Wierd, Unknown Drone Photographed Hovering Over Oakland Neighborhoods

Reaganite Republican ^ | 12 February 2013 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

Isn't it neat living in a faceless, futuristic police state? 

East Germany would have KILLED for just one of these things!

The primary suspect in this case would be the Oakland-area Alameda County Sheriff's Department, who recently released a statement
re. the department's (rapidly) evolving policy (-here-) regarding aerial drones, which they refer to in army-speak as an sUAS, or 'small Unmanned Aircraft System'... 

Seems they're already rather-broadly approved within Alameda County for the following missions:

• Post-incident crime scene preservation and documentation
• Explosive ordinance disposal missions
• Response to hazardous materials spills
• Search and Rescue missions
• Public safety and life preservation missions to include barricaded suspects, hostage situations, active shooters, apprehension of armed and dangerous and/or violent fleeing suspects, and high-risk warrants
• Disaster response and recovery, to include natural and man-caused disasters incl. a full overview of a disaster area for post-incidental analysis and documentation
• Training missions as authorized by the Training Certificate of Authorization
• In response to specific requests from local, state, or federal fire authorities
• When there is probable cause to believe that (1) the sUAS will record images of a place, thing, condition, or event; and (2) that those images would be relevant in proving that a certain felony had occurred or is occurring, or that a particular person committed or is committing a certain felony and use of the sUAS does not infringe upon the reasonable expectation of privacy
• pursuant to a search warrant

Video/more at Reaganite Republican...

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ACAD   NOMBY (Not Over My Back Yard)   Intoon

[Little Pig]

Those are almost certainly antennae on the bottom of that thing. Given how small they are, it’s either snooping cell phone traffic or wifi.

[Reaganite Republican]

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[Jonty30]

Or surveillance. They don’t need large drones to take pictures.

[Eye of Unk]

I would agree with you on that. Tracking locations of high cell phone chatter I suspect to a local situation.

I wonder how many microwave transmitters I can fit into a parabolic dish to send an amplified microwave beam strong enough to make it sneeze....

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Any good duck load will be sufficient!

[FreedomPoster]

Looks like helicopter landing gear to me. They might double as some kind of antenna.

Aircraft is a hexrotor. Quadrotors are more common, lots of hobbyists are flying them. It is possible this one is a hobbyist’s.

[Chainmail]

It has both cameras and UHF antennas: most likely it’s observing and the antennas are for sending the images to the ground station and for control of the vehicle (a “hexcopter”).

[Reaganite Republican]

Or maybe even a Frisbee lol

[Eye of Unk]

Would not be too hard to build an anti-drone RC vehicle.

[Safetgiver]

Shadows against a clear blue sky? Probably photo’d against a blue table cloth. I call BS.

[RadiationRomeo]

Maybe some amateur radio operator is experimenting, possibly a repeater or beacon? Or getting ready for field day.

[Eye of Unk]

On a side note I wish I had a drone that was also some form of wi-fi hotspot, I say that because of another news event on the Gulf of Mexico of the stranded carnival ship, Triumph.

From what I have been hearing and that itself is very sparse because carnival is keeping the passengers from communicating what is really happening.

There has been food fights, people are pooping in bags and sleeping in tents on the open deck, no running water or sanitation, no cell phone usage. The very few who are getting out have used sat phones or relayed messages to a passing ship, they are literally prisoners.

[prisoner6]

Hobbyists is what I was thinking. There are some pretty amazing hobby craft flying. Some feature put you in the cockpit cameras. They also displat GPS info on the operators screen. Some screens are built into goggles!

I’d like to have one!

Of course there will soon be outrage over people flying them around neighborhoods. Can you imagine one hovering over a sunbathing babe or outside a bedroom window?

There are some small ones going on sale next month that will home in on you and follow you around recording what you do. Several could fly in formation around you.

Look for a ban soon!

[Bon mots]

Seeing as how these buffoons already shot up three innocent people who do not even come close to the description of Dorner, the denizens of CA should be afraid. Very afraid.

[laker_dad]

I was thinking they were landing gear to protect the payload, which is probably a camera of some sort. If this thing is battery powered, wouldn’t most of the juice go to just keeping it aloft?

[Reaganite Republican]

Watch the video at the link, seems legit imo

[eartick]

Did not take them long to ban lead shot on these things....dang EPA.

I am never going to be able to use up this 800 lbs of lead shot in my life time.

[Harold Shea]

Saw a video of a quadcopter with a gopro

camera mounted on it filming the aftermath

ofthe blizzard.Amazing video quality..zoom

up 200`,drop down and fly around the neighborhood

in peoples back yard,silent.

You can buy `em in a upscale mall.Scary

[SouthernBoyupNorth]

check out how high they have to fly... if they fly below a certain altitude they are in violation of FCC regs. If they are over your property, and your land is a certain acerage (5 acers here in VA.) you can shoot it down....