OPP Drone

[uncleblackie]

I see the OPP now have a surveillance drone.

I heard they were using one at the 403 crash this morning near Aldershot to take overhead pics of the crash scene.

Any idea what manufacturer and model?
Any idea on control freqs being used?

I wonder if they have video streaming capability to the ground/control units or if they just take stills which must be downloaded upon return to ground.

Doing a search here on RR, it appears they are becoming a more common tool for LEA's in the U.S and considering the fact that the Canadian military have also had them for a while now I guess it was just a matter of time.

 

[mciupa]

I wasn't aware of that, so I Googled the news story:

OPP testing unmanned flying drone - Toronto - CBC News

In the comments below someone identified it as: The Scout : Aerial Vehicle Systems

 

[navaidstech]

Aeyron Scout. It's a small quadracopter that comes with a hefty price tag - over $100 grand when equipped with all bells and toys.
You'll be happy to know (because you paid for it with your tax money) that they crashed one back on August 25th around Baxter, ON area. They were conducting some sort of an investigation when one of the motor arms separated and the unit was destroyed after falling about 140 feet to the ground.

 

[Jay911]

RCMP K Division (AB) has at least one as well for traffic reconstruction - not sure if they use it for other purposes or not.

The comments on the CBC article mciupa linked to are sad. Then again, in my experience, most of the comments on any newspaper website's story pages make baby kittens cry anyway.

 

[VE3JSO]

what a waste of money if the want a shot from up high why can't they just use the fire dept ladder truck and take a pic that way instead spending 100 grand for something that looks like it could cost 200 bucks at the most

 

[Saint]

Fire truck

what a waste of money if the want a shot from up high why can't they just use the fire dept ladder truck and take a pic that way instead spending 100 grand for something that looks like it could cost 200 bucks at the most

Fire trucks are not made for that reason, it would make no sense to tie up a expensive ladder truck to take pictures all day when it could be on call for what it was made for FIRES .
Steve

 

[uncleblackie]

Eventually it will be used for a lot more than just taking crash pics.

All kinds of surveillance uses exist.

It can do pretty much what the helicopter can do when outfitted with the right equipment but at minimal
operating cost as compared to a real chopper.

It can also be used at protests and riots to get the big picture of what's going on. Not practical with a full size real chopper.

Also for finding missing persons, pot fields, etc.....

I also wouldn't even be surprised to see them being used at outdoor concerts.

 

[VE6E0]

Or following Mayor Chow around in a year or so time.

 

[VE3JSO]

Fire trucks are not made for that reason, it would make no sense to tie up a expensive ladder truck to take pictures all day when it could be on call for what it was made for FIRES .
Steve

all i was saying they are already on scene on some of the calls anyways or just go to future shop and buy a rc chopper there and hook a camera on that cheaper

 

[Forts]

what a waste of money if the want a shot from up high why can't they just use the fire dept ladder truck and take a pic that way instead spending 100 grand for something that looks like it could cost 200 bucks at the most

Politics plays a big part too. I know we wouldn't tie up our truck so the PD could take some pictures. Plus you really aren't going to get that good of a view anyways... we have a 110' aerial but realistically the operating height is about 75'. With a quadcopter you will get up much higher and can get out over an incident from a safe distance back. Don't get me wrong, I think the price is insane, but I like the concept. There are some great YouTube videos of hobbyists flying these things 4-5 miles away while streaming video. I bet they didn't spend 100k on their rig.

 

[davidmc36]

....I think the price is insane,....

The Brits don't seem to mind paying insane prices for their toys either.

British Soldiers in Afghanistan deploy Micro UAV Helis - Model Airplane News

 

[derevs]

You can buy a quadracopter at several locations. The can come equipped with still and video cameras for around $400.

 

[Jay911]

You can buy a quadracopter at several locations. The can come equipped with still and video cameras for around $400.

Don't confuse consumer grade stuff with dedicated public safety gear. Your $299 AR.Drone isn't going to feed its GoPro to the EOC.

 

[kc9cra]

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/GenericSearchResult.cfm?RequestTimeout=500

The Aerial Vehicle Systems brand is owned by Aeryon Labs Inc of Waterloo, ON.

I see most of the frequency ranges in the lower 900 MHz ism band, but there are two models that use 2412 to 2462.

I can't pick the scout out of these, but it is one of them. Often times, the fccid will have the manufacturer's own model number/name in it. These do not, but I see "p25" in most, if not, all of them. Is this a coincidence? I know some random numbering is involved in making these id's, but parts of them are definitely done on purpose. Might the p25 be referring to the video streaming? It's hard to say, but I think we have the freq range nailed pretty well down.