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

"They would know about the height restriction,"

 

Well they certainly should IF they are members of a club..these guys may not be members of any club cheque book modelling is very common now

 

"Are there any implications of these guys with the Gazelle crash that occurred in that area?"

 

I dont think so Scott that is a whole different situation

 

"With the advent of the internet, it means that anyone can get hold of anything they want if they have the cash. I think it is higly likely that if they are not connected with a modelling club, that they may be totally oblivious to both CASA and ACMA regulations."

 

Exactly HH cheque book modelling is common now you would be surprised what we see roll out at fields and these guys dont have a clue about anything

 

 

[cscotthendry]

"Are there any implications of these guys with the Gazelle crash that occurred in that area?"

I dont think so Scott that is a whole different situation

OK, that seems to imply that the cause of that crash is known, which is news to me. Would you be able to elaborate? I'm probably mistaken, but I was under the impression that the Gazelle went down pretty close to the area you outlined on your GE picture. Is that not the case? I ask, because, I too fly that area quite regularly and frankly, this has well and truly put the wind up me.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Scott

 

She was a fair bit west of here the crash was around the woordford/beerburrum rd so quite a bit west and south of the track between caloundra and caboolture. I have been told info from reliable sources about that incident and I am not in a position to elaborate on it. Dont worry finding these guys flying where they are has alerted me as well and until it is resolved I wont be flying that track either

 

 

[sain]

Building uav's isn't hard these days.. plenty of off the shelf autopilots are available that you can plug into a model aircraft/glider you can get from the local toy store. instant uav, just add camera. and again, the camera transmitters are available on the 'nut quite reasonably priced - some of which are low power to comply with their source countries regulations.

 

I'd be willing to bet that they don't realise the potential dangers. or have thought about it briefly and chalked it up to "she'll be right, that'll never happen".

 

 

[Yenn]

Don't stuff around being nice to somebody who is flouting all the rules. Get onto CASA and get them brought into line before someone gets killed. There are too many people in Australia who think the rules don't apply to them.