nolimitdronez.com or ???

[Weaponized]

You must have missed the point. I hope you understand the difference between FAA airspace restrictions and DJI's geofencing scheme?

I think some are getting the impression that NFZs are being bypassed as a means of operating in restricted areas or where not authorized. From my understanding of this issue that's not exactly true.

I don't bypass them but the 1st time DJIs geofencing prevents me from launching in a location where I'm authorized, and have an unlock code for, I'll reevaluate my policy.

 

[Audie]

You must have missed the point. I hope you understand the difference between FAA airspace restrictions and DJI's geofencing scheme?

If I'm flying legally, the folks can fire up all their countermeasures and knock themselves out.

Welcome to the fray where in some cases, opinions are given equal weighting as facts!

Hey Dave,

Yes I am familiar with the FAA restrictions and DJI's old and newest Geofencing v2.0. I was just replying to the original poster's question in regards to hacking to gain access to a DJI "airspace restriction".

With the current Geosafe v2.0, sUAS pilots are now able to self-unlock on blue "authorization zones" but still require a custom unlock on red "restriction zones". Since he already have permission to fly at or below 200' from the FAA. Gaining a custom unlock, if needed, can be granted by DJI within minutes.

He has nothing to worry about as far as traveling and getting surprised by a DJI "NFZ".

I just wanted to let him know there are organizations out there now that can detect our sUAS. So if your intentions in hacking your sUAS is to gain access to a NFZ is ill intent, the local authority can forward the serial number of said sUAS to the local FSDO for further investigation.

 

[Dave Pitman]

Hi Audie,

There have been instances in the past where an unlock has been granted and then something goes wrong in the app and the uav won't fly. I believe this is the scenario that the OP was talking about. There is no way to guarantee that DJI's unlock will work 100% of the time. That is the point of taking other measures.

In no instance do I, or anyone else that I know of advocate for disabling DJI's NFZ system in order to operate illegally. That is why I questioned your response indicating that the authorities will know. We are happy that they know. If DJI offered the certified operator a global unlock upon proof of certificate, they would not receive this push back and the custom parameter values would be unnecessary.

 

[Dave Pitman]

I think some are getting the impression that NFZs are being bypassed as a means of operating in restricted areas or where not authorized. From my understanding of this issue that's not exactly true.

I don't bypass them but the 1st time DJIs geofencing prevents me from launching in a location where I'm authorized, and have an unlock code for, I'll reevaluate my policy.

It would only take once. And if it's a job where the client is with you, well, good luck.

 

[Audie]

I understand that there is that time that an unlock might not work, but that is between the operator and DJI. At the end of the day, the OP has an FAA approved operational waiver. If he flies his sUAS with DJI's unlock, or with a 3rd party unlock, he is still legal.

But with DJI's newest Geosafe v2.0, it has given us, the operators, more opportunities to self-unlock. The attached image is the OP's airport he mentioned where he will be working. Just as long the job site doesn't land on the red rectangles, he's good to self unlock if his custom unlock fails.

 

[Weaponized]

It would only take once. And if it's a job where the client is with you, well, good luck.

I carry binoculars and a high powered spotter for such emergencies. Done it that way for years prior to flying. Clearly that option doesn't work for some professions.

 

[Dave Pitman]

I carry binoculars and a high powered spotter for such emergencies. Done it that way for years prior to flying. Clearly that option doesn't work for some professions.

I meant if the thing wouldn't fly for you, you would be unhappy. Especially if your client was standing there.

 

[Weaponized]

I meant if the thing wouldn't fly for you, you would be unhappy. Especially if your client was standing there.

Pretty much. The bird is a safety tool that minimizes the odds I'll end up creating a bugs bunny shaped hole in the ground when I fall off a building.

 

[philsmith76]

I understand that there is that time that an unlock might not work, but that is between the operator and DJI. At the end of the day, the OP has an FAA approved operational waiver. If he flies his sUAS with DJI's unlock, or with a 3rd party unlock, he is still legal.

But with DJI's newest Geosafe v2.0, it has given us, the operators, more opportunities to self-unlock. The attached image is the OP's airport he mentioned where he will be working. Just as long the job site doesn't land on the red rectangles, he's good to self unlock if his custom unlock fails.View attachment 1038

The geo2 however adds the altitude zones which are NOT self unlockable. If you happen to need to fly over 400’, of course near a structure, you will need to get a dji unlock. I fly a construction site where I regularly need to get to 550’ and if I was to update the database then I also need to apply the dji unlock (which I obtained just Incase)

 

[Dave Pitman]

Inconvenient truths.

"Dear Developer,

We would like to announce a bug fix release of DJI iOS Mobile SDK 4.8.2. You can find it on our developer site at DJI MSDK Download.

A serious bug was introduced after the release of iOS Mobile SDK 4.7. This bug caused the aircraft to occasionally determine that it was in a no-fly zone, initiating landing during flight.
..."

DJI iOS Mobile SDK 4.8.2 Released

 

[CashCache]

I have no issues with removing NFZ because I know I fly safe and follow all the rules and laws. I was one of the guys that had an unlock code not work after receiving it from DJI. I drove 200 miles before I found out about it. I had the NFZ removed within just a few hours while in my hotel and I'll never risk having that happen again.

By the way, I see a lot of "hack" terminology when discussing this, but do understand that this was a settable parameter added by the original developers - fully accessible through the DJI Assistant application. Yes, they have since made it harder to get to, but you don't need to "hack" anything to remove the chains.

 

[BigAl07]

By the way, I see a lot of "hack" terminology when discussing this, but do understand that this was a settable parameter added by the original developers - fully accessible through the DJI Assistant application. Yes, they have since made it harder to get to, but you don't need to "hack" anything to remove the chains.

Hack or Modify.... the result is the same thing in this instance. The end result is modifying the software outside of the parameters/programming set forth by the manufacturer.

Hacking isn't a negative thing unless you're doing something negative. A good portion of my life I was known as a HACKER ( probably before many of our members were out of diapers) and I've never ever HACKED anything in a negative way. I spent a lot of time as a Software Security Analyst for a large Corp. In fact I received a written accommodation by the President of our company (at the time) for a HACK that stopped an intruder from accessing our network.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hack or Modify.... the result is the same thing in this instance. The end result is modifying the software outside of the parameters/programming set forth by the manufacturer.

Hacking isn't a negative thing unless you're doing something negative. A good portion of my life I was known as a HACKER ( probably before many of our members were out of diapers) and I've never ever HACKED anything in a negative way. I spent a lot of time as a Software Security Analyst for a large Corp. In fact I received a written accommodation by the President of our company (at the time) for a HACK that stopped an intruder from accessing our network.

With all due respect, when the manufacturer changes those parameters after selling the consumer the product, who is actually doing the hacking?

 

[BigAl07]

With all due respect, when the manufacturer changes those parameters after selling the consumer the product, who is actually doing the hacking?

It's not at all uncommon for there to be various software/firmware upgrades/fixes in all aspects of technology. I've "upgraded" my phone, my TV, my iPad, my Wx station, my thermostat, the Rx on two airplanes, the transmitter for one of my planes and probably other things in the last year.

 

[Dave Pitman]

Hack or Modify.... the result is the same thing in this instance. The end result is modifying the software outside of the parameters/programming set forth by the manufacturer.

With all due respect, when the manufacturer changes those parameters after selling the consumer the product, who is actually doing the hacking?

It's not at all uncommon for there to be various software/firmware upgrades/fixes in all aspects of technology. I've "upgraded" my phone, my TV, my iPad, my Wx station, my thermostat, the Rx on two airplanes, the transmitter for one of my planes and probably other things in the last year.

I think the point was that there is nothing inherently 'special' or 'better' in the parameter values selected by the manufacturer, especially in the case of DJI. And they have changed over time. Sometimes for better and sometime not.

Someday, not today, perhaps firmware will have to meet some mandated metrics.
This thread, and many other conversations like it, would not exist if DJI were to adopt a policy more like Yuneec and others. It's great that other manufactures are stating as benefits to their product that they don't do all the nonsense that DJI does.

 

[Newton Ware]

Is "nolimitdronez.com" my only option to cut DJI out of the airspace restriction loop? or the best? or any good at all? I have an FAA authorization for a 200' limit near a busy regional airport (KSBP) with a contract tower. But it's a 240 mile roundtrip and I don't want to get surprised with a DJI lock when I arrive. Thirty-five bucks for nolimitdronez is cheap insurance if it works.

I realize this is an old thread, and I have not read all responses.

I am at this moment trying to help a friend who just had the NLD patch installed. His P4Std is dead, and NLD says it is not their problem. I wouldn’t go that route on a bet with your drone at this point.

I have had great success with DJI giving me unlocking licenses to do jobs in restricted areas. Very fast responses. With a little advance planning I am now certain that I can avoid the nasty surprises like I had doing a job near PDK in Atlanta. I was just flying along, shooting video to evaluate disease extent in a golf course when I hit the invisible wall and was told I was trying to enter a restricted or No Fly zone.

VERY IMPORTANT. If you have an active unlock license, every where else becomes a No Fly Zone. You cannot even take off. A hard lesson learned for me when I traveled hundreds of miles for training and couldn’t launch.

Turn those licenses off, or erase if you won’t need it again.

What to do...
Get your authorization from the authority over the area you want to fly. Contact DJI and specify lat/lon, radius needed from center of your desired area, height needed, etc. length of time needed. My first was a 24 hour fix. The next, two hours.

Best of luck, be safe up there!

 

[PatR]

Fact is, in no other form of aviation does a manufacturer have the ability to determine when and where the aircraft owner can fly their personally or corporate owned aircraft.

The FAA now calls us “pilots” so develop a knowledge and test standard that qualifies people as pilots, tell the drone makers to make flight controllers to an established certification standard and butt out of the practice of manufacturers retaining control of the aircraft after the sale.

 

[Newton Ware]

Fact is, in no other form of aviation does a manufacturer have the ability to determine when and where the aircraft owner can fly their personally or corporate owned aircraft.

The FAA now calls us “pilots” so develop a knowledge and test standard that qualifies people as pilots, tell the drone makers to make flight controllers to an established certification standard and butt out of the practice of manufacturers retaining control of the aircraft after the sale.

I hear you, I surely do. But the drones are affordable. Easily obtained, and as we have seen, there are fools out there who simply don’t think the rules apply to them. So...

I know several who think the first thing they do is test their max distance. Fly till the RC link is dropped to test the RTH function. Thousands of feet away and completely out of sight.

The expense and time required to be a manned aircraft pilot limits those who can be a pilot. A multiple choice test every 24 months does not. And then you have the recreational flyers who do nothing more than buy a drone and become a pilot.

So many places I would love to fly that are restricted, and more added every day. To keep the public safe and limit the manufacturers liability.

It is hard to imagine a 5.5 lb drone doing any serious damage to an airliner. They shoot frozen geese at the windscreens and into the engines. Sooner or later the stars will line up, something bad will happen,then we will really be hurting.

I agree with you. But I do see the other view.

Have fun, fly safe.

 

[R.Perry]

Al, I like you and usually agree with your views, but you're off base here. The company has overstepped its bounds. It really has no right to access my equipment once they take my money. Especially since I follow all of the FAA rules and regs.

There could be another angle here: DJI could possibly say they are trying to protect their market with their own restrictions. But they don't have the ability to coexist with the FAA system in real time. The result will be a continuous FAIL.

Personally I would have no problems with hacking the restrictions as long as I was confident the hack didn't affect operational performance of the drone. If an incident should happen and you are flying legal, then the restriction hack shouldn't have any bearing on the outcome of the FAA or NTSB investigation.

 

[wc51]

Is "nolimitdronez.com" my only option to cut DJI out of the airspace restriction loop? or the best? or any good at all? I have an FAA authorization for a 200' limit near a busy regional airport (KSBP) with a contract tower. But it's a 240 mile roundtrip and I don't want to get surprised with a DJI lock when I arrive. Thirty-five bucks for nolimitdronez is cheap insurance if it works.

They are terrible to work with. Takes forever to get and order and there support is worthless.