In the previous blog post, we discussed10 Latest Drone Technologies to Block Drone Signals. In this blog post, we will look at the signs that a drone is jammed.
To estimate whether a drone is jammed, there are a few signs you can look out for:
Jamming a drone typically involves disrupting its GPS signals, radio control links, or video transmission. Here are the main signs that a drone might be jammed, categorized by drone type:
1. Commercial Drones (e.g., DJI, Autel, Parrot)
These drones rely on GPS and radio signals for stability and control. Signs of jamming include:
- Loss of GPS Signal: The drone may switch to ATTI (Attitude) mode, causing it to drift unpredictably.
- Return-to-Home (RTH) Activation: If GPS jamming occurs, some drones attempt to return to their last known location.
- Loss of Video Feed: Jamming the drone’s transmission frequency can cause the live video to freeze or cut out.
- Control Signal Delay or Loss: The drone may stop responding to commands or have severe latency.
- Unexpected Landing or Hovering: In some cases, the drone will land automatically as a failsafe.
2. DIY Drones (Custom-built)
These drones often have open-source flight controllers and may react differently:
- Erratic Movements or Loss of Stability: Without GPS correction, the drone may become unstable.
- Failsafe Modes Activating: Some custom drones switch to manual control or autonomous return modes.
- Loss of FPV Video Transmission: If using an analog or digital FPV system, the feed may become noisy or disappear.
- Drop in Telemetry Data: If telemetry is jammed, data updates become slow or stop altogether.
3. Hacked Commercial Drones (Modified to Bypass Restrictions)
Hacked drones might have modified firmware to resist jamming, but signs of interference can still include:
- GPS Spoofing Effects: The drone might fly in an unexpected direction due to fake GPS signals.
- Intermittent Signal Loss: Modified drones may attempt to reconnect automatically, leading to erratic behavior.
- Inconsistent Failsafe Behavior: Since firmware is altered, the drone may not respond normally to signal loss.
- Unresponsive Manual Control: If control frequencies are jammed, the pilot may have no input.
In the next blog post, we’ll go a bit further on how to block drone signals legally.