this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2024
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Idk if anyone had a similar problem before, but I live in EU by the countryside, at first there were only a few but now it happens more and more often to see drones passing over my house, I am sure they are civilian drones because law enforcement has no reason to use them since the area is quiet (and honestly I doubt they would be able to do so), however it bothers me enough to know that there are people who get over the fence and enter my property going to look at what they want, does anyone have any advice on what to do?

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[–] [email protected] 54 points 4 months ago (8 children)

This works if they fly low enough

[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 months ago

Police drones. Surveillance "for your protection"

Fuck them!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago

That some dystopian shit!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Portsmouth Ohio, fat redneck throwing a bottle of shit Australian beer and the police not executing a no knock warrant and murdering him for his crimes?

I call bullshit.

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (5 children)

I think you have the legal right to prohibit flying above your property. Do it, make a sign and report everyone who violates it to the police. Flying on someone's property with a camera drone is illegal anyways.

EDIT: Also check if you legally can physically eliminate the drone in that case. It's the most effective strategy.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 4 months ago (4 children)

OP is in EU, but here in the US property owners do not have rights to airspace.

However, spying with cameras or nuisance noise would be reasons for legal action.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Honest question, but I couldn't help but package it sarcastically:

How would you report that? Catch the drone and ask who it's owner is? Ask the police to do a 100 man wide area search around your house?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

EDIT: Also check if you legally can physically eliminate the drone in that case. It’s the most effective strategy.

Just tell the police you were clay pigeon shooting and the drone flew into your path.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago

Well that works but it's better to keep everything legal to avoid assigned surveillance

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 4 months ago (10 children)

Drone pilot from Germany here, they have no place hovering over your property, more strictly even they're not allowed to fly in any way that allows them to view your garden from above. You can shoot down the drone and it's their problem note that this is in Germany not the US (which surprised me tbh).

However, that said, could be that it's the same pilot again and again, even if it's different birds. Normally they are very cooperative, just ask them to stop and they'll apologize for any inconvenience caused.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Since op didn't mention seeing a pilot, I'd suspect that the drones are flown out of sight. So asking them to stop can be difficult. Of course asking nicely, by downing a drone, might get the message across.

I wonder if I could shoot down drones here in Denmark as well.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Flying out of sight only underlines the illegality of the act. In Germany you need to keep relatively near to your drone and technically need to be able to fly by sight only (so can't stand in a building/car and then not see your drone).

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 4 months ago

Get yourself a little beehive OP.

Every time you see a drone, report it for killing your bees, sit back and watch the EU busybodies go fuckin mental about it

The cunt who's doing it will be in The Hague within a week 😂

[–] [email protected] 39 points 4 months ago

The best bet is to let your local aviation authority know. They are generally the ones with the actual powers, as well as the knowledge to apply them.

At least in the UK, the laws cover anything that leaves the ground under an open sky. There are exceptions for RC toys and drones, but they have limits. One of the limits is you cannot fly within a certain distance of anyone or anything not under your control.

Basically, most places require your permission to fly over, or near to your land. If they are overflying, they are breaking the rules.

It's worth noting, depending on the size of the system, it can be difficult to judge distances. The ones I work with are large. We regularly have officials insisting we are massively out of our flight area. GPS logs show that it was well within the entire time.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 4 months ago (9 children)

"I think there's something wrong with the door switch on my old microwave oven. I've been testing it outside for safety, that's why it's out in the back yard pointing upwards with the door open."

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 months ago

I would go and have a look around, because usually they would be close by and ask them. I gly drones for 10+ years and if it's a sports drone, it's annoying and they should be pretty close. If it's a dji (slow moving around) they might be just nosy assholes.

I would give them the benefit of the doubt that they just fly there because like you said it's in the middle of nowhere. But flying over a house or property on purpose is not only a dick move, it's also dangerous annoying for all sides.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Apparently, old-fashioned spark radios can disrupt comms for consumer drones. There are kits for people who are interested in learning about early radio tech.

I've not verified this myself.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 months ago (6 children)

causing RF interference on purpose is definitely illegal wherever this person lives

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Which means finding a personal purpose for using the spark radio, that way it remains a side-effect.

Might me time for some electrical experiments.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago

What about mistakingly

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Get a pellet gun and shoot them down. You'll find out quickly who is doing it when they trespass on your property to retrieve their downed hardware.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Tell me you're American without telling me you're American lol.

Not a bad idea overall, but not a great first idea either

[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 months ago (4 children)

He said pellet gun, not roof mounted anti-air guns

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (5 children)

No, ignore this. Never shoot guns into the air, it's both dangerous and stupid.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (4 children)

Unless it's a shotgun firing birdshot. This is why in many places you can hunt birds, it's really the only type of firearm you're allowed to use, because when shot at an upward trajectory, the pellets do not maintain enough velocity to be harmful when coming down and harmlessly fall to the ground. Anything rifled though is a different story, because its that spin on a bullet or a slug which allows the projectile to maintain its velocity and be dangerous when coming back down.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago (14 children)

I'm not sure for the EU but in the USA the airspace above your private property is public domain and since drones are classified as aircraft they are entitled do fly over your property just as an airplane or helicopter might. When a drone is being used to record and surveillance it depends on local jurisdiction.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Almost. Any drone that weighs more than .55lbs must be registered with the FAA and as part of that it is required to be compliant with RemoteID. RemoteID requires the drone to broadcast both its identification and location of the control station.

If it's being operated over a home then it will almost certainly have to follow the rules on Operation Over People and those can be quite restrictive, especially for drones that weigh more than .55lbs.

There ARE Federal Rules for this in the United States, drone operators cannot legally fly any type of drone anywhere they want at any time.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

If it's being operated over a home then it will almost certainly have to follow the rules on Operation Over People and those can be quite restrictive, especially for drones that weigh more than .55lbs.

That is incorrect... If you actually read the law you are trying to reference you will learn it's a prohibition on flying over "open-air assemblies of people" and if you read the final rule report (found on the very bottom of the page you linked under resources) on page 128 & 129 you will see how the FAA classifies "open-air assemblies of people".

The FAA received a few comments addressing the proposal to prohibit Category 3 operations over open-air assemblies of people. One commenter recommended the FAA clarify what it means by an “assembly of people” and provide a quantity or density of people that constitute a significant risk. The FAA has declined to define this term by regulation; rather, the FAA employs a case-by-case approach in determining how to apply the term “open-air assembly.”58 Whether an operational area is an open-air assembly is evaluated by considering the density of people who are not directly participating in the operation of the small unmanned aircraft and the size of the operational area. Such assemblies are usually associated with public spaces. The FAA considers some potential examples of open-air assemblies may include sporting events, concerts, parades, protests, political rallies, community festivals, or parks and beaches during certain events. Some potential examples that are less likely to be considered open-air assemblies include individual persons or families exiting a shopping center, athletes participating in friendly sports in an open area without spectators, individuals or small groups taking leisure in a park or on a beach, or individuals walking or riding a bike along a bike path, but whether an open-air assembly exists depends on a case-by-case determination based on the facts and circumstances of each case.

While the FAA refused to strictly give a definition, what was provided is enough to construed that private property does not constitute an "open-air assemblies of people".

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 months ago

Just looked it up for Germany: over residential areas you need either "an explicit permission of the owner", or "it is very light (<250g) and has no ability to record video, audio or radio" or "it is more then 100m above ground, not in the night and some other fingerprint" [1].

In all EU you actually need a registration on your some clearly visible [2].

So, of they are below 100m or in the night, just call the authorities. If you live a bit outside it might just not clear from above that it's private property.

[1] https://dipul.de/homepage/en/information/geographical-zones/legal-basis/#accordion-1-6 [2] https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/light/topics/travelling-drones

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 months ago

there's a software package floating around to hijack drones and remote control them yourself. it might be time to test the drone's security capabilities

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Are you legally allowed to own a shotgun?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Don't shoot down drones. In the US it counts as shooting down an aircraft and you'll have the FAA knocking at your door

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Just launch your own drone and go say hi.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Do you own a shotgun? Just shoot it out of the sky.

Just kiding that's a terrible idea

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Clearly. Use a boomerang instead.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago

commercial drones must have by law a remote ID, think of it like a unique number for each drone, so you might want to try using some phone apps like DroneTag to get that ID and then report it to the authorities. They will have a record of who that drone belongs to.

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