Drone tracking… how serious is this?

Drone Photography & Videography
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Got tracked while flying my drone in Singapore… is this common?

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Sorry if this sounds naive, but I had no idea my drone could be tracked like that! I was flying in Singapore, and about 20 minutes into my flight, the police showed up. I’d taken off from a pretty hidden spot, so I thought I was in the clear. They immediately told me to bring it down, and when I landed, they showed me my exact flight path and altitude on an iPad, explaining I’d broken some local laws. They took all my serial numbers, copied my passport, and even noted my flight details and asked if I was military or what I did for work. Thankfully, they just gave me a warning. Did anyone else know they could track you like this?

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Wow, it’s like the drone police are everywhere.

3

Torrance said:
Wow, it’s like the drone police are everywhere.

Yeah, in Singapore they don’t mess around with drone laws.

4

Nolan said:

Torrance said:
Wow, it’s like the drone police are everywhere.

Yeah, in Singapore they don’t mess around with drone laws.

So you think you can just move away while flying and they won’t catch you until you land?

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@Sky
Actually, no. The remote’s GPS is part of the data that’s being tracked, so they always know where you are during the flight.

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RotorRider said:
@Sky
Actually, no. The remote’s GPS is part of the data that’s being tracked, so they always know where you are during the flight.

Thanks, didn’t realize that!

7

@Sky
Aeroscope shows the exact location of the controller in real time. No way to hide.

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Torrance said:
Wow, it’s like the drone police are everywhere.

Do other countries track drones like this too? I’m going to Japan soon and their drone laws seem more relaxed.

9

It’s pretty easy for police or military to track drones through radio signals. Your remote sends out a signal, and so does the drone. Recently, a guy flew his drone into an NFL stadium during a game, and the police tracked him down instantly, even without Remote ID. They have tech that can track everything.

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@Miles
This isn’t about Remote ID. Singapore uses Aeroscope, which gets all the data from DJI drones without Remote ID being involved. It shows everything: flight path, controller location, home point, drone type, and more, with a range of 15-20 km.

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@Grayson
Does that mean they can see the entire flight history? What if it’s deleted from the account?

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Both your drone and your remote are constantly talking to each other, and yes, that info can be seen by others.

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They could have tracked the remote ID from your drone. It broadcasts the pilot’s location too. You can check it with the Drone Scanner app on Android.

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Keir said:
They could have tracked the remote ID from your drone. It broadcasts the pilot’s location too. You can check it with the Drone Scanner app on Android.

Actually, it’s not Remote ID… Singapore uses Aeroscope, which sends out data from DJI drones.

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Keir said:
They could have tracked the remote ID from your drone. It broadcasts the pilot’s location too. You can check it with the Drone Scanner app on Android.

Wait, it tracks the pilot too? Does it transmit GPS or just the takeoff location?

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@Sky
According to DJI, a standard Remote ID drone broadcasts the location of both the drone and the control station. Newer DJI drones have this built-in.

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Keir said:
@Sky
According to DJI, a standard Remote ID drone broadcasts the location of both the drone and the control station. Newer DJI drones have this built-in.

But Singapore uses Aeroscope, not Remote ID.

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@Grayson
Just learned about Aeroscope, thanks for clearing that up.

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@Sky
Check out this link about Aeroscope and how it works: Aeroscope Review. This is not Remote ID; it’s used in Singapore.

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DJI AeroScope is super powerful… you got lucky they didn’t do more.