I started this project about a year back as I thought it would be a good idea to start creating affordable open source identification modules for drones and other hobby aircraft. Now that I have seen the proposed FAA rules for what they are calling RemoteID I feel like they are going in the wrong direction for both commercial and hobbyist stakeholders.
With the wide variety of low power wireless technologies coming out of the Internet of Things there is a huge opportunity for drone technology to take advantage of, just as we have previously benefited from cheap cellphone GPS and IMU sensors.
This project tries to use cheap LoRa radios to broadcast position and authentication data to other drones or entities in an area of operation. This can be integrated with low power wide area networks (LPWANs) like The Things Network.
I started using a cheap raspberry pi zero wireless and a LoRa module from Adafruit along with their CircuitPython library driver. This worked well for the prototype and allowed for me to experiment with the protocol and send simple messages.
My plan is to move to a more integrated solution using a ESP32 LoRa integrated development module that also has a built in OLED screen. This will use the Arduino Libraries and allow for a simple startup and wifi integration.
The ESP32 LoRa development board is on the right and the older prototype is still connected to the drone. I hope to create a much smaller device that is light weight and cheaper to produce as we probably don’t need the OLED feature in the final device.
I hope to develop this concept further but we need to push back on the FAAs new proposed rules as they put undue hardships and restrictions on hobbyists and favor the companies that can afford both the cost and weight of full RemoteID functionality. The biggest restriction to hobbyists are that we will be forced onto designated areas, that while could be done, can only be created or requested for 12 months, so as land use changes and AMA fields cost more and more to maintain they will start to disappear out of existence forever. This means that our option for flight will be phased out permanently.
As responsible drone pilots we want to follow the rules and fly safe but we need to be provided with reasonable rules that we are capable of executing. Here are some links of where you can get more involved in the discussion.
FAA Remote ID ends the FPV hobby as we know it
FAA Link (not descriptive and is a little miss-leading)
Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (full NPRM)
The first link is a good discussion about the real implications of the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). The other two links are FAA government links but unless you have a law degree you are going to have a tough time reading the last document. The basic info is a bit miss-leading, it oversimplifies the issue and makes it seem much simpler than it is, when in reality it will decimate the hobby for those that just want to fly for the enjoyment of it.
Please get involved and comment on the NPRM, your comment should be respectful and articulate. Take a day to think it over and follow the advice below.
FPVFC Remote ID FAQ: https://fpvfc.org/remote-id-nprm-faq
FPVFC Guide to the NPRM (everything you need to know in 6 pages): https://fpvfc.org/remote-id-nprm-guide
